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1 July According to the Maritime Administration, there were 595 vessels of 1,000 tons and over in the active oceangoing merchant fleet as of this date- down 37 from one year ago. There was a decrease of six active vessels and an increase of one inactive vessel in the privately-owned fleet, as compared to 1 June 1973. The number of vessels in the privately-owned fleet is 616. Of these, 568 are active. The total U. S.-flag merchant fleet decreased by 16 to 1,051. This represents a decrease of 182 ships since
1 July 1972.
2 July The first female chaplain in either the naval or military Services— Florence Dianna Pohlman—was sworn into the Navy in Washington, D.C.
James R. Schlesinger was sworn in as Secretary of Defense.
4 July The defense minister of Kuwait said his country plans to build a naval force of coast guard boats, torpedo boats, and . . the most modern equipment . . .” to guard its shores.
5 July The Chesapeake Instrument Corporation of Shady Side, Maryland, received a $4,389,665 contract for towed array systems, equipment, and services.
9 July The LTV Aerospace Corporation of Dallas, Texas, received a $75,335,536 contract modification for long lead time effort and materials to support production of the A-7E and the A-7D aircraft for the Navy and Air Force.
11 July The USS Kitty Hawk (CV-63) returned to San Diego following a $2.2 million conversion which would permit the carrier to handle both the F-14 Tomcat fighter and the S-3A Viking antisubmarine aircraft.
13 July Rear Admiral Joseph J.
McClelland, U. S. Coast Guard, became the 28th Superintendent of the Coast Guard Academy at New London, Connecticut.
16 July The General Accounting
Office (GAO) told Congress that the Navy had overstated the potential savings and had underestimated by $5 million, the cost of establishing a homeport in Greece, as well as underestimating how much the arrangement would con
tribute to the U. S. deficit in balance of payments.
South Vietnam announced that it had granted multi-million-dollar offshore oil exploration rights to four international companies—Shell, Mobil, Exxon, and the Canadian Sunningdale Corporation.
18 July The Defense Department announced the end of "Operation End Sweep,” the U. S. Navy minesweeping effort in North Vietnamese waters. All ships were reported out of the area.
The Navy announced reestablishment of the Naval Reserve merchant marine program, which provides specialized naval training for all merchant marine officers who hold Naval Reserve commissions as line or limited duty engineering, communications, or deck officers.
20 July The President nominated J. William Middendorf, II, the ambassador to the Netherlands, to succeed Frank Sanders as Under Secretary of the Navy.
The General Electric Company of Schenectady, New York, received a $64,948,000 contract and the Westing- house Electric Corporation of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, was awarded a contract for $45,587,900, both for naval nuclear propulsion research and development.
22 July The Navy reported that racial fighting among black and white sailors occurred on two days during the pre- ceeding week on board the USS Franklin D. Roosevelt (CVA-42), while the ship was in the Caribbean.
23 July The Boston Globe reported that President Nixon declined to overturn the decision to close every major military and naval installation in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, but promised to give the two states all the assistance required to ease the economic impact created by the closings.
24 July Air Force Major Edward W. Leonard, Jr., filed new mutiny charges against the seven Army and Marine enlisted men, former POWs, who recently had been cleared of charges filed by Air Force Colonel Theodore W. Guy (See also 29 May and 27 June).
26 July Two Blue Angel pilots and an enlisted crewman were killed and one crewman injured, when two of their F-4 Phantom jets collided during a "slow roll” maneuver near the Naval Air Station at Lakehurst, New Jersey.
The Defense Department demonstrated the F-i4 and F-15 fighter aircraft for the Shah of Iran at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland. The Shah reportedly had told American officials he wanted to buy a substantial number of one of the types, or some of both.
The Recruit Training Command in San Diego announced that boot camp would be increased from seven-and-a-half-to- nine weeks beginning 3 September. The change was scheduled to take effect at Orlando, Florida on 17 September and at Great Lakes on 10 October.
The Department of Defense announced that as a result of the treaty between the United States and the Soviet Union on the limitation of anti-ballistic missile systems, the Army Corps of Engineers has been directed to dispose of the pat' dally completed "Safeguard” ballistic missile defenses at Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana.
