Replies

M7 HMC (Priest)

M7 Priest

The M7 used the hull and running gear of the M3 Medium Tank. It was called "Priest" because of the pulpit-like structure mounting the 50 cal. AA MG. The lower hull and running gear of the M3 Tank was used, with a raised open top superstructure added. Into this was mounted the 105mm howitzer with its split carriage. In an attempt to lower the height, the gun elevation was restricted to +35°, a handicap in mountainous terrain. This was not corrected until the Korean War when a full +65° elevation was obtained. This modification was designated the M7B2. The M7B1 designation was used for the model which utilized the Sherman M4 chassis. First deployed at El Alamein by the British who received large numbers under Lend Lease. The M7 was a mobile and reliable vehicle and was used until the end of the war. One negative was its weight. A total of 3,490 were built.

M7B1 HMC (Priest)

M7B1 Priest

This later version of the "Priest" had the 105mm howitzer mounted on a M4A3 Sherman chassis. Later versions which had a full elevation of +65° were designated M7B2 and were used in Korea. The M7B1 was standardized September 1943. This model could be fitted for deep wading. M7s had a 3-piece bolted nose, while most M7B1s and M7B2s had a cast one-piece nose. There was no gun overhand on this model. The howitzer had manual traverse and elevation and fired the same ammunition as the towed version.

M8 HMC

M8 HMC

A 75mm pack howitzer was mounted in an open-top turret with 360° traverse onto the turret ring of the M5 Light Tank. It was widely used in Europe and the Pacific. Used as a close support vehicle by Headquarters Co. attached to armored battalions. Had a poor capacity for ammo; therefore, it sometimes towed an ammo trailer. Crew protection was minimal. A total of 1,778 were built. Saw action to the end of WWII.

M12 GMC

M12 GMC

This was one of the earliest SP weapons of WWII. It mounted a 155mm gun on the M3 Tank chassis. The engine was moved forward to provide a working space at the rear of the hull. In this space, the WWI Model M1917 or M1918 155mm gun was mounted. The rear of the hull carried a heavy spade which was lowered to the ground before firing to absorb recoil. About 100 M12s were built and put into storage. In 1943, with the invasion of Europe being planned, 74 were refurbished and put into service. It proved to be a powerful and effective weapon providing support to fast moving armored columns. It could demolish German tanks and was greatly feared by the enemy. It could be used in a direct fire support role. When the 155mm rounds were fitted with concrete piercing fuses, they could penetrate up to 6 feet of concrete before exploding. The Artillery Board asked for more but this was not possible since the supply of WWI 155mm guns was exhausted.

M37 HMC

M37 HMC

The M7 was overweight. In order to develop a lighter, faster vehicle, the 105mm howitzer was placed on the M24 (Chaffee) chassis. This was the same howitzer used in the Sherman M4 (105). The general lines of the vehicle were similar to the M7 even to the "Pulpit" for the 50 cal. MG. The vehicle was shorter and wider allowing for more working space and ammo storage. Elevation was +45° allowing for maximum range. Standardized in 1945, replacing the M7. A total of 316 were built. Did not see combat in WWII.

M40 GMC (Long Tom)

M40 GMC

After WWII, a newly designed SP 155mm GMC was required to replace the M12. Two pilot models were made using the latest Sherman M4 chassis with HVSS suspension, a wide 23" track carrying the powerful M1A1 155mm gun on a pedestal mount. The gun was interchangeable with the 8" howitzer. A heavy spade was attached to the rear to absorb recoil. Although crew protection was minimal, it proved to be an excellent weapon. It was known by the nickname "Long Tom" and was standardized as the M40 in 1945. It arrived in Europe at the end of WWII and participated in the bombardment of Cologne. It remained in service after WWII and served in the U.S. artillery in Korea and by the French in Indochina. A total of 311 were built.

M41 HMC (Gorilla)

M41 HMC

In 1943, it was proposed to develop a SP 155mm howitzer. The chassis of the M24 Light Tank was used as part of the "combat team" approach adopted in 1944. The chassis was already developed for the M19 SP 40mm guns, the M41 howitzer 155mm and the M37 howitzer 105mm. The howitzer was placed on a pedestal in the rear surrounded by a thin shield. A heavy recoil spade was added to the rear. It was a good design, agile and simple to operate but offered little protection to the crew from the elements or enemy fire. A total of about 85 were built. It saw service in Korea.

