Hands Magazine, September 1965

* A l l HANDS*
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THE BUREAU OF NAVAL PERSONNEL CAREER PUBLICATION
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SEPTEMBER 1965
Nav-Pers-0
NUMBER 584
VICE ADMIRAL BENEDICT J. SEMMES, Jr., USN
The Chief o f N a v a l Personnel
The Bureou of NavPersonnel Career
Publication, i s published monthly b y the
Bureau of Naval Personnel for the informotion and interest of the naval service
as o whole. Issuance of this publication
approved i n accordance with Department
of the Navy Publications and Printing
Regulations, NAVEXOS P-35. Opinions expressed ore not necessarily those of the
Navy Deportment. Reference to regulations, orders and directives i s for informotion only and does not b y publication
herein constitute authority far action. All
original material may be reprinted as desired i f proper credit i s given ALL HANDS.
Original articles of general interest may
be forworded to the Editor. DISTRIBUTION: By Section 6-3203 of the Bureau of
Naval Personnel Manual, the Bureou directs thot appropriate steps be taken to
Insure that all hands have quick and convenient occess to this magazine, ond indicotes thot distribution should be effected
on the basis of one copy for each 10 officers and enlisted personnel to accomplish
the purpose of the magazine.
The Bureau invites requests for additlonol copies as necessary to comply with
the basic directives. This magazine is intended for all hands and commanding
officers should take necessary steps to
make it available accordingly.
The Bureou should be kept informed of
changes i n the number of copies required.
The Bureou should also be advised if
the full number of copies is not received
REAR ADMIRAL BERNARD M. STREAN, USN
A l l HANDS ol
Normally copies for Navy octivities ore
distributed only to those on the Standard
Navy Distribution L i s t i n the expectation
thot such activities w i l l make further distribution as necessory: where special circumstances warrant sending direct to subactivities the Bureau should be informed.
Distribution to Marine Corps personnel
i s effected b y the Commandant U.S. Morine Corps. Requests from Morine Activities
should be addressed to the Commandant.
PERSONAL COPIES: This magazine i s for
sale b y Superintendent of Documents, US.
Government Printing Office, Washington,
D.C. 20402. The rate far ALL HANDS i s 25
cents per copy (except for the December
1963 Rights and Benefits issue, which i s
50 cents per copy); subscription price
$2.50 a year, domestic (including FPO and
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foreign. Remittances should be mode to
The Deputy Chief of Novol Personnel
CAPTAIN JOHN W. HIGGINS, Jr., USN
Assistant Chief f o r Morale Services
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Feature Roundup
The Charleston Story: Polarisville, U.S.A.
NSC Is a Big Experience
Atlantic Mine Force
A Visit to Charleston FBM Training Center
This I s POMFLANT
Sailing a Space Ship of the Sea
A Day in the l i f e of a Polaris Submariner
Counter-Infiltration Duty: Coastal Surveillance
They Rode a Dragon
Vietnam Log: Seventh Fleet Units Have Big Role
Sixth Fleet Notes
Operation Ho-Ho-Ho: All-Navy Cartoon Contest
Sports: Winners Make a Big Splash
Ney Award Winners-Gourmets Galore
Bulletin Board
Polaris U. Offers Two-Year Course a t X Fathoms
Billets for OfFicers a t Sub School
GI Loans M a y Be Restored under Certain Conditions
Changes in Career Incentive Pay
Pointers for Reservists Returning to AcDu
New Ship a t Key West Has Well Schooled Crew
35 Ratings Temporarily Cut from Seavey to Reduce Backlog
John A. Oudine, Editor
Associate Editors
G. Vern Blasdell, News
Jerry Wolff, Research
Don Addor, Layout & A r t
French Crawford Smith, Reserve
0
FRONT COVER: THE SEA AROUND US-The
sea as it dashes against a ship reiterates i t s
constant demand that the N a v y needs b o t h rugged ships and rugged men t o fulfill i t s mission o n the high seas.
