USS Saratoga CV-60

Executive Officer
USS Saratoga CV-60

October, 1983 through January, 1985

Last Updated: May 5th, 2025

Training Prior to Assignment as Executive Officer USS Saratoga CV-60

SWOSCOLCOM (Surface Warfare Officer School Command), Newport, Rhode Island (Basic Course)

Cathy was able to join me in Newport while I was attending training. We were able to find an apartment over a bar on the America's Cup Blvd near the docks. We enjoyed several steamed lobster and clam dinners in our apartment by getting the clams and lobster directly from the fishermen at the docks.

We had plenty of time to tour around Newport including trips to see the "cottages" and to visit the International Tennis Hall of Fame.

Cathy, Jessica and I moved from NAS Jacksonville and bought a house on Tilefish Court in Pablo Point off of San Pablo Road. The house was located close to Saratoga at Mayport. I knew that the working hours as XO would be long and it would enable me to have more time at home if we were living close by.

Reported for Duty as Executive Officer on October 29th, 1983

In 1984, during our successful deployment to the Mediterranean Sea, Captain Jack Ready proclaimed that USS Saratoga would be known as "Super Sara". That was not the nickname previously used to describe the Saratoga. During several years previously, Saratoga had the derisive nickname "Sorry Sara". She had be known to have an unusually poor reliability of her engineering plant and an even worse reputation for her Supply Department. In the late 70s she had to be tied up to the pier in Mayport during a planned type training at sea. The CAG was forced to deploy his squadrons to NAS Mayport and conduct type training as if he was at sea! Many thought Sara was a disgrace!

Service Life Extension Program (SLEP)

SLEP was intended to provide significant upgrades to our remaining fossil fueled aircraft carriers while establishing an improved capability at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard. Saratoga was the first aircraft carrier to go through SLEP. There were significant problems in the initial portion of SLEP. There was not a sufficient labor pool of experienced workers or the required shops to support the needs of SLEP. They had to hire many workers who were untrained and many proved to be unreliable. It took awhile to establish small business shops to support SLEP at the Philadelphia Shipyard. SLEP was a great strategic idea to establish an improved capability in Philadelphia but Sara paid the price of being the first SLEP carrier. Unreliable workers stole valuable hardware such as brass valves. Significant work proved to be either unsound from a design or engineering aspect or was poorly accomplished. Some of the work that was reported to have been done had not actually been accomplished. When Sara made her initial attempt at sea trials following SLEP, she had to be returned to the pier because the rudders wouldn't work. Live wires were arcing on her sides.

Captain Len Perry was the Commanding Officer during SLEP. He was knowledgeable and patient; the right man for the job! He and his officers, chief petty officers, and enlisted personnel did their best under very trying circumstances. I reported to Sorry Sara" shortly after she returned to Mayport after SLEP. On the trip south from Philadelphia, it was discovered that there were significant leaks in her high pressure steam lines in all eight of her boilers. So, I would find myself immersed in post SLEP controversy.

Change Of Command

Captain Ready relieved Captain Len Perry on November 11th, 1983

Captain Ready relieved Captain Perry

Captain Ready and I changed the shoulder boards for newly selected Rear Admiral Perry

I only had the pleasure of working with Rear Admiral Perry for a short time. But, it was clear to me that the Navy selected the right officer to lead the Saratoga through through the SLEP process. SLEP required a man of intelligence and the ability to lead the ship through the process with great patience.

My Initial Challenges Upon Arrival as Executive Officer

I checked in as XO when Sara arrived at Mayport following SLEP. During her time at sea transiting from Philadelphia to Mayport, it was discovered that there was a serious problem with all the high pressure steam lines in her boilers. The "astro arc" welding process that was used to repair the steam lines during SLEP was intended for the repair of new material not for used material. All these steam lines had to be redone along side in Mayport. Welders from all over the world came to be interviewed to do the very exacting work. Inspectors from every conceivable level arrived to determine who was responsible for this situation. Fortunately, Saratoga's Chief Engineer, Mike Landon, was an experienced, dedicated, and talented post sea commanding officer who handled all the engineering aspects of the welding operations.

Post SLEP Administrative Mess

About a week after reporting for duty as XO, I decided that I would review the folders of sailors who had been recommended for Captains Mast (XO Inquiry) in my spacious second deck cabin on Monday nights with Monday Night Football on the TV. My plan was that I would handle the less serious cases at my level and recommend the more serious cases for Captain's Mast. Imagine my shock when there were almost 500 hundred cases covering about the last six weeks of SLEP. After working to about midnight, it was obvious there was no way that I could properly handle that number of cases. The next morning, I called for my first formal Department Head's Meeting at 1500 in the afternoon. At 1500, I convened the meeting in the 2nd deck officers mess. I think that most of the departments were represented but not by the Department Heads. I disbanded the meeting and told the representatives that were not Department Heads to report back that I would reconvene the meeting the next day, Wednesday, and that I expected Department Heads to attend Department Head meetings. I expected to make decisions at Department Head meetings and if they didn't have a good excuse, they better send someone in their stead who the had confidence could represent them at the decision making level. I knew I was on solid ground with Captain Ready as he had told me that he wanted me to "run the hotel" so he could "think big thoughts" on the bridge :-) The next day all of the Department Heads showed up, even the Chief Engineer who was very busy with the super heater tube issue and the Navigator,who had no where to navigate. The Navigator had pass when we were underway. That set a precedence lasted for the rest of my XO tour.

I told the Department Heads that I was returning all the discipline records to the individual departments and only wanted to review the cases that they thought appropriate for my review the next Monday night.

Chief Petty Officer Review Board

The Chief Engineer, Mike Landon, suggested that we might want to consider establishing a Chief Petty Officer Review Board (CPORB) to handle some of the cases especially those involving disrespect of a petty offer. The review board would consist of E8 and E9 Chief Petty Officers and be chaired by the Master Chief Petty officer of the Command and be held in the Chief's Mess. The CPORB could refer the cases back to me for to Captain's Mast or handle them at their level with a "tongue lashing" or reasonable punishments such as extra duty. They could not award reduction in rate or pay; only the Captain could do that.! He reported that this approach had been effective in surface warfare commands that he had observed. We decided to give it a try. It turned out to be very effective and reduced everyone's work load. Many of the sailors would rather face the Captain than the Senior and Master Chiefs in the Chief's Mess.

Reserve Temporary Active duty JAG Officer/Naval Intelligence Service (NIS) Cases

We had a agent new NIS agent assigned to the ship. The previous NIS agent had left behind two three drawer file cases behind when he departed. Fortunately, we had a LCDR Reserve temporary active duty JAG Officer assigned for six weeks. He was a prosecutor from from the Memphis District Attorney's Office. I asked him to review all the cases and recommend which cases to handle and which to destroy. After his review, we destroyed most of the cases due to insufficient evidence or other reasons. But, he said that we we had a serious homosexual situation that involved a couple of officers, chief petty officers and numerous enlisted personnel especially in the Aviation Fuels Division of the Air Department. His reports resulted in numerous Captain's Masts and Summary Courts Martial that removed many personnel in the Fuels' Division.