28 July Vice Admiral George P. Steele, II, relieved Vice Admiral James L Holloway, III, as Commander, U. S- Seventh Fleet. Holloway will be promoted to four-star admiral and become Vice Chief of Naval Operations.
The USS Thomas C. Hart (DE-1092) was commissioned at the Boston Naval Shipyard in Massachusetts.
29 July France exploded a small, low- yield nuclear bomb above Mururoa Atoll in the South Pacific. It was the second in the 1973 French atmospheric test series, following the first by one week.
31 July The Department of Defense showed a Navy strength of 566,953, on this date, compared to 589,460 on the same date in 1972. The Marine Corps figures were 193,602 and 198,686, respectively.
1 August According to the Maritime Administration, there were 609 vessels of 1,000 tons and over in the active oceangoing merchant fleet as of this date. There was an increase of 14 active
Naval and Maritime Events July 1973—December 1973 291
vessels and a decrease of 14 inactive vessels in the privately-owned fleet, as compared to 1 July 1973. The number of vessels in the privately-owned fleet is 616. Of these, 582 are active. The total U. S.-flag merchant fleet remained at 1,051.
2 August Westinghouse Electric Corporation of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, received a $76,138,503 contract and General Electric Company of Schenectady, New York, was awarded a contract for $57,120,000, both for nuclear reactor components for 688-class atttck submarines.
4 August The Glenard P. Lipscomb (SSN-685) was launched at Groton, Connecticut.
Four Soviet warships—-two destroyers, a submarine, and a supply ship—sailed into Havana. They are expected to call on other Cuban ports later.
5 August The Shipbuilders Council of America reported that at the beginning of FY-74, the number of merchant vessels under construction or on order in American shipyards was the highest in 15 years.
8 August The President named Joseph T. McCullen to succeed James E. Johnson as Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Manpower and Reserve Affairs.
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The first Soviet tanker to moor in the United States in 25 years, arrived in Delaware City, Delaware, carrying 320,000 barrels of Egyptian crude oil.
The Department of Defense reported that for the month of July, the Navy recruited 97% and the Marine Corps 92%, of their personnel quotas. The Air Force recruited 101% and the Army 76%.
11 August The USS Kalamazoo (AOR-6) was commissioned at the Boston Naval Shipyard in Massachusetts.
13 August A court marial was ordered for 56 Greek naval officers charged with a mutiny in the unsuccessful attempt in May to seize the fleet and force the Greek government to resign.
Two Israeli and two Egyptian patrol boats were reported to have exchanged fire in the Gulf of Suez.
15 August All American offensive op-
erations in Southeast Asia ended (Cambodian time). The President accused Congress of undermining the prospect of world peace by legislating an end to American bombing in Cambodia.
Seismic signals believed to be from an underground nuclear explosion in Southern Russia, near the city of Tashkent, were detected in the United States, according to the Atomic Energy Commission.
The Israeli military command said ten to 20 pilots from North Korea were flying fighters for the Egyptian Air Force.
17 August Secretary of Defense James R. Schlesinger said that the Soviet Union had successfully tested a multiple-warhead (mirv) missile system comparable to that of the United States. He said this development meant prospects for a U. S.-Soviet agreement for control of MIRV technology had "deteriorated sadly.”
22 August The Raytheon Company of Wayland, Massachusetts, received a $107,317,936 contract for production of the NATO Seasparrow surface missile system (62 systems).
25 August Ship traffic through the Panama Canal came to a near halt, when 96 American canal pilots stayed off the job in a labor dispute with the Panama Canal Company, a U. S. government agency.
26 August The Washington Star-News reported that Rear Admiral Levering Smith told the Senate Armed Services Committee on 16 May, that 58% of Poseidon missiles failed their operational tests and that most should be recalled for additional testing.
27 August Defense Secretary James R. Schlesinger said there had been ". . . no significant weakening of the U. S. deterrent ...” as a result of possible problems with the Poseidon missile.
Turkey and Iraq signed an agreement for the construction of a 40-inch pipeline to carry Iraqi oil across Turkey to the Mediterranean.
The Soviet trawler Belogorsk and the American research vessel Albatross left
Woods Hole, Massachusetts, to begin a three-month study of ways to prevent the diminishing fish population off the Atlantic coast of the United States from being "fished out.”
