This is unlike the format of many U.S. Navy ship cruise books, this book reads as a story book of the ship's 1966 - 1967 cruise with many, many candid photographs, some illustrations, and lots of information about the cruise and locations visited. It has sections for the ships divisions and pages with all of the crew listed by division, as well as their rank, rate, and home town or city, and state. The pages are not numbered in this hard back book. The page edges are uneven (as made).
The cruise book measures 8-3/4'' x 13-3/8'' x 1/2''. It appears to be in excellent condition as pictured with some light wear from handling. Below here, for reference, is some information about the U.S.S. Firedrake AE-14:
U.S.S. Firedrake (AE-14)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Career (United States)
Launched: 12 May 1944
Commissioned: 27 December 1944 & 11 October 1951
Decommissioned: 21 February 1946 & October 1971 at Mare Island, California
Fate: scrapped
General characteristics
Length: 459 feet 2 inches (140 m)
Beam: 63 feet (19.2 m)
Draught: 28 feet 3 inches (8.6 m)
Propulsion: Geared turbine,1 shaft, 6,000 shp (4.5 MW)
Speed: 16 knots (30 km/h)
Capacity: 7,700 long tons (7,800 t) deadweight
Complement: 267 officers and enlisted
The U.S.S. Firedrake (AE-14), a Mount Hood class ammunition ship was launched 12 May 1944 by North Carolina Shipbuilding Co., Wilmington, N.C., as Winged Racer; sponsored by Mrs. R. M. Kitchins; acquired by the Navy 29 June 1944; and commissioned 27 December 1944 in Jacksonville, Florida, Commander A. Elb, USNR, in command.
The Firedrake loaded ammunition and general cargo at Earle, N.J., from which she sailed 16 February 1945 for Ulithi. Arriving 21 March, she put to sea 7 April to join the replenishment group servicing carriers off Okinawa and ships lying in the anchorages of the Kerama Retto. After reloading ammunition at Ulithi from 16 May to 4 June, she arrived in Leyte Gulf to issue explosives until 1 November, when she sailed for the east coast. She was decommissioned at Orange, Tex., 21 February 1946 and placed in reserve.
Recommissioned 11 October 1951, Firedrake based at San Francisco for annual tours of duty in the western Pacific from 1952 through 1962. During the first two of these, she rearmed United Nations ships at sea off Korea during war operations. Highlights of the following years included participation in the evacuation of the Tachen Islands in 1955, and calls at a wide variety of oriental ports. When not deployed overseas, she has sailed out of her home port to replenish ships at sea in west coast operations.
MAY 1944 - Launch Date: 12 MAY 1944
DEC 1944 - Commissioned: 27 DEC 1944
JAN 1963 - JUL 1963 - West Pac-Viet Nam
NOV 1965 - JUN 1966 Middle Pacific
NOV 1965 - JUL 1966 West Pac-Viet Nam
NOV 1967 - NOV 1968 West Pac-Viet Nam
NOV 1967 - JUN 1968 West Pac-Viet Nam
NOV 1967 - JUL 1968 West Pac-Viet Nam
DEC 1967 - Shellback Initiation - 26 DEC 1967 - Pacific Ocean
APR 1968 - Shellback Initiation - 18 APR 1968 - Pacific Ocean
APR 1968 - Shellback Initiation - 18 APR 1968 - Pacific Ocean
MAR 1969 - AUG 1970 West Pac-Viet Nam
MAR 1970 - OCT 1970 West Pac-Viet Nam
Firedrake received two battle stars for World War II service and four for Korean War service.
