50 Years Ago Today – Mullinnix Departs Barcelona, Spain
Excerpt from “The Last Gun Ship - History of USS Mullinnix DD-944” - A Historical Novel By Frank A. Wood
With the majority of the crew well rested (some had trouble walking), she steamed out of the harbor on 26 April, heading back to Sardinia. In the wee hours of the midwatch an unidentified surface contact turned out to be USS Grant County LST-1174, a De Soto County-class tank landing ship commissioned in late 1957 and named after counties in fifteen states. She will be the only U.S. Naval vessel to bear the name Grant County. USS Fremont APA-44 and USS Waldo County LST-1163 joined the formation a couple hours later. That afternoon she anchored in Sardinis near:
• USS Pocono AGC-16
• USS Seal Owl SS-405
• USS Exploit MSO-440
• USS Observer MSO-461
• USS Affray MSO-511
• USS Alacrity MSO-520
• USS McCard DD-822
At 1500, USS McCard reported a fire aboard but required no assistance. Mullinnix got underway at 1658. By 28 April, Task Force 61 had grown to almost 30 ships. The group practiced ASW exercise for most of the morning. Mullinnix anchored back in Porto Scudo Bay at 1155 only to leave again at 1442 in order to patrol gunfire support area, returning to Sardinia at 1715. She left and returned twice to Sardinia on 29 April. The crew begin to wonder if they were practicing the Navy’s version of ping-pong. After several days of extensive fleet exercises Mullinnix anchored at Taormina Harbor, Taormina, Sicily at 0802 on 3 May.
To be continued...
Cheers,
Woody
With the majority of the crew well rested (some had trouble walking), she steamed out of the harbor on 26 April, heading back to Sardinia. In the wee hours of the midwatch an unidentified surface contact turned out to be USS Grant County LST-1174, a De Soto County-class tank landing ship commissioned in late 1957 and named after counties in fifteen states. She will be the only U.S. Naval vessel to bear the name Grant County. USS Fremont APA-44 and USS Waldo County LST-1163 joined the formation a couple hours later. That afternoon she anchored in Sardinis near:
• USS Pocono AGC-16
• USS Seal Owl SS-405
• USS Exploit MSO-440
• USS Observer MSO-461
• USS Affray MSO-511
• USS Alacrity MSO-520
• USS McCard DD-822
At 1500, USS McCard reported a fire aboard but required no assistance. Mullinnix got underway at 1658. By 28 April, Task Force 61 had grown to almost 30 ships. The group practiced ASW exercise for most of the morning. Mullinnix anchored back in Porto Scudo Bay at 1155 only to leave again at 1442 in order to patrol gunfire support area, returning to Sardinia at 1715. She left and returned twice to Sardinia on 29 April. The crew begin to wonder if they were practicing the Navy’s version of ping-pong. After several days of extensive fleet exercises Mullinnix anchored at Taormina Harbor, Taormina, Sicily at 0802 on 3 May.
To be continued...
Cheers,
Woody
posted by Frank A. Wood at 15:20
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