Tarawa (CV 40) - Naval Cruise Book

Page 38 text:

The TARAWA resfs quiefly in Oran's -I000 year old porf. 0HA FRICA! .... lions, elephants, camels, jungles, oases, and Arabs. These are the things that Africa is made of. Our minds were filled with visions of these things, but the Arabs were all that we saw. As a matter of fact, instead of deserts we found snow just a few miles outside of the city. But there were other things of interest found on tours which were taken by many to the Arab city of Tlemcen and the city of Sidi-Bel-Abes, home of the famous French Foreign Legion. Oran is the chief port and capital of Western Algeria and was founded by the Arabs during the tenth century A. D. The last thousand years Shopping fours were a popular form of diversion, fez sales oufnumbering all ofhers. Downfown Oran, five minufes before the liberiy boats hif 'rhe beach. has found the city continuously either being captured or recaptured, pillaged or rebuilt, by various conquerors. It was one of the main Allied objectives during the North African landings and sunken ships in the harbor stand even today as grim reminders of the havoc wrought there.

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nfgq w e if iw Q fate 6,-3 5 , I' ,l FA , f fi Ulf lriilli ' ei . ' ve L' new f ' it 451 a R L pills' mx 5 if-L .. . l' ' im a iii Pywiv M rs 2 ! 5ExH,.nc,1S 1 A AND THEY DID! Men returned from liberty sporting watches without mechanisms, lens-less cameras, and American-looking fountain pens inscribed P. Arker . Others came back de- cided losers in the struggle with local alcoholic specialties, or flat broke from a bargaining session with a street vendor, taxi driver, waiter, dancing girl, or all combined. as 6? ff 55' ., X if W fl ' ir : i ji Mjxszs 0 MARC-' THESE INCIDENTS made good stories and in most cases the victims enjoyed relating their mishaps. We were all taken a little here and thereg the strange part about it was that some individuals never learned. To these few chronic losers in their encounters with the unscrupulous, these pages are dedicated. ... om v rlearn!

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Section Ill misses another liberty. UR SECOND DAY in the port city was blown in with a storm which seemed to rival in intensity the one that we had encountered in crossing the Atlantic. Waves surged over the sea wall to which the TARAWA was moored and forced our captain to call all hands to Special Sea Detail stations to stand by for immedite action should the ship break her moorings. Several of the lines did actually part and for the entire afternoon and the better part of the night no one knew whether or not the remaining cables would hold. The USS CABOT, moored astern, was not so fortunateg all of her lines parted and she had to stand off from the concrete sea wall and drop her anchor. The next morning, however, brought relative calm and by nine o'clock our tour parties were disembarking and away on sightseeing and other missions. This Moslem Miss gave permission tor the photo, but only after she had tound a veil. Ahmet's Rapid Transit, Inc. White Ha fs R This is the home ot the famous French Foreign Legion which has furnished mercenaries to tight in every maior conflict since I835