The History of The USS Spiegel Grove (LSD-32) - Supplemental Information Page

1957-1958; thanks to Vic Vickers!
Ports of call in 57, as close as I can remember were Gibraltar, Naples, Cannes, Barcelona, Malaga, Crete, Sardinia, Izmir, Athens, Livorno, Beirut. We hit the pier in Malaga. First U.S. ship in there since WWII. Captain was relieved soon afterward. In 58 we went into Gibraltar, Naples, LaSpezia, Bari, Valencia, Sardinia, Crete, Rhodes, Izmir, Athens, Malta and Beirut. We were in dry dock in Malta because of a collision with the USS Olmstead when their gyro quit working. We were steaming with the Olmstead, Fremont and Mt.McKinley when it happened. BMU2 was in the first wave when we hit the beach in Beirut. Photographers and newsmen were waiting for us, so much for secrecy.

CAPT E. B. Lindon ( A Submariner) 7/1959 - 7/1960 (thanks!) -

The ports in Spain were:

Barcelona ( had a cruiser in there when we arrived, she left with tons of VD and we departed with I think it was 108 cases. ( I was a good boy newly married and not included.)
Valencia There hadn't been a naval ship there for seven years. We anchored about a mile out and the smell of honey suckle filled the night air. Very nice little town).

The ports in France were:

Nice (the French Riviera) - we took on fuel here and it was all most a 48 hour day doing so. Had a short liberty.

The ports in Greece were:

Athens

The ports in Turkey were:

Mersin All the males there wore what we called 7 day shiters as they had baggy legs and elastic just below the knee. I think they were called snickers when I was very young but not as baggy at the knees.
About July we were departing the Med and got almost to Gibraltar and receive orders to turn around and proceed to Beirut Lebanon.
We anchored about a mile off the coast and the next day off loaded our Marines (People lined up on the beach to watch the landing). You could see all the destroyed building and machine gun nest siting in the streets.

In October 1958 we head back home to the Amphibious Base in Va. Beach Va. On 22 October, Spiegel Grove was assigned to PhibRon 10, the new Fast Squadron. We were in port for 30 days or so and headed do to Vieques to play war games for a couple of weeks and back to the Amphibious Base in Va. Beach Va.

  The years 1959 and 1960 saw the Spiegel Grove participating in numerous operations along the east coast and in the Caribbean.

  1960's we played war games back and forth between Va. Beach Va. and Vieques

  On one of these trips, we went to the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base and to Port-au-Prince in Haiti. We took a lot of the civilians with us.

  On another trip we went to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. A strange custom at the square, the young males walked in one direction with a parent and the young ladies in the other direction with a parent. Guess it was so you could look at each other.

  On another one of the trips we ported in San Juan, Puerto Rico and since we had no pilot the captain, who was a submarine Captain, docked this 510 feet of ship at the pier between two sail boats with very little room on either end of the ship. When we went to leave, he called for a pilot and was told they couldn't supply one at the time , so he took it out of the port himself. I thought that was pretty good for a submarine man to handle this large boat.
May 1961 - SHELLBACK initiation POD (courtesy of Shipmate, John Hoetker)...

1961 (15-18 June) - La Réunion Island was visited prior to the Zanzibar crisis...Thanks to Robert Cottom; Bob Knight; Bill Fair & John Hoetker !


1961 (June/July); thanks to Martin Keane!
In response to rioting on Zanzibar, the vessels of the Amity II force moved to the vicinity of the island. The safety of the U.S. space tracking station the island was a principal concern.
7/4/61 - Kuwait: Shortly following Kuwait's independence, (19 June 1961), Iraq claimed that Kuwait had been improperly withheld from Iraq and that they planned to annex Kuwait. On 30 June Kuwait requested assistance from the United Kingdom, and Royal Marines landed within 24 hours. On 4 July, the five vessels of the Amity II cruise were directed to sail to the vicinity of Aden to serve as a contingency force. This order was canceled on 7 July.

1962, (24 October-30 November): participated in the Cuban Missile Crisis with the following ships and units
(all received the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal):

1963-1965, thanks to Jim Moore!
My name is Jim Moore SN 2nd div. on the Grove from 63 to 65, I think I can help with some history your looking for. Here goes, from Feb 15 through May 21 1963 we were on a cruse called Solant Amity IV to Africa we had a Rear Admiral as flag, a complete Marine Detachment, Band, HU-4 Detachment and an ACU-2 Detachment and a UDT Team but for some reason that's not talked about in the cruse book. Our escort was (2) DE's # 1028 &1030 making up what was called Task force 88, it was call a good will cruise.