He also said that we had a potential serious security issue involving the Cryptology Officer the Communications Department. It was complicated by the fact that this officer was the #1 LtJG in the most recent ship's fitness reports. I reported the situation to the Captain and we removed this officer from his position pending further investigation. I also requested that the Captain release me from the normal prosecution of the case so that I could get the facts in the case and determine if we had as serious security issue. He approved my recommendation. I asked the current NIS agent how he would proceed in the case. He recommended that I interview the officer at length and repeat my questions over and over to get to the truth. Initially, the young officer denied any involvement but after an hour or so, he demonstrated a significant personality change and finally related that he had been a homosexual prior to his commissioning and had been involved in homosexual behavior on Sara but that it had not affected his work as the Cryptology Officer. I reported my findings to Captain Ready and the NIS Officer took over the case The officer was awarded a Special Courts Martial. The result of the Special Courts Martial was that he was allowed to resign his commission.

Hurricane Incident

We were alongside Charlie Pier with no ability to get underway due to our boiler problems and were in the path of of a late season hurricane. The Chief Engineer, Captain Mike Landers, the First Lieutenant, CDR Bob Micken an active reserve CDR and I came up with a plan to protect Sara and the pier if we experienced high winds.

Sara was alongside starboard side to Charlie Pier. The plan was to remove the starboard anchor and attach it to the port quarter. Next we would run out the Port anchor using a barge and lower it to the center of harbor and then run out the anchor from the port rear quarter to the harbor. Once both anchors were in place, we had them winched in to pull the Saratoga away from the pier using reinforced spring lines. The goal was the keep the Sara off the pier and as stable as possible during high winds. The Captain approved the plan and it was successful.

The Chief Engineer, the First Lieutenant and I worked well together for the rest of my tenure as XO.

Damage Control Training

Our next challenge was to get the entire crew trained at Mayport in damage control procedures. This included participating in shipboard firefighting with real fires at the facility at Mayport. Of course, I was selected to be at the front end of the hose as pictured above!

GTMO at Guantanamo Bay Cuba

By the time we completed our Mayport based damage control training, most of the engineering issues had been resolved, the Fuels personnel and the Cryptology Officer had been replaced, and some underway time had been conducted. We were ready to go to Guantanamo Bay Cuba to conduct more challenging damage control training and achieve a satisfactory grade for certification.

Now that our time at GTMO was successfully completed, we were ready to get the airwing aboard and begin type training before our deployment.

The Saratoga/CAG 17 Team

The next section outlines the organization of various departments aboard Saratoga. I have added this to record this organization and relate a few special events of interest. If you are not particularly interested in the organization but might be interested in the special events, I have used a different text color for them.

Captain Ready

As Captain Perry was the right officer to the lead Sara through the challenges of SLEP, Captain Ready was a great choice to make the transition from SLEP to underway carrier operations.

Fighter pilot (F14) and Test Pilot.

Under his leadership, Satra made the transition from "Sorry Sara" to Super Sara". Engineering passed the OPPE Operational Propulsion Plant Exam) on the first try and the Saratoga/CAG 17 team had an outstanding grade on the ORE(Operational Readiness Exercise).

Captain Ready established a great working environment for me and the heads of the various departments in that we understood what kinds of issues could and should be addressed to the CO and what kinds of issues should be addressed directly with the XO.

Captain Ready gave me the authority and a wide latitude to "run the hotel" so that he could concentrate on crew morale, Operations and Operational Readiness.

The Master Chief Petty Officer of the Command

MCPOC James Courson was an essential member of the team. Not only did he represent all the Chief Petty officers assigned the Saratoga, but he also worked closely with MCPOCs of the Airwing.

He met with the Senior and Master Chief Petty Officers in the Chief's Mess to hear their complaints and comments.

He met regularly with Captain Ready on the Bridge to discuss the results of those meeting and advised him on what action was being taken at the XO/Department Head level.

MCPOC Courson attended regularly scheduled Department Head meetings and worked closely with me on a regular basis.

My job as the Executive Officer was to run the "hotel" so that Captain Ready, CAG 17, Kent Ewing, and the Operations Officer, Butch Christie could conduct operations without worrying abut the "small stuff".
I did this by establishing an Executive Department to handle the various personnel related issues and to work with the Department Heads to keep Sara as "ship shape" as possible.

Commander Air Wing 17
CDR Kent Ewing

All images in this section are from the cruise book

Squadrons of CAG 17


VMAQ 2 EA6B	HS-3 SH-3H	VS-30 S3-A	VF-74 F-14A	VF-103 F-14A	VA-81 A7-E	VA-83 A7-E	VAW-125 E2C	VQ-2 EA3B	VMA (AW) 533 EA6B

Air Wing Missions

Air superiority including defense of the Battle Group and escort for strike missions:
VF-74 and VF-103
(F-14 Tomcat)


VF-74 CO CDR Ken Burgess		VF-74 XO CDR Michael Rioux


VF-103 CO CDR Sam Montgomery		VF-103 XO CDR Roger Meyers

Power Projection and defense of the Battle Group for surface threats:
VA-81 and VA-83
(A7E Corsair II)


VA 83 CO CDR Bill Franson		VA 83 XO CDR Stan Bloyer


VA 81 CO CDR Bill Beaty		VA 81 XO CDR Ken Cech

Anti Submarine Warfare: VS-30
(S3A Viking)
The primary mission of the S3A Viking was to locate, track, and destroy subsurface threats to the Battle Group. Secondary missions were to conduct precise mine wafare and to provide intelligence concerning potential surface and subsurface threats to the Battle Group.

VS 30 CO
CDR Dean Turner

VS 30 XO
CDR Sam Houston

Anti Submarine Warfare: HS-3
(SH-3H)
The primary mission of the SH3 is the close in defense of the Battle Group from submarine threats.
Secondary missions are Search and Rescue (SAR) and logistics support.

HS 3 CO
CDR Michael J. Panchura Jr.

HS 3 XO
CDR Steven L. Fahrenkrog

Air Warfare Coordination VAW125
E2C

The primary mission of the E2C was tactical air coordination for the Battle Group including coordination of power projection strikes and defense of the Battle Group from air, surface, and subsurface threats.

VAW 125 CO
CDR John L. Ogle Jr.

VAW 125 XO
CDR Ralph K. Zia

Electronic Warfare: VMA (AW) 533
(Yes, a Marine Corps squadron)
EA6B


VMA (AW) 533 CO LTCOL Jim Clark (USMC)		VMA (AW) 533 XO LTCOL Bruce Byrum (USMC)

Tactical Surveillance VMAQ 2 Detachment Delta - EA6B
(Yes, another Marine Corps squadron)


VMAQ 2 Detachment XRAY Officer in Charge (OinC) LTCOL Frank A. Yahner		VMAQ 2 Detachment XRAY Assistant Officer in Charge Major Allen W. Johnson

The mission of VMAQ 2 Detacment XRAY is similar to the mIssion of FAIRECON 2 Detachment Bravo except that VMAQ 2 Det XRAY is tasked by the Battle Group Commander (CTF 60) to collect tactical surveillance and FAIRECON 2 Det Bravo is tasked by higher authority to collect strategic surveillance.

Strategic Surveillance

VQ2 Det Bravo
EA3B

VQ 2 Detachment Bravo
Officer in Charge (OinC)
LCDR Angelo J. Spadaro

VQ 2 home base is Naval Station Rota, Spain

They fly three types of surveillance aircraft and are generally tasked by national authorities.

