Vesole (DDR 878) - Naval Cruise Book

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VESOLE left CONUS on a beautiful third of August in company with the other members of DESRON SIX, It seemed like any other passage down the Cooper River but we all knew that we would experience a great many new and exciting events before we once more made the trip back up the river. Waving to our loved ones on the pier didn't make the strain of parting any easier, butwe weren't even out of the river before we began to fall into the routine we would come to know so well. ' We followed a great circle route across the Atlantic until we were in the vicinity of the Azores where we Joined up with other transit units and diverted to the south. After that it was a straight shot to the ME D, The transit through the Straits of Gibraltar was in the early dawn and so no one saw the Ro c k as we entered. Before w,e knew it, we were in the MED. Now the mission began. We relieved the USS TURNER QDDR-834D at Pollensa Bay in a single morning, and steamed out of the anchorage an active member of the Sixth Fleet. We must have looked good to the TURNER as we steamed 11? that morning. We were already discussing what we would feel like as our relief hove into sight, some six months hence. That was a long time away though. 4 P

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First row: Simmons, Lagspin. Second row: Evans, Bacon, Blocker. First row: Robinson, Locke. Second row: Boydg Hacksteddeg Armstrong. Interior communications, welding, damage control, shipfitting, electrical repair, and the list stretches on and on. The versatile members of R division are on the job at all times to keep VESOLE ready for the demands her operating schedule produces. The area of respon- sibility of this gang includes just about the who le ship including the vital s e c ur ity watch with their constant hourly rounds of the ship, First row: Smathersg Knight. Second row: HodgeS3 HSTCGSS Cgwarts Metzger

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Napfm Naples was our first port-of-call and it looked good from the ship as we nosed into the inner harbor that first day. It didn't take too many liberties to discover that the presence of the Sixth Fleet ships in Naples didn't rouse much more than commercial interest among the local peo ple s . If we could fight our way through the swarm of vendors outside fleet landing, we found that there were some beautiful sights to be seen in and around Naples. Vesuvius, Pompeii, Sorrento and the mystic Isle of Capri, all held some element of interest for us. Naples is considered to have the most beautiful harbor site in Italy. As well, the city forms the c ultur al and commercial center of Southern Italy. She rises from the shore to forma beautiful landscape when viewed from the seat ff fx .a x 5 f,,.vg ,, tr K gym mu ,V Q., , 'gA,.i 'sf f Fi s2sW11 'll5 H1z142M22 y. , X xtlllll. ,lilly N47 ,ff s'S -f-xxxxxxnfvnf 1 QQQSW f f fe, S2119 fivl' -iff 14:23 'H w ,i- -f's-,---1-tssl.,f.4'e 1 . 11 izrvlw- .ease -ef-f te e-it 1 a 2, QE- -sz,-g g-.3-3, ,gg-., .S 1 ,fewest vf44i'St5,-'-.1-1-.l-QS 2f 2 ,,-eaf,a:fffuxxM,ys-,-.,-'e f '1l'Wx9'f'SiZ..-'TES y .X fi'-.fw 'f?'2111 wS'ss--F-- 'vga-43,0 1010 ll1xl1lxWxa,g..S.,,,, .x fQfW01n1am1x1x1xRKQ f, it a IIII xmxx. me N. et. Q? 4flI1:::f:im ' xnxx? V