Our transit of the Suez canal in the Spring of 1964 was the first by a foreign warship since the 1962-63 Egyptian-Israeli war. Our pilots were not canal pilots but Egyptian Naval Intelligence. and one of them put us on a sandbank in Lake Timsah on the southbound run. We had real pilots on the return trip seven weeks later. Dick Schult

1964, taken in part from the cruise book. Thanks to Jim Hamann for forwarding it to me!

On 14 January, 1964, the "Spiegel Eagle", as our ship is quippingly known, once again headed for the open seas. Destination: Europe and Asia Minor. The day was a bit cloudy, to say the least; and for the superstitious, the day may have been indicative of the cruise. After on-loading Beachmaster Unit Two, we headed for Morehead City, North Carolina to pick up a detachment of Marines.
Our first stop was an unscheduled one at the US Naval Base, Bermuda for emergency repairs on 20 January. The change in route was a welcomed one for reasons other than repairs. We were given an opportunity to recuperate from an Atlantic rarity - a cyclone. The semi-tropical weather and beautiful scenery were enjoyed by all. Shops, hotels and entertainment spots were everywhere.
Time presses on, as do world affairs, and the ship once again found itself on the fringes of history - as part of Task Force Sixty One. The Cypress Crisis was the unforeseen event that changed our schedule. As in the Lebanon and Cuban Crisis, the Spiegel Grove was once again on hand ready and prepared. The ship was stationed off the coast of Cypress. In sixty long days, we became well acquainted with Point Sirius, our cruising area.
Mail, the lifeblood of the serviceman, was always anxiously awaited, especially during these days. Bingo became a regular Saturday relaxer and at the same time provided funds for national charities. Rumors of liberty, mail call, and everything else began and disappeared as regularly as the sun. The days were packed with readiness drills, departmental work, overall maintenance and plans for our next liberty port, where ever it may be.
On the morning of 27 February we steamed to Soudha Bay, Crete for Sixth Fleet conferences, exercises, and relaxation at beach parties. Here were ships of the large fleet ranging from carriers and cruisers to supply ships, destroyers and nuclear submarine Skate. The sight was a formidable and reassuring one. The main force was anchored outside the mouth of the bay. Our force, the USS Fremont (APA 44), USS Telfair (APA 210), USS Muliphen (AKA 61), USS Ashland (LSD-1), USS Graham County (LST-1176) was anchored within the bay.
At last, while cruising around Point Sirius, permission was granted at last for liberty at Istanbul, Turkey, crossroads of Eurasia. Preparations were made and the ship was on it's way. Again the unpredictable affairs of the world interceded and we headed back to our Cypress patrol. The situation in Cypress had changed for the worse with both Greece and Turkey threatening war at a moments notice.
On the morning of 22 March, the Spiegel Grove returned to Soudha Bay, Crete for mail pickup before turning towards the Middle East. Directly in front of the ship stood low, dark and obscure hills that seemed like shadows in the sunrise. As if a halo, snowcapped mountains decorously rose above above the hills, white and enduring.
After two days in Soudha Bay, we headed for Port Said, Egypt and the Middle East. The weather at Port Said on the 25th was cool and clear, and the port was a madhouse. There were a large number of cargo ships and oilers awaiting entrance to the Suez Canal. The Spiegel Grove was the only warship. The ship moved into the canal at 02:10.
We arrived at our first stop, the Great Bitter Lakes, at 08:30 where we anchored while a northern convoy passed. At the southern end of the canal lies Port Suez.
On 29 March, we entered the freeport of Aden for two days. The city of Aden lies at the bottom at the bottom of volcanic, barren hills. The customs, costumes, and culture of the Moslem Arabs seemed very strange and at times bewildering to us. The Arabs did not wish to be stared at or photographed because of an 'evil eye' `curse. We departed Aden on 1 April under warm skies, destination: Bahrain.
Spiegel Grove departed Bahrain on 9 April, headed for Kharg Island, Iran, and Operation DELAWAR. We were flagship for Vice-Admiral Fatemi and his staff. Spiegel Grove directed all amphibious operations during this operation. The guest of honor was the Shah of Iran, himself.
Spiegel Grove made world headlines when the wreckage of a commercial aircraft was discovered by our helicopter, flown by MAJ R. Steed, USMC, Commanding Officer of HMM-262.
It was on to Athens and Naples. While at Naples, many of the ships' crews took advantage of 3 day guided tours to Rome. After Rome, the next stop was Genoa., birthplace of Christopher Columbus. Here, many took sightseeing trips to the Italian Riviera.
On 27 May, we entered the Spanish port of Barcelona for a two day stay, and on 29 May, Spiegel Grove departed for Rota, Spain to be relived by the USS Donner (LSD-20). Base liberty was granted there and the EM club became well acquainted with the crew. From Rota, we headed for the D-Day 20th Anniversary ceremonies in Cherbourg, France - a small fishing village on the western coast of France.
We spent 4 June in this peaceful town. On 5 June, we headed for the Normandy beaches where we rendezvoused with eleven other ships representing Canada, England and France. On 6 June we headed for England.
Spiegel Grove entered Portsmouth on 7 June, the largest naval base in Britain. It reminded everyone of Norfolk, back home. Liberties were arranged to London, where the Beatles influence was quite noticeable. On 10 June, this all came to a halt, as the ship departed for home. After 159 days, we were going home. Marines and their equipment were offloaded in Morehead City, NC, and on 20 June the lines were fastened to the pier at Little Creek, Virginia. It was a long haul, over 30,000 miles.....