They operate the EA3B carrier capable aircraft when tasked to operate from a carrier deck.

The air wing worked directly for the Captain and the embarked staff in accomplishing these missions.

Air Wing related Executive Officer Responsibilities

There are approximately 2500 officers and enlisted in the ship's crew. When the air wing is aboard, that number increases by about 3000 to a total of about 5500 people. More people means more berthing and more people to feed. When the air wing comes aboard, each squadron sends personnel on Temporary Additional Orders (TAD)to the ship as either compartment cleaners or mess cooks to help with the additional work load. In addition, the air wing is responsible for the upkeep of their assigned work spaces. The Executive Department monitors this by conducting "Zone Inspections" on a routine basis.

Due to the requirement to be on station during underway operations CDR Ewing rarely attended Department Head meetings. But he normally sent a representative. CAG Ewing had an A7 background at Cecil Field so I knew him well before coming to Sara.

Ship's Operational Departments and their Relationship with Working with the XO

Navigation

The Navigator did not normally attend Department Head meetings due to the requirement to be on the bridge during underway operations.
He normally sent a representative due to the requirement to be on station during underway operations

Stu Fitrell, had an A7 background and was actually senior to me according to date of rank. Stu and I never had an issue with getting along. He pretty much stayed on the bridge and sent the Assistant Navigator to my meetings. Stu did well as the Navigator and later in life, Captain Ready arranged for Stu be the Commanding Officer of Naval Air Station Pax River, Maryland when Admiral Ready was the Commander of the Test Center.

The sailors of the Navigation Department work together as a team to determine the exact position of the ship and steer her on the correct course to arrive at her destination.

Operations

CDR Christie normally attended Department Head meetings or sent CDR Robb, the Strike Ops Officer in his place.
CDR Christie had an A7 background at Cecil Field and knew him well before coming to Saratoga.

I knew Butch Christie from our A7 days.

Doug White relieved Butch Christie toward the end of the cruise.

The Operations Department is a large department composed of many divisions which I will outline briefly below. Images and modified descriptions are from the cruise book.

OPS Administration
OA Division: Meteorology covered every aspect of weather not only including surface based observations, but also satellite tracking and weather balloons to gather data in the upper atmosphere. The also bathythermograph equipment to monitor the temperature, salinity, and currents in he deep ocean in the vicinity of the ship.
OC Division: The Carrier Air Traffic Control Center (CATCC) was responsible for monitoring the status and and coordination of all airborne aircraft except for those under control of the Combat Information Center (CIC)
CIC (Combat Information Center): CIC was composed of several modules which support the search, identification, and tracking of all surface, sub surface, and air threats to the battle group. The Tactical Air Officer (TAO) in CIC provided Captain Ready and the embarked staff with timely tactical information and recommended courses of action based on Battle Group tactical plans and training.
OX Division: Anti Submarine Warfare (ASW) The ASW module provided the TAO in CIC with recommended tactical options to counter sub-surface threats based on analysis of acoustic data and established battle group tactical plans. All members of the ASW module team were well trained in detection and acoustic analysis and tactics.
OW Division: Electronic Warfare (EW) The primary mission of the OW Division, the EW module in CIC, was to utilize all aspects of electronics in military action, both friendly and non-friendly to determine, exploit, prevent, or reduce the enemy's use of electronic equipment and to ensure Saratoga's ability to exploit that information to our advantage
OS Division: Naval Security Group (NSG) The primary mission of the NSG was to provide direct cryptologic support to Captain Ready and the embarked staff. Additionally, they were responsible for providing tactical SIGSEC (Signal Security) to the ship and airwing as well as providing cryptologic intelligence support to CVIC.
OZ Division: CVIC Intelligence Center CVIC provided intelligence processing and support upon which the ship and airwing used to project power and maintain control of the sea. CVIC produced intelligence briefings via the ship's Closed Circuit TV System (CCTV) which was used by aircrew to plan their missions.
Strike Ops Division: (Strike Operations): Responsible for Saratoga's strike weapons employment organization which included development of plans for both conventional and non-conventional warfare. In addition, Strike Ops was responsible for coordinating the ship's schedule both underway and inport, for underway replenishments, and all related plans and schedules.
OM Division: Responsible for the operation, repair, and maintenance of Saratoga's NATO Seasparrow Surface Missile System, a rapid-reaction surface to air missile system capable of engaging a wide range of surface and air targets. The division was also responsible for the operation, repair, and maintenance of the three Ship's CIWS (Close- IN-Weapons Systems)
OE Division: Highly diversified electronics technicians responsible for maintaining communications and inertial and satellite navigation equipment, complex computers, terminals, and displays, surface and air search radars in CIC as well as the navigational aids for aircraft in addition to the radars and display systems for CATCC.
OP Division: Photo Lab OP1-General Services lab responsible for all official photography aboard the ship; ID cards, award ceremonies, cruise book photos etc. OP2-The CVIC Photo Lab which processes and prints all imagery generated by the embarked air wing.

LCDR Matt Moffit

I was first aware of Matt when he was in VA-174 undergoing A7 training. I was also in VA-174 on my way to be the Executive Officer of VA-15. I was on the lookout for top students and tried to get Matt orders to VA-15. However, BUPERS refused my request because Matt's brother Mike was already in VA-15. Instead, they sent Matt to VA-87 our sister squadron in the airwing.

I was able to fly with Matt on an interesting adventure during my time as XO of VA-15. I was assigned to lead a division of A7s composed of two aircraft from each squadron on a "cross country" flight to visit the Greek A7 Base on Souda Bay, Crete. Mat was #4 flying wing on the CAG Operations Officer in VA-87 aircraft. My wingman was "Cactus" Jack" Sheehan; is the V2 Officer aboard Sara. See below.

Matt went on to command and squadron,an airwing, and an aircraft carrier. and a Command of a Carrier Group as a Flag Officer.

I see Matt and his wife Megan occasionally at Golden Eagles reunions.

Air Department

Saratoga had two outstanding Air Department Heads (known as the Air Boss) during my tour as XO.

CDR Ralph Staplin was the Air Boss for the first half of my tour.

He did an outstanding job of organizing and training the officers, chief petty officers and enlisted personnel after SLEP. The Air Department was in great shape when he handed over the Air Department to the Mini Boss, CDR Pat McGovern.

Ralph moved on to the AIRLANT staff where he was able to put his experience to work while monitoring all the Air Departments aboard all east coast carriers.
Ralph was also an active participant on the Saratoga Tennis team.

CDR Pat McGovern was an exceptional Air Boss during our Med deployment.

Pat was one of the first if not the first officers selected to be an Air Boss with a helicopter background.

Pat was well qualified for the job as he was a graduate of the Navy's Test Pilot School and had aircraft carrier experience in a deployed helicopter squadron.

Pat and I would work together both when I was the CO of Austin when he was at the Test Center at PAX River and and during my tour as Chief Of Staff of COMCRUDESGRU 12 when Pat was the Helicopter Wing Commander at NAS JAX.

The Air Department is a large department composed of many divisions which I will outline briefly below.