29 August New Zealand and Australia reported that they believe France had set off the fifth atmospheric nuclear explosion in the current test series in the South Pacific.
30 August King Faisal of Saudi Arabia said that ". . . complete support of Zionism against the Arabs . . .’’by the United States would make it "extremely difficult” for his country to continue supplying petroleum to the United States.
31 August The Department of Defense showed a Navy strength of 563,955 on this date, compared to 590,044 on the same date in 1972. The Marine Corps figures were 192,410 and 199,224 respectively.
1 September According to the Maritime Administration, there were 595 vessels of 1,000 tons and over in the active oceangoing merchant fleet as of this date. There was a decrease of U active vessels and an increase of five inactive in the privately-owned fleet as compared to 1 August 1973. The number of vessels in the privately-owned fleet is 607. Of these, 568 are active. The total U. S.-flag merchant fleet decreased by 13 to 1,038.
The last squadron of Marine F-4 Phantoms on the Asian mainland, flew out of Thailand. The unit was also the last U. S. Marine combat force to leave, after an 11-year commitment in Indochina.
4 September The Senate Armed Services Committee said that the Navy wants to dispose of more than 1,500 acres of land at its Newport, Rhode Island, base complex. About 500 acres would be retained by the Navy.
5 September The Defense Department reported that a Soviet Echo II submarine had been sighted on the surface in the Caribbean, with an 8-foot gash in her port bow. An accompanying cruiser reportedly had visible paint scrapes.
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Captain Alan L. Bean, U. S. Navy, in orbit in Skylab II, set a new record for
Naval and Maritime Events July 1973—December 197 3 293
the most time in space, eclipsing Navy Captain Charles Conrad’s record of 49 days, three hours, and 37 minutes.
6 September The Soviet Union said it was building a giant tanker capable of transporting 370,000 tons of crude oil, but compact enough to enter most of the world’s large ports.
7 September The United States seized the Soviet research vessel Belogorsk at Woods Hole, Massachusetts, in connection with a suit brought by an American lobster firm for 1971 damages :o lobster lines.
The Secretary of the Navy announced that he has awarded decorations to 18 former crewmen of the USS Pueblo.
8 September Admiral Thomas H. Moorer, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said that the Johnson administration’s strategy in the Vietnam War, forced American airpower into a frustrating ", . . inconclusive war of attrition . . .” for almost a decade.
9 September A main feed pump tur
bine on board the USS Tripoli (LPH-io) exploded while the ship was steaming off the Philippines, injuring one sailor. The Navy reported that the ship was being towed to Subic Bay, and that the explosion was under investigation. Repairs were expected to take about ten days.
10 September In a letter from the Secretary of the Navy to key Congressional committees, the Navy said faults in the Poseidon missile would be corrected gradually, rather than in a rush recall program. The letter emphasized that there had been ", . . no significant weakening of the U. S. deterrent.”
11 September The USS Midway (CVA-41) departed Alameda, California, for her new homeport of Yokosuka, Japan.
12 September Twenty-three ships— including the USS Kitty Hawk (CV-63) — from the United States, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand, began an 11-day exercise in the Pacific.
13 September Israel reported downing 13 Syrian jets in a dogfight along Syria’s northern Mediterranean coast, while losing one Mirage. Syria acknowledged the loss of eight planes, but claimed to have destroyed five Israeli aircraft.
15 September The USS Francis Scott Key (SSBN-657) successfully launched a Poseidon missile, while submerged about 30 miles off Cape Kennedy.
17 September In closed testimony before the House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee released this date, Vice Admiral Hyman G. Rickover, U. S. Navy (Retired), said that the Soviet Union was building a submarine that could fire 12 missiles at targets 4,000 miles away.
19 September The Japanese destroyer Haruna rescued five U. S. Navy airmen, whose EA-3 aircraft crashed off Southern Japan. All were reported in good condition.
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In testimony released by the House Appropriations Defense Subcommittee, Vice Admiral Hyman G. Rickover, U. S.
Navy (Retired), said that the U. S. Naval Academy had become a haven for academic indulgence, and had . . only a few more years to live a useful life unless it is radically reformed.”
