Navy Time 3

Fiske Time : Hello, Africa

 Previously, the ship had transited the Panama and Suez Canals, transited around the world, completed six war patrols off Vietnam while visiting various foreign ports in the process, and conducted (too) many underway replenishments (UnReps), including an 'unrep triple play' receiving oil, ammunition, and supplies all at one time from USS Sacramento (AOE-1).  On the way home the ship entered King Neptune's realm and when the equator was crossed all Pollywogs were ceremoniously initiated.

 It was time for a much needed rest.  A time to visit with our family.  Time to renew old relationships, maybe even make new ones. 

 

 Newport was a sailor's town.  Always had been.  Yes, there are mansions, homes of the rich.  But Thames Street attracked the sailors.  It wasn't wide street, a single lane with room to park, but ... friendly.  The city has long been entwined with the United States Navy.  Home of the Naval War College, Officer Candidate School, even hosted until the early 1970's the Cruiser-Destroyer Force of the U.S. Atlantic Fleet, and subsequently it has from time to time played host to a number of warships.  For those interested the decommissioned aircraft carrier USS Saratoga (CV-60) is moored in an inactive status at the docks previously used by the Cruiser-Destroyer Force and shared the pier with USS Forrestal (CV-59) until June 2010.  Now, the town wants the tourists, it's a shame but happens.

  I guess too much rest and recreation wasn't good for us because a lot of time was spent at sea, to the chagrin of spouses and sweethearts.  Someone said that the sea was where sailors belonged, probably said in a whisper and not very often.

 There may be some who read this who aren't all that familiar with WW2 destroyers so I'll try to give you some idea.

 'Haze grey and underway' says it best.  The Fiske, home for about 336 people, was not too long, only about 390 ft.  Not too wide, maybe 40 ft.  at the beam.  Not too deep, a 14 foot draft.  Her  living accommodations, "quarters or compartments" as we called them,  were  nothing to brag about. No wall-to-wall carpeting or hardwood floors, not even a rug, just noisy sailors berthed by division in 3-high tiers of canvas bunks with  horizontal and (some) upright lockers. The practice of placing portholes in the side for ventilation had gone away and there was no air conditioning. It usually wasn't hot enough to worry about anyways.

 The Chief Petty Officers had their own mess. But their berthing was not much better. "Officer's Country", where the Officers lived, was more inviting but even their accommodations were not very sumptuous either usually in small two man staterooms. The Captain had his own cabin and head. It was only the Executive Officer who warranted his own stateroom.

 As I had said, we were at sea a lot.  There were a variety of exercises we might be called upon to perform. As a sonar technician I was primarily concerned with  anti-submarine exercises.  During these times we were given a submarine to play around with but there was also the usual shore bombardment period, though we had done a lot of that in Vietnam, and to keep us on our toes a variety of internal ship drills such as fire, flooding, man overboard, etc. Periodically the captain saw fit to conduct engineering casualty control drills.  These were normally held  after hours or on weekends so as not to delay daily work requirements.  They were made as realistic as possible and were often the method of qualifying engineering watch standers.



Liberty Card

 These were the days of Liberty Cards.  All sailors going ashore were issued a “Liberty Card” at the division-level which had to be shown to the OOD when departing the ship and collected each morning at division quarters. A sailor’s worst fate was to have his liberty card revoked.  Unfortunately they were often locked away or 'accidently' lost when those in charge didn't want certain sailors to leave.  Yes, we abused their use and that was one of the reasons for their being done away.



Good-bye Newport

  A few months had passed and we were now into the new year, 1967 I believe.  It was time for another deployment.  Time to head over to the Mediterranean Sea.  A cruise that proved to be a little bit different and not to our liking.  Most of us had just gotten used to being around our family life and it was time to disrupt them again. Maybe the Atlantic wouldn't be quite as rough, we hoped.  Dumb us.

 Like all other ships the Fiske entered the Med from the Atlantic through the Gates of Gibraltar, a familiar sight to many.  After a routine service stop at Gibraltar we head for Malta, a liberty stop we didn't make last year.  Not everyone was happy about the idea and you could tell by their face they were missing those they left behind.

As most of you know, Malta is an island country south of Sicily.  She had only gained her independence from Great Britain a few years prior to our arrival and had yet to become a "Republic".  Because of its warm climate, numerous recreational areas, and architectural and historical monuments liberty was welcomed.  Although few thought about anything other than the heat and the booze.

 The CO announced that the port visit to Malta would serve as an important event in promoting and strengthening maritime partnerships with European nations.  Few of us really cared.  The only question in our minds was "Were the girls friendly?" Later, some said 'yes' others didn't comment... wise decision.  The whole episode is sort of hazy to me so I can't go into any detail.  Probably just as well.

 The whole purpose of this cruise was to "show the flag" as we steamed around the Mediterranean; playing war games, visiting friendly ports, etc.  That was our intention.  Other nations had other ideas, Egypt and Israel to be exact.  Due to escalating conditions between those to countries over who would control the Suez Canal our Malta liberty was brought to a close and Fiske was ordered to transverse the canal.  Now!  But since there were still people on the island we waited until the following day to leave.

