Tarawa (CV 40) - Naval Cruise Book

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We anchored in +he Bosporus near 'rhe moufh of fhe Golden Horn. Every- where, we saw lhe curious mixlure of Asia and Europe for lhis has been a crossroads of The Easi' and Wesf 'for fhousands of years. ROM CRETE we pushed northeastward into the Aegean Sea and passed islands bearing names that only increased the mystery of entering the Middle East. Names like Antikythera, Iros, Arapheg and as we neared the Dardanelles, Okastian and Samothrake. Then we were in the narrow Hellespont and passed by the wild scrubby hills of Turkey. cfUlSe he enllli m e y, re 0 den e buf lol' fssiiiv so ev' oyhinq main, ,ness 5 U c Raflqea Tound We S Turlilsll Yo had we These men are represenfarive of ihe Turkish Army and Navy. You wguld find nolhmg ominous In 'rhe quief slrengfh of Their faces-unless you came from Russia. craf'I'. These 'lrawlers were peculiar fo ls'I'anbul. The TARAWA dropped anchor in the Bosporus near the mouth of the Golden Horn. The Black Sea lay but a few scant miles to the northeast. At liberty call we literally swarmed ashore to seek out the treasure of hand-carved meerschaum pipes, beaten silver, copper and . . . Screwdrivers , Not a few of us made the fatal mistake of saying why, it just tastes like orange juice . These came to be known as famous last words. We toured the mosques and bazaars. The Blue Mosque fshown on the first page of this sectionj proved to be just that. The inside walls were covered with intricate designs made of blue tile. In order to respect custom and tradition, we removed our shoes before we entered. We did not, however, wash our hands, feet and necks as do the Moslems. H' seemed fha? each por? we visifed had uniquely designed small

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l This gafe leads fo fhe fairly modern Dolme Bahci palace, fhe splendor of which rivals fhe ornafe gingerbread decorafions of ifs enfrance walls. At prayer time i'rnuezzines climbed to their tiny circular balcony on the graceful minarets and from these spires called the faithful to prayer. This happens five times a day and nothing could be calculated to make you feel so thoroughly outside the realm of western civilization as the sound of their voices floating out across the clear blue skies. One of the most interesting market places we encountered on the entire cruise was the bazaar in the old section of Istanbul. It would be difficult to state the area of this fascinat- ing place, but a conservative estimate would be no less than 20 acres. Filled with an atmosphere of intrigue, a labyrinth of ceilinged paths that were little more than tunnels led us past countless shops. An occasional slit window let in a shaft of sunlight that only heightened the creepy feeling We felt. Countless displays of rich Turkish rugs with strange garments of silk and satin hung in the narrow shops. Wicked looking swords, cavalry sabers, and curved daggers were prominently displayed and the merchants proudly attested to their murderous qualities. 5'f-1? If ,ee ' ,ns b I if ye . L V l'0Wr7 e s are sufffci s.. 0 efiff , Ver, Y Gloquenf h f e W of-ld Whefher fhey wore a snappy fell' haf or a Moslem furban, none of us could deny fhaf once inside fha bazaar fhey were fhe world's mosf consummafe salesmen of meerschaum pipes.