20 September The Norwegian Air Force photographed a new type of Soviet submarine, carrying 16 ballistic missiles, according to a report given to the Associated Press by the Norwegian Defense Command.
23 September Fire broke out on board the USS Saratoga (CV-60) at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard in Portsmouth, Virginia. The fire, which burned for several hours, was confined to the third deck.
25 September After more than three months in recess, U. S. and Soviet negotiators resumed strategic arms limitations talks (SALT) in Geneva, Switzerland.
26 September The Center for Women’s Policy Studies, a national women’s rights group, filed a class action suit to
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The Franco-British Concorde jetliner flew the 3,390 miles from Washington to Paris in three hours and 33 minutes. The record for the North Atlantic flight is three hours and 11 minutes, set in 1961 by an Air Force B-58 flight from New York to Paris.
The Navy announced that they had signed a contract with Grumman Aerospace Corporation, covering production of 50 F-14A fighters for FY-74, under procurement authority provided by a Senate amendment to the procurement bill passed on 25 September. Under the terms of the contract, procurement unit cost of the FY-74 aircraft would be 13.5-million, including engines and other government-furnished equipment.
27 September By a 49 to 47 vote, the Senate authorized the $1.5-billion needed by the Navy for accelerated construction of the Trident submarine.
The Secretary of the Navy dismissed mutiny and other misconduct charges
against former prisoners of war, Navy Captain Walter E. Wilber and Marine Lieutenant Colonel Edison W. Miller. He did, however, issue letters of censure for ", . . failing to meet the standards expected of officers.” Both men would be retired ". . . in the best interests of the naval Service.”
28 September The Department of Defense showed a Navy strength of 566,653, on this date, compared to 593,135 on the same date in 1972. The Marine Corps figures were 192,064 and 199, 624.
I October According to the Maritime Administration, there were 598 vessels of 1,000 tons and over in the active oceangoing merchant fleet as of this date. There was an increase of four active vessels and a decrease of eight inactive in the privately-owned fleet as compared to 1 September 1973. The number of vessels in the privately-owned fleet is 603. Of these, 572 are active. The total U. S.-flag merchant fleet decreased by four to 1,034.
The Senate approved a $20.9-billion military procurement bill by a 91 to 7 vote, after defeating a last minute proposal for a $500-million cut in the defense budget.
The Navy announced a planned 11# reduction over the next three years in the number of flag officers. It was the first since 1948, and means a reduction of 33 admirals—from 300 to 267.
2 October The U. S. Embassy in Moscow reported that a Soviet trawler rescued U. S. Navy Ensign Michael R- Long, who reportedly had fallen overboard from the USS Blue Ridge (LCC-19) in the Pacific near the Philippines.
The British Minister of Defense, Lord Carrington warned that the Soviet naval build-up around the world could give it the dominance of the seas that the British fleet possessed in the 19th century.
The Defense Department announced implementation of a new tri-service regionalization system to provide better health care. Under the system, the continental United States was divided into 13 medical regions, based on military population and location of specialty treatment facilities. The system was in-
Naval and Maritime Events July 1973—December 197 3 295
tended to provide more efficient use of physicians, dentists, and other scarce health personnel.
5 October Admiral Elmo R. Zumwalt, Jr., said that the United States would have to "back down” in future confrontations with the Soviet Union if Congress continues to cut the Navy budget.
The USS Midway (CVA-4i) moored at her new homeport of Yokosuka, Japan.
Secretary of the Navy John W. Warner presented the Distinguished Service Medal to the all-Navy Skylab crew Captain Charles Conrad, Jr., Captain Joseph P. Kerwin, and Captain Paul J. Wcitz.
The Secretary of the Navy dismissed charges of misconduct while a prisoner of war in North Vietnam against two enlisted Marines. The charges, preferred by former POW Major Edward W. Leonard, Jr., U. S. Air Force, were similar to those filed by Colonel Theodore W. Guy, and also dismissed (See also 29 May, 27 June, and 24 July).
6 October Fighting broke out between Israel and forces of Egypt and Syria. Egyptian forces crossed the Suez Canal. Liberty for U. S. Sixth Fleet personnel was cancelled, but the Navy said no American ships had been ordered to sea.