1964 Cruise History, thanks to John Dew!
14 Jan 64- Depart Little Creek
16 Jan 64-Morehaed City, N.C.
19-23 Jan 64-Bermuda
31 Jan 64-Rota Spain
27 Feb-1 March 64-Soudha Bay, Crete
23-24 March 64-Soudha Bay, Crete
26 March 64-Port Said, Egypt
26-27 March 64-Suez Canal
30 March-1 April 64-Aden
7-9 April 64-Bahrain Island, Persian Gulf
10-13 April 64-Khrag Island, Iran
14 April 64-Genevah, Iran
15-16 April 64-Khrag Island, Iran
17-19 April 64-Bahrain Island, Persian Gulf
24-27 April 64-Aden
2 May 64- Suez Canal
5-9 May 64-Athens, Greece
11-18 May 64-Naples, Italy
19-22 May 64-Santa Monza, Corsica
23-30 May 64-Genoa, Italy
29-30 May 64-Barcelona, Spain
30 May-1 June 64-Rota, Spain
4-5 June 64- Cherbourg, France
7-10 June 64-Portsmouth, England
18 June 64-Morehead City, N.C.
19 June 64-Little Creek, VA
John Dew - former Lt.j.g., SC, USNR - Nov. 63-Jan.?? 65 aboard LSD-32

More on 1964, thanks to Ray Wallace - OIC of the Logistic Support Unit (Shore Party) of the 2nd Bn, 6th Mar Reg, 2nd Mar Div

2/14/64-put in at Gitmo Bay and had base liberty.

2/15/64-Left Gitmo headed for Panama to relieve the previous Caribbean cruise folks that were sent down when the Panamanians started shooting up the Canal Zone. Our job was to evacuate the US Citizens, if necessary.

2/19/64-Arrived Coca Sola, Panama (old Navy Sea Plane Base on the Atlantic side).
We spent most of the next 2 months tied up to the pier, except when the ship would go out to sea for gunnery, engineering, and other drills and exercises. When we were in port it was mostly pier and canal zone liberty only.

4/10/64-Left Panama headed for San Juan, Puerto Rico

4/14/64-Arrived San Juan. A good time was had by all after 2 months of confinement.(?)

4/18/64- Left San Juan headed north

4/21/64-As we Marines didn't get much training during the cruise they decided to let us land across Onslow Beach at Camp Lejuene. Some of the wives watched us wade ashore. Kind of bizarre.
1966-1967, thanks to Dennis Corneau - WHILE IN "THE MED" IN '66 WE WERE INVOLVED IN THE RECOVERY OF A " BROKEN ARROW " ( NUCLEAR WEAPON ) OFF THE COAST OF PALERMIDAS SPAIN . THIS WAS THE RECOVERY DEPICTED IN THE MOVIE A FEW YEARS AGO STARING CUBA GOODING AND ROBERT DeNiro SALVAGE DIVING. IN A RECENT BROADCAST ON THE HISTORY CHANNEL ON THIS SUBJECT THEY ACTUALLY SHOWED A BRIEF SHOT OF " THE GROVE "
HER SHAPE AND OF COURSE HER BOW # 32 WAS PLAINLY VISIBLE.
ALSO DURING THE SUMMER OF '67 WE WERE INVOLVED IN ANOTHER " BROKEN ARROW " RECOVERY OFF THAT WONDERFUL ISLAND OF VIEQUES P.R. WE SPENT 2 1/2 MONTHS SEARCHING THE OCEAN FLOOR IN A GRID PATTERN WITH A U.D.T. TEAM AND FINALLY THE SUBMERSIBLE SUB FROM WOODS HOLE ,MA. THE ALVIN. IT WAS REALLY TOUGH STAYING IN SAN JUAN P.R. EVERY WEEK END.

1966-1968, thanks to Tony Lutostanski!
  July 1966 - Sept. 1966: Vieques, Roosvelt Roads, San Juan

Nov. l966 - May 1967: Med Cruise

  Dec. 1967 - April 1968: Caribean Cruise: San Juan, St. Thomas, St. Croix, etc.
We did go to Coca Solo Naval Base in Panama; but never through the canal to the Pacific. We stayed at Coco Sola for about 4-7 days; then headed back to islands in the Carib.