V1- Division Flight Deck	V2 Division - Catapult and Arresting Gear	V3 Division Hangar Deck	V4 Division Aviation Fuels	V4 Division Administration

V1 Division Officer Lcdr Pelz	V2 Division Officer Lcdr McCrillis	V3 Division Officer Lt Nolan	V4 Division Officer Lt Andrews	V5 Division Officer Lcdr Mulholland

V1 Flight Deck	V1 was manned by the proud and Hard working Aviation Boatswains Mate (handling) ABH rating; responsible for spotting and moving aircraft on the flight deck under the supervision of the Aircraft Handling Officer. The directors wore "yellow shirts", the plane handlers wore "blue shirts", and the crash and salvage personel wore "red shirts"- each color representing the unique job each were assigned.
V2 Catapults and Arresting Gear	V2 maintained and operated the 4 catapults, 4 arresting gear, the barricade, and the Pilot Landing Aid Television (PLAT). The supervisors wore "yellow shirts", workers wore "green shirts" who were composed of Aviation Boatswains Mate Equipment (ABE), Electricians Mates (EM), and Interior Communication Mates (IC)
V3 Hangar Bay	V3 was responsible for moving and spotting aircraft in the hangar bay. The workers (ABH) wore "blue shirts, the supervisors "Yellow shirts".
V4 Aviation Fuels	The "grapes" as the men of V4 were called because they wore "purple shirts). They provided aviation jet fuel (JP5) for the aircraft. Receiving JP5 from tankers alongside during underway replenishment, they pumped thousands of gallons of JP5 through transfer pumps, purifiers, and filters they ensured that only high quality fuel was provided for the aircraft.
V5 The Air Office/Primary Flight Control (PRIFLY)	V5 - The Administrative Office. The 500 men of the Air Department not only required management and coordination within the Air Department but also among other departments. V5 also operated the tower (PRIFLY) and were responsible for recording, displaying,and communicating pertinent information for the Air Boss and Assistant Air Boss (Mini Boss) could could conduct safe launch and recovery operations.

The Fresnel Lens
(New Air Boss, Pat McGovern (left) with new Assistant Air Boss (Mini Boss) on the right

Three very special people in Sara's Air Department when I was XO


Ralph Staplin in Pri Fly tower directing the "ballet" on the flight deck. His next tour was to the Airlant staff where he became the chief of the air bosses.	Pat McGovern relieved Ralph as Air Boss becoming the first Air Boss of an aircraft carrier from a helo backgound. Pat was a Test Pilot School graduate he and I worked together when I was the CO of USS Austin and he was back at the test center. He chose Austin as the LPD test deck for some flight tests. I also worked with Pat when I was Chief of Staff COMCRUDESGROUP 12 to deploy our HS helos in detachments from the carrier.	"Cactus" Jack Sheehan, V2 Cat & Arresting Gear Officer and my wingman in VA-15. He was an Instructor pilot in VA-174 when I was the Commanding Officer!

Safety Department

Safety Department Head

Cdr Mulholland

The Safety Department aboard Saratoga was established in 1981.
This small but exceptionally important department monitors virtually all evolutions aboard Sara.

Cdr Mulholland and his assigned personnel work with safety personnel from each department to accomplish their mission; to keep Sara safe!

Note: Cdr Mulholland was also the Air Department's V5 Div (Administration) Officer

The White Shirts

Safety Department assigned personnel:

ABEC- Flight Deck Safety
AO1- Flight Deck weapons evolutions
ET1- Electronic Safety including electrical hazard
inspections and correction
MM!- Engineering Spaces safety
BM1- Deck Department evolutions
YNSN- Administration

Weapons Department

The Weapons Department Department Head, CDR Hank Zambie was an active participant in every aspect of life on Saratoga. He was an exceptional leader in his department and was an active participant in my Department Head meetings.
I'd known Hank for many years as an A7 Corsair pilot.
He was an active member if the Sratoga Tennis Team

The Weapons Department was composed of five divisions.

G1 Aviation Ordnance	The largest division (100 men) responsible for the receipt, stowage, test, and assembly of all ordnance aboard Saratoga and also responsible for all ordnance magazines, associated sprinkler systems, alarms, and the ship's armory.
G2 Flight Deck Ordnance	Supervised by the "Air Gunner" responsible for providing bombs and missiles to meet daily flight requirements. During underway helo replenishment G2 was responsible for unloading and properer loading of helos.
G3 Hangar Deck	Responsible for the maintenance and operation of the ship's weapons elevators, aviation weapons support equipment and forklifts and for the safe movement of weapons to and from the flight deck.
Weapons Administration	Utilizing the Aviation Control Station (AOCS), the Weapons Admin Division was responsible for the coordination of the safe movement, handling, staging, and storage of of 400 type of aviation ordnance.
Explosive Ordnance Disposal	The EOD team of divers was responsible for the location and recovery of ordnance as required. See EOD Officer Note below
W Division	W Division was responsible for the proper assembly, test, maintenance, and stowage of "special weapons" and the upkeep of associated systems and handling systems and equipment. All personnel in W Division had to be exceptionally well trained and reliable which was determined through thorough background checks to receive the high security clearance associated with dealing with "special weapons!

Aircraft Intermediate Maintenance Department

Introduction

I am providing a brief introduction for those of you who are not familiar with the Navy's aircraft maintenance system. There are three levels of aircraft maintenance in the Navy; organizational, intermediate, and depot. Organizational level maintenance is performed by the squadron maintenance department personnel. Intermediate is handled by an AIMD (Aircraft Intermediate Maintenance Department) located on the naval air station where the squadron is based when the squadron is ashore or on the aircraft carrier when the squadron is on the ship. Note; Each squadron was manned by the proper personnel who were intended to be sent TAD to the AIMD whether ashore or deployed. Depot level maintenance is accomplished at a Naval Aircraft Rework Facility (NARF) designated by the Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIRSYSCOM).

Lets look at a couple of examples. Lets say an aircraft Heads Up Display is not working or not working properly; the squadron avionics shop personnel determine that the problem is with the control box ("black box"). They remove the "black box" and turn it in to the Supply Department for a new or repaired one which hopefully fixes the problem. The Supply Department sends it to the AIMD for repair. AIMD has test benches and highly trained technicians. If they are able to fix the "black box", they repair it and turn it in to Supply to be issued another squadron who needs one. Repairs which are beyond the capability of AIMD are forwarded to an appropriate NARF.

Part of my job as the A7 Class Desk Officer at Airlant was to coordinate with NAVAIRSYSCOM the issuance of changes in equipment as a result of new technology or failures during flight operations. For Example; the A7 nose landing gear were coming down during the 4 G pull off at a target. The remedy was determined to be that the nose landing gear uplock needed to be replaced with a stronger material. The new uplocks were produced at a depot level facility and issued to the supply system. NAVAIRSYSCOM issued instructions on the procedure to be used by the squadron which included jacking the aircraft up to replace the upllock. It was the responsibility of the Class Desk Officers to determine the conditions that the uplock could be change board the carrier or whether it had to be changed ashore (or at anchor).

It was also critical that each type aircraft (F14, A7, A6 etc) aboard a carrier have the same "configuration" (the same generation of a particular pieces of avionics equipment) so that AIMD on the carrier had the proper test equipment to work on that generation of avionics. Otherwise, they might not be able to fix the equipment that didn't match the AIMD test equipment.