7 October The Royal Navy said that a Soviet guided missile destroyer of the Kanin class, identification number 252, launched a torpedo as she shadowed the British carrier HMS Hemes during a NATO exercises in the North Sea. The torpedo, which did not hit anything, was launched or jettisoned after an explosion on board the Russian ship which started a series of fires.
8 October The Soviet Kanin class guided missile destroyer was back on her shadowing station following an explosion on 7 October.
10 October Five American sailors were hurt in an explosion in the saluting battery on board the USS Newport News (CA-148). The ship was firing a salute as she entered the inner harbor at Oslo, Norway.
11 October The United States was reported supplying Israel with ammunition and missiles, but holding back on any decision on a large-scale resupply effort, in hope of an end to the Middle East conflict.
The United States announced that the USS Iwo Jima (LPH-2) would depart for the Mediterranean in the next few days, doubling the size of the U. S. Marine force in the Mediterranean. The ship had originally been scheduled to deploy in November.
The Department of Defense announced that the Armed Forces obtained 84% of their combined enlistment quotas for September. The Navy and Marine Corps recruited 94 and 63% respectively.
12 October The United Aircraft Corporation of East Hartford, Connecticut, received a $65,425,000 contract for TF50-P-412A engines for the F-i4 fighter.
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15 October The United States announced that it had begun resupplying Israel with military equipment to prevent a "massive airlift” by the Soviet
Union to Egypt and Syria, from upsetting the military balance in the Middle East.
Two Soviet warships arrived at Taranto, Italy. It was the first time since World War II that the Soviet Navy has visited an Italian port.
Engineman 1st Class Michael E. Thornton, U. S. Navy, and Gunnery Sergeant Allan J. Kellog, Jr., U. S. Marine Corps, were presented the Medal of Honor by President Nixon for heroism in Vietnam.
17 October With the decommissioning of the USS Amberjack (SS-522), the Key West Naval Base was left without a ship. The base was scheduled to be closed in the spring of 1974.
19 October President Nixon asked Congress for $2.2-billion in emergency military aid for Israel, to maintain the military balance and achieve stability in the Middle East.
20 October Bahrain canceled an agreement providing mooring and other facilities to the U. S. Navy, because of U. S. support of Israel in the Middle East War.
21 October The USNS Hayes (T-AGOR-16), a Military Sealift Command oceanographic research ship, rescued 36 seamen from lifeboats in the mid-Atlantic following the sinking of the Greek freighter Eurygenes. Five crew-
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men died in a fire on board the Greek ship, and one was missing.
23 October Egypt and Israel accepted a cease fire sponsored by the United States and the Soviet Union, to end the Middle East War.
The Department of Defense announced that it planned to add a burial place for an unidentified Vietnam War casualty at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia.
24 October The President ordered all U. S. Armed Forces to increase their readiness posture to Defense Condition Three, in response to Soviet moves in the Middle East crisis.
25 October The New York Times reported that the Soviet Union had quietly launched its second nuclear-powered icebreaker, the Arktika, in an effort to keep its icebound coasts open to shipping.
The Chief Minister of the British Virgin Islands said that an agreement had been signed with the U. S. Navy to permit the use of part of Anegada Island for target practice.
26 October Secretary of Defense James R. Schlesinger said that the United States had begun removing some of its forces from Defense Condition Three.
27 October The Swedish Seismological Institute reported that the Soviet Union exploded two powerful nuclear devices underground at its Arctic testing ground. The blasts were the third and fourth Soviet explosions monitored in the previous 29 hours.
28 October Time magazine reported that the note sent by Soviet Party Chief Leonid Brezhnev to President Nixon during the Middle East crisis ", . . threatened the destruction of the State of Israel . . .” by Soviet forces, if Israel ". . . did not stop violating the cease-fire.” The note allegedly preceded President Nixon’s placing of all U. S. forces on alert.
29 October The Defense Department announced that the USS Hancock (CVA-19) and six other ships of the U. S. Pacific Fleet, had entered the Indian
Ocean in response to the Middle East situation.