M43 8" HMC

M43 8" HMC

The M1 155mm gun (towed) shared its carriage with the 8" howitzer. The barrels could be changed quite easily. Therefore, when the M40 SP 155mm gun was developed, it was logical to mount an 8" howitzer on the same carriage. In 1945, a design was standardized as the M43. Only 48 were built of which 24 were conversions of the T83's 155mm. The components of the M4 tank were used with HVSS suspension. There was a shield for the gun, but no cover was provided for the crew. They remained in service until the 1950s, being used in Korea.

T-92 240mm SP Howitzer & T-93 8" GMC

T-92 240mm SP Howitzer

These were the heaviest SP guns built in the U.S. The chassis for these monsters was from the M26E3 Pershing Heavy Tank. The 240mm MI howitzer was still in inventory as a towed weapon. Despite its large size and weight, the 240mm howitzer was adaptable to a motorized mount.

T-93 8" GMC

The same chassis was used for either the 8" gun (T-93) or the 240mm M1 howitzer (T92)which were interchangeable. The 240mm howitzer fired a 360 lb projectile 14 miles. All loading was done by manpower with a rate of I round/3 minutes. Ammunition was separate loading. A hydro pneumatic recoil and equilibrator system softened the recoil. An immense cable operated rear spade was mounted to help absorb recoil shock. No ammo was carried aboard. It relied on a T31 cargo carrier to do the job. A 23" wide track was used and 7 road wheels were suspended by torsion bars. The objective was to provide mobile heavy artillery for the invasion of Japan. With the end of the war, a contract for 115 T-92s and 58 T-93s was cancelled and only 5 T-92s and 2 T-93s were built by Chrysler.

M44 SP 155mm Howitzer

M44 SP 155mm Howitzer

This SP howitzer replaced the M41 155mm SP howitzer. It had all welded construction. Transmission is a GM Allison cross drive. Development began in concert with the development of the M41 Walker Bulldog Tank. A major change placed the rear track idler wheel on the ground to provide support against shock. A rear spade was added. Engine and transmission were moved up front and a fighting compartment was erected on the rear hull with an open roof and a bow and tarp removable cover. The rear was closed by swinging cartridge racks which acted as doors and a working platform. It can fire an HE projectile weighing 43.88kg to a distance of 14,600 meters with an M4A1 charge. Rate of fire is about 1 round/minute. The later variant, M44A1, used a fuel injected engine. A total of 608 were built. Last of SP Artillery with an open top compartment.

M52 105mm SP Light Howitzer

M52 105mm SP Light Howitzer

The M7 and M37 were both open topped vehicles and in the "atomic age". It was decided the vehicles should have protection against nuclear blast. Work began in 1948. The first model was equipped with the 105mm howitzer. The components of the M41 Light Tank were used. The rear track idler was placed on the ground to better resist firing shock, since no recoil spade was used. The engine and transmission were moved to the front of the hull. The rear of the hull supported a large turret which could transverse 60 degrees either side of center. Elevation and traverse were manual. The crew and driver were in the turret. Hatches were provided in the roof. A total of 684 were built. Also in service with Belgium, Greece, Japan and Jordan.

M53 (T-97) 155mm SP Gun

M53 (T-97) 155mm SP Gun

"If it's going to be better, it must be bigger " — appeared to be the concept behind the new generation of Army large bore weapons in the 1950s. The T-97 standardized as the M53 in 1952 was one of the largest and heaviest vehicles fielded in the post-war period. Weighing almost 100,0001bs. combat loaded, it was over 32 feet long. An 8" howitzer version was prepared on the same chassis which shared many components with the M48 Medium Tank. The last road wheel served as a trailing idler. Torsion bar suspension was used. The driver sat in the left front of the fighting compartment while the commander's hatch and 0.50"MG were on the right side. A GM AIlison cross drive transmission was used. Hydraulic power moved the gun in elevation and the entire cab in azimuth + or -30 degrees of center. There were many changes throughout the production span of 1952 until 1953.

M55 8" SP Howitzer

M55 8" SP Howitzer

This 8" howitzer shared components and mount with the M53 155mm gun. It was more reliable than the M55 because of less stress on firing. Hence, all M53s were converted to M55 8" howitzers by rebarrelling. This was completed by 1960. This was a scaled up M52, another all-protected design. The gun crew and driver were carried in a massive turret capable of swinging plus & minus 30° of center. A massive rear recoil spade was fitted; and power operation of the gun, ramming and shell handling were provided. Ammunition is separate loading. It can fire a HE shell to a range of 16,916 meters.