Saratoga AIMD

During SLEP, Saratoga did a complete upgrade of the AIMD spaces which included getting the proper test equipment aboard that would be needed for the specific equipment expected to be aboard the ship for the deployment. The ship's AIMD personnel were trained on that equipment. The ship's AIMD was manned with 7 Aviation Officers and 210 ships personnel which were augmented by 220 squadron personnel who TAD to the ship.

Saratoga's AIMD was organized into Five Divisions

IM 1 Maintenance Material Control	Inducted and tracked repairable components through the repair cycle. Assigned priorities based on data from the Supply Department and embarked air Wing.
IM 2 General Maintenance	Supported the repair of non-avionics requirements of the air wing. Composed of three branches; Power Plants (9 kinds of engines), Airframes (aircraft structural repair and hydraulic systems), and Life Support Systems (oxygen regulators, safety equipment, and parachutes) Maintained the D-704 Air Refueling Stores, performed oil analysis, an tod non-destructive testing
IM 3 Avionics and Armament	Largest and most diverse AIMD division. Tested and repaired all avionics and armament equipment using the latest computerized automated test equipment. Maintained the Calibration Laboratory which calibrated everything from steam gauges for the Engineering Department to multi functional complex missile test set.
IM 4 Ground Support Equipment	Maintained equipment used in the hangar bay such as aircraft starting units, liquid oxygen servicing equipment, mobile hydraulic test stands, and aircraft jacks fire fighting equipment such as "Tilly", the flight deck crash and rescue crane.
Quality Assurance Analysis (QA/A)	Was responsible for ensuring that all maintenance and repair actions performed by AIMD met the highest standards and were correctly documented. IN addition, QA/A was responsible that all required technical manuals were aboard and that they were properly and updated.

Now that I've outlined the operationally oriented departments, I'll discuss the departments I worked with on a daily basis.

The Administrative Department

The Admin Office	Provided administrative assistance to the XO
The Captains Office (AKA The Ship's Secretary)	Handled official mail to and from the ship and maintained officer records
The Personnel Office	Maintained enlisted records
The Legal Office	Handled courts martial issues and processed Non-Judicial Punishment (Captain's Mast) cases
The Educational Services Office	Offered career counseling and provided advancement and correspondence course materials Saratoga University offering official Florida High School graduation certification (better tan a GED) and CLEP (college course while in port and underway See Note
WSAR TV and WSAR Radio	Provided television and radio programming for the crew and provided live television programing for the Captain or XO (See note)

Lt Paul- ESO

He was qualified by the State of Florida to grant high school graduation certificates rather than just a GED.

One of my favorite moments as XO was to observe a group of about 40 chief petty officers get their high school graduation certificates during a ceremony on the forcastle!

Lt Paul was also certified by Florida Community College Jacksonville to conduct college level courses offered by FCCJ.

Live TV- Captain ready was able to address the crew via live television.

Also, as XO I gave briefings prior to entering liberty ports which included expected weather, boating procedures,
information about ship activities such as picnic and information about tours.

Executive Department

The Indoctrination Division

The indoctrination of newly reported personnel was coordinated by LCDR Shughart. I tried to personally attend each initial indoctrination session and answer whatever questions the new arrivals may have.

Special Services Division	Maintained weight rooms aboard Sara Coordinated in port services with the USO Arranged tours in liberty ports Arranged tournaments for Sara sport teams
Counseling Services Division	Provided stress and substance abuse counseling

Law Enforcement Division	Maintained the Master at Arms Force Maintained the ship's brig Investigated violations of policy and regulations Maintained the ship's drug dog
	Our drug dog was not afraid to be lowered down into voids expected to contain drugs. During flight operations and adverse weather, she lived below decks in an area near the brig. But in fair weather during non flying periods, she had a dog run in cat walk on the starboard side aft.
	I spent a lot of time as XO working with our Law Enforcement Officer, Art Catullo. In liberty ports, he arranged for German Sheppard explosive detection dogs from local authorities to be stationed at liberty boat landings. The troops probably thought these were drug dogs As a result, there were lots of drugs thrown into the water at the boat landings

We had a full time Naval Investigative Service (NIS) agent

Our NIS agent was responsible for coordinating with local law enforcement agencies and for running our responsibilities in Counter Intelligence. Captain Ready delegated his role in the NIS counter intelligence program to me as XO.

Unfortunately, we had a murder on Saratoga while I was XO

One of our junior enlisted personnel in our Communications Division killed his 1st Class Supervisor. He chased his supervisor from the 3rd deck Communications Division compartment up the ladder to the 2nd deck stabbing him numerous times in the head and neck with a pair of sharpened scissors.I recommended to Captain Ready that I work with our NIS agent similarly to the homosexual incident with our Crypto Officer.
I agreed and I went to work with the NIS agent. The NIS agent told me that the 13 stab wounds some deep into the brain were a sign of a great deal of stress and anger. But when I visited the accused in the Brig, he was very calm. It turned out that the supervisor was harassing the young sailor at morning quarters making exceptionally derogatory comments about the young sailor's wife. The young sailor was flown off the ship for a General Courts Martial.

The Marine Detachment (MARDET)

MARDET
Commanding Officer
Major S.W.Dade

The primary mission of the MARDET was to provide an armed and well trained force to ensure the security of "special weapons".

I had very little daily interaction with the MARDET except for an occasional note to Major Dade if there were any issues concerning "zone inspections".

I did coordinate with him on occasions when we wanted the MARDET to provide a color guard for official functions or provide the MARDET drill team for hangar deck receptions in liberty ports.

Color Guard Drill Team

The Dental Department

The Saratoga Dental Department provided dental care for the entire Battle Group from routine exams and cleaning to crowns, root canals, periodontics, oral surgery, and prothodontics; services you would expect to have available in a large city.

Our goal was to achieve a high rate of dental readiness aboard Saratoga. I think we achieved a minimum dental readiness 3 with many achieving levels of Class 1 or 2; not an easy task considering that a large percentage of our sailors came from backgrounds were dental health was not a priority and in many instance not available.

Unfortunately as XO, I spent more than my fair share of time in a dental chair aboard Sara.

During my time on Sara, the Dental Department replaced a few of my old amalgams with gold crowns. I choose gold because the crowns were all in molars and not visible and the fact that gold was inert chemically. Those crowns have lasted 40 years and show no sign of failing.
Also, I had to have my remaining two wisdom teeth (an upper and lower on the same side) removed by the oral surgeon, Doug DeGroote. It went well except that I suffered a very painful "dry socket in the bottom location and had to meet up with Doug every morning for about a week ans have Doug administer warm in the socket to relive the pain.

Doug and his family were good friends as they were my a cross the cul-de-sac neighbors on San Pablo Road. Doug couldn't believe that of all people to have a problem, it would be me, the XO!

This Chief Petty Officer ran our full service Prothodontics Laboratory. He was an outstanding alchemist and artist. Many of our black sailors who needed replacement front teeth were amazed by the gold star in the center of the white tooth he made for them!

The Medical Department

With personnel specialized in laboratory, x-ray, pharmacy, aerospace medicine, anesthesia, surgery, and health care administration, the department provided services to over 500 personnel seeing over 1800 patients a month and admitted over 40 in "sick call", admitting an average of 40 people a month in the medical ward while at sea.

Our preventative medical technicians monitored the sanitation environment aboard the ship by conducting inspections and monitoring compliance with our required changes.

