UNITAS X Cruise Bits And Pieces.....
If you have any UNITAS X stories, photos,
etc. to contribute -
|
|
(click on any of the underlined links or images below for more info)
At 1125 hours on 25 July 1969, Leahy departs Norfolk, VA to commence Operation UNITAS X, under the command of Rear Admiral James A. Dare, Commander South Atlantic Force, U.S. Atlantic Fleet in an exercise involving elements of South American navies; Brazilian Navy ships Minas Gerais (A-11), Brazilian CT Santa Catarina - D 32 (Ex. USS Irwin DD-794), Marajo (G-27); Argentine Navy ships Rosales (D-22), Brown (D-20),; Columbian Navy ship 7 De Agosto (06); Chilean Navy ships O'Higgins 02 (Ex. USS Brooklyn CL-40) and Araucano - AO-53, Ecuadorian 25 De Julio (Ex. Enright APD-66, Ex. DE-216); Peruvian Navy ships Guise (DD-72), Larrea (25), Lobitos (159); Venezuelan Navy ships and Urguayan Naval ships Artigas (DE-2) and Uruguay (DE-1), in company with US Navy elements USS Joseph K. Taussig (DE-1030), USS Sarsfield (DD-837) , USS Grampus (SS-523), 2 maritime patrol aircraft from VP-45 and 1 transport aircraft from Fleet Tactical Support Squadron One (VR-1). Also embarked, was the US Navy Showband of 26 musicians. Leahy's Port Schedule for UNITAS X is:
San Juan Puerto Rico (Navy Show Band Embarks)
Cartagena Columbia 6-10 August
Panama Canal Transit
Rodman Panama Canal Zone Visit
*First Equator Crossing - 17-18 August
Guayaquil Ecuador - 19 August
Galapagos Islands
Callao/Lima Peru
Arica Chile
Valparaiso/Vina Del Mar Chile
Puerto Montt Chile
Punta Arenas Chile 2-3 October
Transit The Straits Of Magellan
Puerto Belgrano Argentina 6-10 October
Montevideo Uruguay 15-21 October
Rio De Janeiro Brazil 30 October-5 November
Salvador(Bahia) Brazil 10-12 November
Second Crossing Of The Equator
La Guaira/Caracas Venezuela 28 November-2 December (7 Days out from Norfolk)
San Juan Puerto Rico 6-8 December
Arrive Norfolk Virginia 11 December*Pollywogs were transformed to Shellbacks when USS LEAHY crossed the Equator (1st crossing) at
80o 44' W on 17-18 August 1969
(Ken's proof)
Some Crews (Cruise) Tales:(click on the icons below)
Little Wooden Mountain Man
Some Thoughts And More Little Wooden Mountain Men
Some Photos:
Misc. Items:
Some Shipwrecks:
Both of the shipwrecks mentioned in the links below. the SS Santa Leonor and the MV Capitain Leonidas were seen in 1969, although in better shape when Leahy passed. Both wrecks are located in The Straits Of Magellan.
The Grace Line's c3 type freighter, steamship, 8007gt. SS SANTA LEONOR, ex. USS Riverside (APA-102), ex-MORMACWAVE, ex-P. & T. FORESTER, built Ingalls Ship Building, Pascagoula, MS 1944. She foundered, was wrecked and abandoned after she struck submerged rocks off Isabel (Adelaide) Island in the Strait of Magellan, Smyth Channel, 200 miles S of Punta Arenas lat.52.31S,long. 73.37W on 31 March 1968.
The MV Capitain Leonidas ran aground on Cotopaxi Bank, Messier Channel, Strait of Magellan area 48.45.45N, 74.27.30W on 07.04 in 1968. Built 1937 at Bremen, Germany. 5137gt, Panamanian flag. The ship was carrying sugar. In an insurance scam that went wrong - after offloading the cargo, the Greek captain sought to scuttle the ship on a known hazard whereby he could then claim that the sugar had disolved in the water. Unfortunately for him the ship did not sink. The Chilean navy used her as target for practice shooting, and that is why the hull and superstructure look so messed up. The extensive damage is simply caused by gun fire, and not related to the grounding itself.
Now relax and go back to 1969......
For A Cruise Through The Straits Of Magellan -- A Trip to the End of the World.
Some really GREAT photos here by Karsten Petersen from the island Fyn, Hindsgavl peninsula, at the small town of Middelfart, Denmark. The wrecks of the Grace Line SS Santa Leonor and the Capitain Leonidas are also shown.
*http://sniederer.k-i-s.ch/Files/avi/DVD_2005.12_Antarktis_&_Chile.wmv
This outstanding video "Antarktis & Chile" was shot in 2005 by Stefan Sniederer of Weinfelden, Switzerland.
*Video Notes: Play the video "Antarktis & Chile" -- this is a large file 750MB -- well worth looking at. While on the UNITAS X Cruise, we went past these two wrecks, mentioned below -- they were in much better shape in 1969. The wrecks of the Grace Line SS Santa Leonor and the Capitain Leonidas are shown. The SS Santa Leonor wreck starts at 00:49:15/01:06:35 and includes views of the Capitain Leonidas, and runs to 00:53:00/01:06:35. For more still photos of the wrecks, go here to
Link 1 and Link 2.
Authors (photos--video) main page: http://www.datacomm.ch/sniederer/fotos.htm
Some Documentation:
Ship--Squadron Links: (not a complete listing)
USS Grampus (SS-523) Link 1 -- Link 2 -- Link 3
USS Sarsfield (DD-837) Link 1 -- Link 2
USS Joseph K. Taussig (DE-1030) Link 1 -- Link 2 -- Link 3
Argentine Brown (D-20) Link 1 -- Link 1A -- Link 2
Brazilian NT Marajó (G 27) Link 1 -- Link 1A -- Link 2 -- Link 3 -- Link 3A
Brazilian Minas Gerais (A-11) Link 1 -- Link 2
Brazilian CT Santa Catarina - D 32 Link 1 -- Link 2 -- Link 3 -- Link 3A
Chilean Araucano (AO-53) Link 1 -- Link 2
Chilean O'Higgins 03 (Ex. USS Brooklyn CL-40) Link 1 -- Link 2
Ecuadorian 25 De Julio (Ex. Enright APD-66, Ex. DE-216) Link 1 -- Link 2
Peruvian Guise Link 1 -- General Navy Link 2
Urguayan Uruguay (DE-1) Link 1 -- Link 2
Urguayan Artigas (DE-2) Link 1 -- Link 2
Fleet Tactical Support Squadron One Link
Miscellaneous Links:
