Valdez (FF 1096) - Naval Cruise Book

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J--, V 1 ... .' i . I II I II I II I I I I I I I I I I 'I 1, I I II I I I I I I I I I I II II I I I II I I I I I It I II I Il II I II I I I I I II I .HI I. I I I I I I I I M -52 yi f I I xuwnw - A view from the gulf loaded super tanker kuwoit is an independent arab sheikhdom located at the north western corner 'of the persian gulf and is about 5,000 square ggggk miles in area. it contains the largest single field oil reserves in the middle east. along the persian gulf between the boundaries of saudi arabia and kuwoit is a stripof territory known as the neutral zone. this zone was established by treaty in 1922 as a P' f 1 1' ,f result of boundary dispute befween the two countries I currency exchange is,S2.80 for 1 dinar ...eff -IJJUJ 'NW Mgy. ff I Q. 1 I R294 I . -I f f QM! for ff iidda, saudi arabia iidda is the main seaport of saudi arabia on the red sea and is the traditional gateway to the muslim holy city of mecca which lies 45 miles to the east. the town of iidda is mentioned in connection with the cru- sades. commercial prospertiy dates from the turkish rule of the heiaz, when it developed as a pilgrimage centre. in 1916, iidda was taken by the arabs under husein ib ali of mecca, who was aided by the british in his revolt against the turks. the city fell to ibn saud, founder of modern saudi arabia, in 1925. while mecca is the legal capitol of saudi arabia, its sacred character as the birthplace of the prophet mohammad procludes the presence of foreign legations and non-muslims within its confines. thus iidda is actually the seat of government. exchange 3.7 rials I 51.00 u.s. right: gift from royal saudi navy members who were on board for oit. assab, ethiopia assab is a small seaport on the coast of ethiopia serving the ethiopian hinterland. the population numbers about 25,000 natives and a few europians, mostly italiansq the town itself chiefly consists of whitewashed mud buildings and native huts the town is a commercial and caravan centre for southern eritrea. trade to and from addis ababa passes through assab the port is located on a hot and arid coastal plain which gives way to highlands and mountains further inland. the main occupations of the local inhabitants are sheep and camel raising exchange rate 52.50 ethiopian dollar 2 81.00 u.s FM AMERICAN EMBASSY KUWAIT T0 C OMIDEASTFKR INFO SECSTATE JASHDC USS VALDEZ KAF EXERCISE HITH USS VALDEZ 1 BRIEFINGS TOURS AND GCI EXERCISE CONDUCTED BY VALDEZ HAVE BEEN A COMPLETE SUCCESS KUN IT OFFICERS V L A HA E AL BEEN HIGHLY PLEASED BY THE PROFESSIONALISM AND COURTESY EXTENDED T0 THEM BY THE OFFICERS AND MEN OF USS VALDEZ 2 ALTHOUGHT PACED WITH CONTINUALLY CHAIEING SCHEDULES AND PLANS USS VALDEZ HAS ABLE T0 DEYDNSTRATE THE FLEXIBILITY TO ADAPT TO JHAT THE RAPIDLY CHANGING CIRCUMSTANCES REQUIRED TO PROVIDE VALUABLE TRAINING TO THE AF AND ESTABLISH A FEELING OF GGJD WILL AND FRIENDSHIP WITH THE HUMAIT OFFICERS 3 THE SHORT EXERCISE HAS GENERATED SIGNIFICANT INTEREST ON THE PART OF THE KUHAIT MILITARY IN MANY AREAS 1, I IIIISH T0 EJCPEESS MY APPRECIATION FOR. A JOB HELL DONE UNDER DIFFICULT CIRCUMSTANCES THE COURTESY AND COOPERATION EXTENDED BY VALDEZ HAVE DEFINITELY MADE A FAVORABLE IMPRESSION ON THE KUWAIT MILITARY THIS VISIT HAS UNDOUBTEDLY A TUFAL SUCCESS FROM TIE VIDAPOINT OF PERSONAL RELATIONS 5 PLEASE EXTEND PH PERSONAL APPRECIATION T0 CDR PEDEN AND HIS OFFICERS AND HIS FINE CREW STOHTZFUS , Y V V Ulilw-Qggbivvxwg gf, JI, I I-.gL,..L,,?LIL.44I,-gL1g,1L- 1' TI. ',.,,.,f, 19Xf Ml ,gb L ,, ., .Iwi lf., ' ' ir ff .V I W, , 7,-2 ' D , I X ii '

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seychelles f forgotten islands of the indian ocean , islands of love, forgotten paradise . thus have the seychelles been introduced to a hurried world searching for somewhere different and unspoiled. these islands are remote and romantic. what they have to offer defies all description, it is so intangible: an atmosphere of timelessness, a rugged defiance of progress ithis applies to the scenery rather than to the people, though many of them obviously hate being hustledl, tranquility, mystery, a feeling that no matter ravages the hand of man may perpetrate, nature, will always have the edge. soft white beaches, luxuriant mountain scenery, deep lagoons and an intriguing colonial past. there are 86 islands in the seychelles group - 37 of them granitic lthe only mid-oceanic group of granite islands in the worldl, 49 of them coralline. they lie approximately 1624 kilometres from the coast of east africa to the west, 3329 kilometres from india to the east, though scattered over a vast expanse of ocean they cover a land area of not much more than 162 square kilometres. 8 for thousands of years their isolation precluded any human settlement. though vasco da gama recorded a sighting of the seychelles at the end ofthe 15th century, and though they were the haunt of priates in the 16th century, history passed them until the year 1609, when the british east india company provided the first well-documented account. in the 18th century they were among the many pawns in the anglo-french struggle for naval supremacy, the french claiming possession in 1756. in 1770 the first settlers - the 'grands blancs' - arrived with their slaves and set up plantations of cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and pepper. after a short period of stability the sea-war flared up again, in 1794 a royal naval squadron arrived and forced the french to surrender, the islands were formally ceded to britain, in 1814 by the treaty of paris, and until 1872.were administered from mauritius. in 1903 the seychelles were raised to the status of crown colony and have remained so ever since. though french rule prevailed for a short time, it was long enough to make a lasting impression on the way of life. mahe, the main island covers an area of 139 square kilometres with 90 'Z of the population living here. victoria, the capital, port and .only town, lies in the northeast, it has some interesting somerset maugham-type buildings, a clock tower which is a copy of the one on vauxhall bridge in london, and a small museum. A ,J 2 ..., 2 ' 'Life