Shadwell (LSD 15) - Naval Cruise Book

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EXECUTIVE OFFICER RAYMOND L. WHITE COMMANDER, USN LIEUTENANT COMMANDER RAYMOND L. WHITE reported aboard IYSS SHADWICLI, tLSD-15i as Executive Officer in June 1967. LCdr. WHITE began his Naval career with four years of enlisted duty serving as an Operating Room Technician in the Hospital Corps. His duty stations in- cluded: US Naval Air Station, Corpus Christi, Texas: US Naval Hospital, Chelsea, Nlassg and IISS ICSSICX fCVA-91. Upon separation from the service in 1952 he en- tered San Diego College to study zoology, chemistry and physics. After graduating in 1954 he was com- missioned in the Ready Reserves. l,Cdr. WlllTl'I re- mained on inactive duty until June, 1956, during which period he was employed as a police officer with the San Diego Police Department, earning an Associate Degree in Police Science and Criminology. In June 1956 he requested recall to active duty' specifying duty with Underwater Demolition Team Train- ing, USNAB Coronado, Calif. llis first assignment following extensive training was as Platoon Commander and Administrative Officer of IFDT 12. lle was also officer in charge of instructors and advisors to Republic of Philippines Underwater Operating llnit. lle was then selected to serve as Officer in Charge of the first in country training team for the Republic of Korea which established the initial curricula. LCdr. WHITE was next assigned to 1'nderwater Demolition Unit One. Coronado, California as Officer in Charge of UDT Research and Development for CONIPIIIBPAC. During this tour he was in charge of detach- ments involving the installation of underwater facilities within the Pacific Missile Range, the experimental development of Self Contained lfnderwater Breathing Apparatus iSCUBAl and the testing of US Navy Diving Tables. He augmented to the Regular Navy in December 1959 and was immediately ordered to USS FRONTIER QAD-251 as Operations Officer and Navigator. followed by assignments to USS MATHEWS fAKA-965 as First Lieutenant and USS BEXAR 1APA-2371 as Operations Officer. In 1965 LCdr. WHITE was ordered to shore duty as Officer in Charge of Underwater Demolition Team Training at the US Naval Amphibious School. Coronado, California.

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EMERGES YARD ER SHIP. After retuming from our 1966 Mediterranean deployment on the first of August, SHADWELL made all preparations for entering the ship yards. . . it was to be our first yard period in nearly three years. As good fortune would have it. our three-and- a-half month yard stay was spent in Newport News. Va., about a thirty minute drive from home. We entered the yard with ideas and plans on how to make our ship more ready for sea and a more comfortable home in which to live. Many long days and nights were spent adapting these plans to the physical shipg many plans had to be redesigned and new ideas emerged which would eventually increase and strengthen our shipboard capabilities. On 5 January 1967, SHADWELL was ready to leave Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock to challenge and test her many adaptations. After several days of intensive tests our months of work were met with success. Our plans were to depart soon for Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, for operational training and then to AOTU for amphibious training. All the while making prep- arations for our forthcoming Med deployment. We left the yard a new ship with a new crew, eager to leam and to improve. . .And thus, our story begins.