Salem (CA 139) - Naval Cruise Book

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My presenf Commanding Officer is Capfain Francis T. Williamson. I-le was born in Tiverfon, Rhode Island in IQO7, and in I93I he was g-rad- uafed from Annapolis and wenf fo his firsf dufy sfafion wifh fhe fleef aboard fhe USS OKLA- I-IOMA. I-Ie served on fhaf baffleship unfil I933. when he began some fwelve years of desfroyer dufy. The oufbrealc of World War II found my Cap- fain on pafrol in Norfhern Aflanfic wafers. In I9-4I he was ordered fo fhe Pacific for dufy and in I942 Admiral I-Ialsey ordered him fo falce com- mand of fhe USS CRAVEN IDD-382I. I-Iis ship saw acfion in fhe capfure of fhe Russell Islands. fhe New Georgia Group, Bougainville, and fhe nighf baffle of Vella Gulf, for which he received fhe Navy Cross. I-Ie received a Bronze Sfar wifh combaf 'V' when CRAVFN desfroyed five Japanese forpedo planes in fhe Baffle of Guadal- canal. In I943 wifh a new command, fhe de- sfroyer MORRIS, my Capfain parficipafed in fhe Marianas Campaign, in fhe amphibious assaulf and capfure of Tarawa and fhe bombardmenf of Olcino Daifo Shima, and, in fhe closing monfhs of fhe war, fhe assaulf on Okinawa and affaclcs on fhe coasf of Japan. When fhe fighfing broke ouf in Korea, Cap- fain Williamson parficipafecl in fhe carrier faslc force sfrilces and shore bombardmenf acfions. I-Iis Dromofion fo Capfain was made in I949 when, affer serving as Execufive Officer on fhe IOWA and fhe ATLANTA, he was Commander of DesDiv I I2. In I956 Capfain Williamson foolc command of fhe desfroyer fender FRONTIER and a faslc group of fhe Sevenfh Fleef, receiving his orders fo command me in fhe fall of fhe same year. My Capfain has had shore dufy as fhe Naval Affache ancl Naval Affache for Air in Afhens, Greece, fhe Chief of Naval Personnel Represenf- afive and head of fhe Disciplinary Advisory Branch in fhe Office of fhe Judge Adwocafe General, and he has complefed fhe Senior Course in Sfrafegy and Tacfics af fhe War Col- lege in Newporf, Rhode Island. Besides fhe Navy Cross, Capfain Williamson wears fhree Bronze Sfars wifh cornbaf 'V', a Sec- Nav Commendafion Ribbon and I7 baffle sfars. The Capfain and his wife, Eleanore, have a daughfer, Nancy, and fwo sons, Francis Jr. and Michael. 5 CAPTAIN FRANCIS T. WILLIAMSON, USN My Commanding Officer

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T, ,,,, Q f' CAPTAIN ALLAN ROBY, USN My Former Commanding OTTicer BeTore CapTain Williamson Took The Veins, my commanding oTTicer was CapTain Allan BanlchursT Roby, 50, a naTive KenTucl4ian. From The Time he was s Midshipmen in 1926 will ms, he served on Three baTTleships, MARYLAND. CAUFOR- NIA and WEST VlRC5lNlA. Then came desTroyer duTy unTil TQ37, when he wenT back To Annapolis Tor a year oT posT graduaTe school. l-le was aboard The baTTleship lDAl-lO when she wenT inTo The SouTh PaciTic during World War ll, operaTing as a supporT uniT in The baTTle oT Midway lsland and aT The Japanese wiThdrawal Trom Guadalcanal. More SouTh PaciTic duTy came aboard The de- sTroyer KIDD, which CapTain Roby puT inTo com- mission. As her commanding oTTicer. Commander Roby received The Silver STar Tor engagemenTs wiTh enemy aircraTT and The Bronze STar wiTh combaT clasp Tor The rescue oT 30 aviaTors whose planes crashed or were shoT down. ATTer The war CapTain Roby wenT To Ohio STaTe UniversiTy Tor a masTer's degree in poliTical 4 science. l-le spenT l947 as Commander, De- sTroyer Division l42 and Took a one year course aT The NaTional War College in l95l. The nexT year he was CO oT The aTTaclc TransporT SARA- SOTA. BeTore coming To me, CapTain Roby was wiTh The Bureau oT Naval Personnel. l-Te came aboard in January l956, deparTed Tor The lasT Time in February l957. CapTain Roby married Francis lvlcCandless oT FranlcTorT, KenTuclcy. They have Two sons, Allan Jr., 23, and David. l9. The Roby's home is Bards- Town, KenTucl4y. l l l

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-H8 My former Execufive Officer, Commander William J. Caspari, USN, was born in Emporia, Kansas, Ocfober 9, IQI6. l-le aTTended Kansas STaTe Teachers College for Two years, before en'- Tering The Naval Academy. l-le graduafed from The Naval Academy in I94O, and has served aboard seven ships. l-lis firsT command was The desfroyer USS BABBIT, which he Took over in l943 affer Two years aboard The baffleship USS PENNSYL- VANlA and a year on The desfroyer USS LAUB. d N I W 1g where he advanced from assisfanf Gunnery Of- June IQ56 ficer To Execufive Officer. As skipper of The l3ABBlT, l.ieuTenanT Caspari was The mosT iunior desfroyer capfain in The Navy: The average of The officers in his wardroom was 2 I .3 years. From The BABBlT, LieuTenanT Commander Caspari vvenT To The Pacific To Take command of The desfroyer USS EDISON, remaining wiTh her unfil I9-46. ln I9-48 he wenf To Sfanford UniversiTy for a posT graduafe course in personnel adminisfrafion, and a MasTer's Degree. The year I9-49 found him in Norfolk, Virginia as Officer-in-Charge of fhe lnsTrucTor's School. l-le puT ouf To sea again in l95O as Command- ing Officer of The desfroyer-minesweeper, USS MACOMB. 6