1969 THE BUREAUOF NAVAL PERSONNEL CAREER PUBLICATION OCTOBER 1969 Nav-Pers-0 NUMBER 633 VICE ADMIRALCHARLES K. DUNCAN, USN TheChief of Naval Personnel REARADMIRAL D. H. GUINN, USN TheDeputy Chief of NavalPersonnel CAPTAIN H. W. HALL,JR., USN AssistantChief for MoraleServices TABLE OF CONTENTS Features MSTS Far East: "WeDeliver" ........................... 2 Skilak:Eskimo in Vietnam .................................... 5 Standing Naval Force, Atlantic-NATO's Multi-NationNavy ............................................ 6 Huntingfor Waterspouts ...................................... 11 The Frogmen Meet the Spacemen ........................ 12 The Certified Sailor and His Certificates .............. 16 Finishing School for Navy Chefs .......................... 22 All-Navy Cartoon Contest Winners .................... 25 MovieCall ............................................................ 28 Camp Concern at NTC Bainbridge ...................... 32 Departments Today's Navy ........................................................ 34 Letters to the Editor .............................................. 58 BulletinBoard Family Protection Plan for RetiredNavymen ...... 42 HomeownersAssistance Program ........................ 45 Career CounselingProgram for Officers ............ 47 Here Are the Facts on Early Releases .................. 48 NESEP fora Scientific Education ........................ 49 Choices Offered After Vietnam Tour .................. 50 HealthInsurance Following Separation .............. 51 Special Pay and Allowances ................................ 52 Taffrail Talk ......................................................... 64 John A. Oudine, Editor Associate Editors G. VernBlasdell, News DonAddor, Layout & Art AnnHanabury, Research GeraldWolff, Reserve FRONTCOVER: Flight Deck PettyOfficer Dennis Boren super- viseshandling aircraft aboard amphibious assoult ship. Boren, an ABHl, isserving in USS Iwo Jima (LPH 2). AT LEFT: Escort ship USS Albert Dovid (DE 1050) haselectrical cableswrapped around her hull as the ASW specialistis prepared for deperming.-Photo by PH3 Richard L. Klain, USN. MSTS FAR EAST- ”WE DELIVER” ADDRESSED to the small group of sailors, the citation began,“For exceptionally meritorious logistical service to United States and Allied forces in the Re- public of Vietnam. ’’ With the citation, signedby the Secretary of the Navy, was a blue, yellow, orange and green ribbon. It ranks 15th among America’s 67 military decorations- the Navy Unit Commendation. This specific award is notable in itself, but to MSTS personnel it has a special significance, because it marks the first time in the 20-year history of the Navy’s Mili- tary SeaTransportation Service that one of its units earned such an award. The award-winning command in the spotlight of the $47-million Far Eastern’ MSTS operations is the 110- man crew of the Military Sea TransportationService Office, Vietnam (MSTSOV). Captain HenryJ. Lyon re- cently succeeded Captain Louis K. Payne as the unit’s co. Sealifts to the Republic of Vietnam account for over 96 per cent of the logistics support of American forces and their allies. “In the faceof extremely difficult conditions, includ- ing attacks fromenemy forces at all locations along the Republic of Vietnam coastline,” the citation con- tinued, “MSTSOV, through theable administration of MSTS shipping assets, contributedmaterially to the success of United States efforts in theRepublic of Vietnam.” Delivery of this cargo-some nine-millionmeasure- ment tons in 1968-does not end at the ports of Saigon, I)a Nang and CamRanh Ray. It ismoved further inland by tugs and barges, fulfilling in-country cargo requirements, as well as those of the major consumers at coastal ports. The tugsand barges of MSTSOV are escorted by river patrol boats as they transit the Viet . 2 andan inspection for cleanliness of cargospaces is made. The MSTS office is constantly on the alert for un- expectedproblems that could slow downthe tightly scheduled merchant ships lifting urgent military cargo. Informationconcerning local conditions is one of the primary benefits gained from the nine strategically placed subordinate MSTS units located in the Republic of Vietnam. Data on local conditions relayed to MSTS Far East may affect determination of cargo bookings for specific ships. FOR EXAMPLE, the depthof water alongside the load- ing pier at Vung Tau may be listed on charts and in marine publications as 20 feet, but an actual on-the- spot survey by a MSTSOV unit representative may show that it is really 26 feet. Similar information is obtained Above: Meredith Victory, a ship of WW II vintage, is under control concerningterminal facilities, waterfrontlabor prob- of MSTS. lems, pilotage and many other necessary port services. Other