 These were the major deployments; but there were smaller ones: all told we went to Caribbean nine times. To the Azores and Lisbon for two months.

1966-1968, thanks to Dave Fitch, Jim Marsh, Ken Long & John McCarty for this information!

THE SHIP TOOK A LOAD OF MARINES TO PANAMA CANAL FOR JUNGLE TRAINING THAT WERE ON THEIR WAY TO NAM. THE SPIEGEL GROVE ANCHORED ON THE ATLANTIC SIDE OF THE CANAL BUT WERE ABLE TO GO ASHORE AND TAKE THE TRAIN RIDE ACROSS TO THE CITY. THE SHIP WAS IN OUR REGULAR WINTER CARIBIEAN CRUISE THE WINTER OF 67-68 AND RETURNED TO LITTLE CREEK AFTER DROPPING THE MARINES OFF AT CHERRY POINT. 

The Spiegel Grove visited Panama in the '67 - '68 time period. According to the Caribbean Cruise book 3-67, the ship was in Panama from Feb2 - 7, 1968. She did not transit the canal, but stayed on the Caribbean side.

Nov 65 - ? 66
San Juan, PR
Rosey Roads, PR
Grenada, BWI
St. Thomas, VI
St. Croix, VI
Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

Nov 4, 1966 - May 11, 1967
There was some sort of multi-national landing exercise off the coast of Spain .
Ports of call:
Naples, Italy....while there visited Rome, Pompei, and Sordento, Italy
Venice, Italy
Taranto, Italy
Crotone, Italy....while there went to Athens, Greece and Patrais, Greece
Valletta, Malta

Back to the Caribbean Dec 1967 to March 1968
San Juan, PR
Willemstad, Curacao - Dutch Netherland Antilles
St. Thomas, VI
Panama.........the ship Did NOT go through the canal.

The ship went to New London, Conn. Woods Hole Institute to pick up a Mini-sub "Alvin" to help look for the "Scorpion" a US Navy sub which disappeared in the vicinity of the Azore Islands.
Lisbon, Portugal
When we returned to Little Creek the Speigel Grove went into drydock.

1970, thanks to Ken Purcell for this information!
We took a South Atlantic cruise in January-February, 1971. We were the Atlantic Ocean recovery ship for the Apollo 14 Space Shot. I believe I still have some pictures from that cruise. We had a mockup of the space capsule on board that we used to practice should we need to actually recover the capsule. Of course, that didn't happen. The captain for that cruise was George "Gus" Kinnear. He was a full Captain, which I found interesting for a ship like that. Evidently, he had some "higher up" connections. I say that because he was on board for 1-2 months, and the next thing we know, we're headed for the South Atlantic, and Brazil. A number of us became "Shellbacks" on that cruise, including him. He left shortly after our return to Little Creek. I believe his relief was a Lt. Cdmr. Anderson, a rank more suited for an LSD. Some years later, I saw Kinnear's name in the news. He was an Admiral and the Commander of the Sixth Fleet. When he was Captain of the Spiegel, he called himself Gator Gus. He was quite a character.

As memories of that period in my life are a little hazy, little tidbits come back to me now and then. I'll relate them to you when they do. One other thing that I remember is we almost sank in the Cheasapeake Bay on our way to an exercise off the coast of North Carolina. I believe the ballast tanks on the starboard side filled up and couldn't be pumped out. That was after the South Atlantic cruise and before we left on our Med Cruise in May, 1971.
Jan-Feb 1971, thanks to James Gibson for this information!
12 January 1971 - Departed Little Creek, VA for Apollo 14 South Atlantic Recovery Force
25 January 1971 - Shellback Initiation for all 'Pollywogs'
27 January 1971 - Arrived Recife, Brazil for refueling
28 January 1971 - Depart Recife, Brazil for Apollo 14 recovery position in South Atlantic
9 February 1971 - Arrive Rio De Janeiro, Brazil for R&R
15 February 1971 - Depart Rio De Janeiro, Brazil for Little Creek, VA

