 |
USS Austin LPD-4 1986/1987 Updated: April 4th, 2025 |
 |
This painting of Austin
was a gift to me by Bruno in Naples in 1987
Chapter Outline
My Family's Move to Little Creek
Austin's Restricted Ability (SRA), Portsmouth Naval Shipyard (Mid January through February, 1986)
Change in Home Port to Naval Base Little Creek (February, 1986)
Buried my mother at sea with my father aboard Austin (March, 1986)
Damage Control Training Guantanamo Bay, Cuba (June, 1986)
Port Visit to Kingston, Jamaica (July 4th, 1986)
Returned to Little Creek (early July,1986)
Surface Action Group Assignment west of Greenland (August, 1986)
NATO Exercise Northern Wedding (COMPHIBRON Six Staff Embarked)
(August/November, 1986)
(Crossed the Arctic Circle 29 August, 1986)
My father died while we were at sea during Exercise Northern Wedding
Port Visits to Kiel, West Germany (mid October, 1986) and Dover, England (late October/early November, 1986)
Returned to little Creek (November, 1986)
Took leave in late November, 1986 to process my father's estate in Nakomis, Florida
Buried my father at sea aboard Austin (March, 1987)
MARG Workups; (29 April-19 May, 1987)
Mediterranean Deployment MARG 3-87 (18 June, 1987)
24th MAU (Marine Amphibious Unit) and COMPHIBRON Six Staffs embarked
Rota, Spain for MARG turnover (01-04 July, 1987)
Sierra de Ru tan PHIBLEX (05-07 July, 1987
Inport Naples, Italy (13 JUly-11August-Boiler Repairs)
Operation Bright Star-Egypt
Inport Haifa, Israel (27 August-13 September, 1987)
Rehearsal Exercise Display Determination (19 August-26 September)
Change of Command (23 September, 1987)
Sardinia
My Family's Move to Little Creek
Mt wife Cathy and daughter Jessica (less than 2) stayed in Jacksonville when I was busy training for my tour aboard Austin from February, 1985 until September1st, 1985.
Training Pipeline
SOSMARC Engineering Training in Idaho Falls, Idaho (Feb-June,1985)
SOSMARC Class training at the Navy's Engineering Training Center in Glenview, Illinois
SWOSCOLCOM (Surface Warfare Officer School Command), Newport, Rhode Island (with SOSMARC Class)
Note: My Daughter, Lindsay Dean Smith was born while I was in training on 20 July, 1985.
My mother died of stomach cancer about the same time as Lindsay was born while I was in training!
Large bridge simulator training at Toledo, Ohio and at Floyd Bennett Field, Brooklyn, New York
I finished my training at Floyd Bennett Field August 30th, 1985.
(I know this because I attended the US Open Tennis Tournament at Forrest Hills every evening that week and stayed an extra day to watch Ivan Lenyl defeat John McEnroe in the final on September 1st).
Cathy and
Jessica moved
from
Jacksonville
to Norfolk
with help from
her father and
Annie Kiem in
Jacksonville.
Cathy,
Jessica,
and
month old
Lindsay
arrived in
Norfolk with
help from Pat
Mazach the
wife of my XO
in VA-15 (then
CO of USS
Seattle AO-3).
I met up
with Cathy and
the girls in
Norfolk when I
finished my
training in
early
September.
Two Significant Events
First, I
paid a call on
the Commander
COMPHIBRON
TWELVE (an A7
pilot). We got
along well
immediately
and in
addition to
many subjects,
he told me
that he would
approve moving
Austin's home
port from
Naval Base
Norfolk to
Amphibious
Base Little
Creek after we
completed an
SRA (Ship
Restricted
Ability)
maintenance
evolution at
Portsmouth.
Second,
Cathy Jessica,
and I moved in
to base
housing which
for us proved
to be an
adventure
because our
quarters were
in a wing of
an abandoned
old hospital
built in the
1940s but
renovated for
use as an O6
quarters. I'm
not sure of
the accuracy
of the
location of our
quarters
indicated on
the map below
but is was
nearby where
the Austin
located when
inport;
indicated by
the "X".
 |
 |
This is a picture of the wing of the old hospital which was renovated for our quarters. |
An Amusing Story
 |
The Commanding Officer
of Iwo Jima, Captain Anthony Granuzo asked me if I
would host his wife for lunch on Austin so she could
watch him get underway to a nearby anchorage to
offload some ammunition. In the process, he sort of
got somewhat grounded. Andy was on the flight deck
communicating with his Chief Engineer and two of his
officers, one on the bridge and one on the stern. Andy insisted he wasn't aground and directed the Chief engineer to use some power to get free. What he didn't count on was that he was on a COMPHIBRON Twelve common frequency so everyone including the Commodore were able to follow the evolution with amusement. I take every opportunity these days to remind him, now RDM Granuzu Retired, of the incident. |
Austin's Restricted Ability (SRA), Portsmouth Naval Shipyard
 |
I changed
the working
hours for most
of the crew
for the SRA.