Our Medical Response Team was capable of reaching any part of the ship in a few minutes. Medical corpsmen manned the flight deck during flight operations prepared to render aid any shipmates injured in this dangerous environment!

Preventive vaccines were required!

Bedside care was compassionate and was conducted with a high standard of care!

The Medical Response Team was manned by exceptionally well trained personnel!

The CHAPLAIN Department

Command Chaplain-CAPT Leumke

Catholic Chaplain
LCDR John Wise

The Ship's Library was operated by the Chaplain Department

Protestant Chaplain
LT Steven Bird

Church Services were normally held on the Foc'sle. We had both a Catholic and Protestant Chaplains who provided the services for most of the Saratoga crew.

The Command Chaplain provided general services for non-Christian and Christians who wanted to go to the general services.

But the Chaplain's Department was way much more than just conducting church services!

The Chaplain's Department was involved in every aspect of life aboard Saratoga. As shown below:

Bible study and related meetings were usually held in the library.

Chaplains provided individual giving counseling and compassion for those in need.

Chaplains visited sailors in the ship's medical ward.

When in port, the chaplains led tor to local churches. When in Naples, Italy, a trip to Rome, St Peter's cathedral and The Vatican.


Bible Study	Counseling	Visiting in the Medical Ward	Presenting a Saratoga plaque

Command Chaplain CAPT Bob Leumke represented not only the "heart and soul" of his department, but also of the officers and men of Saratoga.

His engaging personality and compassion encouraged us all to be a little better.

My bet is he had some time with combat troops. I wish I had been able to know him better.

Deck Department

Bob Micken left Sara sometime during the deployment. He was a joy to work with starting with the kedge anchoring scheme we came up with back in Mayport. He was a credit to the active reserve concept.

LCDR Holdredge came aboard sometime during the deployment. Saratoga was my first exposure to the world of Boatswain mates. I learned on Sara and later on aboard Austin that boatswain mates are among the hardest working sailors in the Navy often times in arduous conditions.

The Deck Department was divided in to five Divisions.

Personnel from all he divisions stood bridge watches such as helmsmen and as lookouts. In good weather, we normally had one lookout located in on the starboard bridge wing and a second lookout located in the starboard catwalk aft near the drug dog kennel. In poor weather with reduced visibility such as foggy conditions, we stationed a lookout in each catwalk forward in addition to the two normal lookouts.

In addition, all divisions provided personnel during underway replenishment operations. Unreps were an " all hands" evolution for the Deck Department!

In addition, each division was responsible for the operation and maintenance of specific equipment.

1st Division	Manned Sea and Anchor Detail Maintained anchor windlass below Forcastle Kept Forcastle in immaculate condition
2nd Division	Maintained and operated the Boat and Aircraft Crane (B and A Crane) Operated and maintained accommodation ladders
3rd Division	Stood bridge watches and manned underway replenishment stations
4th Division	Stood bridge watches and manned underway replenishment stations
5th Division	Maintained and operated the ship's boats

B and A Crane	Forcastle
Underway Replenishment	Ship's Boats

Supply Department

Capt Dave Walker was the Supply Officer for all of my tour as XO. We spent a lot of time together during the deployment managing the various vendors that came aboard the ship providing various products on the mess decks during liberty port visits.

More about the "Vendors" later!

Dave was a top professional as a supply officer and became a close friend.

The Supply Department was organized into eight divisions.

S1 Supply Operations	Responsible for inventory management (ordering and financial accounting)
S2 Food Service	Plan for prepare and serve 20,000 meals daily served in the Chief Petty Officer's Mess, 1st Class Mess, and general mess deck.
S3 Ship's Services and Sales	Responsible for the operation of the ship's stores' (retail sales for items such as clothing, cameras etc) and operation of the ship's laundry.
S4 Disbursing	The Sara's Bank; responsible for conducting two pay days a month, processing travel claims, conducting foreign currency exchanges before and after ports visits as well as providing financial counseling to the crew.
S5 Wardroom	Officer's services- Operated 3 dinning areas: Wardroom 1- relaxed cafeteria style with self service. Known as the "Dirty Shirt Mess" because flight crews could eat in flight suits Wardroom 2- relaxed cafeteria style with wardroom personnel providing the service Wardroom 3-more formal sit down style meals with wardroom personnel providing table service; uniform of the day dress required. The S5 Division was also responsible 221 officer staterooms and bunk rooms for 533 officers and technical representatives (contractor tech reps) including cleaning once a week and laundry and dry cleaning service twice a week.
S6- Aviation Support	When the air wing is aboard, 41 Aviation Storekeepers (AKs) from the squadrons are sent TAD to S6 Division to join the 30 Sara AKs responsible for receiving, locating, and delivery of items ordered from the squadrons from storerooms aboard the ship. When the air wing is not aboard, the 30 ship's AKs are relegated to planning and facilities maintenance.
S7- Data Processing	Using a Honeywell DPS6 computer processing system which was the prototype for the "B-1" Configuration, S7 Division coordinated and maintained 50 terminals located throughout the ship with a remote processing system aboard the ship. The various terminals allowed the users to generate and monitor their own data.
S8- Material Division	Responsible for the receipt, storage, and shipping of all outgoing and incoming materials and supplies for the ship.

Support for "Vendors" while the ship was located in Liberty Ports

When inport in the Mediterranean, "vendors" would set up sales on the general mess decks. It was the responsibility of the Supply Officer to accommodate and regulate the "vendors". These "vendors" operated under contracts issued by 6th Fleet legal officers. However, despite these contracts, the "vendors" were actually assigned to the ship by a senior representative of the "vendors". The Sara Supply Officer, Dave Walker and I worked closely with the "vendors" and their supervisor to ensure the crew had a chance to purchase items from the liberty port area without having to leave the ship.

The Engineering Department

The Chief Engineer

Capt Landers

Capt Mike Landers was the Engineering Department Head when I reported for duty as XO. Mike was aboard Sara during SLEP and lead the Engineering Department during the challenging post SLEP/GTMO period and during the initial portion of the Mediterranean deployment.

During Saratoga's transit from Philadelphia to Mayport following SLEP, it was discovered that there was a serious problem with all the high pressure steam lines in her boilers. The "astro arc" welding process that was used to repair the steam lines during SLEP was intended for the installation of new material not for the repair of used material. All these high pressure steam lines in Sara's eight boilers had to be redone along side in Mayport. Welders from all over the world came to be interviewed to do the very exacting work. Inspectors from every conceivable level arrived to determine who was responsible for this situation. Fortunately, Saratoga's Chief Engineer, Mike Landon, was an experienced, dedicated, and talented post sea commanding officer who expertly handled all the engineering aspects of the welding operations.

SLEP's Cathedral Gold tile

The decks from the 2nd deck down and from the O2 level up were covered during SLEP with an awful colored tile we termed "Cathedral Gold".
I worked with Mike Landers and the Supply Officer, Dave Walker to purchase enough red and green tile to retile the 2nd deck and 02 and 03 levels with red tile on the port side and green tile on the starboard side. Much better!