30 October Nineteen countries from the Atlantic Alliance and the Warsaw Pact began negotiations in Vienna, in an effort to reduce forces in Central Europe.
31 October The Bath Iron Works in Maine, received a $92,440,000 contract for the detail design and construction of the lead ship of the patrol frigate (PF-109) class.
The Department of Defense showed a Navy strength of 564,426 on this date, compared to 593,824 on the same date in 1972. The Marine Corps figures were 191,281 and 199,168 respectively.
The Department of Defense ended the worldwide military alert for all units except the U. S. Sixth Fleet.
1 November According to the Maritime Administration, there were 594 vessels of 1,000 tons and over in the active oceangoing merchant fleet as of this date. There was a decrease of three active vessels and of one inactive vessel in the privately-owned fleet, as compared to 1 October 1973. The number of vessels in the privately-owned fleet is 599- Of these, 569 are active. The total U. S.-flag merchant fleet decreased by nine to 1,025.
The Interior Department announced that the Department of Defense had been given special priority to buy U. S. domestic petroleum because of the cut in overseas supplies resulting from the Arab boycott. DoD had bought about half of its oil abroad.
The General Dynamics Corporation of Groton, Connecticut, received a $500,913,000 contract for the construction of seven SSN-688 class nuclear- powered attack submarines.
2 Novetnber A senior U. S. defense official said that American war supphes were seriously depleted during the Middle East war by sending stocks to Israel. He indicated that a supplemental to the FY-74 defense budget might be necessary to re-stock.
5 November The Defense Department said that the 200 to 2,000 Soviet marines
Naval and Maritime Events July 1973—December 1973 297
embarked in Russian landing ships in the Mediterranean were not a "militarily significant force” and were no cause for alarm.
The Lockheed Aircraft Corporation of Burbank, California, received a $259,368,683 contract modification for S-3A weapon systems for the Navy.
6 November The Secretary of Defense announced that Vice Admiral Means Johnston, Jr., would be promoted to full admiral and assigned as Commander-in- Chief, Allied Forces, Southern Europe. He would relieve Admiral Richard G. Colbert, who was retiring because of ill health.
The Middle East Economic Survey reported that the total cut in oil production by Arab oil producers since the Arab-Israeli war began, had reached 28.5%, or 5.83 million barrels per day. The publication said the short-fall in world trade was about 17 to 18% of the pre-war total.
The Lockheed Missiles and Space Company, Inc. of Sunnyvale, California, received a $120,238,023 contract for the initial increment of the full-scale engineering development of the Trident I (04) missile.
7 November The media reported that the Soviet Union unveiled a large new
missile, probably an ICBM, in a Red Square military parade in Moscow.
In successive votes, the House and Senate overrode the President’s veto of a bill curbing Presidential war-making powers and reasserting the authority of Congress to declare war.
The General Dynamics Corporation shipyard in Quincy, Massachusetts, and the Energy Transportation Corporation concluded a $400-million contract calling for the construction of four liquefied natural gas (LNG) tankers to be operated under the American flag.
8 November The Maritime Administration announced that it had given up trying to find a party to operate the passenger liner SS United States, and would offer her for public sale with a minimum price of $12.1-million. The ship has been moored at Norfolk, Virginia, since November 1969.
10 November The U. S. Navy’s first gas turbine-powered destroyer, the Spru- ance (DD-963) was launched at the Ingalls Shipyard at Pascagoula, Mississippi. The Spruance is the first of 30 large ships in her class.
12 November The Navy Race Relations School opened in Memphis, Tennessee.
13 November The media reported that
five major international oil refineries in Singapore had been directed to stop all sales to U. S. Navy ships or ships chartered by the Navy. A. J. Hurlton, chairman and managing director of the Mobil refinery in Singapore was quoted as saying: "The Singapore government has directed that oil will not be sold to countries embargoed by the Arabs. The U. S. is included in this.”
14 November The Associated Press reported that the Navy had begun operating a television station in the Antarctic.
The Department of Defense announced that the Services had obtained 88% of their combined target enlistment figures for October. The Navy and Marine Corps recruited 107% and 69% respectively.
15 November The USS Johnston (DD-821) steamed out of Philadelphia for a test, making her the first ship in history to use coal-derived oil to power her engines. The project was called Seacoal.
