Tarawa (CV 40) - Naval Cruise Book

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as ..,,,,r. My A E The Porch of The Maidens on +he Erechfheum is buill' on +he northern edge of the Acropolis and many of us paused 'ro examine if iusl' as fhis sailor is doing. EMORIES of almost forgotten history books came forcefully to life in Athens where we came face to face with a civilization so ancient that its origin is traced in the mythology of Greek gods. Its history is measured by the culture that progressed from pre- Hellenic to Mycenean, to antique Greek, Byzantine and so on to the present day where we can do nothing but stand in awe before the remnants of the glory that was Greece, a land which produced so many poets, artists, and philosophers. Despite the worn and crumbling appearance of the Greek ruins you couldn't help but feel a profound respect for the remains of these ancient buildings. It was a feeling compelled by some- thing more than the memory ol' classroom lectures. The guide's monologue was educational, but it left huge gaps in trying to form a mental picture of what the Acropolis once looked like. The marble was deteriorated and yellow where once it had been smooth and gleaming white. NValls, corners and columns were ragged and designs were missing where once there had been clear cut straight lines and flawless patterns Cllt in stone. But probably the thing we missed most without realizing it were the people themselves of ancient Athens. XfVithout them we were inspecting a museum and we could do nothing but marvel at the precision and diligence of their work.

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ARANC BY, ARDII 'J , A Mosi of +l1e wafer sport was confined +o wading or searching for crabs under the rocks along +he shore FTER SUDA BAY, we thought we had seen the last of beach-party liberties. It was not until Aranci Bay, Sardinia, loomed over the horizon that we realized how Wrong We Were. A surprisingly large and beautiful harbor stilled the waters of the Mediterranean and small fishing boats passed our anchorage with obvious unconcern. Because there was no liberty in the tiny village, beer parties and baseball games once again became the keynotes to relaxation and recreation. A hot sun began to tan our bodies and that early-summer swimming urge hit us all again. Those who took a dip, however, soon found that it was still a bit too early and chattering teeth played like castanets along the sandy beach. Despite the fine weather there were no regrets when we weighed anchor for more active ports. K Framed by a fish nei' and an Admiral's Barge anoiher beach party comes ashore. Beer passers worked fasf and furiously 'fo keep the swabs supplied wiih cold brew.

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Royal Palace Guard. Al lhe fool of lhe Acropolis are lhe re- mains of 'lhe Temple of Jupiler, once lhe largesl lemple in Greece. The lowering col- uimns were buill by rolling each marble sec- llon.up huge inclined planes of sand and placing one on 'lop of lhe olher. A lemple such as 'lhis ollen 'look cenluries lo complele. Buill cenluries before Chrisl 'lhe Parlhenon slill slands in ils essenlial form despile lhe wear of ils 2500 years and lhe explosion of a powder magazine in 'lhe l7'lh cenlury. Wilh 'a liflle imaginalion il' is possible lo visualize ils original gleaming whileness, and while robed prieslesses slrolling aboul ils courls and passages. From our anchorage in Phaleron Bay the modern city, of Athens lay sprawled before us. Near the center of the city was a small, steep hill, the Acropolisgrisingno more than seven or eight hundred feet above the city. 'No dis- tant view of these ruins could do justice to their magnificence. It remained for us to actual- ly climb the hill and stand between the tower- ing colonnades of the Parthenon before it was possible to fully grasp the loftiness and perfec- tion that was Aonce the Greek civilization.