Valcour (AVP 55) - Naval Cruise Book

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CDR, J. B. BARNETTE CDR J. B. Barnette reported for duty as Executive Officer, USS VALCOUR, on 30 October 1963 and assumed duties as Command- ing Officer in April, 1964. CDR Barnette enlisted in the Navy in 1940, and after radio school and flight training was commissioned as Ensign and Naval Aviator on 13 September 1943. During WW II CDR Barnette served with VF 89 based aboard' USS AntietamfCV 365. After further schooling at Tulane University and General Line School, Monterey, Calif., CDR Barnette held duties with various training commands and staffs. In December 1959 he assumed command of Patrol Squadron 24. CDR Barnette was or- dered to Bureau of Naval Weapons, Wash., D.C. before reporting aboard VALCOUR in October, 1963. CDR D. P. CURTIS CDR D. P. Curtis assumed command of USS VALCOUR on 11 November 1964 in Karachi, Pakistan. CDR Curtis graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1944 and participated in the war in the Pacific earning seven battle stars. CDR Curtis has held command of three ships, served on several staffs, and instructed at Yale Uni- versity's NROTC Program. Before reporting aboard VALCOUR, CDR Curtis served in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia as Chief of Naval Section, Military Assistance Advisory Group.

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'HISTORY OF USS VALCOUR AVP 55j USS VALCOUR was des1gned as a seaplane tender whose keel was la1d on 21 December 1942 at the Lake Washlngton Sh1pyard, Houghton Washington Named for VALCOUR Island 1nLakeChamp1a1n,the scene of a cruc1al naval engagement 1n the War for Independence, she was launched on 5 June 1943 VALCOUR was comm1ss1oned too late for war serv1ce and? after her shakedown cru1se off San D1egO was ordered to the At1ant1c Fleet For several years she supported seaplane detachments 1n the Atlantlc Fleet operat1ng out of Norfolk Guantanamo Bay Cuba and Cr1stoba1 Canal Zone On 29 August 1949, she was ordered to the M1ddle East area as Flagsh1p Commander M1ddle East Force On 15 March 1965 VALCOUR completed her flfteenth cru1se 1n th1s ass1gnment VALCOUR'S MAIN MISSION dur1ng these cru1ses 1S to serve as flag sh1p for Commander M1ddle East Force VALCOUR prov1des l1v1ng fac1l 1t1es commun1cat1ons center and command post for Commander M1ddle East Force and h1S staff of f1fteen Offlcers Demonstrat1ng Amer1ca's 1n terest and goodw1ll 1n the M1ddle East IS also an 1mportant p art of VALCOUR's m1ss1on Under the ausp1ces of proj ect handolasp text books med1c1ne clothes and domest1c mach1nery such as sewlng mach1nes are carr1ed aboard VALCOUR to be d1str1buted to needy people 1n numerous places 1n the M1ddle East Ass1st1ng 1n the constructlon of and pa1nt1ng or phanages and schools part1c1pat1ng 1n publ1c funct1ons enterta1n1ng d1gn1 tarles sa1lors and c1v1l1ans are just afew ways VALCOUR sa1lors promote good relat1ons w1th countrles rarely v1s1ted by Amer1cans VALCOUR's m1ss1on also lncludes prov1d1ng a f1rst l1ne of defense 1n the M1ddle East rescumg str1cken sh1ps watch1ng merchant sh1pp1ng lanes and evacuat1ng Amerlcan c1t1zens dur1ng 1nternal cr1ses IN FULFILLMENT OF HER MISSION VALCOUR has w1tnessed many unusual events and can take pr1de 1n her many accompllshments In July 1953 dur1ng her fourth cru1se VALCOUR a1dedadamaged cargo sh1p 1n the Indlan Ocean and then escorted the vessel to Bombay Ind1a through a v1o lent monsoon In May 1955 men from the VALCOUR boarded the blaz1ng and abandoned Ital1an tanker ARGEA PRIMA at the entrance to the Perslan Gulf and proceeded to put the f1re under control even though the ARGEA PRIMA was loaded w1th72 000 barrels of crude o1l The crew of the ARGEA PRIMA was subsequently able to reboard the vessel and contlnue on the1r

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LCDR DARREL SMITH LCDR D. Smith assumed duties as Execu- tive Officer on 31 August 1964 in Naples,Italy. LCDR Smith enlisted in the Navy in 1942 and received his commission in 1955. Since his commissioning, he has served in destroy- ers, cruisers, auxiliaries, and staffs. Prior to reporting aboard VALCOUR, LCDR Smith was the Operations Officer on USS NANTAHALA QAO-605. CDR R. M. FORTSONS CDR R. M. Fortson reported for duty as Operations Officer in August, 1963 and assumed duties as Executive Officer in March, 1964. CDR Fortson graduated from the Naval Academy in 1945 and saw combat duty aboard destroyers in the South Pacific during WW II. Following the war, he entered flight training and since then has served with ASW Patrol Squadrons. Postgraduate training as an Opera- tions Systems Analyst has qualified him for two tours in Washington, D.C. under Bureau of Weapons. 5