0 AT LEFT: CELEBRATION SHIP-Destroyer
escort USS Tills (DE 748) was one of six ships
which participated i n the Portsmouth, N. H., "Seacoast Salute to the Novol Reserve" in honor
of the USNR 50th anniversary. Tills has been used to train Reservists since 1950, averaging
at least 12 cruises p e r year.
0 CREDIT:
A l l photographs published in ALL HANDS Magazine a r e official Department
o f Defense photos unless otherwise designated.
line, and began what is now known
as Operation Market Time.
The Vietnamese government took
a number of steps to tighten their
defenses: First, they declared their
territorial waters up to the threemile limit to be a “Defensive Sea
Area,” within which any vessels not
clearly engaged in innocent passage
would be subject to arrest and disposition in accordance with the laws
of the Republic of Vietnam,
Secondly, they announced that
they would begin to exercise control
over passage of vessels through the
contiguous zone extending to twelve
miles from their coast, to the extent
necessary to prevent infringement of
their customs, fiscal, immigration and
sanitary regulations.
They also declared that they
would take any steps necessary beyond the twelve-mile contiguous
zone to prevent any infringement of
their laws by vessels reasonably believed to be South Vietnamese, even
though they might be flying a
foreign flag or refusing to show one
at all.
sweepers, support vessels, and patrol
aircraft of various types.
The counter-infiltration effort was
given real impetus when, after a
month of only standing by and reporting suspicious vessels, American
Navy units were given the green
light to stop and search coastal
traffic. Vietnamese liaison officers and
men, stationed aboard each vessel,
gave them the authority they needed to actively lend a hand in the
enormous task.
Originally under the direct control of the Commander of the Seventh Fleet, Vice Admiral Paul P.
Blackburn, Jr., Task Force 71 (the
ships participating in Market Time)
was put under Commander, Cruiser-Destroyer Flotilla Seven, Rear
Admiral Edwin S. Miller, on March
29. On May 30 Task Forces 71 and
72 were placed under the command
of Rear Admiral Richard L. Fowler,
who is now charged with overseeing
the close cooperation between the
Task Forces, the Vietnamese Navy,
and the U S . Naval Advisory Group
in Vietnam.
us. NAVY DESTROYERS uss Black
( D D 666) and uss Higbee (DD806) were dispatched from Task
Force 71, an element of the Seventh
Fleet, and were on station by March
16. The two pioneering ships were
soon joined by a cruiser, more destroyers, ocean and coastal mine-
I
HE
ON THE JOB-Navymen
N ADDITION
TO
the units of the
U S . and Vietnamese Navies who
do the actual patrolling, investigating and apprehending, officers and
men of the two navies man five
Coastal Surveillance Centers, situated at intervals along the length of
the South Vietnamese coast.
with Vietnamese inspect junk. Rf:
Located at An Thoi on Phu Quoc
Island near the Cambodian border,
at Vung Tau, southeast of Saigon, at
Nha Trang and Qui Nhon in the Second Naval Zone and at Da Nang
near the northern border, the Surveillance Centers are burdened with
the task of keeping track of all patrolling and suspect ships, coordinating the latters’ apprehension, and
in general running the operation from
start to finish.
The suspect vessels are located by
either a U S . or Vietnamese unit,
and their tracks and speeds are plotted on maps corresponding to the
various areas of surveillance.
The size and layout of the Surveillance Centers varies from place
to place according to the available
facilities, and is never impressive by
jet-age standards.
For instance, the Center at Vung
Tau is situated on top of a hill with
a commanding view of the general
area, in a part of the old Cap St.
Jacques Lighthouse. The octagonal
room is only about fifteen feet in diameter, its walls covered with charts
and maps. Both American and Vietnamese personnel work closely together.
at
Nha Trang the situation is a little
different. The Vietnamese Navy operates in a large room of about 50
A
T THE SURVEILLANCE CENTER
XO of USS Firm (MSO 444) hands out a
pack of cigarettes.
~
;hip Reunions
v,
‘llti
II‘vrICIC.-r,U.
