Yup. The America, Coral Sea and Sinking Sara were the ones Ka-daffy tangled with. The Forrest Fire missed the party. All was quiet when we got there. We spent more time in port than we did underway. By our 15th day in Palma, no one had money. We were in Cannes long enough for me to take a three day ship's tour into the French Alps. And Naples? Bout had my fill of that place. I'd have to say Livorno was my favorite part. I coulda stayed in Pisa much longer... That's where I fell in love with Italy.
Us too. We were listening to the "Voice of America" on shortwave radio during our transit of the Suez Canal hearing about how the entire world was condemning the United States for our actions against Libya. We saw a group of men out on the banks of the canal holding an unfurled American flag and cheering us on and that meant the world to us!
It was quite boring for us in the Med. Spent a good bit of time in Naples, then a little over a week in St. Tropez where anywhere you went, you were out at least $100 within five minutes of going ashore! The "Eyeball Liberty" was nice though...
We spent a little over a week in Catania, Sicily simply because there was nothing to do and nowhere else to go. They were talking about a port call in Israel which would've been cool but it is understandable that they security risk and threat level would be high.
We thought we would get the "Order of Magellan" going through the Straits of Gibralter, across the Atlantic, and through the Suez Canal in order to get home but it was back through the Suez Canal and we went home the long way! I tell my kids that in the Navy, we tried to go all the way around the world but then found out that the world was flat and had to turn around! Told them that they were sworn to secrecy though because that information was "Double Top Secret!"
Did I tell you that I met up with a brother from my Church in San Diego while we were in Naples? We decided to take a day trip to Rome and we went into the Vatican and passed out tracts there! He wanted to preach on the steps of St. Peter's Basilica but I told him "If you do, I do not know you and you are on your own dealing with the Swiss Guard!
Now that I recall, I believe it was the Forrest Fire that relieved us so we could get back to where we belonged (back in the IO). We went far enough south in order to "Cross the Line" and get our shellback initiation and then made a bee-line to Subic then a short stop through Pearl Harbor on our way back home. We were pretty much "Independent Steaming" by then as the Enterprise and her two nuclear cruisers went through the Straits of Gibralter, around the horn of Africa, did some sort of excercise then made a stop in Australia, and got home a few weeks after we did.
