Tarawa (CV 40) - Naval Cruise Book

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Tlus flagslone slreel leads lo one of +he walchlowers on +l1e cily walls. - T THE BASE of Vesuvius, standing on what was once the seashore, lies the fabulous ruined city of Pompeii. On the 5th of February, 79 A.D., Pompeii was crushed to death by the weight of volcanic ash that formed a blanket thirty feet deep before Mt. Vesuvius ceased its eruption. Three thousand of the city's thirty-five thousand population were killed. The remainder escaped death by putting to sea. Excavated by relatively recent government projects, it now stands as exact evidence of the public and private lives of the Pompeiian people. Many were caught in their daily pursuits and their move- ments stopped much the same as in a photograph, only more permanently. This is a favorite tour spot when the Navy visits Naples. We walked through the ruins and viewed remarkably preserved statues and frescos. The narrow streets had deep ruts cut in the stone by two-wheeled chariots. Marble structures equipped with lead pipe plumbing attest to an advanced civilization which also seems to have been quite uninhibitedg its moral code, by our standards, would leave something to be desired . . . indeed we ponder, what were the doings in the ruins of Pompeii? Vesuvius brooding in the background gives logic to the con- struction of Pompeii's many temples and sacrihcial altars. The tourist breathes a little easier when he is finally outside the city and finds himself surrounded by street urchins at the gate crying, You speak Joe . . . how much for small brass souvenir? P0 ll Only a few square stones remain of whal' was once a marble-paved marlrel' Pompeii was a lhriving seaport cily and as such had need of a holel for lravelers. The remains of 'lhe long holel porch and garden can sl'ill be seen. The museum has a complete scale model of the cily plus many ufensils used by ihe Pompeiians. lncluded in lhe display was a sei of den'lis+'s fools.

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rellei d momentary ff Sorrenl0 oqeri e brief Slap a for the Seasw' ' Every mile of fhe winding road 'lo ANACAPRI presented such maiesiic views as fhis P111 T IS JUST POSSIBLE that in the once popular song Isle of Capril' the lady sitting neath the shade of an old chestnut tree was none other than the beauty of the island itself, for surely there is no other island spot on the Mediterranean that possesses the enchantment and beauty of Capri. The shoulders of its cliffs are draped with a soft mantle of Italian greenery and its gentle hills rise and fall beneath orange groves and vines. Cliff garden vistas and villas with gay approaches create a happy air of human occupancy. Roads wind gracefully round hillsides and offer scenes that hold the traveler spellboundf Stately cliffs ring the island with the myriad variations and folds of a full flaring skirt. And on all but windless days White foam froths back and forth on the foot of the cliffs I like petticoat lace. The shoreline is studded with what must be hundreds of caves, the most important of which is the Blue Grotto. While some of the caves are hundreds of feet up the cliff sides the B-lue Grotto is right at the shoreline. There is no path leading to its single entrance and to enter you must do so by rowboat. Once inside everything takes on' almost unimaginable shades of blue. Living in the ordinary daylight world there is no such color to provide us with a familiar name. We therefore Hnd ourselves fumbling for words to describe the incredible beauty of the subterranean SCCIIC. First sight of Capri from the excursion boat gangway.

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. Two Royrl Carabinieri police sfand beside one o fhe cop-on-'l'he-corner variety. The harbor of La Spezia loolrs peaceful and orderly. H foolt a 'terrific bearing during the war, buf recovery is being accomplished by careful, steady rebuilding. - These fishermen are more inferesfed in mending 'lheir nefs fhan in felling about fhe whoppers fhal' go? away. LA PEZIA HE PORT of La Spezia, one of the best anchorages in the entire Mediterranean Sea, opens to the south and is surrounded on three sides by excellent natural barriers. It houses many capital ships with ease and has splendid facilities for an entire task group. Napoleon realized the importance of this port and had elaborate plans for it. During World War II the Germans used this harbor extensively and toward the end of the conflict imposed severe damage on this, the pride of the Italian Navy. However, most of the area has been rebuilt since the war and is today serving the Italian Navy as in the past. One of the interesting monuments of the war is a ship which was sunk by the Germans at the mouth of the harbor, it is impossible to enter or leave the port without passing this half-submerged freighter. La Spezia combines many features of Italian life as it is today. The city has a few factories, which are typical of the l industrial north, and also the agrarian life characteristic of the south. Many fishing vessels operate from this quiet city and it is a common sight to see the fishermen and their helpers tending their nets along the shore. A free-lined open-air marker.