Department Head Meetings

Captain Landers and Captain Walker somehow made the time to personally attend most of my Department Head meetings. Their contributions at these meetings concerning ideas about ways to improve life aboard Saratoga were extremely helpful. An example of this was the establishment of a Chief Petty Officer Review Board as a way to handle disciplinary cases involving disrespect of a superior enlisted supervisor. Their personal attendance also set an example that influenced other key department heads to personally attend these meetings.

Cdr Shanahan

Cdr Shanahan relieved CAPT Landers as the Chief Engineer during the Mediterranean deployment.

Operating out of four Main Machinery and associated spaces, Boiler Technicians (BTs) and Machinist Mates (MMs) operate and maintain
eight 1200 psi boilers, four 70,000 shaft horse power main engines, four 1500 kw ship's turbo generators (SSTGs), four100,000 gallon per day evaporators, and associated equipment in the boiler feed, fresh water, and lubrication systems. In addition, the Machinist Mates maintain and operate a very capable machine shop.

Saratoga's Engineering Department Organization

Administration

Propulsion Office	Engineering Log Room

P1 Division

One Main Machinery Room (MMR) and Auxiliary Room made fresh water for the over 5000 man crew of Saratoga.They also operated and maintained one 1,200 psi steam plant which turns one of Sara's four screws and auxiliary equipment.

P2 Division
The Number Two MMR operated and maintained two 1,200 psi boilers, one 70,000 shaft horsepower main engine, one 1,500 KW Ships Service Turbo-Generator (SSTG), and over 100,000 Gallon Per Day shell & tube evaporator.
Steam from #Number 2 MMR provided steam for the catapults and the Number 2 shaft.

P3 Division
The cruise book doesn't list the equipment the
P3 Division operated and maintained.

But it did mention that the P3 Division was voted as the best MMR by the Propulsion Examination Board for their performance during The OPPE!

P4 Division The cruise book doesn't list the equipment the
"Snipes" of P4 Division operated and maintained.But, it did provide this quote:

"The Snipe trashes the deck with his greasy track, and smudges the stanchions too. He leaves a track of gooey black to be cleaned by the topside crew. Now this is the reason that all men know, who follow the Bos'n pipe that the vilest of beasts lives down below and is affectionally known as " Snipe"

The Oil Lab

The Oil Lab was responsible testing boiler fuel, feed water for the boilers, freshwater for drinking and cooking food for the crew.

P5 Division
The P5 Division working with the Oil Lab provided Sara's eight boilers with fuel and feed water to operate at their best. They controlled the distilling plant to turn salt water into fresh water. They tested fuel received during Underway Replenishment (UNREP) was properly stored and transferred throughout the ship using eight fuel transfer pumps and miles of pipes from bow to stern.

P6 Division

The P6 Division consisted of five shops propulsion engineering spaces; The Propulsion Material Office, Boiler Repair shop, Machinery Repair Shop, Lagging Shop, and the Valve Repair Shop.

The Auxiliary Division is Organized into Four Shops

A Division
Hydraulics Shop

The Hydraulics Shop maintains aircraft elevators, store conveyors, escalators, winches, anchor windasses, steering gear, and the B&A Crane.

A Division
Steam Shop

The Steam Shop maintains fresh water systems, laundry and galley equipment, dishwashers and hotel services.

A Division
Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Shop

The Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Shop maintains reefers, refrigeration plants, large and small air conditioner units, and the soda and ice cream machines.

A Division
O2 N2 Shop

The Oxygen and Nitrogen Shop produces oxygen and nitrogen used by the air wing.

A Division
Boat Shop

The Boat Shop is responsible for the ships boats engines and steering systems, CHT pumps, water break pumps, and emergency diesel generators

E Division is Organized into Two Shops

E Division
Electrician Mates

The Electrician Mates generate and distribute all the ship's electrical power;
maintain all motors, controllers, lighting, gallery equipment, the degausing system, electrical systems in the ship's boats, and aircraft start and servicing systems.

E Division
Interior Communications Electricians

The Interior Communications Electricians maintain the ship's navigation systems, ship control systems, alarm and warning systems, amplified voice communications, the ship's telephone system, and the CCTV system.

R Division (Repair Division) is Organized into Three Shops

R Division
Fire Fighting Systems

The Fire Fighting Shop maintains and operates high capacity foam stations, the counter measures wash-down systems, and the CO2 and Halon firefighting system.

R Division
Water Tight Capability

The Water Tight Capability Shop maintains all water tight fittings; doors, hatches, and scuttles. It also maintains 10 major repair lockers and 25 unit lockers.

R Division
Pipe Shop

The Pipe Shop repairs and fabricates all pipe throughout the ship.

Without the "Snipes" in the Engineering Department providing the boilers' steam to turn the shafts, Sara couldn't move to navigate the ship or operate the aircraft to accomplish her "Power Projection Mission", provide fresh water for drinking or cook the food for the crew.

This is the End of the Ship's Departments Section

COMMANDER CRUISER DESTROYER GROUP TWELVE
Embarked Staff During Type Training

Although I had little contact with RADM Joseph Donnell during Saratoga's type training, that would change dramatically when VADM Donnell was Commander Naval Surface Forces Atlantic.

VADM Donnell would determine my future in the Navy at an Admiral's Mast. I plan to go into the details in my chapter as Chief of Staff of COMCRUDESGRU 12!

Underway Type Training

After the satisfactory completion of training at GTMO, it was time to get the airwing aboard and work on melding the airwing and ship team!

After the satisfactory completion of GTMO training, it was time to demonstrate that the Saratoga team was ready to be certified for deployment.

Opeational Readiness Exam (ORE)
Operational Propulsion Plant Evaluation (OPPE)

The ORE and OPPE were conducted in association with Exercise READEX 1-84 in the Roosevelt Roads Operating Area, Puerto Rico.

St. Thomas Liberty

After the exceptional completion of our ORE and OPPE, it was time for a few days of relaxation in St.Thomas,
a popular tourist destination and liberty port in the US Virgin Islands.

Guest Cruise

After St. Thomas, we headed back to Mayport to make the final preparation for deployment in xxx. But before we left Mayport for deployment, we had a one day guest cruise for families to get a glimpse of what their boyfriends, husbands, and fathers would be doing for the next six months

We had lots of coordinators and escourts on duty to make sure that everything ran smoothly.. But I had a "bird's eye" view to make sure that everything ran smoothly

The COD launch off catapult 2 was a little dicey with guests on the flight deck.

It was a long day but well worth the effort!

Underway for Deployment- April 2, 1984

Our Mediterranean Cruise

Super Sara

Operational Tempo

The number of days a Battle Group is at sea is called Op Tempo which is determined by the availability of jet and ship fuel. When fuel is not available for underway operations, the ships of the Battle Group are in port. When Super Sara was underway, the ship and the airwing operated in an outstanding manner during various NATO exercises. But, I think that there was shortfall for OP Tempo for our deployment which resulted in a lot of time spent in liberty ports.

As the Executive Officer, I worked closely with the Supply Officer and occasionally with the Chief Engineer and Deck Department when in port. I will devote most of the description of our deployment to the ports we visited and some of the events that took place that I can remember!

Naval Station Rota, Spain

When feasible, the incoming battle group would meet up with the out going battle group at anchor to meet with various counter parts to exchange lessons learned, cross deck appropriate items from the outgoing ships to those just starting their 6th Fleet deployment. This was usually a short stop and wasn't intended as a liberty port.