Scanner on the Picket Line
nganizan from
n, best
ing the
Editor, ALL HANDS Magazine, Room 1809,
Bureau of Naval Personnel, Navy Department, Washington, D. C. 20370, four
months in advance.
0)-A
uss Melvin (DD 68O)-Former
crew members interested in holding
a reunion may write to Clement
Thorpe, 736 Barnett PI., N.E., Grand
Rapids, Mich. 49503.
uss Sheridan (APD 51) - A reunion is being planned for World
War I1 veterans. Write to W. L.
Owens, Rt. 2, Box 185, Orangeburg,
ewater
- - ..- - _...
-.__...._,
Calif.,
on 2 October. For more details, write
to Jim Oswein, 3338 Jefferson St.,
Riverside, Calif.
Great White Fleet-The 30th annual reunion will be held at the U. S.
Grant Hotel, San Diego, Calif., on 16
December. For more information, write
to Harry S. Morris, CTM, USN (Ret ),
5070 Marlborough Dr., San Diego 16,
Calif.
0 Seventh Battalion, USNR (Jersey
City, N. J.)-A reunion is planned
for 23 October. Write to Harry Levine,
153-25-88th
St., Howard Beach,
N. Y. 11414.
SIR: Like T. B. S., RM2, (May issue)
I’m. not writing this to claim a record
or to gripe--but to thank some fellow
sailors. We aboard uss Scanner (AGR
5) also got underway the day before
Thanksgiving in 1956, and returned to
port late New Year’s Eve. We were on
station off Eureka, Calif., for the entire
period.
What was unusual was that shortly
before Christmas a Reserve destroyer
escort brought our Christmas mail of
87 bags (as an ex-TE I had to sort it,
and was below decks during most of the
highline transfer).
The rest of the Fleet extends its apWe were considerably cheered to
learn that most of that ship’s crew were preciotion to Scanner’s crew.-ED.
Naval Reservists who had voluntarily
interrupted their pre-Christmas family Berets for Uniform
obligations to bring us our mail. I only
SIR: On pages 31 and 32 of the April
regret that I cannot recall the name of edition of ALL HANDSthere are phothe ship.-K. D. W., RMC, USN.
tographs of U. S. Navy personnel in
The ship’s deck logs of Scanner beret type headgear. Is such an authorshow that she departed San Francisco ized part of the uniform?-N.
C. W.,
for picket duty on 21 Nov 1956, and CDR, USN.
arrived on station 23 November. She
W e thin% w e perceive a deeper in-
remained on station until 28 December,
when she was relieved by uss Picket
( A G R 7). She returned t o San Francisco
on 30 Dec 1956, as you state.
Grady (DE 445) (now in SFRAN
RESGRU, decommissioned) was your
benefactor. Based on log entries, the
mail was delivered t o Scanner on 19
December by the escort.
SEPTEMBER 1965
tention in your query, Commander,
since w e note your address is presently
in Ethiopia, where the climate is perhaps inconsiderate of heads decked in
hard hats.
But to answer your question, no.
Berets are not an authorized part of
the Navy uniform, as prescribed by
Uniform Regs. The photos referred t o
s. c.
DOBS Association-A reunion is
being planned for 11-13 Aug 1966
in Washington, D. C., for crew members of uss Duncan (DD 485), O’Brien
(DD & 5 ) , Bennett (DD473) and
Shubrick (DD 639). Write to DOBS
Association, 82 Hamilton St., Hartford, Conn. 06106, for details.
are of Navymen attached t o the Coastal
Surveillance Force in South Vietnam
who work closely with the Republic oj
Vietnam Junk Dioision, and to members
of VAH-IO.
The m e n of the Coastal Surveillancc
Force have been presented berets of the
type traditionally worn by members oj
the Junk Division, and as such, the
berets are considered special clothing.
The Uniform Board has no cognizance over the use of special clothing.
Special items of clothing a m usually
worn as prescribed (or permitted) by
local commanders,
Note, also, that the EN1 in o w of
the photos on page 32 wears the loose
fitting uniform of the Junk Division.
There are undoubtedly some u e y
practical reasons for this.-ED.
61
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