1970-1973, thanks to RM3 Michael Otec for this information!
This was my first cruise to the best of my reflection. In 1971 the Spiegel Grove was chosen to be a backup ship for theAppolo 14 space mission to the moon. We were assigned to the Southern Atlantic for duty. There were NASA officials on board along with an Appolo space capsule, a helicopter,and UDT divers. I'm not sure if the divers were a Seal team or not but they could have been. You know those guys don't mingle much with the crew they stay pretty much to themselves. Our job was that if something went wrong and the astronauts had to land in the Atlantic instead of the Pacific we were assigned to pick them up. We would drop the capsule in the water steam around and make the recovery. Needless to say we did that many, many times for training to make sure nothing went wrong. On the Bridge we had two radios in direct contact with NASA which we listened to and heard every detail of the mission. At the time we were standing port and starboard watches, 12 on 12 off. My Chief put me on the Bridge and it was my responsibility to keep the radios dialed in so we never lost communication. Well the mission went as planned and they splashed down in the Pacific so we were not called upon for the recovery. We spent about five weeks without ever seeing land. Now the fun part starts. Since we were in the Southern Atlantic we crossed the equator which makes me a shellback. The initiation was pretty brutal. Back then a military guy was government property and they could do about anything they wanted to you, which they did. One of the crew actually had to be air lifted to a hospital as a result of that process. We had two port of calls during that cruise. The first one was in Recifi Brazil. We were there for two days. The second port of call was the greatest. We docked in Rio de Jenero for six days. A little tidbit of info as a radioman I was privy to everything going on. Well on the fifth day of liberty I found out the Enterprise was coming into port. The funny part is, I didn't find out thru an official message, but thru the bars and shop owners, they knew before we did. Sure enough as we were steaming out to sea we passed the USS Enterprise in the bay.

1970-1974, thanks to John Fodor for this information!
We went on a 6 month med. cruise in 71. We were also a support ship for the Apollo missions. I remember us having a dummy space capsule on board that we practiced with. That could have been 72 but I'm not sure. We went as far south as Brazil to wait for the Apollo space craft that was coming back from the moon mission to hit the water. It never hit our area. After our long month of waiting we went in to Rio for a week. That was beautiful. We left a week before the Big Carnival. Other than that we hop scotched the Caribbean Islands. We also did a midshipmen cruise, went through the Panama Canal, we were in the Portsmouth Shipyards for 6 months for a big overhaul, and then a shake down cruise at Gitmo. Our ship was broadsided by a destroyer that was comming out of port from Gitmo at full speed. It tore a huge hole on our starboard side. The ship was taking on water, big pumps had to be helicoptered in. No one was hurt that I remember. I just dont remember dates. Actually I served on board from April 70 to Dec.73 I came on board right out of Boot Camp. I ran the Sail Locker,while I was on board. My dad was a tailor so I knew how to sew. I made covers for anything that was coverable. I made BM3 while on board. Then I spent another 2 years in the reserves and made BM2.

1973, thanks to Don Clark!
I was a Chief Hospital Corpsman, the senior medical rep on board then. We went to Columbia and took over a million dollars of surplus medical equipment, commodities, books, etc and gave to a medical facility there. I still have 2 panchos I got there. From there we went to Aruba, San Juan Pureto Rica, and to the Bahamas before coming home. That was a 3 month tour. Then we took a contingent of Marine 2nd Louies to Camp Lejune. Waters were too rough to have the landings we had anticipated. This was also a cruise where we could bring a family member. My son Gary went with me. We celebrated Halloween on board and they Captain allowed them to "trick or treat". We also had a day at sea for all dependents when in port. While preparing for a Med cruise I ruptured a disc and was transferred off.
If I can think of more I will pass it on. I know we also went to Panama, just can't remember specifics except for some of the most beautiful fish that some caught and we cooked in the Chiefs mess. We also went to Roosevelt Roads Pureto Rico. We landed troops on Vieques, sat off the coast and fished for 5 days.

19 May 1978, thanks to Chuck Siedschlag!
On 19 May 1978 we went to GTMO for RefTra, and was kicked out due to the fact we couldn't make water. In fact, on the way down we pulled into Mayport at midnite about 19 or 20 May to get water. Went in on one boiler, as I recall as we were dry!!!! When we left GTMO after being kicked out someone played (Take this Job and Shove It) on the 1MC. Naturally some hi-brow ADM didn't like it and sent us a blast!
We went back down about a month later and completed RefTra....

8 Mar 1981, thanks to Ron Brunson!
We were accompanied by the USS Harry E. Yarnell (CG-17). I remember that one because my father was a former XO back in the 1960's. You may recall that that cruise was primarily a show the flag diplomatic event where we entertained the leadership of the various island countries. The forward third of the well deck was covered with 1 inch plywood and painted haze grey as a party venue with the USMC equipment aft as a static display.
Hope this helps a bit. Regards and thanks for the memories!! Cdr Ron Brunson, USNR (ret)


LSD-32 HISTORY NOTES - 1971 TO DEC. 1973

April to October 1971 - Med Cruise (missing details of April, May, and June) - many thanks to LTJgTerry Rich!

On 3 July 1971 the Spiegel Grove arrived at Brindisi, Italy, requiring the assistance of a tugboat into the tight berth in the harbor. Our CO at the time was Captain Forrest P. Anderson. The part of the crew who had liberty on July 3rd enjoyed good Italian food and plenty of good wine. One group of sailors had dinner at a small local restaurant, enjoying various pasta dishes and their fair share of wine for dinner. They decided to order ice cream for dessert, but inasmuch as they did not speak Italian well, the server understood their order for "Spumoni" (ice cream) to be "Spumante" and brought an ample supply of sparkling wine ("Spumante") for their after-dinner consumption.

