50 Yrs Ago Today, Mullinnix Berthed in Naples, Italy for New Years Day
Excerpt from “The Last Gun Ship - History of USS Mullinnix DD-944” - A Historical Novel By Frank A. Wood
0000-0004 Mid watch, Friday, 1 January, 1960 Deck Log:
New Years finds Mullinnix Med moored in Naples
Made fast to the sea wall with nylon and cable
Our berthing assignment is Quebec fifty-one
To Molo San Vincenzo the mooring lines run
The bow is held steady with anchor and chain
With ninety fathoms out we expect to remain
Secure in our nest in eleven fathoms water
And with mud bottom it seems like we “oughter”!
Alongside to port are two other DD’s
Johnston and Vogelgesang make our next three
With fires in 2A there’s plenty of steam
For 3 and 4 generators and auxiliary machine
The starboards ashore bringing in the new year
While we in the port like sentinels peer
Protecting our ship from dangers impending
With condition six watches and an OD unbending
Most of th fleet of Vice Admiral Anderson
Are here in the harbor for the holiday season
M.C. Fox and Stormes and the tender Yellowstone
The William R. Rush, Walworth County and Cone
Boston and Essex are the two heavies
Then service force ships, who keep us ready
Rigel and Chuckawan, and out in the bay
Unprotected by sea wall the Mississenewa lay
SOPA in Naples is COMFAIRELM
Watching closely over his realm
Embarked on Mux is CDS 32
Captain R.B. Kelley and his crew
Since last New Years Eve, which found us in Boston
Much ocean we’ve covered, we’ve been on the run
In these following verses lets look once again
To see what we’ve done and where we’ve been
We left dear old Boston on January the fourth
And sailed for Norfolk, our new home port
But for only a month did we stay there
Then off to the South for a cruise so rare
Port-of-Spain, Trinidad was our first stop
Where COMSOLANT set up his shop
Four new DE’s joined us then
Also a sub, and ashore PatRon 10
Again we turned South, onward to Rio
While in route 90 pollywogs met their old foe
From Rio on Southward, to Montevideo
Mardel Plata was next, then northward we go
At Recife we stopped for only a day
Then again Port-of-Spain; here ship’s parties were gay
LaGuaria was next, here we changed XO’s
Port-of-Spain once more for a little more limbo.
Here Admiral Stephan then hauled down his flag
Of he and his staff our crew still does brag.
We left for the states after four months away
And this time it wouldn’t be such a short stay.
We arrived in Norfolk on the sixth of May
And CDS 32 came aboard to stay
Alongside the Tidewater we spent some time
To get men and equipment up to prime.
Strikeback and Lantflex, Intex and Riptide
All this was new, but taken in stride
As we welcome break to these operations
We helped New York City with their celebrations.
Towards the end of the summer, twas 31 July
We bid Captain Anderson a found good-bye
And welcomed aboard in a ceremony grand
CDR John C. Hill, woo took over command.
On the seventh of August we bid all adieu
And sailed eastward for our Med debut
After relieving the Bigelow at Golfo de Palmas
Many tough operations were waiting to try us.
But scattered between the periods at sea
Were many new ports, and many a spree
Marseille, Genoa, Leghorn, Pyreas
Rhodes, Mittiline – all these did greet us
St Raphael, Palma, Golfo Juan, and Athens
Tunis, Toulon, and Bahia Pollensa
That leaves only Naples where we are now
56 more days, and homeward we’ll plow.
One more event hat does deserve mention
The change of Commodores is worth some attention
Captain R.B. Kelley of PT boat fame
Relieved Captain Small – “Lem” by nickname.
So went the Mullinnix throughout 59
Who knows what the new year will assign
But we’re not worried, for with this crew
We’ve shown CINCLANTFLT our mottos “can do”!
ENS J.C. Klosterman USNR
Approved: John C. Hill II, Commander; J.H. Ratliff, LCDR, XO
To be continued...
Cheers,
Woody
0000-0004 Mid watch, Friday, 1 January, 1960 Deck Log:
New Years finds Mullinnix Med moored in Naples
Made fast to the sea wall with nylon and cable
Our berthing assignment is Quebec fifty-one
To Molo San Vincenzo the mooring lines run
The bow is held steady with anchor and chain
With ninety fathoms out we expect to remain
Secure in our nest in eleven fathoms water
And with mud bottom it seems like we “oughter”!
Alongside to port are two other DD’s
Johnston and Vogelgesang make our next three
With fires in 2A there’s plenty of steam
For 3 and 4 generators and auxiliary machine
The starboards ashore bringing in the new year
While we in the port like sentinels peer
Protecting our ship from dangers impending
With condition six watches and an OD unbending
Most of th fleet of Vice Admiral Anderson
Are here in the harbor for the holiday season
M.C. Fox and Stormes and the tender Yellowstone
The William R. Rush, Walworth County and Cone
Boston and Essex are the two heavies
Then service force ships, who keep us ready
Rigel and Chuckawan, and out in the bay
Unprotected by sea wall the Mississenewa lay
SOPA in Naples is COMFAIRELM
Watching closely over his realm
Embarked on Mux is CDS 32
Captain R.B. Kelley and his crew
Since last New Years Eve, which found us in Boston
Much ocean we’ve covered, we’ve been on the run
In these following verses lets look once again
To see what we’ve done and where we’ve been
We left dear old Boston on January the fourth
And sailed for Norfolk, our new home port
But for only a month did we stay there
Then off to the South for a cruise so rare
Port-of-Spain, Trinidad was our first stop
Where COMSOLANT set up his shop
Four new DE’s joined us then
Also a sub, and ashore PatRon 10
Again we turned South, onward to Rio
While in route 90 pollywogs met their old foe
From Rio on Southward, to Montevideo
Mardel Plata was next, then northward we go
At Recife we stopped for only a day
Then again Port-of-Spain; here ship’s parties were gay
LaGuaria was next, here we changed XO’s
Port-of-Spain once more for a little more limbo.
Here Admiral Stephan then hauled down his flag
Of he and his staff our crew still does brag.
We left for the states after four months away
And this time it wouldn’t be such a short stay.
We arrived in Norfolk on the sixth of May
And CDS 32 came aboard to stay
Alongside the Tidewater we spent some time
To get men and equipment up to prime.
Strikeback and Lantflex, Intex and Riptide
All this was new, but taken in stride
As we welcome break to these operations
We helped New York City with their celebrations.
Towards the end of the summer, twas 31 July
We bid Captain Anderson a found good-bye
And welcomed aboard in a ceremony grand
CDR John C. Hill, woo took over command.
On the seventh of August we bid all adieu
And sailed eastward for our Med debut
After relieving the Bigelow at Golfo de Palmas
Many tough operations were waiting to try us.
But scattered between the periods at sea
Were many new ports, and many a spree
Marseille, Genoa, Leghorn, Pyreas
Rhodes, Mittiline – all these did greet us
St Raphael, Palma, Golfo Juan, and Athens
Tunis, Toulon, and Bahia Pollensa
That leaves only Naples where we are now
56 more days, and homeward we’ll plow.
One more event hat does deserve mention
The change of Commodores is worth some attention
Captain R.B. Kelley of PT boat fame
Relieved Captain Small – “Lem” by nickname.
So went the Mullinnix throughout 59
Who knows what the new year will assign
But we’re not worried, for with this crew
We’ve shown CINCLANTFLT our mottos “can do”!
ENS J.C. Klosterman USNR
Approved: John C. Hill II, Commander; J.H. Ratliff, LCDR, XO
To be continued...
Cheers,
Woody
posted by Frank A. Wood at 18:15
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home