50 Years Ago Today, Mullinnix Prepares for pending cruise to South America!
(Excerpt from “The Last Gun Ship - History of USS Mullinnix DD-944” - A Historical Novel By Frank A. Wood)
Fueling was completed on 29 January from YO-59. The following morning Mullinnix slipped out of Portsmouth, to begin preparations for steaming south to Naval Base, Port of Spain, Trinidad in accordance with COMDESLANT Movement Orders 2-59. After making the mandatory degaussing run to maximize safety, she anchored in ammunition anchorage FOGTROT with 30 fathoms of chain to starboard anchor, mud bottom at 1142. After on loading 288 hedgehog rockets and 6 Mark 32 Torpedoes, and having transferred off 60 3”/50 cal. VT non-frag projectiles and 240 3”/50 AP projectiles, Mullinnix got underway to D&S piers, Norfolk, Virginia.
Norfolk weather in early February can resemble the Yukon. The sky and sea were slate gray and slack, the sun burned cold in the cold clear sky, the NE wind the kind that can bite your noise. During these mornings the crew mustered in a foul mood, at foul weather parade.
To be continued…
Cheers,Woody
Fueling was completed on 29 January from YO-59. The following morning Mullinnix slipped out of Portsmouth, to begin preparations for steaming south to Naval Base, Port of Spain, Trinidad in accordance with COMDESLANT Movement Orders 2-59. After making the mandatory degaussing run to maximize safety, she anchored in ammunition anchorage FOGTROT with 30 fathoms of chain to starboard anchor, mud bottom at 1142. After on loading 288 hedgehog rockets and 6 Mark 32 Torpedoes, and having transferred off 60 3”/50 cal. VT non-frag projectiles and 240 3”/50 AP projectiles, Mullinnix got underway to D&S piers, Norfolk, Virginia.
Norfolk weather in early February can resemble the Yukon. The sky and sea were slate gray and slack, the sun burned cold in the cold clear sky, the NE wind the kind that can bite your noise. During these mornings the crew mustered in a foul mood, at foul weather parade.
To be continued…
Cheers,Woody
posted by Frank A. Wood at 09:36
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