Shangri La (CVA 38) - Naval Cruise Book

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hw T Robert I.ee 'Ihtsnseml nas horn tn f'E.er'lzr-srillr-. Ark.. on .-Xngnst 2. 1911 Ile t'Illi'i't -Il the 1'S Naval .-Xctnleiny at .-Xnnapolis in 1930 and was connnissioneil Ensign in 1934 After two years as ,innior offifer on the ISS 'l'RI'IN'l'ON. he went to Pensacola. Fla. for flight training. Ile was designated Naval .-Xviator in 1937 and joined Itonihing Squadron 2 on the ISS LEX- INGTON for three years. Returning to .-Xnnapolis. he studied aeronaut- ical engineering. In .Tune 1943 he received a Master of Science front the T-Iasachusetts Insti- tute of Technology. During World War II, he exerutsve officer of the newly coininisioned ISS TRIPOLI until 1946. in hunter-killer submarine warfare. De- tached. he served in the Plans Coordination Di- vision of the Bureau of Aeronautics until April 19-18. Ile then served three years with air station squadrons at Moffett Field. California. and Patux- ent River. Maryland. In September 1951. he became Head. Weap- ons Branch. in the Atoznic Energy Division in the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations. He was Special Weapons and Plans Officer on the staff of the Coniniander-in-Chief. US. Atlantic Fleet with headquarters at Norfolk until July 1955. He REAR ADMIRAL ROBERT L. TOWNSEND, U. S. NAVY attended National War College in Washington, DC. After completion, he was Assistant Head of Research and Development Division, Bureau of Ordnance, in June 1956. June 1959 he assumed command of the USS KEARSARGE ICVS-333 which participated in rescue operations at Nagoya, Japan, after Ty- phoon Vera. A year later, he became Chief of Staff and Aide to Commander, Carrier Division THREE. His selection for the rank of Rear Ad- miral was approved by the President in July 1960, after which he became Commander Carrier Di- vision SEVENTEEN. ln December 1961, he became Assistant Chief of the Bureau of Naval Weapons for Financial Management 1 Comptrollerj, Navy Department. Q Rear Admiral Townsend became Commander Carrier Division SIX in March 1964, and has par- ticipated as -Officer in Tactical Command of the Carrier Striking Force in large-scale NATO operation. Rear Admiral Townsend has the American Defense Service Medal, the American Campaign MQC12113 European-African-Middle Eastern Cam- Pfillgfl Medalg Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, Xl orld War Il Victory Medal, and the National Defense Service Medal.

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against Tokyo - just as Jimmy Doolittle's band of B-25s had done in 1942. As the Third Fleet closed in to destroy the remnants of Japan's Imperial Navy, Shangri-La pilots struck hard. When the Shangri-La marked her first anniversary, with war at an end, her record with CAG-85 read: 50 planes destroyed in air, 134 planes destroyed on ground, 22 ships sunk, 65 ships damaged, 32 personnel lost, total landings 14,247. Famous even before she entered combat, the Shangri-La was greeted by 37,192 vis- itors at an open house upon her return to the United States. Then came drydock and a rest. Now came a succession of missions that continues today. February 1946, Shangri-La was designated to operate drones for Operation Crossroads, the historical atom bomb tests at Bikini. This was a milestone in unmanned aircraft, the drones flying into the explosion area to record scientific data. An entry in the log on July 3, 1947, must have brought a lump to the throats of men who once served on the Shangri-La. It read, Reported San Francisco Group, Pacific Reserve Fleet, for inactivation . . 3' Inactive status lasted until May 10, 1951, when the Shcmgri-La was commissioned once again. But, her new life was short. When the Korean War subsided and bogged down into truce talks, the Shang was decommissioned once more. Recommissioned again in 1955, the Shcmgri-La now engaged intensive training and mod- ernization. New fleet records for performance were established. There was Operation Hand- clasp, when more than seven tons of food, clothing, and toys were distributed in the Orient. The Far East, Cuba, the Mediterranean, missions to ports in almost every ocean - the Shangri-La saw them all. In 1961 Shang helicopters assisted in rescue operations in the wake of Hurricane Carla at Galveston, Tex. The following year brought NATO training ex- ercises - the ports of Istanbul, Athens, and the Riviera. Trouble between Haiti and the Dominican Republic brought the ship to this crisis spot on the globe in 1963. However, Americans were not avacuated from the island and the flare- up subsided. Though civilian populations often regard naval missions as purely military, there is much more to be told. Cruising the world in a continual state of readiness, ships such as the USS Shangri-La have another important role. The 'tpersonal diplomacyn exercised by Navy men also instills confidence in America's mission as the champion of freedom everywhere.

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REAR ADMIRAL ED R. KING U. . Navy Ed Reuben King was born in Memphis, Tenn., on January 2, 1913. He entered the U.S. Naval Academy in 1932 and was commissioned Ensign on June 4, 1936. Following graduation, he served on the USS WEST VIRGINIA QBB-485 for 51!2 years as a junior officer, watch and division officer, and main battery assistant. The WEST VIRGINIA was sunk at Pearl Harbor. During World War II, he was gunnery officer of the USS BANCROFT CDD-5985 operating in the Atlantic and Aleutian theaters, then executive officer of the USS BLACK CDD-6669 in the Pa- cific. In March 1944 he became commanding of- ficer of the BLACK until the Japanese surren- dered. For seven operations he was awarded the Legion of Merit, Bronze Star, and Gold Star in lieu of a second Bronze Star. Detached from the BLACK in November 1945, he was Main Battery Officer at the Naval Proving Ground, Dahlgren, Va., until February 1948. He next served as Operations Officer on the USS HUNTINGTON fCL-1075. In May 1949 he as- sumed command of the USS MASSEY CDD-7785. He was awarded a Gold Star in lieu of the Third Bronze Star for outstanding services in Korean hostilities. The MASSEY won the battle efficiency E both years under his command. From Aug- 'NX k Sfm .L sl' gr ,. ffgxi ust 1951 until March 1953 he was Operations Ad- visor in the Bureau of Ships, Washington, D.C., and in May 1953 reported as Prospective Com- manding Officer of the USS JOHN S. MCCAIN. He assumed command of that destroyer leader when she was commissioned in October. In July 1955 he reported to the National War College. Upon graduation in June 1956 he was assigned to the Joint Plans Branch, Logistic Plans Division, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Navy Department. In August 1958 he assumed command of the USS TRUCKEE. Under his command, the TRUCKEE won the first of her five E s consti- tuting her Gold E status. In July 1959, he was detached to command Destroyer Squadron TWENTY-TWO, and served with the Second and Sixth Fleets as screen commander. He was as- signed April 1960 to the faculty of the National War College, and in August 1962 was ordered to the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, where he served as Head of the Plans Branch, Develop- ment Planning Division, and Deputy Director of the Development Programs Division. He assumed command of Cruiser-Destroyer Flotilla EIGHT on June 18, 1964. On January 3, 1965, he assumed command of Cruiser Destroyer Flotilla TWELVE.