services may include a variety of jobs such as Cong-infested narrow canals and challenging riverways meeting all arriving MSTS ships, delivery and pickup of the swampy Mekong Delta. ofmail, assisting withrequired hospitalization of In addition to regular cargo, these tugs and barges crewmembersand diverting ships from port to port moved some 100,000 tons of rock each month during because of a lack of stowage space, or an immediate 1968 over these same routes to the Delta and to the requirement for ammunition elsewhere. I Corps Tactical Zone. A typical MSTS unitserving in the Republic of Vietnam, exclusive of the head office in Saigon,has TYPICAL of the office’s functions is preparation of a crew of about six Navymen: an officer in charge, as- movement reports on all MSTS-controlled ships ar- sistant officer in charge, radioman, boatswain’s mate, riving and departing ports in the Republic of Vietnam. yeoman andstorekeeper, All units andthe Saigon Harbor husbanding services are arranged, and customs office are assisted by MSTS-contracted civilian agen- clearancerequests are prepared and submitted. Pro- cies. jected activities of the ships are reported daily to Whether it be ammunition for the Navy SEAL teams Commander MSTS Far East in Yokohama, Japan, of in the Mekong Delta, tanks for the Marines near the which MSTSOV is a subordinate command. DMZ, rifles and C-rations for the Army in the jungles, Aregular check is madeaboard MSTS-controlled or many other necessary logistical items, their delivery ships to ensureproper stowage and fast turnaround. will be coordinated by the MSTS Office, Vietnam. Before departure of a ship, stowage plans are corrected -Story and photos by Chief Journalist Byron Whitehead, Jr., USN USNS CorpusChristi Bay, originally built os o seaplanetender, nowprovides maintenance for Army helicopters. Right: Tank Lond- ingShip Luzerne County loads ammunition at Vung Tau far deliv- ery to Mekong Delta. ALL HANDS ALLKINDS of new equipment are being used in tropi- cal Vietnam, such as a shallow draft boat‘original- ly designed for use in Alaskan waters. It’s called the Skilak, Eskimo word for strange boat. But there’snot much that’s strangeabout the YFU. Itsconcept has been around since World War I1 when100-ton cargo craft were used widely. Today’s YFU is larger, with a 200-ton capacity. Of course, its habitability features are greatly improved. One thing that hasn’t changed over the years, how- ever, is the workload demand on the small craft. ‘More than 80 per cent of the supplies delivered to outlying detachments in the northern I Corps is placed ashore from Skilaks like YFU 74, piloted by Chief Boatswain’s Mate Eddie Head. Ina typical month of cargohandling, Chief Head and his 10-man crew made 15 round trips, one every 48 hours, from the Naval Support Activity, Da Nang, to various armed forces detachments in the northern provinces. Trips to and from detachments, such as Hue, Tan My and Chu Lai take about 24 hours;those to Cua Viet and Dong Ha, about 36 hours. HE SIX-MILE journey up the Cua Viet River to Dong THa, is probably the most difficult, according to Chief Head, because of theever-present possibility of Viet Cong ambush from underbrush extending near- ly every foot along the way. There is also the possibili- ty of enemyrocket attack and command detonated mine attack. Forthe trip upriver, the craft’s three50-caliber machine guns are manned and flak jackets and steel helmetsare uniform for theday. The YFU, with its six-foot draft, is ideally suited to the shallowwaterways, many of which are span- of the fledgling nation's man-of-war.Their record When the North Atlantic Treaty Organization was broughtfame to the American Navy. establisheda little morethan two decades ago, its Inmore recent times, warships of allied nations purpose was to provide its member nations with some have sailed together in two world wars. measure of collective securityagainst aggression in Europeor North America. BUT NOW, for the first time in modem history, a per- Today, its Standing Naval Force, Atlantic, is tasked manent, international naval force has been formed. with a variety of missions, not the least of which is to Itsname: Standing Naval Force, Atlantic. symbolize NATO's resolveto counter any threat to The primary functions of STANAVFORLANT are: first, NATO's freedom of the seas and seaborne communi- to provide a symbol of political and military solidarity cations which are vital to the existence of the Atlantic of the NATO alliance; and secondly, to provide a sea- community. going nucleus-a catalyst of naval security spanning The facts of geographymake NATO'sallies al- the AtlanticOcean from Europe to North America. most entirely reliant uponsea lines of communica- Ships of NorthAtlontic Treaty OrgmirationStanding