Vesole (DDR 878) - Naval Cruise Book

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276,011 rfizfzg eufpvrf I .. If LAST MINUTE sooo-EYES COUPLED WITH SAD GOOD-BYES WAS THE ENTHUSIASM OF THINGS TO COME. SAYONARAH TAKE IN THE BROWIH

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Z? strayer Dizfi ian 242 Staff R I: M I W I . 4 I, 4 I Z I ' I ' 5 ,I LEFT TO RIGHT BACK ROW: LT R. L. ARDIZZONE, USNQ LTJG C. E. SCHAFER, II, USNQ LT H. M. GOETZ, CHC, USN3 LT W. E. SCOTT, MC, USN. FRONT ROW: GENDRON, G.D., YN2, USN, CARDENAS, B.V., TN, USN, WILSON, E. M. ISRI, RMI, USN. - ,I CHAPLAIN GO ETZ CONDUCTING PROTESTANT DIVINE SERVICES, FOR DESRON 24 ON BOARD VESOLE PRIOR TO OUR DEPLOYMENT. I I OUR JOLLY GREEN DOCTOR. '

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Cflb' Cfrui 5 Owr OUR MIDSHIPMEN CRUISE CUT SHORT, DESRON 24 SET TO WORK FOR A MONTH IN NEWPORT PREPARING FOR WHAT WE WERE TOLD WAS TO BE AN EXTENDED DEPLOY- MENT. WE HOPE, IN THIS BOOK, ATO RELATE THE HIGHLIGHTS OF OUR DEPLOYMENT WHICH WE WILL REMEMBER AS WESTPAC 65 - 66. WE LEFT NEWPORT 'ON A SUITABLY GLOOMY DAY IN SEPTEMBER. SOME OF THE FAMILIES HAD BEEN THROUGH LONG SEPARATIONS BEFORE, FOR OTHERS IT WOULD BE THEIR FIRST, BUT FOR ALL, THE COMING MONTHS WOULD BE A SA'D TIME. COUPLED WITH REGRETS, HOWEVER, THERE WAS THE ENTHUSIASM OF THINGS AHEAD. WE HAD BEEN GIVEN THE HONOR OF BEING THE FIRST EAST COAST DESTROYER SOUADRON SELECTED TO SEE ACTION IN VIET NAM. WE KNEW WE COULD DO THE JOB! THE ATLANTIC OCEAN IS NEVER VERY ENJOYABLE IN THE WINTER AND THIS WAS TRUE OF OUR TRANSIT TO GUANTANAMO BAY, CUBA, WHICH WAS OUR FIRST OF MANY FUEL STOPS. LEAVING GITMO AFTER TWO DAYS, WE STEAMED SOUTHEAST TO THE PANAMA CANAL WHERE WE TOOK DEPARTURE FROM OUR HOME WATERS. PROBABLY THE MOST MEMORABLE THING ABOUT PANAMA WAS RAIN, RAIN, RAIN! STRANGE AS IT SEEMS WE HAD TO STEAM SOUTHEAST TO GET FROM THE ATLANTIC TO THE PACIFIC, BUT FROM THERE IT WAS WEST AND ON TO SAN DIEGO. OUR PRIMARY CONCERN DURING THIS TRIP WAS TRAlNING,THERE WAS SOME RUMOR ABOUT RUNNING Za? OUT OF GAS BUT HAIL OUR ENGINEERS, WE AR- RIVED WITH JP5 TO SPARE. THERE WERE SIGNAL DRILLS, RADIO DRILLS, ENGINEERING DRILLS, CIC DRILLS, AND THOSE GOOD OLD GENERAL QUARTERS WHICH KEPT EVERYONE SMILING. ', SAN DIEGO WAS A COMBINATION OF WORK AND PLAY. HERE OUR COMBAT INFORMATION CENTER f MI , S,-,,...., TEAIvI RECEIVED TRAINING AT THE FLEET ANTI- .. ,I AIR WARFARE TRAINING CENTER, AND OUR GUN- ,-K FIRE SUPPORT TEAIvI ATTENDED SCHOOL AT THE fy , I AMPHIBIOUS BASE AT CoRoNADo. SAN CI.EMENTE I 1 -x ISLAND WAS THE SITE OF OUR ACTUAL GUNFIRE ,I ' SUPPORT TRAINING, AND IT WAS HERE THAT WE S a I- BECAME THE FIRST SHIP OF THE SQUADRON TO BE F3 06 T GG , I QUALIFIED FOR NAVAL GUNFIRE SUPPORT IN BOTH .In G: , If THE PACIFIC AND ATLANTIC FLEETS WITHIN THE I I X, I SAME YEAR. gif' II.IIl IA X ' WHERE'S WESTPAC?