 Leaving Malta behind we made for Port Said, the point where all ships wanting to transit the Suez had to wait.  Including USS Dyess (DD-880) which transited some days after us. Port Said, an important harbor for exports of Egyptian products, was a fueling station for ships that passed through the Suez Canal.  No liberty just get in line and wait, a favorite past time it seemed.  The captain took the opportunity to remind us that the next few days (days, right.. little did he know) would be used to "protect US shipping interests ands also monitor all ship traffic in and out of the Persian Gulf."  As we left Suez Port, an Egyptian port located at the southern boundary of Suez Canal, in our wake we headed through the Gulf of Suez for the Red Sea, our patrolling area.

 The contrast between Egypt (known at the time as the United Arab Republic, UAR), on our right, and the Sinai Peninsula, on our left - green and fertile on the one hand and dry desert on the other - is something that has always stayed with me.

 Keep in mind that a big difference between the Panama Canal and the Suez is that the latter has no locks, too flat.  Therefore when it was Dyess's turn everyone  was a surprised at the greeting received from the citizens along the banks. The tension between the UAR and Israel was known, but it was felt that the "flag-showing" missions were far removed from expressions of hostilities. No incidents marred her transit although protesters followed the ship in boats wherever they could and shouted jeers from the banks along the canal. Subsequently all military objectives along the canal were bombed by Israel cutting us off from the Sixth Fleet.  The Red Sea was to be our Med Cruise.

 Now the Red Sea lies between Africa and Asia with the Gulf of Aden at her extreme southern end.  Our new home port would be in Ethiopia, a place called Massawa.  Our purpose had now been expanded.  Besides looking out for US shipping interests we also had to be ready if needed to evacuate American citizens.  Although I'm not sure where we would evacuate anyone to, maybe Massawa.  It could use the new faces.

 I should be fair to Massawa.  Today it has become a nice, modern African city. However, when the Fiske visited this city it was still part of Ethiopia. When Eriteria gained its independence in 1990 Massawa went with it.  Shipping port it may have been but we saw it as a hot, do nothing, place.  I'm sure there were some who thought they'd died and gone to heaven.  Most of us thought we had gone in the other direction.  The ship's on-board movies were more popular than going ashore.

 There was an opportunity that most of us jumped on and that was the chance to ride up to the Army's Kagnew Station at Asmara.  During WW2 the the U.S. Army took over and refurbished a pre-existing Italian naval radio station.  More important to us was their enlisted club where the cold beer replaced any lack of female companionship.  Unfortunately it was to be a one-time round trip, returning before dark... early enough to see a ship's movie.

 We did go to sea.  USS Dyess greeted us and off to ASW exercises and an eventual stop at Bahrain.

Then, Bahrain, a small country situated near the western shores of the Persian Gulf, was completely alcohol free (dry) and the only place for us to indulge was on the military facility.  Today, it is a favorite place for the Arab-rich. Knew a sailor that was stationed aboard a ship homeported there and he loved it.  Times have sure changed!

 I don't want to make it appear that we never travelled.  There were ports to visit. Just not ones common for sailors.  Port of Calls included Djibouti in French Somaliland, Karg Island of Magagascar, even Mombasa, Kenya.  If you are ever in Mombasa take a riverboat ride.  We did and there were hippos galore.  Natives stood on the river banks just to watch all those crazy sailors in boats playing tourist.  Sadly we had to return to Massawa.  Time to rejoin the world.

 Time was about up and we were due to return home.  This time we would have to go around the southern tip of Africa instead of through the Pillars of Hercules,  that was okay we'd already seen Gibraltar.  Besides, we were going to Caracas, Venezuela on our way back.  Plans change.  This was when the aircraft carrier USS Forrestal (CVA-59) had a problem.

 While serving in Vietnam USS Forrestal suffered a devastating fire and series of chain-reaction explosions on 29 July 1967, that killed 134 sailors and injured 161.  New orders came in for the Fiske.  We were to rendezvous with Forrestal off the coast of South Africa and escort her to Mayport, Florida where she would remove aircraft and squadron Florida members before going on to Norfolk.  Investigation of the mishap revealed that an electrical anomaly discharged a Zuni rocket on the flight deck.  A video about this disaster came be seen here.

 Escort her we did but said good-bye when she turned towards Mayport and when head on north for a long awaited reunion with family and friends in Newport.

 

EPILOG

  That was my final cruise on the Fiske, I left the following year.  But it wasn't the end for me.  I went on to report aboard the Charles P. Cecil (DD-835), Herbert J. Thomas (DD-833), USS O'Callahan (DE-1051), and USS Fox (CG-33), along with a few shore stations and a couple schools mixed in.

 

  The Fiske got a new captain, Cdr. James S. Brunson.  After a few month she was sent to the Naval Shipyard at Boston for a complete overhaul before making another Med cruise, this one less eventful.  She went on to complete A Middle East cruise before being reassigned to the Navy Reserve Force in 1973 and relocated to the Military Ocean Terminal, New Jersey.  After reserve cruises she was eventually stricken from the U.S. Naval Vessel Register in 1987.

 

 The Fiske is gone now.  Ran aground in 1996 and heavily damaged.  But she was my home for many memorable years.  She kept me save, broaden my horizons, promoted me, was/and still is something I proudly called "My Ship" to anyone who asked.