Most of the crew had liberty on July 4th, and enjoyed a splendid Independence Day celebration at the U.S. Air Force base at Brindisi (it was called the San Vito Air Station). What a good time to be in port for good old American hot dogs and hamburgers! The crew who were in the duty section on board ship had the dubious honor of hosting a throng of locals and tourists (including quite a few American college students) for tours of our fine ship. All duty sections eventually had a good share of liberty, as we remained in port until the morning of July 7th.

Getting underway on 7 July 1971, the Spiegel Grove was underway until anchoring off Navplion, Greece for a couple of days along with other ships of the squadron. While at anchorage, a daytime recreation party ("beer party") on the beach was authorized. The Mike boats ferried sailors, marines, and plenty of beer to the beach. As all were glad for the fun, sun, and beer, only one undesirable incident occurred. That was when, for some unknown reason, a marine who had probably had one too many beers called a marine captain by a clearly unfriendly name, and pulled a pocket knife and attacked the captain. Some members of the LSD-32 crew said they never saw a man taken down so fast as the drunken marine; and the captain ended up on top of him, holding the knife he had taken away, and called for the shore patrol, who were already just showing up due to the commotion.

On 15 July 1971, LSD-32 got underway and anchored the next day at Izmir, Turkey. After the crew experienced the distinctively different culture, architecture, shopping bazaars, and even visits to the women's prison in Izmir, we were underway again on the 18th. After five days of routine operations, including two nights at anchorage again at Navplion, Greece, the ship reached Naples, Italy on July 23rd.

The port call at Naples ("Napoli") was the longest of any during the Med cruise - 14 days - and a very small number of the ship's company were fortunate enough to have their wives meet them there. Crew members spent time having all sorts of fun - mostly good, wholesome fun. Sightseeing, shopping for souvenirs, and either avoiding or scaring away the marauding bands of nine-year-old to fourteen-year-old pickpockets were commonplace. Some sailors also took trains to Rome ("Roma") to visit the famous historical sites located there. Some went to Italian movies, although they could not understand a word of what was said in the movie. Others went to the NATO base in Naples and played basketball or got their physical workouts in the gymnasium. A few of our sailors said that the most exciting and the most scary experiences they had in Naples were the absolutely wild taxi rides that they miraculously survived!

Not surprisingly, upon leaving Naples on August 6th a Captain's Mast was held at sea that day for certain men who had incidents of misconduct while at Naples. There were several violations of curfew, including one sailor being so late that he missed his entire pre-assigned duty watch while in port.

Guess what? Following the longest port call of the 1971 Med cruise, the Spiegel Grove had the longest period during the cruise of operations at sea and amphibious operations without any port call - 24 days. After two days at sea, amphibious operations were held at Porto Scudo, Sardinia for four days. Then, after weighing anchors, a couple of days at sea were followed by three more days of amphibious landings at Porto Scudo. Overnight watches for 16-17 August 1971 were special "sneak attack" watches, with our own SEALs working as the opposition. Underway again on August 18, 19, 20, and 21, the LSD-32 anchored overnight at Souda Bay, Crete, only to get underway again from 23-30 August, and then dropping anchor at Palma de Mallorca on August 31st.

Mallorca had to be one of the favorite ports for many sailors, with its scenic setting, beaches, and nightclubs such as "Barbarella," "Sgt. Pepper's," "The Guitar Centre," and "Daisy." There were even bullfights to attend - quite a spectacle for our men to enjoy.

After six full days at Mallorca, we weighed anchor on September 7th. One day later we anchored at Livorno, Italy, which is only a few miles south of Pisa, the site of the famous Leaning Tower of Pisa. Camp Darby, a small U.S. Army base at Livorno had a club, shared by enlisted and officer personnel, which provided live music, including surprisingly excellent female singers. Some sailors also made use of the Army gymnasium at Camp Darby during the 12 days at Livorno. Late in the lengthy stay in Livorno, our ship was coming close to running out of fresh water. It was about two days prior to our scheduled departure, so a deal was made with the mayor of Livorno to purchase fresh water to be brought to our anchorage and provided to the ship. Well, the water boat did not arrive until the afternoon of September 19th, and we were due to get underway on the 20th. No problem: the Italians pumped water until the Spiegel Grove's fresh water supply was full.

The Spiegel Grove got underway on September 20th, leaving Livorno, Italy. Early in the morning of the 20th, most shipmates discovered what a few had discovered the night before: the Italians of Livorno had pumped salt water straight from the harbor into our fresh water tanks! On the morning of the 20th, coffee was made throughout the ship unknowingly using SALT WATER! On 20 September 1971 the men on board the USS Spiegel Grove drank (or spat out or puked) what might well have been the WORST COFFEE in the history of the United States Navy! That's pretty bad. For the next day or so, salt water showers were none to pleasant, either.

