Stribling (DD 867) - Naval Cruise Book

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'K ' 'P IX 'Y if, . ei .. so-til' -ilu- ,,' I 1 NIH, Ogg.. 000009. .OO Q.. , Nga. ' . . W ar, . 5, 4 s . l,'L9,5l Secretary ofthe Navy John ll. CIIAFEE, lrightl, and Assistant Secretary ofthe Navy For Financial Management Charles A. BOWSIIER sit in high line chairs aboard the Destroyer USS STRIBLING IDD-8671. It was a smooth trip across the Atlantic and only a few days could be considered rough as the ship ioined others of the American, French, and British Navies for Exercise RIPTIDE Ill in the Atlantic. Prior to transitting the Suez Canal on I September to report for duty with the Middle East Forces, the ship visited Naples and Athens. On 7 September the ship moored at Djibouti, French Somaliland, and on the l6th at Bahrein Island in the Pursian Gulf. On the l9th, the STRIBLING, USS PERRY, and USS GREENWICH BAY, with units of the Iranian Navy, conducted exercises off Kharg Island in the Persian Gulf. On the 24th of September, the STRIBLING broke the COMIDEAST FORCE flag as Rear Admiral SEMMES and his aide rode the ship that day. b f th Saudi Arabian Navy came aboard for an inspection and underway exercise in On 29 September, at Ras Tanura, Saudi Arabia, mem ers o e which they observed S 138 gun firing, and took part in fire drills, and were allowed to maneuver the ship for man overboard drill. The sound of the Arabic Language over the IMC system was very strange indeed. Before departing from the Middle East, the ship visited Aden, and then having been relieved on I 5 October, transitted the Suez Canal for the Sth time, and reioined the SIXTH Fleet. During the period I5 October to I December, while operating with the SIXTH Fleet, the ship visited Golfe Juan, France, Gaeta and Naples, Italy, and Messina, Sicily. Homeward bound in the latter part of February I963, STRIBLING arrived at Mayport on 2 March. The cruise had been rewarding in many respects From Kharg Island, Iran, and Diibouti, French Somaliland, to Barcelona, Spain, STRIBLING had come in contact with many different climates ' ' ' ' d'ff tf m our own. In addition the and peoples, conveying to these people an insight to America and gaining an awareness of cultures and ideas I eren ro , t with the SIXTH Fleet gave the ship important experience in the complex and demanding operations and logistics of a mobile strike group and the our pride of being a part of a very vital and effective element of this country's first lme of defense. lronically but understandably, the most enioyable part of such an experience is the homecoming. STRIBLING had been gone from 3 August 1962 to 2 March l9'63, a period covering nearly two-thirds of a year but which seemed longer to many.

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,B-lam' . . J 1- 3. 1 i' Commissioning ceremonies were held 22 April, and sea trails begun. On 12 May the STRIBLING completed her FRAM overhaul and moved out to sea to begin refresher training at Guantanamo Bay, CUb0- Upon completion of refresher training, on 18 August, the ship sailed to its new home port, Mayport, Florida, and ioined DESRON 14. From September to December 1961, the STRIBLING ioined the NATO FORCES IN Exercise LlME JUG in the North Atlantic. The ship docked GT S thh f E ' ' ' ou amp on, ngland, and Belfast, lreland, and many persons visited London and Dublin. The return trip was rough. Stanchions were torn off, ladders were twisted like pretzels a hole was torn in the CPO bulkhead paint was washed off d th an e numerals 867 were barely showing. One man had an attack of appendicitis. When the ship finally arrived at Mayport, The c0ndifi0f' of the ship, together with the ambulance standing by, caused many families to worry for it looked like the STRIBLING had fought a war . In February 1962, the STRIBLING with the USS NOA and other ships went on range for the MERCURY shot which resulted in the recovefY of ll COL John H. GLENN, USMC, by the NOA. In March during ASW exercises with Task Group ALFA, the STRIBLING responded to the call of distress signals from the SS GEM which was In trouble off Cape Hatteras. In spite of rough weather, a life raft was launched and 26 men were saved from the stern of the tanker. A hero's welcome awaited STRIBLING when it returned to Mayport where TV, radio, national and local news media interviewed the ship's crew and the grateful men Who had been rescued. As one British merchantman said, I was never so glad to see the American Navy . A lull in trips occurred, but not in the work because in .l I th , u y e STRIBLING was selected as one of three ships to go to Washington to be insliecled by the Chief of Naval Operations, members of the Senate and Hous f R ' , I c e o epresentatives, and military and civilians of the various milital'Y organizations responsible for the types of ships the Navy will have in the future. On retur eet deployment, the STRIBLING proudly displayed another E for efficiency in DESRON 14. n to Mayport, while making preparations for SIXTH Fl The crew bade farewell to their families on 3 August and began a MED Cruise with the SIXTH Fleet.

