50 Years Ago Today - Mullinnix Arrives in Gitmo
Excerpt from “The Last Gun Ship - History of USS Mullinnix DD-944” - A Historical Novel By Frank A. Wood
She arrived in Gitmo on the morning of 9 July, tying up to pier VICTOR. After ‘arrival inspection’ by the Fleet Training Group on 11 July, the intensive six week period of underway training featuring daily gunnery, communications, engineering, anti-submarine warfare, damage control and operations exercise began.
Day after day after day were filled with getting underway, exercising the crew at GQ, engineering and gunfire support drills, and target acquisition and designation exercises. The training was intense and without injuries. Fireman Donald Bradley, fractured a finger on his right hand wile securing the main steam stop in the forward fire room. Meanwhile, above decks, Gunners mate striker Dick McAllister sprained his left angle while jumping of MT31. Most evenings the ship would return to Gitmo. For those who wanted, there was liberty. But who wanted it?
Some of the ships and submarines that Mullinnix exercised with included USS Balao ACSS-285, USS Strong DD-758, USS D. H. Fox DD-779, USS Charles S. Sperry DD-697 and USS J. C. Owens DD-776. Afternoons were often spent with only the Weapons Department at GQ. They would focus their attention on trying to down aircraft towed sleeve or sleds pulled across the ocean’s surface by tugs. By the weekend of 16-17 July, the crew was given the Saturday and Sunday off to rest up and relax a bit – in sunny Gitmo Bay, Cuba.
On the ensuing sunny Monday AM, Mullinnix was swapping personnel with USS Mitscher DL-2. All of this training by the ship’s fleet was managed by Rear Admiral F. E. Fenno, USN, COMNAVBASE, GTMO. When they weren’t practicing high-line transfers, they were participating in AA defense exercises or sneak attach by aircraft drills. And, just to keep things interesting, they’d throw in the occasional man overboard drill or full power run or even a casualty drill.
To be continued...
Cheers,
Woody
She arrived in Gitmo on the morning of 9 July, tying up to pier VICTOR. After ‘arrival inspection’ by the Fleet Training Group on 11 July, the intensive six week period of underway training featuring daily gunnery, communications, engineering, anti-submarine warfare, damage control and operations exercise began.
Day after day after day were filled with getting underway, exercising the crew at GQ, engineering and gunfire support drills, and target acquisition and designation exercises. The training was intense and without injuries. Fireman Donald Bradley, fractured a finger on his right hand wile securing the main steam stop in the forward fire room. Meanwhile, above decks, Gunners mate striker Dick McAllister sprained his left angle while jumping of MT31. Most evenings the ship would return to Gitmo. For those who wanted, there was liberty. But who wanted it?
Some of the ships and submarines that Mullinnix exercised with included USS Balao ACSS-285, USS Strong DD-758, USS D. H. Fox DD-779, USS Charles S. Sperry DD-697 and USS J. C. Owens DD-776. Afternoons were often spent with only the Weapons Department at GQ. They would focus their attention on trying to down aircraft towed sleeve or sleds pulled across the ocean’s surface by tugs. By the weekend of 16-17 July, the crew was given the Saturday and Sunday off to rest up and relax a bit – in sunny Gitmo Bay, Cuba.
On the ensuing sunny Monday AM, Mullinnix was swapping personnel with USS Mitscher DL-2. All of this training by the ship’s fleet was managed by Rear Admiral F. E. Fenno, USN, COMNAVBASE, GTMO. When they weren’t practicing high-line transfers, they were participating in AA defense exercises or sneak attach by aircraft drills. And, just to keep things interesting, they’d throw in the occasional man overboard drill or full power run or even a casualty drill.
To be continued...
Cheers,
Woody
posted by Woody at 07:03
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