M107 175mm Self-Propelled Gun
&
M110 8-inch Self-Propelled Howitzer

M107 175mm Self-Propelled Gun

These weapons were mounted on the same gun carriage but used different tubes. The M-107 175mm Gun fired a 174-pound projectile out to almost 33 kilometers (32,700-meters) and proved of great value in providing an umbrella of protection over a wide area. The M107 175mm self-propelled Gun was largely deployed in NATO areas and its ammunition was commonly used throughout NATO forces. Designed to be part of a common family of weapons utilising the same chassis components, the M107 and M110 were essentially the same vehicle mounting different barrels. These guns fired an HE shell weighing 66.6 kilograms at a muzzle velocity of 914 meters per second. The M107 was used extensively in Vietnam to provide long range firesupport (being able to fire more than 30 km) and took part in numerous cross-DMZ duels with NVA guns. Though withdrawn from American service, vehicles of this type remain in service in the militaries of some other countries.

M110 8-inch Self-Propelled Howitzer

The M-110 8-inch Howitzer fired a 200-pound projectile out to almost 17 kilometers (16,800-meters) and was the most accurate weapon in the field artillery.

Since the weapons had an identical gun carriage it was common practice to install the tubes best suited to the current tactical mission, so that one day a battery may be all 175mm Guns and a few days later it may be half 175mm and half 8-inch.

M108 105mm Self-Propelled Howitzer

M108 105mm Self-Propelled Howitzer

The M108 105mm Self-Propelled Howitzer was largely deployed in NATO areas and its ammunition was commonly used throughout NATO forces. Vehicles of this type remain in service in the militaries of some other countries, although it has been withdrawn from service in the US military. The M108 was being phased out of the US Army at the time of Vietnam because its gun was considered too light for battlefield support and 155mm calibre had been standardised in NATO.

Additional Sources:

www.battletanks.com
www.gruntonline.com
www.fas.org
www.interet-general.info
www.panzerbaer.de
worldwar2.free.fr
www103.sakura.ne.jp
www.clandavidsonusa.com
afvdb.50megs.com
ww2photo.mimerswell.com
www.4regtra-reunion.org.uk
fmj.pe.kr
www.globalsecurity.org
www.rellitechnology.com
www.landscaper.net

Free Republic Treadhead Ping

mostly cajun ;archy; Gringo1; Matthew James; Fred Mertz; Squantos; colorado tanker; The Shrew; SLB; Darksheare; BCR #226; IDontLikeToPayTaxes; Imacatfish; Tailback; DCBryan1; Eaker; Archangelsk; gatorbait; river rat; Lee'sGhost; Dionysius; BlueLancer; Frohickey; GregB; leadpenny; skepsel; Proud Legions; King Prout; Professional Engineer; alfa6; bluelancer; Cannoneer No.4; An Old Man; hookman; DMZFrank; in the Arena; Bethbg79; neverdem; NWU Army ROTC; ma bell; MoJo2001; The Sailor; dcwusmc; dts32041; spectr17; Rockpile; Theophilus;

************I bequeath to you the FR TH PL.

148 posted on 08/24/2004 11:39:45 AM PDT by Cannoneer No. 4 (I've lost turret power; I have my nods and my .50. Hooah. I will stay until relieved. White 2 out.)

For the actual 'ping', I took the liberty of taking off those of you who I knew were already on the Foxhole ping list so as not to duplicate on the TreadHead posts.

Cannoneer should be around internet access in a couple weeks.