The Senate completed Congressional action on a $2.7-billion military construction authorization bill for construction of 10,679 military family housing units.
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17 November The media reported that the Italian Foreign Ministry said that the U. S. Sixth Fleet was not receiving
any fuel from Italy, but was using its own supplies.
The USS Capodanno (DE-1093) was commissioned at Mayport, Florida.
19 November The Defense Department said that the U. S. Sixth Fleet had been taken off an alert set because of the Middle East War and returned to "normal training condition” status.
President Nixon signed a defense procurement bill which included an amendment promoting Vice Admiral Hyman G. Rickover, U. S. Navy (Retired) to four-star rank.
20 November The Defense Department reported that the Lockheed Aircraft Corporation headed the list of defense prime contractors in 1973, for the fifth straight year, with $1.66-billion in contracts of $10,000 or more.
The Hughes Aircraft Company of Culver City, California, received a $119,266,027 contract modification for FY-74 procurement of AN/AWG-9 weapon control systems and associated equipment.
24 November The Commander-in- Chief, U. S. Pacific Fleet issued an order for increased security patrols on board ships and at shore bases, and strengthened shore patrols in civilian communities to stem increased violence committed by gangs of sailors against other naval personnel.
26 November It was reported that the Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company of Virginia, would close for 11 days during the Christmas holidays because of the fuel shortage. The shipyard employs about 25,000 persons.
27 November After a break of nearly a year, the United States and Panama resumed negotiations on a new Canal treaty. The new U. S. negotiator was Ambassador-at-large Ellsworth Bunker.
30 November The General Dynamics Corporation of Pomona, California, received a $59,750,000 contract for FY-73 procurement of AGM-78D Standard Arm missiles.
The Department of Defense showed a
Navy strength of 561,801 on this date, compared to 593,403 on the same date in 1972. The Marine Corps figures were 190,847 and 198,209 respectively.
1 December According to the Maritime Administration, there were 595 vessels of 1,000 tons and over in the active oceangoing merchant fleet as of this date. There was an increase of two active vessels and a decrease of four inactive vessels in the privately-owned fleet as compared to 1 December 1972. The number of vessels in the privately- owned fleet is 597. Of these, 571 are active. The total U. S.-flag merchant fleet decreased by five to 1,020.
The Tarawa (lha-i) was launched at the Ingalls Shipbuilding Company at Pascagoula, Mississippi.
NASA announced that Navy Captain Charles Conrad, Jr., the third man on the moon and commander of Skylab I, would retire as an astronaut and from the Navy on 1 February 1974.
3 December The third Law of the Sea Conference opened at the United Nations with 148 countries participating.
5 December The Marine Corps became the last of the Services to change its regulations to allow women to command units made up mostly of men.
6 December The Defense Department said the Soviet Union had begun military reconnaissance flights over the South Atlantic Ocean.
The President signed a bill calling for full integration of women into the Coast Guard. The bill eliminated all discriminatory laws and created a single Coast Guard Reserve of both male and female members.
7 December Congress passed and sent to the President, a bill to spend $2.7-billion on military construction, including funds for relocating the Navy bombing range now located on the island of Culebra, Puerto Rico.
NAVY FEDERAL CREDIT UNION
Washington, D.C. 20360
' LOANS FOR ANY WORTHWHILE PURPOSE including
Tuition Bills, Home Improvement,
>Purchases of Business and Real f Estate, Investments, Tax Payments, Medical, Dental, Hospital and Funeral Expenses, Consolidation of Debts, and such durable goods such as Automobiles, Boats, Mobile Homes, Recreational Vehicles, Refrigerators, Stoves, Washers, Television Sets, and Furniture.
10 December The Defense Department announced that the Bethesda Naval Hospital grounds had been selected as the site for a medical school for military doctors. Although no decision had been made as to when con-
Naval and Maritime Events July 1973—December 1973 299
struction of the new facility would begin, the announcement said that the new university was expected to turn out 100 new physicians annually by 1982.
The Marines named Colonel Mary E. Bane as commanding officer of Headquarters and Service Battalion at Camp Pendleton, California. She was the first woman in the Marine Corps to be given direct command over men (See also 5 December).