After only a day and one-half at sea, the USS Spiegel Grove, along with the USS Nashville (LPD-13), USS Newport (LST-1179) and another ship or two within Phibron 6 arrived on September 22nd at Barcelona, Spain for a six-day visit. Wow, can sea duty get any better than this? While in Barcelona, sailors enjoyed not only sightseeing but also the nightclubs such as "Planeta 2001," the "Plazza Discoteque," and "Big Ben's" bar.

Phibron 6 departed Barcelona on 28 September 1971. After a four-hour stop at Rota, Spain on September 30th, the Spiegel Grove proceeded independently toward the USA, eventually arriving at Little Creek, VA on 10 October 1971.

10 OCT. to 14 NOV. 1971 - In port, Little Creek, VA

15 NOV. to 19 NOV. 1971: At sea - local operations; underway replenishment exercise on October 18th.

20 NOV. 1971 to 02 JAN. 1972 - In port, Little Creek, VA

03 JAN. 1972 to 14 JAN. 1972 - no records on hand; likely in port, Little Creek, VA

15 JAN. to 30 JAN. 1972 - In port, Little Creek, VA

31 JAN. to 11 MAR 1972 - no records or notes on hand

12 MAR 1972 - at sea

13 MAR. 1972 - alongside pier at Morehead City, NC for onload/offload.

14 MAR. 1972 to ? - at sea

15 MAR. to 11 MAY 1972 - no records or notes on hand- believe a Caribbean cruise started during this period, possibly to GITMO and Vieques

12 MAY to at least 14 MAY 1972 - at sea for amphibious operations

15 MAY to 11 JUL. 1972 - no records or notes on hand - believe LSD-32 was in the Caribbean

12 JUL 1972 - at sea, following stops at Roosevelt Roads and St. Thomas, Virgin Islands

13 JUL 1972 - offload Marines and equipment at Morehead City, NC

14 JUL 1972 - arrived Little Creek, VA

15-16 JUL 1972 - in port, Little Creek, VA

17-19 JUL 1972 - underway for midshipman landing exercises

20-23 JUL 1972 - in port, Little Creek, VA

24-27 JUL. 1972 - underway to take a Marine landing team to Morehead City, NC

28-30 JUL. 1972 - no records or notes on hand

31 JUL. 1972 - in port, Little Creek, VA

01 AUG. to 03 NOV. 1972 - no records or notes on hand

04 NOV. to 19 NOV. 1972 - in port, Little Creek, VA

DEC. 1972 to MAR. 1973 - in Portsmouth Naval Shipyard for planned regular overhaul.

01 APR. to 10 MAY 1973 - no records on hand - believe this period included a shakedown cruise following the shipyard overhaul

12-20 MAY 1973 - in port, Little Creek, VA

My notes for 1973 seem to correspond with the 3-MONTHS CARIBBEAN CRUISE IN SUMMER 1973 MENTIONED IN HMC CLARK'S NOTES THAT ARE ALSO POSTED IN THIS WEBSITE:

JUN. 1973 - no records or notes on hand, but believe we got underway for the Caribbean cruise in June

JUL. 1973 - in Panama, anchored near entrance to the Panama Canal, at Colon, Panama, a location that was also near the Naval Security Group Activity base at Coco Solo, Canal Zone

JUL. 1973 - in Barranquilla, Colombia - While in Barranquilla, the ship had an Open House, and droves of local Colombians showed up for guided tours. When one poor Colombian girl expressed how much she admired a large bar of soap at a lavatory, the sailor giving the tour felt so sorry for her that he just picked up the bar of soap and gave it to her. Also, our CO, Captain Miller, hosted the mayor of Barranquilla and a couple of Colombian Navy officers and their guests for a reception one evening. Somehow, it came about that a Colombian naval officer commented that his basketball team was very good and included 3 members of the Colombian Olympic basketball team. The Spiegel Grove's LTjg Reneau leaned over toward LTjg Rich and said, "We ought to play them." LTjg Rich said out loud, "Captain Miller, if it's okay with you, the ship's basketball team would like to challenge the Colombian team to a game tomorrow." Captain Miller agreed, and the Colombians jumped all over the opportunity to play. Much of the remaining conversation at the reception was by the Colombians who spoke English and their interpreter, telling us not to feel bad, but the team of one ship did not stand a chance against the Colombian Navy team that included 3 Olympic players (they told us that over and over, but did so very politely). Game time approached on the next day. The LSD-32 team, knowing what had been said the night before, decided we needed to use a full-court press in order to have any chance at all, and that we should fast-break every chance we got. We DID have a really good team. Over a 3-season span, the Spiegel Grove won 25 games while losing only 10. The LSD-32 team defeated the Colombian Navy team by an overwhelming score of 78-30. It turned out that the Colombians' 3 olympians were all forwards, and they had nobody at all who could handle the ball at the guard position. The Spiegel Grove team led by an embarrassing score of 44-13 at halftime. Even when we played subs much of the second half, the ship's team continued to run up the score. BM3 Dobbins, SN McCoy, SN Earl, and SN Tircuit played well; and LTjg's Reneau and Rich played hard as well, along with other sailors whose names have drifted from memory over the decades. After the game, both teams shook hands cordially and with good sportsmanship. I have always wondered how the mayor of Barranquilla reacted when he learned the result of the game!