A US Navy P3 squadron was routinely deployed at Rota from either NAS Brunswick, Maine or NAS Jacksonville Florida.

Rota Airfield

US Navy P3 Orion

The Straits of Gibraltar

When you passed through the straits, you felt like the deployment had begun!

Commander Battle Force Sixth Fleet (CTF 60)

RADM Jerry O. Tuttle

Jerry Tuttle was an exceptional leader, well organized but aggressive and had creative tactical ideas based on experience. But he was also a master mentor. He was compassionate and was considerate as long as you worked hard and listened to what he had in mind for you to do. "Determine the problem and fix it"
I had little official contact with RADM Tuttle while underway. That was Captain Ready's job. He knew I was the Saratoga's XO of course and we did have some contact which I will discuss later!

My History with RADM Tuttle

Besides flying, my job in my first squadron, The Valions of VA15 was as the Aircraft Division Officer; LCDR Tuttle was the Maintenance Officer.
On one day, I asked for his advice on how I should go about my job. His responses were; determine the problem and fix it.. yesterday. He was dead serious about not waiting around to fix a problem, research it and fix it. He loved to tell me that regulations are for mediocre naval officers.

Note: Admiral Rickover stated similarly "creativity is limited by regulations".

I tried to follow his lead throughout my naval career. I saw him ans his wife Barbara (Babs) at our regular VA-15 Circa 1966/67 reunions and had the opportunity to discuss my career and to continue to get his advice.

Some pictures you might find interesting.

Officers of VA-15 aboard USS Intrepid CVS-11 going through the Suez Canal in 1966 enroute to Vietnam


Me removing stitches in Tut's head after he cut it on a bomb rack sway brace.	Tut receiving his first DFC from Captain John Fair after leading a successful strike against Phu Ly.	End of the line party in the ready room after one of our line periods in 1966.

If you are interested there are lots of Tuttle stories in my memoir chapter about our second Vietnam deployment in 1967.

Because of the limited funding for underway operations, our deployment had many more liberty ports than normal. My challenge as XO, was to handle all the non-judicial punishment cases while underway from the previous port before arriving in the next port. The good conduct of the crew and use of the CPO Review Board generally made this task achievable. Captain Ready did not have to handle many cases of Captain's Mast while underway and never in port and I can't recall any courts martial cases!

Our First Liberty Port

Barcelona,Spain

Lets Go on Liberty!


Get off the liberty boat, walk past the Columbus statue (one of many in Barcelona) and soon your walking down Las Ramblas where the action is!	Las Ramblas; no cars, many flower stalls, great restaurants, bars and clubs with lots of entertainment such as Flemenco Dancing.

Las Ramblas in the daytime- Nice stroll in the sun

Las Ramblas at night- Where the action is!

Flemenco anyone?

How about some great food and atmosphere ? Los Caracoles is not far from Les Ramblas; Let's go!

Calamari

Paella

These are Los Carocoles

I've been to Barcelona many times in my Navy career and I never missed a chance to have meal and spend some time in Los Caracoles.
It's a must do if you are ever visit Barcelona!

The Gothic Quarter of Barcelona

spend a pleasant day Spend a pleasant day exploring the Barcelona Gothic Quarter where you will find many excellent examples of Roman Gothic architecture!

missed a

Then spend a pleasant evening enjoying fine dining and of course sangria in the cafes and fine restaurants in the Barcelona Gothic Quarter.
Spend a pleasant day exploring the Barcelona Gothic Quarter where you will

Spend a pleasant day exploring the Barcelona Gothic Quarter where you will

How would you like your sangria served?

Straight from the pitcher was popular in 1984

The next thing on our Barcelona to do list is to investigate some Gaudi architecture!

Antonio Gaudi (1852-1926) is known for the very colorful ("gowdy") appearance of his projects. Also, you have a hard time finding any straight lines in buildings. He is most famous for his design and engineering genius for his Bassilica de la Sagrando Familia.
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E Division Electrician Mates	The Electrician Mates generate and distribute all the ship's electrical power; maintain all motors, controllers, lighting, gallery equipment, the degausing system, electrical systems in the ship's boats, and aircraft start and servicing systems.
E Division Interior Communications Electricians	The Interior Communications Electricians maintain the ship's navigation systems, ship control systems, alarm and warning systems, amplified voice communications, the ship's telephone system, and the CCTV system.

P1 Division	One Main Machinery Room (MMR) and Auxiliary Room made fresh water for the over 5000 man crew of Saratoga.They also operated and maintained one 1,200 psi steam plant which turns one of Sara's four screws and auxiliary equipment.
P2 Division	The Number Two MMR operated and maintained two 1,200 psi boilers, one 70,000 shaft horsepower main engine, one 1,500 KW Ships Service Turbo-Generator (SSTG), and over 100,000 Gallon Per Day shell & tube evaporator. Steam from #Number 2 MMR provided steam for the catapults and the Number 2 shaft.
P3 Division	The cruise book doesn't list the equipment the P3 Division operated and maintained. But it did mention that the P3 Division was voted as the best MMR by the Propulsion Examination Board for their performance during The OPPE!
P4 Division	The cruise book doesn't list the equipment the "Snipes" of P4 Division operated and maintained.But, it did provide this quote: "The Snipe trashes the deck with his greasy track, and smudges the stanchions too. He leaves a track of gooey black to be cleaned by the topside crew. Now this is the reason that all men know, who follow the Bos'n pipe that the vilest of beasts lives down below and is affectionally known as " Snipe"
The Oil Lab	The Oil Lab was responsible testing boiler fuel, feed water for the boilers, freshwater for drinking and cooking food for the crew.
P5 Division	The P5 Division working with the Oil Lab provided Sara's eight boilers with fuel and feed water to operate at their best. They controlled the distilling plant to turn salt water into fresh water. They tested fuel received during Underway Replenishment (UNREP) was properly stored and transferred throughout the ship using eight fuel transfer pumps and miles of pipes from bow to stern.
P6 Division	The P6 Division consisted of five shops propulsion engineering spaces; The Propulsion Material Office, Boiler Repair shop, Machinery Repair Shop, Lagging Shop, and the Valve Repair Shop.

A Division Hydraulics Shop	The Hydraulics Shop maintains aircraft elevators, store conveyors, escalators, winches, anchor windasses, steering gear, and the B&A Crane.
A Division Steam Shop	The Steam Shop maintains fresh water systems, laundry and galley equipment, dishwashers and hotel services.
A Division Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Shop	The Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Shop maintains reefers, refrigeration plants, large and small air conditioner units, and the soda and ice cream machines.
A Division O2 N2 Shop	The Oxygen and Nitrogen Shop produces oxygen and nitrogen used by the air wing.
A Division Boat Shop	The Boat Shop is responsible for the ships boats engines and steering systems, CHT pumps, water break pumps, and emergency diesel generators

R Division Fire Fighting Systems	The Fire Fighting Shop maintains and operates high capacity foam stations, the counter measures wash-down systems, and the CO2 and Halon firefighting system.
R Division Water Tight Capability	The Water Tight Capability Shop maintains all water tight fittings; doors, hatches, and scuttles. It also maintains 10 major repair lockers and 25 unit lockers.
R Division Pipe Shop	The Pipe Shop repairs and fabricates all pipe throughout the ship.