On This Day In History

Birthdates which occurred on September 07:
1533 Queen Elizabeth I England, (1558-1603) daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn
1829 August Kekule von Stradonitz discovered structure of benzene ring
1829 Ferdinand Vandiveer Hayden US, geologist (Geograph Survey 1859-86)
1860 Grandma (Anna Maria) Moses NY, primitive painter (Old Oaken Bucket)
1900 "Janet" Taylor Caldwell England, novelist (Melissa)
1908 Dr Michael E DeBakey artificial heart pioneer
1908 Paul Brown Norwalk Ohio, NFL hall of famer (Browns, Bengals)
1909 Elia Kazan Canstaninople Turkey, director (Streetcar Named Desire)
1913 Anthony Quayle England, actor (Anne of 1000 Days, Lawrence of Arabia)
1914 James Van Allen discovered Van Allen radiation belts
1922 Art Ferrante pianist (Ferrante & Tachere-Exodus)
1923 Peter Lawford London England, actor (Mrs Miniver, The Thin Man)
1924 Daniel Inouye (Sen-D-Hi), chair of Iran-Contra hearings
1924 Leonard Rosenman Bkln NY, TV composer (Marcus Welby MD)
1930 Sonny Rollins NYC, jazz saxophonist (Blue Room)
1934 Bill Giles Rochester NY, baseball owner (Phila Phillies)
1936 Buddy Holly singer (Peggy Sue, That'll Be the Day)
1939 S David Griggs Portland Oregon, astronaut (STS 51D, STS 33)
1942 Garrison Keillor humorist(or so it's said) (Praire Home Companion)
1942 Richard Roundtree actor (Shaft, Earthquake)
1949 Gloria Gaynor Newark NJ, disco singer (I Will Survive)
1950 Peggy Noonan author (What I Saw at the Revolution)
1954 Corbin Bernsen North Hollywood Calif, actor (Arnie Becker-LA Law)
1957 Melvin Edward Mays one of FBI's most wanted
1985 Tatia Jayne Starkey Ringo's 1st grandchild

Deaths which occurred on September 07:
1151 Geoffrey Plantagenet conquered Normandy, dies at 38
1909 Eugene Lefebvre dies test piloting a Wright A aircraft
1966 Al Kelly double talk comedian (Ernie Kovacs Show), dies at 67
1969 Everett McKinley Dirksen ("The Wizard of Ooze")(Sen-IL.R), dies at 73
1971 Spring Byington actress (Lily Ruskin-December Bride), dies at 84
1978 Keith Moon, rock drummer (Who), dies of drug OD at 31

Reported: MISSING in ACTION
( Expanded with full Bios, history, & MIA report )

HIP HIP HOORAY!!! No one missing in action Today!!!!

POW / MIA Data & Bios supplied by
the P.O.W. NETWORK. Skidmore, MO. USA.

On this day...
3114 BC Presumed origin of Mayan "long count" calendar system
0070 Roman army under Titus occupies & plunders Jerusalem

1571 At the Battle of Lepanto in the Mediterranean Sea, the Christian galley fleet destroys the Turkish galley fleet.

1630 The town of Trimontaine, in Massachusetts, is renamed Boston, and becomes the state capital.
1664 Peter Stuyvesant surrenders New Amsterdam to English fleet
1714 Treaty of Baden-French retain Alsace, Austria gets right bank of Rhine
1776 American submersible craft Turtle attacks British Admiral Richard Howe's flagship Eagle in the first use of a submarine in warfare.
1800 Zion AME Church dedicated (NYC)
1813 "Uncle Sam" 1st used to refer to US (Troy Post of NY)
1822 Brazil declares independence from Portugal (National Day)
1825 The Marquis de Lafayette, the French hero of the American Revolution, bade farewell to President John Quincy Adams at the White House.
1864 Union General Phil Sheridan's troops skirmish with the Confederates under Jubal Early outside Winchester, Virginia
1876 The James-Younger gang botches an attempt to rob the First National Bank of Northfield, Minnesota.
1880 Geo Ligowsky patents device to throw clay pigeons for trapshooters
1889 Start of Sherlock Holmes "Adventure of The Engineer's Thumb" (BG)
1892 James J Corbett kayos John L Sullivan in round 21 at New Orleans
1896 1st closed-circuit auto race, at Cranston, RI
1896 A. H. Whiting won 1st closed-circuit auto race held
1903 Federation of American Motorcyclists organized in NY
1914 New York Post Office Building opens to the public
1916 Workmen's Compensation Act passed by Congress
1923 Boston Red Sox Howard Ehmke no-hits Phila A's, 4-0
1927 Philo Farnsworth demonstrates 1st use of TV in SF
1934 Luxury liner "Morro Castle" burns off NJ, killing 134
1936 Boulder Dam (now Hoover Dam) begins operation
1940 German Air Force blitz London for 1st of 57 consecutive nights
1948 1st use of synthetic rubber in asphaltic concrete, Akron Oh
1952 Outfielder Don Grate throws a baseball a record 434'1" (Tenn)
1954 Integration begins in Wash DC & Balt MD public schools
1956 Bell X-2 sets Unofficial manned aircraft altitude record 126,000'+
1963 1st US TV appearance of the Beatles (Big Night Out-ABC)
1963 Pro Football Hall of Fame dedicated in Canton Ohio
1970 Donald Boyles sets record for highest paracute jump from a bridge, by leaping off of the 1,053' Royal George Bridge in Colorado
1976 US courts find George Harrison guilty of plagarism (He's So Fine)
1977 Convicted Watergate conspirator G. Gordon Liddy was released from prison after more than four years.
1978 1st game of the Boston Massacre, Yanks beat Red Sox 15-3
1979 The Entertainment and Sports Programming Network (ESPN) made its cable television debut.
1980 32nd Emmy Awards shown despite boycott
1980 Earnest Gray becomes 2nd NY Giant to score 4 TDs (vs St Louis)
1981 Judge Wapner & the People's Court premier on TV
1983 Drury Gallagher sets fastest swim around Manhattan (6h41m35s)
1986 Desmond Tutu installed to lead south African Anglican Church
1988 Guy Lafleur, Tony Esposito & Brad Park inducted in NHL Hall of Fame
1988 Security & Exchange Comm accuses Drexel of violating security laws
1991 Monica Seles wins the US Open
1993 President Clinton and VP Gore announced a broad program to streamline the government.(ROTFLMAO)
1995 Sen Bob Packwoord (R-Ore) resigns rather than face expulsion.
2000 A jury in Coeur D'Alene, Idaho, awarded $6.3 million to a woman and her son who were attacked by Aryan Nations guards outside the white supremacist group's north Idaho headquarters.