11 December A Naval Reserve C-118, en route to the Naval Air Station, Adak, Alaska, crashed at the 4,700-foot level of Great Sitkin Island, killing ten men.
A fire in a machinery room on board the USS Kitty Hawk (CVA-63) killed six firemen. The ship was about 700 miles east of the Philippines when the fire broke out during a fuel transfer.
The state of California lifted a four-year ban on oil and gas drilling in offshore fields leased from the state. The ban was imposed following a massive blowout at a well in January 1969.
The General Dynamics Corporation of Groton, Connecticut, received a $269,010,000 contract modification for construction of four nuclear-powered SSN-688 class submarines.
13 December By a vote of 89 to 2, the Senate passed a $73.2-billion defense appropriations bill—$3.5-billion less than requested by the Department of Defense.
14 December The USS Sanctuary (AH-17) arrived at her new homeport of May- port, Florida, after a 75-day "Navy Handclasp” cruise to Colombia and Haiti.
17 December The Defense Department announced that the Armed Forces recruited 90% of their objectives in November. The Navy and Marine Corps figures were 102% and 72% respectively.
The Maritime Administration awarded a $65.6-million contract to the National Steel and Shipbuilding Company in San Diego, California, for construction of two 90,000-ton tankers.
19 December The cargo ship Mason tykes sailed from Baltimore, Maryland, route to the Black Sea port of Odessa, to become the first American-
flag general cargo ship to call at a Russian port in more than a decade.
20 December Two women physicians, Lieutenants Jane O. McWilliams and Victoria M. Voge, graduated from the Naval Flight Surgeon Training Program, to become the first women naval flight surgeons.
21 December The first Arab-Israeli peace conference opened in Geneva, with the United States and the Soviet Union asking for a permanent settlement.
The Hughes Aircraft Company of Culver City, California, received a $58,873,197 contract modification for FY-74 procurement of AIM-54A Phoenix missiles plus associated services and material.
22 December A Minuteman III, programmed to fly about 5,000 miles to a target near the Marshall Islands in the Pacific, was launched from Vandenburg Air Force Base in California.
28 December The Defense Department announced plans for the Air Force to testfire eight Minuteman II missiles across a five-state area in the Pacific Northwest during the next two years. The tests, which would require Congressional approval, would be the first from operational silos.
31 December The Department of Defense showed a Navy strength of 556,209 on this date, compared to 581,874 on the same date in 1972. The Marine Corps figures were 189,377 and 196,722 respectively.
Changes in Ships and Shore Establishments
Compiled by Commander J. B. Finkelstein, U. S. Navy 1-28 February 1974
Ships Stricken: Date:
SS-568 Harder 2/20/74
Ships Commissioned: Date:
dlgn-36 California 2/16/74
AGDS-2 Point Loma 2/28/74
(ex USNS Point Barrow, T-AKD-1)
U. S. Navy Shore Establishment—
Facilities Established:
1 Feb. 1974 Naval Submarine Supplement Facility, New London, Groton, Conn.
1 Feb. 1974 Central Test Site for
Personnel and Training Evaluation Program, Dam Neck, Virginia Beach, Va.
U. S. Navy Shore Establishment—
Facilities Disestablished:
28 Feb. 1974 Naval Area Audit Service Boston, Boston, Mass.
28 Feb. 1974 Naval Reserve Facility, Urbana, 111.
U. S. Navy Shore Establishment—
Facilities Modified:
1 Feb. 1974 Change Naval Reserve
Center, Honolulu, Oahu, Hawaii, to Naval and Marine Corps Reserve Center, Honolulu, Oahu, Hawaii.
1 Feb. 1974 Change (consolidate) Naval Hospitals at Bremerton, Wash.; Camp Lejeune, N.C.; Camp Pendleton, Calif.; Charleston, S.C.; Great Lakes, 111.; Guam, Mariana Islands; Jacksonville, Fla.; Long Beach, Calif.;
Newport, R.I.; Oakland, Calif.; Philadelphia, Penn.; Portsmouth, Va.; San Diego, Calif.; Yokosuka, Japan, to Navy Regional Medical Centers, at the same location.