Tarawa (CV 40) - Naval Cruise Book

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K Loaded liberfy launches carrying +he children fo the ship provided an excifing way fo sfari' +he Chrisimas party. OLLOXVING the movies the kids greeted Santa Claus and each was presented gifts by jovial St. Nick. Little wide-eyed tots hap- pily staggered away from Pere Noel loaded to capacity with brightly tied bundles, boxes, and Christmas stockings filled with toys, cloth- ing, and good things to eat. It was evident that the crew members enjoyed themselves fully as much as the kids. VVhite hats gathered their charges in their arms and led them about, teasing, coddling, occasionally scolding, stuffing their pockets with nuts and candy, wiping damp noses, and showering them with a tenderness and affection that was not entirely due to the Yuletide spirit. The Tarawa menu of soup, ham, mashed swee+ pofafoes, salad, milk, and apple pie a la mode seemed 'ro be me? with solid approval from these young Frenchmen. The supreme momenf came when each child walked up fo Santa Claus for an armload of prcsenfs. These 'rwo boys are ge'Hing the low-down on an American +oy from a Marine.

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ll wilhoul hrisrmas al a xdnli, be C . iusi Wcfu - In-ee. American Clmslmag wh0PP '9 big An CHRI T AS 19 1 French Naval Officers on board helped wiih +he prepararions. Who said Chrisrmas was iusi' for kids? Pere Noel sleps clown from his sleigh. HE HELICOPTER skimmed across the water, moving rapidly toward the forward end of the flight deck. It hovered over the ship momentarily and then touched down lightly to permit its one all-important passenger to step out. Amid delighted cries of Pere Noel, Pere Noel red-garbed and white-bearded Santa Claus stepped from his modern sleigh into a throng of 300 French boys and girls. The children, ranging from four to ten, were aboard the TARAWA for a gala post-Christmas party. They arrived aboard shortly before noon on December 26th and were greeted by crew members who acted as escorts. The children, surprisingly quiet and well- behaved, were taken on a tour about the shipg forward on thc hangar deck, up No. 1 elevator, then aft on the flight deck. Down they went into the mess deck for noon chow topped off with chocolate ice cream and pie. Then they were rounded up on the hangar deck to watch a series of cartoon movies.

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4 1 I i 1 l la 1 1 l A I l 1 5 l l 1 l 'Azul' Monaco was iusl a quick Iauni' down 'lhe Cole cl'Azur. ANNES alone held enough attractions to occupy our time. There were, however, tours of the Riviera that took us along the Cote d'Azur. Beyond Nice we visited the renowned Monte Carlo casino. At Grasse and Le Cannet, the perfume center of the world, we visited perfume factories and learned to sample the scents from the bottle Stoppers and not the bottles. The 'beach al Cannes made our Iasl' liberfy in lhe Med. mosf enjoy- able.