Holidays
Note: Some Holidays are only applicable on a given "day of the week"

Brazil : Independence Day (1822)
US : National Grandparents' Day (Sunday)
Wall-to-Wall Sports Television Day
Kiss a Bald Head Week Begins
National Bourbon Month

Religious Observances
Feast of St. Regina, virgin and martyr.

Religious History
1724 The first American congregation of Dunkards (German Baptists) gathered in Philadelphia, PA.
1785 The Sunday School Society was formed in London, under the leadership of Robert Raikes. It provided weekly Christian tutoring for the poor. Eventually 3,730 schools were formed, and their success ultimately inspired the founding in 1824 of the American Sunday School Union.
1807 Protestant Christianity first came to China when English missionary Robert Morrison, 25, arrived on this date. (Catholic missions had first penetrated China in the 16th century with the arrival of Jesuit Matteo Ricci in 1582.)
1845 St. Louis, Missouri, became the site of the first Hebrew synagogue to be built in the Mississippi Valley.
1958 The first cathedral of the Syrian Orthodox Church in the U.S. and Canada was dedicated in Hackensack, NJ. The American archdiocese for this branch of Orthodoxy was created the previous year by Syrian Orthodox Patriarch Ignatius Yacoub III.

Source: William D. Blake. ALMANAC OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. Minneapolis: Bethany House, 1987.

Thought for the day :
"One man tells a falsehood, a hundred repeat it as true."

Translating Southern United States Slang to English...
BAHS - noun. A supervisor.

Usage: "If you don't stop reading these Southern words and git back to work, your bahs is gonna far you!"

Quotes" About Cats...
The real measure of a day's heat is the length of a sleeping cat.

Politically Correct Terms For Males...
He will never : GROW BALD
He will become : FOREHEAD ENHANCED

Bumper Stickers...
Consciousness-the annoying time between naps

Mornin' Sam, Snippy.
Falling in for muster.
Interesting presentation as usual. You again fail to disappoint. Tanks :)

John Kerry directly contributed to the lies of the anti war movement AND caused deaths and injuries
to US Military serving in Vietnam AND
directly caused deaths from injuries at home AND countless suicides because of his false testimony.

John Kerry is not fit to be elected dog catcher let alone President of the United States.
ANYONE who votes for Kerry AFTER knowing this data
is guilty of covering up John Kerry's war crimes!

John Kerry, director of the Vietnam Veterans against the War,
testified before special session the Senate Foreign Relations Committee
April 22, 1971

KERRY GAVE TESTIMONY BASED UPON FALSE INFORMATION
THAT KERRY KNEW AHEAD OF TIME TO BE FALSE!

