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“Jada were a popular night club act at Club Lido in Panama City. Not surprisingly, her routine was entitled “Beauty and the Beast”. She is shown here performing for the sailors of the US Task Force 11, while they were on leave. The troops were on their way to New York City to participate in Navy Day celebrations, but made a stop before passing through the Panama Canal.”

TOWNSVILLE has been forced to turn away a US warship and its 3600-strong crew, which would have brought more than $1 million a day to the port city. The USS Essex, a 258m-long amphibious assault vessel, has been diverted to Cairns for an eight-day shore leave, including the popular Fourth of July celebrations. Outraged Townsville tour operators are facing millions in losses, empty hotel rooms, cancelled tours and more than 400 seats booked for the North Queensland Cowboys home game as a result of the embarrassing backdown. Cairns officials yesterday welcomed the big-spending US seamen and the predicted $10 million...

After steaming through the Heads just before midday, it took almost an hour for two tugs to guide the 323m Kitty Hawk into dock at the Garden Island naval base. More than 100 family members, who had flown from the ship's base at Yokosuka in Japan, were on hand to meet loved ones. Sailors listed their top priorities as going to the zoo to see koalas and kangaroos, dining at Centrepoint tower, climbing the Harbour Bridge and relaxing on Sydney's beaches. "It is awesome, this is my second visit to Australia and from my last visit I remember how great...

THIRTY-five years or so ago, one of the main reasons I decided to leave school at the age of 16 and go to sea was the prospect of 'seeing the world'. Pulling out all the stops: International shipowners' organisations and seafarers' trade unions are now planning a joint campaign to persuade governm In the event I wasn't disappointed. During my time as a cadet and subsequently deck officer at, almost, the end of the era of conventional general cargo services, I had lots of opportunity to go ashore, to look around and to get away from the ship. In...