Smalley (DD 565) - Naval Cruise Book

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i Punjab fruits and vegetables, meats and dried fish. The whole scene was lorded over by the heat and blinding brightness of a penetrating equa- torial sun. A few Smalley sailors with a little more of the Wanderlust than the majority of their ship- mates made the trip from Colombo through the jungle to Kandy. Kandy, in the days of the Sinhalese Kings, was the capitol of Ceylon. Though there were many interesting sights in Kandy, including the Temple of The Sacred Tooth of Buddha and the Botanical Gardens with their rich array of tropical plants, the most interesting thing about the trip was the ride through the jungle. The road from Colombo to Kandy twisted and turned as it wound its way through the mountains to the center of the Island nearly 4,000 feet above sea level. Along the road could be seen rice paddies, rubber plantations, tea plantations and finally the deep, dark, clamp jungle itself. For most of the Smalley 39 sailors this was the first real jungle any of tlleln had seen, and lived up to all expecta- tions of what a jungle should be. After three days of tugging at their moor- ings under the perpetual eye of the Ceylonese sun, the ships of Destroyer Division 302 made all preparations for getting underway and on the morning of the fourth of December steamed out of Colombo, pointing their bows westward toward Arabia. s B K S S On the road to Kandy Fashion center

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Hsylnn Falling like a tear drop from the tip of India. the island of Ceylon lies in those latitudes which divide the Indian Ocean from the Bay of Bengal. Steady steaming, with only an occasional break in routine to conduct competitive exer- cises or independent ship maneuvers, carried the four little ships of the globe circling Thunderbolt Dog Division through the Straits of Mallacca and across the Bay of Bengal. On the last night in November they skirted the southern tip of Ceylon and turned north. 'The following morning the Smalley passed through the breakwater and into the artificial harbor of Colombo. Consisting of several long concrete jettys which extend out from the shore, the harbor at Colombo is said to be the largest artificial anchorage in the world. The method by which the ships were required to moor was indeed unique and demanded the utmost in ship- handling. To take advantage of every yard of space, ships moored to buoys both fore and aft. This mooring arrangement enabled the Ceylonese to literally pack their harbor. The city of Colombo itself offered little in the way of recreation. There was of course the Calle Face llotcl and the resort at Mo, Lavinia, the latter being a few miles outside the city and offering fairly good bathing facilities. The Slmtterbugs, of which the division boasted many, had their usual field day. There were colorful scenes of Buddhist Priests garbcd in golden yellow robes march. ing in groups or singly through the streets begging their food and in return casting a blessing on those of the faith who offered them sustenance. There was the contrast of the ox drawn carts rattling along side by side with modern automobiles. A sailor who walked along one of the fairly modern main streets Q.. 'A Q: ' , Sf nw? 12 1,5 1 1: 9 af i. i r' , , . ,Q 1 an E, , K. if r' if , 1- if s M 'D 6 fi 'Q 5. is 5 uni t' H af , V f 'X l . 14 is si iiif' with its well paved roadway, its tall stone and cement buildings and its wealth of familiar items of merchandise might feel himself in relatively familiar surroundings. All he need do though was to turn down any one of the side streets and he would discover another world. These side streets were unpaved, dusty and contained an astoundingly large assort- ment of indigenous odors and cacophonous sounds. The top-heavy ox carts bounced along, merchants hawked their wares and bare foot brown bodies clad only in loin cloths darted back and forth, filling the street with noise and apparent confusion. The open front shops displayed a profusion of brass pots and pans, Cobra crazy me f. St K. ii 5 a 2 ' l Q l x Y E C I '4 1- XVK' inecls ltasl 5' 83 ' b 'l 32 L l 3. i Ml I ' 4 3 54'

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KH5-llf' Czzmzru On the day before our arrival in ,llas-at- Tanura the division split np. with the Daly and Bronson heading for Balirein lsland while the Smalley and Coflen continued north to Ras-at-Tanura. The port of Ras-at-Tamira sits on the edge of the great Arabian Desert nearly two thirds the way up the Persian Gulf. It is an out of the way corner of the world and one into which the average tourist is not likely to venture. Here on the fringe of the great barren plain is the gigantic refinery of the Arabian Amer- ican Oil Company fAramcoD. Despite the paucity of recreational facili- ties, the people of Aramco rolled out the wel- come mat in their efforts to make our two day stay as enjoyable as possible. Tours of the refinery were scheduled and parties were arranged for the men of the little ships that had carried the American flag to this far corner of the World. As the Snmlirif nose-d alongside the dock there was one question uppermost' in the minds ol, all hainds when they gazed out at the vast emptiness that was Arabia: VVhy Ras-at- 'l'aiiiii'a?i' lt certainly wasnlt for purposes of liberty and recreation that the Navy had ordered ns liere. lt vs as for something far more important. ll was the carrying out of a policy that is as old as navies themselves, that of showing the flag from the deck of a man-of- war. lt was to let the countries of the middle east know that they had not been forgotten. lt was to let the world know that the United States Navy conld steam up the Persian Gulf in force at any time if this vital area of the world were ever to be threatened by forces of aggression unfriendly to the United States. Destroyer Division 302 was performing duty just as important as any it had performed in Korea when the twenty 5-inch guns of the Division made their appearance in the Persian Gulf. DPSFRI' IIASI X g J.