JUL. OR AUG. 1973 - port call in Aruba

JUL. OR AUG. 1973 - in Roosevelt Roads, PR and Vieques - gunfire support exercises at Vieques

AUG. 1973 - port call in San Juan, PR

SEP. 1973 - no records or notes on hand

Late OCT. 1973 - took a contingency of Marines to Camp LeJeune, NC

NOTE: Inasmuch as my recollections and notes of 1972 and 1973 are sketchy, I am glad that HMC Clark and BM2 Fodor have posted their remarks that include this period of time.

Likely in 1972, but possibly in 1973 - When getting underway at GITMO, the USS Spiegel Grove tore several stanchions off another ship and scraped both its hull and ours - (or it may have been when leaving Roosevelt Roads - many of the crew and officers had pretty bad hangovers that day). A pilot had the con during this minor collision, even though the Captain always has responsibility for such an incident.

Also in either 1972 or 1973 while in the Caribbean, we also took a group of Navy Nurses from their base at GITMO to Montego Bay, Jamaica for R&R; and then took them back to GITMO.

This is "Aloha Foxtrot" - OUT.

Hi,

I'd like to add to your history of the USS Spiegel Grove. In March 1984, the SG participated in "Teamwork 84" in the north Atlantic to Norway. I was part of the Marine contingency that was aboard the ship, Quebec Battery, 5th Battalion, 12th Marines, originally Romeo Battery, 5th BN, 10th Marines out of Camp Lejeune, NC. By the way in 1984 the Spigel Grove was nicknamed the "Spiegel Beagel", and a sailor snoopy was painted on ship. Photo enclosed of me L/CPL Chris Carroll. Newspaper article from back then.

"4th Marine Amphibious Brigade “Teamwork 84”

March 7, 1984

 NATO ships plying North Atlantic in maneuvers

LONDON -- More than 150 NATO warships and 300 aircraft maneuvered in the North Atlantic Wednesday in one of the biggest naval defense exercises ever conducted by the western allies.

The strategy behind the month-long exercise, dubbed 'Teamwork 84,' is to land 12,000 U.S. Marines beyond the Arctic Circle in northern Norway in severe weather conditions. Backing them up will be 38 U.S. Navy vessels -- the biggest single national contingent.

'Teamwork will be graduation day for the 4th Marine Brigade in Arctic warfare,' one American commander said. The Marines will have to fight themselves ashore in temperatures down to 14 degrees.

The object is to escort and protect an amphibious force at sea and land the troops as close as possible to NATO's first defense line -- the icy northern front between the West and Russia.

Altogether 40,000 men from nine NATO nations willbe involved in the maneuvers, controlled from HMS Warrior, nerve center of Britain's Royal Navy, on the northern fringe of London.

As well as the marine landings, there will be major anti-submarine warfare exercises and convoy protection patrols.

Teamwork 84 is the biggest submarine exercise in six years with 20 submarines deployed, including three nuclear-powered vessels.

This week surface ships steaming north into the Norwegian seas will run the gauntlet of 11 diesel-powered submarines patrolling the strategic Iceland-Faroes islands gap.

A total of 28 merchant vessels have been hired at a cost of around $2 million to simulate realistic convoy conditions.

For the first time, the exercise will involve major in-flight refueling maneuvers for maritime patrol aircraft, enabling planes to stay airborne for up to 15 hours. Sophisticated and secret new equipment will also be tested aboard submarines and frigates.

In accordance with East-West agreements, the Soviets have been invited to observe the maneuvers. Moscow's military attache in Norway will have a seat at the mock war.

But as expected, many Russians are joining in without an invitation. A Soviet cruiser is listening in off the Lofoten islands and another warship is shadowing Britain's HMS Illustrious off north-western Scotland.

Six giant Soviet Bear reconnaissance planes have been intercepted by shore-based aircraft.

The naval exercise began Feb. 28 and runs through to March 22."

I have other photos from this exercise, if needed.

Semper Fi.

Sincerely,

Chris Carroll

csnhistory@gmail.com