50 Years Ago Today - Mullinnix Off West Coast of Chile

50 Years Ago Today - Mullinnix Off West Coast of Chile Excerpt from “The Last Gun Ship - History of USS Mullinnix DD-944” - A Historical Novel By Frank A. Wood 1730 1 October: Mullinnix completes taking on 62,392 gallons of fuel from Puasin Puerto Belgrano. The first phase of Unitas III ended at Argentina’s naval base in Puerto Belgrano, and the U.S. ships steamed on alone to rendezvous with the Chilean Navy at the world’s southernmost city, Punta Artenas, in the middle of the Strait of Magellan. Punta Artenas is also home to the southernmost brewery in the world. At the same time, the U.S. Unitas III air detachment headed across the Andes to Santiago for a period of maintenance and ground school with the Chilean Air Force. In Uruguay and Argentina the aircraft had operated with local naval air groups flying ASW missions in conjunction with the surface units. 0655 2 October: Mullinnix shifts electrical load to 1 and 3 ship’s service generators. Tug R-7 came along side shortly after and at 0705 all hands were ordered to quarters for leaving port. At 0713, the ship was underway for Punta Areanas, Chile. As she headed south, visibility was reduced to 200 yards by thick fog at 1145. The ship stationed the fog lookouts at 1155. A luminous mist settled over Mullinnix, whose dark shape seemed to float, insubstantially between sea and sky in a hazy continuum of light. The mist was gray and swirling, as thick and damp as wet cotton. It thickened into a damp, occlusive fog, shrouding the blue of the sea, transforming the superstructure into a looming presence. Shipmates disappeared into the obliterating mist and their voices faded and then died. The ARA Rosales broke off and returned with their squadron to Puerto Belgrano. The remaining ships entered the Straits of Magellan and Chilean waters leaving behind the moderate climate of Uruguay and Argentina. The Strait of Magellan comprises a navigable sea route immediately south of mainland South America and north of Tierra del Fuego. The waterway is the most important natural passage between the Pacific and the Atlantic oceans, but it is considered a difficult route to navigate because of the unpredictable winds and currents and the narrowness of the passage. The strait is approximately 310 nautical miles long and about 1.1 nautical miles wide at its narrowest point (Carlos III Island, west of Cape Froward). The northwestern portion of the strait is connected with other sheltered waterways via the Smyth Channel. This area is similar to the Inside Passage of Alaska. Southward from Cape Froward, the principal shipping route follows the Magdalena Channel. They crew enjoyed a beautiful view of the colorful city of Punta Arenas and its hills, besides being able to spot dolphins, sea lions, and the local bird population. Old docks, sunken ships, and historic piers were not uncommon to spot along the shoreline. In the Straits the ship witnessed snow drifted and glacier-covered as well as one or two boatloads of the natives, called Patagonians (Patagonia is all the name of one of the author’s favorite brews in the world). As the passage narrowed the importance of having the services of a local pilot aboard, who was familiar with the waters, became more evident. The crew saw glaciers, granite towers, turquoise lakes and the vast grasslands of Patagonia. In addition, the oversized grandeur of the ice from the largest non-polar glaciers in the world that spilled into cold pristine lakes was breathtaking. Awesome spires dramatically piercing the sky to penguin colonies made many feel like they were literally at “the ends of the earth”. --- 2 October: U.S. Atlantic Fleet Amphibious Command conduct a multiple Marine Battalion Team amphibious landing exercise with Amphibious Squadrons 8 and 12 at Vieques Island, just off Puerto Rico. The objective of the exercise was to oust the Orange dictator Ortsac (Castro spelled backwards) from power. --- On the evening of 3 October, the #1 ship’s service generator went out due to a pinhole in the reduction gear casing. One shipmate that would have an opportunity to help the snipes in repairs was SA “Randy” Evangelista, as the CO sentenced him to 20 days of confinement at hard labor. At 1700 on 4 October, the ship’s clocks were set back one hour to conform to +4 Q time. To be continued... Woody