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d k riod, punctuated by an assignment as a training ship for the Fleet Shortly after the return- to Mayport began a much Reegedrlelawgel me EIQRTEIPISZ went To Norfolk for U Yard penod GT Portsmouth NWO' Shipyard, Sonar School, Key West, Florida, for two weeks during did hun plafes required replacement. Portsmouth being too busy to'do the required work, the and here it was discovered 'hm 0 number of higmy com k 'Ile where damage to the Sonar Dome and propellers were incurred while drydogking - - - - ' ' d in Jac sonvi . . . . , - Ship WGS 0599099 U Y0 d 9V9 0b 'TY at 0 pr'V01.e yur - h' d lo ed a very noticeable vibration during subsequent sea trials. A A Somewhat: p5ol?9id.peri3d iq the iggogg if:gi3312:Leiiiggfigsniigaigenidlrproiavutisign shaft appeared to reduce the vibration enough to allow the return to t e ry oc in or er o ms STRIBLING to make her next scheduled cruise. I I A t he departed for six weeks to Bermuda and Ponta Delgado on the Island of San Miguel in the Azores. This proved a very welcome n eary ugus s respite from the previous several months. Upon return from the Azores cruise she again went into drydock at another Jacksonville shipyard. Further work on the propulsion shaft finally corrected the vibration problems and in October STRIBLING could be considered ready for sea. The remainder of the fall saw the ship operating in the Mayport area conducting exercises and participating in one large fleet exercise off the Virginia Capes Much time was spent in port and in November STRIBLING received confirmation that she would deploy to the MED with Destroyer Division ONE FOUR TWO in early February I964. STRIBLING spent all of January 1964 in Mayport preparing for the forthcoming MED deployment, and on 8 February she departed Mayport with other units of Destroyer Division ONE FOUR TWO. PiraeuslAthens, Greece was the first liberty port in the MED in January. Early -in March STRIBLING.transitted the Suez Canal for duty with MIDEASTFOR, stopping at Jidda, Ethiopia, Diibouti, French Somaliland, Mona AI Ahmadi, Kuwait, the British Protectorate of Aden, Bahrein Island in the Persian Gulf, Karachi, Pakistan, and Kharg Island, Iran. While with MIDEASTFOR, STRIBLING participated in OPERATION DELAWAR and received a commendation from Rear Admiral A.F. SCHADE, USN, COMMIDEASTFOR, for outstanding performance in gunnery. On I May STRIBLING departed MIDEASTFOR and transitted the Suez Canal once again. She proceeded to Naples. and a tender availability period. During this time, on I6 May, Change of Command Ceremonies were held at which time CDR M.O. GEARY, USN, relieved CDR, R.B. JACOBS, USN as Commanding Officer. While in Naples STRIBLING received confirmation that she would participate in the 20th Anniversary Commemoration of the Normandy Invasions. This she did with units of the French, British, and Canadian Navies. Ports of interest which were visited were Portsmouth, England, and Cherbourg, France. In mid-June STRIBLING visited Bordeaux, France, to help celebrate the opening of the International Trade Fair. STRIBLING was the first United States Navy ship to visit Bordeaux in over three years. From mid-June to mid-July STRIBLING operated with units of the U.S. SIXTH Fleet, making calls it Ibiza, Baleric Island, and Valencia, Spain. After these operations she departed the MED for the return to the United States, a long but very enioyable MED cruise behind her. In late August STRIBLING ARRIVED AT Mayport for a period spent preparing for general overhaul. This stay was interrupted by Hurricane DORA, forcing STRIBLING to leave Mayport to evade the storm. In mid-September STRIBLING entered Charleston Naval Shipyard for a regular overhaul which extended into early 1965. b After completion of her first yard overhaul since FRAM, STRIBLING departed Charleston, South Carolina on I8 January 1965 for exercises in the Norfolk Operating Area and after more than four months absences, entered Mayport on 27 January. After a short stay, STRIBLING got underway for Guantanamo Bay and six grueling weeks of refresher training. The work at GITMO was hard, but the STRIBLING crew put forth its best effort and made a fine mark on her final ORI. STRlBLlNG's grade on her ASW ORI was the highest ever awarded by the professionals at Fleet Training Group Guantanamo Bay to a FRAM I destroyer. After completion of shore bombardment qualifications at Culebra, STRIBLING returned to Mayport on 22 March and commenced preparations for another deployment to SIXTH Fleet. Departing for the MED on I7 May, STRIBLING arrived in Rota, Spain ten days later. From there, STRIBLING pro- ceeded via Souda Bay, Crete, and the Suez Canal to the Middle East. Successive ports of call during operations with Middle East Force were Port Sudan, Aden, and Diego Suarez and Tamatave in Madagascar. En route to Madagascar, STRIBLING crossed the equator and the ceremonies attendant to the creation of shellbacks from pollywogs were most colorful. Returning to the Mediterranean again via Aden and the Suez Canal, STRIBLING put into Piraeus, Greece, for liberty and then moved on to.Naples for a tender availability period. Early August was spent operating with the SIXTH Fleet, some fine liberty in Palma, Spain, and turning over t th USS NORRIS in Pallensa Bay. 0 e DASH ...L