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Page 5 text:
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CQILI33 ,G-Q 4,4 K 10191 THE GUIDED MISSILE CRUISER TCPEKA, IS A FAR CRY FROM THE EARLIER TOPEKA. TODAY WE HAVE TERRIER MISSILES, A PRoVEN ACCURATE AIR DEFENSE CAPABILITY, IN ADDITION TO SIX G INCH AND SIX S INCH GUNS. THE CLG-8 IS MANNED BY A CREW OF oVER 1,000 OFFICERS AND MEN, THE FIRST U. S . NAVYSHIP NAMED ToPEKAALSo HADSIX GUNS, 4-INCH CANNONS, AND CARRIED FCURTEENOFFICERSAND153NlEN- SHEWAS ORIGINALLYBUILTIN 1881 IN KIEL, GERMANY, SOLD TO THE BRITISH , AND PURCHASED BY THE UNITED STATES IN 1898 IN TIME TO SEE ACTION IN THE CUBAN THEATER OF THE SPANISH-AMERICAN WAR. AS THE PG-35 , AGUNBOAT, THE oRIGINALToPEKA SERVEDAT HER VARIED CAREER UNTIL 1930. SHE SERVEDASATRAINING SHIP IN CARIBBEAN WATERS AND PIONEERED IN WIRELESS TELEGRAPHY DURING THE 19oo'S. SHE FURTHER LED A RATHER PRoSAIC LIFE AS A PRISON SHIP AND HARBOR PROTECTOR AT PORTSMOUTH, NEW HAMPSHIRE. SHEASSISTED IN PROTECTING AMERICAN INTERESTS DURINGACIVIL DISTURBANCE IN THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, AND DURING WORLD WAS I SHE SERVED BOTH AS A TRAINING SHIP AND PATROL SHIP OFF'THE COAST OF MEXICO, FINALLY IN 1930 SHE WAS SOLD TO THE UNION SHIBUILDING COMPANY OF BALTIMORE. TCPEKA WAS CCNSTRUCTED BY BETHLEHEM STEEL COMPANYAT QUINCY, MASSACHUSETTS. THE KEEL WAS LAID ON 24 APRIL 1943 AND SHE WAS LAUNCHED ON 19 AUGUST 1944, UNDER THE SPONSORSHIPOF MRS , FRANK WARREN, WIFE OF THE MAYOR OF ToPEKA, KANSAS , THE SHIP WAS PLACED IN COMMISSION AS CL-G7 IN BOSTON ON 23 DECEMBER 1944, UNDER THE COMMAND OF CAPTAIN THOMAS L. WATTLES, U. S, NAVY. ToPEKA WENT THROUGH A RAPID AND INTENSIVE SHAKEDOWNANDTRAINING PERIOD ToARRIVE IN PEARLHARBQR IN MAY 1945, HEADING FOR TOKYO. .IM
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Page 6 text:
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DURING THE SUMMER OF 1945 SHE PARTICIPATED IN STRIKES ON SEVERAL ENEMY HELD ISLANDS. AND AS PART OF THE FAST CARRIER GROUP 38.1 SHE PARTICIPATED IN THE CAPTURE OF OKINAWA AND IN ENGAGEMENTS AGAINST THE JAPANESE MAINLAND , AND ON 16 SEPTEMBER TOPEKA ANCHORED IN TOKYO BAY. BETWEEN 1945 AND 1949 TOPEKA MADE SEVERAL TRIPS BETWEEN THE WEST COAST OF THE UNITED STATES AND THE FAR EAST SERVING AS PART OF THE OCCUPATIONS AND PATROL FORCES. DURING THIS PERIOD TOPEKA EARNED TWO BATTLE STARS, THE CHINA SERVICE MEDAL AND THE ASIAN OCCUPATION SERVICE MEDAL BEFORE BEING PLACED OUT OF COMMISSION IN JUNE 1949. BY 1957 THE TERRIER MISSILE HAD BEEN FULLY TESTED IN THE FLEET AND RATHER THAN BUILDACOMPLETELYNEW SHIP TO ACCOMADATE THE MISSILE SYSTEM . IT WAS DECIDED TO CON- VERT TOPEKA TO TERRIER CRUISER. SHE WAS BROUGHT TO THE NEW YORK NAVAL SHIPYARD IN BROOKLYN IN AUGUST 1957, FOR THE CONVERSION AND WAS SOON RE-DESIGNED AS THE CLG-8 , ONE OFASERIES OF MODERN , LIGHT MISSILE CRUISERS . WITH CONVERSION COMPLETED, TOPEKA WAS RECOMMISSIONEDUNDERTHE COMMANDOF CAPTAIN FRANK L. PINNEY JR. ON 26 MARCH 1960 AS A MEMBER OF THE MISSILE--AGE NAVY. IN JULY 1960 TOPEKA STEAMED THROUGH TI-IE PANAMA CANAL TO JOIN THE PACIFIC FLEET AND ITS CRUISER-DESTROYER FORCE. WITH SHAKEDOWN TRAINING, A CASE OF MASS CONFUSION AT FIRST, UNDER THE SUPERVISION OF FLEET TRAINING GROUP SAN DIEGO, THE CREW BEGAN TO JELL ASATEAM, THIS OCCUPIED AUGUST, SEPTEMBER AND MUCH OF OCTOBER. DURING THE REMAIN- DER OF OCTOBER TOPEKA TOOK STATION IN THE PACIFIC-MISSILE RANGE FOR FIRING SEVERAL MISSILES, INCLUDING THE FIRST FIRING OF THE ADVANCED TERRIER MISSILE FROM A CRUISER, ON 10 NOBEMBER 1960, CAPTAIN FREDERICK E. .IANNEY RELIEVED CAPTAIN PINNEY AS COM- MANDING OFFICER OF TOPEKA. DURING THE MONTHS OF NOVEMBER , DECEMBER, JANUARY, AND THE FIRST THREE WEEKS OF FEBRUARY, ALL HANDS WERE BUSYABOUT THE TASK OF PREPARING TOPEKA FOR HER FIRST CRUISE TO THE FAR EAST UNDER HER NEW DESIGNATION , MODERN MISSILE SYSTEM, AND CREW, I
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