September 6, 2004 -- **BREAKING** In Yesterday's Lies: Steve Pitkin and the Winter Soldiers, Scott Swett tells the story of a former VVAW member and participant in the Winter Soldier Investigation who states that John Kerry and others pressured him to give false testimony about American atrocities in Vietnam. After more than 33 years, Pitkin is the first Winter Soldier "witness" to file a legal affadavit regarding that event...

My name is Steve Pitkin, age 20, from Baltimore. I served with the 9th Division from May of '69 until I was airvaced in July of '69. I'll testify about the beating of civilians and enemy personnel, destruction of villages, indiscriminate use of artillery, the general racism and the attitude of the American GI toward the Vietnamese. I will also talk about some of the problems of the GIs toward one another and the hassle with officers.

-- Steve Pitkin, Winter Soldier Investigation, February 1, 1971.

E-Mail and/or fax these url's to EVERYONE ASAP! Kerry MUST be exposed NOW!
PUT PRESSURE ON THE MEDIA TO COVER THIS BEFORE NOV 2nd

Steve Pitkin Affadavit, August 31, 2004

http://ice.he.net/~freepnet/kerry/staticpages/index.php?page=PitkinAff

Steve Pitkin DD-214

http://ice.he.net/~freepnet/kerry/graphics/PitkinDD214.jpg

Steve Pitkin WSI testimony

http://ice.he.net/~freepnet/kerry/staticpages/index.php?page=PitkinWSI

Steve Pitkin WSI video clips -- February 1, 1971 (4:16, 1.6MB)

http://www.wintersoldier.com/video/pitkin2.wmv

John F. Kerry
Timeline of a traitor.
Click Here

http://www.archive-news.net/Kerry/JK_timeline.html

Guide to Local Media
Locate media in your zip code, gives you links to YOUR local media with phone, e-mail etc info.

Free Internet Fax Service
Free E-Mail to Fax from your computer, just fill in form on page , they do the rest.
Make sure you enter fax # like this 12025551212 (no spaces or -)

Is the number you want them to SEND FREE FAX covered?

Complete list of areas they SEND FREE FAXES to

Israeli M-109's puting the hurt down on Hizbullah in South Lebanon

Prepping Ord

IDF Arty Girls

Israel Military Industry Unveil New Extended Range Artillery Ammunition

Israel Military Industry IIMI) is developing an extended range, modular, artillery projectile (ERMAP) that will be able to reach distances of up to 80 km without increasing the firing pressures in the barrel. The developers are planning to achieve this effect by deploying aerodynamic surfaces and autonomous guidance, based on Global Satellite Positioning (GPS) inside the projectile. The new ammunition is designed to hit target at such range, with accuracy of 30 CEP, good enough for effective attack by scatterable munitions or smart submunitions

Side note:

Allong with overhead ROV'S for real time targeting,
Israel has used covert insertion of FIST teams or FCD's in South Lebanon.
Hizbullah and Syrian forces respond with their hunter teams,
cat and mouse drama.....in South Lebanon

once at very high elevation, once at medium elevation, and once at low elevation. All three shots are timed so that they hit the target at the same time, from three different angles. Against a hardened target, this can effectively triple the power of the weapon.

I LIKE IT!!

Today's classic ship, USS Greenwich Bay (AVP-41)

Barnegat class small seaplane tender

Displacement 1,766 t.
Length 310'9"
Beam 41'1"
Draw 13'6"
Speed 18 k
Complement 315
Armament 1 5", 6 40mm

USS Greenwich Bay (AVP-41) was launched 17 March 1945 by the Lake Washington Shipyard, Haughton, Wash. sponsored by Mrs. Francis B. Johnson, wife of the Commander Fleet Air Wing 6, and commissioned 20 May 1945, Comdr. Peter F. Boyle in command.

Departing San Diego 26 August after an intensive shakedown, the new seaplane tender sailed for Taku China, 5 October via Pearl Harbor, Midway, and Okinawa. Greenwich Bay spent the rest of 1945 along the China coast, touching at Tsingtao and Shanghai as well as Taku, tending seaplanes of the 7th Fleet. She operated in Japanese waters during January 1946, and after a short stint in the Philippines, sailed for the States 1 May. Reaching Norfolk 1 July 1946 via Hong Kong, Singapore, Naples, Casablanca, and Gibraltar, Greenwich Bay continued on to New York for overhaul.