Instead of the
usual 0730 for
the start of
our day, I
changed it to
0600 so that
most of the
crew could
avoid the
normal morning
traffic and
get off at
1530 to be
able to spend
more time at
home or to
enjoy a
leisure
activity of
their choice. This change also enabled each department to get some work done to prepare for the arrival of the shipyard workers most of whom traveled from Naval Station Norfolk by bus. Most of the shipyard workers departed the ship about 1530 which allowed most of the crew to depart the ship in time to avoid the heavy afternoon traffic. Unfortunately, most of the officers and senior chief petty officers had to remain aboard later to plan for the next day. |
The SRA
lasted about
six weeks. I
was familiar
with ship
restricted
availabilities
as I was a
"milestone
manager" in
1974 while at
COMNAVAIRLANT
for two ship
overhauls. I
was especially
interested in
Boiler feed
water
chemistry and
the ability of
machinest
mates to make
repairs and
the capability
of the machine
shop to
manufacture
repair parts
while
underway. I
was successful
in getting
five or six
nuclear
trained
machinest
mates orders
to Austin who
had been
released at
the end of
their training
in Orlando. I
was interested
in getting the
"by the book"
nuclear
machinest
mates to
augment the
machinest
mates already
aboard who had
the uncanny
ability to
make temporary
repairs while
underway.
Change in Home Port to Naval Base Little Creek (February, 1986)
 |
I think we used the piers to the left of the "X" which were designed to accommodate the larger ships. These piers were in walking distance of my quarters and provided quick access to Chesapeake Bay. |
I Buried my mother at sea with my father aboard Austin (March, 1986)
My father
made a couple
of trips from
Nakomis,
Florida to
Little Creek
in February
and March,
1986. In his
last trip, he
brought my
mother's
cremated ashes
to be buried
at sea. I
received
permission
from
COMPHIBRON
TWELVE to get
underway for
some
"engineering
trials" with
my father on
board with the
understanding
that we would
be releasing
my mother's
ashes on the
trip.
 |
| We got
underway about
1000 with one
watch section
aboard. We
went directly
to the burial
site and
ballasted the
ship so that
the stern gate
was only a few
feet above the
water.
There were
only five of
us in the well
deck; me, my
father,
Chaplin
Ramsey,
ABFCM (AW)
Veneble, and a
bugler on the
well deck
wall. ABFCM
(AW) Veneble
released my
mother's ashes
over the stern
gate ingto
Chesapeake
Bay. |
Damage Control Training Guantanamo Bay, Cuba (June, 1986)
| Austin's
route to
Guantanamo
Bay, Cuba
(GTMO) |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
My Our damage control training complete and our readiness certified, we were officially ready to deploy!
 |
Lt (LDO) Pete Kemp, our new Chief Engineer, was a significant factor in our success at GTMO. The fact that LTjg (LDO) Pete Kemp was Austin's Repair Division Officer During Austin's previous deployment most likely gave him the experience to be able to provide such great leadership at GTMO! |
Kingston, Jamaica (about July 4th, 1986)
 |
 |
| We delayed
our stay at
GTMO for a
couple of days
to prepare
(stock up) for
our visit to
Kingston. |
We
received
priority
berthing
alongside as
indicated in
the image to
the right
because we
were there as
a favor from
President
Reagan to the
American
Consulate. |
We were in
Kingston from
a Friday
though Monday
morning. We
hosted the
American
Consulate and
their guests
at a reception
on the flight
deck on Friday
evening. All
hands were
aboard for the
reception.
Half of the
crew (except
for the
engineers) had
a Saturday
trip to the
Sheraton Hotel
in Ocho Rios.
The other half
spent Sunday
at Ocho Rios.
As we were
steaming, the
engineers had
to remain in
Kingston but
were released
as feasible
and had a bar
suite at the
hotel
indicated in
the image as
the guests of
the consulate!
The Friday Evening Reception
The guests arrived aboard via an accommodation ladder from the pier to the forward portion of the flight deck. We met the guests at a reception line at the end o the accommodation ladder. The Austin officers were in "choker white" uniforms with ribbons. We had set up a tent on the flight deck which contained tables of beverages and food items.
 |
The Supply Officer,Lt Steve Sterrett had obtained a wide variety of traditional Navy reception food items including Lumpia. But, the "coup de gras" was the Haigen Diaz ice cream that he brought from GTMO. |
The
reception was
a great
success. After
the guests had
departed, some
of us changed
into civilian
dress and went
into town.
Kingston had a
reputation
that it was a
bit dangerous
out in town
due to drugs
and gangs.
But, we had no
problem
finding a
place to have
a drink or two
without any
problem.
Ocho RiosThe crew members taking advantage of the trip to Ocho Rios boarded buses at the ship and traveled from Kingston across the hills of the inner island to the coast at Ocho Rios.
 |
 |
The destination at Ocho Rios was the Sheraton resort hotel where they could swim or relax by the pool or travel to the famous falls near the hotel.
 |
 |
Another alternative was to go shopping. Bob Marley was a significant part of Jamaican culture.
 |
 |
 |
Lignum Vitae
Lignum Vitae is a variety of tree commonly found in the Caribbean area. The wood of the Lignum Vitae tree is extremely hard; so hard that it was carved in to spheres and used as cannon balls in the days of the sailing ships.
 |
 |