Greenwich Bay reported to the Potomac River Naval Command 19 February 1947 to serve as escort to Williamsburg, the Presidential Yacht. This assignment ended 21 June 1948 as she departed Norfolk for an around-the-world cruise. During her 4 month sailing, Greenwich Bay made good will visits to Gibraltar, Port Said, Muscat, Bahrein, Kuwait, Trineomalee (India), Fremantle, Pago Pago, Papeete (Tahiti), and Coco Solo before returning to Norfolk 14 October.

Greenwich Bay sailed 30 April 1949 to assume duties as flagship for Commander, U.S. Navy Middle East Force. Every year since, she repeated this duty, sailing through the Mediterranean to operate as flagship in the Red Sea, Persian Gulf, and Indian Ocean for 4 to 6 months. In addition to operating with Allied naval units in these areas, Greenwich Bay did extensive work in the People-to-People program, particularly in carrying drugs and other medical supplies to the Arabian and African nations, and operated as an important tool of diplomacy, helping to maintain peace in this oil-rich land.

In 1950 the tender's crew distinguished itself in Bahrein Arabia, as Air France planes crashed there on 13 and 15 June while attempting to make early-morning landings on a fog-shrouded field. Greenwich Bay sent out a total of six search-and-rescue missions on the 2 tragic days. On 15 June one of her launches, containing both her captain and medical-officer, succeeded in rescuing nine survivors of the crash. For her heroic action Greenwich Bay received the special commendation and thanks of both the Arabian and French governments.

When the Suez Crisis flared up in 1956 and seemed to threaten war, Greenwich Bay extended her normal cruise in the Persian Gulf to be able to evacuate American dependents and civilians if necessary. As a result of the blocking of the canal, she had to return to the States around the Cape of Good Hope. In her Middle East duties, which were punctuated by local operations and exercises out of Norfolk, Greerwich Bay was visited by many outstanding figures, including King Ibn Saud of Saudi Arabia, the Shah of Iran, His Imperial Majesty Haile Selassie of Ethiopia, and the Shaikh of Kuwait.

Ports which she visited as part of her official duties as flagship include virtually every major Mediterranean, Persian Gulf, Indian Ocean and Red Sea City as well as several African ones. Among them were Recife, Lisbon, Malta, Bombay, Istanbul, Athens, Beirut, Mombassa (Kenya), Cannes, Karachi, and Madras. Greenwich Bay made 15 Mediterranean deployments protecting American interests and helping to maintain peace in the Middle East. In a conversation with Admiral R. R. Carney and Captain (later Rear Admiral) E. M. Eller Commander Middle Eastern Force, the late King Iban Saud expressed the Navy's role in this historic region: "The Navy loves freedom. It is the Bedouin of the sea."

Greenwich Bay was struck from the Navy List 1 July 1966 and sold for scrapping to Boston Metals Co., Baltimore, Md in May 1967.

From: Cpt. Charles B. MacDonald, Company Commander, 1947.

"The artillery pieces that had heralded our approach appeared in a deep valley to our right behind grey puffs of smoke as they belched their big noise into the spaces beyond."

"[T]hings… were becoming more and more routine. But always there was the deep, fearful dread of the enemy mortar shell that dropped unheralded from the sky, of the artillery round that screeched a fiendish warning as it approached--and the deep dread too of the darkness that would come tonight just as it had come last night and just as it would come the next night and the next. And any night the darkness might release a horde of fanatical German soldiers eager to kill and drive us from our holes and pillboxes, or perhaps a flame-throwing half track spouting its flaming oily death into the deepest recesses of the pillboxes."

"The Nebelwerfer barrage against the road junction was over, and I heard the other companies moving down the highway. Enemy artillery shells whistled so close overhead that the tall fir trees swayed gently from the breeze. We ducked involuntarily, but the big shells were intended for targets well to our rear. An answering barrage from the 99th Division artillery whistled over us, headed in the opposite direction. There seemed always to be a curtain of heavy shells racing above us."

"A round of 88mm fire snapped the top from a fir tree above our heads and fragments sprayed in all directions. There could be no doubt now. The Tigers had arrived."

"An 88mm shell whirred low over our heads and exploded with a crumping noise in the field behind us. Good morning, everybody. Welcome to another day in the Fatherland."

"The civilians in Wonetitz wanted us to withdraw from the town and fire again. They had begged the soldiers not to fight, but the Burgermeister had insisted that they must, and now every house in town had been hit with artillery fire, except ironically, the Burgermeister's.