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A Chronological History
of the U.S. Navy Cruiser
U.S.S. LITTLE ROCK
CL-92 / CLG-4 / CG-4



1966 - 1973

1966     1967     1968     1969     1970     1971     1972     1973



1966
 
12 Jan
17 / 18 Jan
28 Sep
15 Oct
Various dates





Relieved as temporary flagship of ComSecondFleet
Entered Norfolk Naval Shipyard for 32 week repair and overhaul period
Inclining Experiments
Dependents’ Cruise for friends and relatives.
Overhaul and refresher training.

1967

26 Jan
02 Feb
?? Mar
11 Apr
19 May
05 Jun
08 Jun
09 Jun
10 Jun
30 Jun
31 Jun











U.S.S. Little Rock - 6th Fleet Flag homeported Gaeta, Italy
At anchor, Gaeta, Italy
At anchor, Gaeta, Italy
Capt. John J. Mitchell relieves Capt. Oscar F. Dreyer
Blue Angels perform first show in Europe over U.S.S. Little Rock in Gaeta.
Arab-Israeli Six Day War begins.
USS Liberty attacked by Israeli ships and aircraft.
Little Rock assisted in evacuating wounded from U.S.S. Liberty after Israeli attack.
Six Day War ends.
American Eagle becomes official ship’s seal emblem.
Depart Naples, Italy

1968
 
24 Apr
11-12 May
13-14 May
15-16 May
17-31 May
?? Jun
01-23 Jul
12 Jul
17 Jul
23-24 Jul
25-28 Jul
29 Jul
30 Jul - 02 Aug
03-04 Aug
05-13 Aug
14 Aug

15-17 Aug
18-27  Aug
28 Aug - 02 Sep
03-04 Sep
04-08 Sep
09 Sep
10-13 Sep
14-15 Sep
16-19 Sep
19 Sep
20-27 Sep
27-30 Sep
30 Sep - 02 Oct
02-04 Oct
04-13 Oct
14-15 Oct
16-18 Oct
19-23 Oct
24-30 Oct
01-12 Nov
13 Nov
14-18 Nov
19 Nov
20-22 Nov
23 Nov
24 Nov - 04 Dec
05 Dec
06-09 Dec
10 Dec
11-31 Dec















































Capt. W. F. V. Bennett relieves Capt. John C. Mitchell
Athens, Greece
At sea
Naples, Italy
Gaeta, Italy
First USSR warship presents honors to 6th Fleet flagship in Med
Gaeta, Italy
Little Rock renders assistance to Italian fishing vessel Olimpia #CT 1717.
Dependent's cruise)
At sea
Valencia, Spain
At sea
Palma, Majorca
At sea
Gaeta, Italy
Naples, Italy for change of 6th fleet command from Admiral Martin to
Admiral Richardson
Gaeta, Italy
At sea
Gaeta, Italy
At sea
Izmir, Turkey
At sea
Athens, Greece
At sea
Tunis, Tunisia
At sea
Gaeta, Italy
At sea
Argostoli Bay, Greece
At Sea
Naples, Italy
Gaeta, Italy
At sea
Rota, Spain
At sea
Gaeta, Italy
At sea
Valleta, Malta
At sea
Taranto, Italy
At sea
Gaeta, Italy
At sea
Toulon, France
At sea
Gaeta, Italy


1969

01-03 Jan
04-09 Jan
10-13 Jan
13-14 Jan
15-17 Jan
18 Jan
19-26 Jan
27-29 Jan
30 Jan - 02 Feb
03 Feb
04-07 Feb
08-09 Feb
10-14 Feb
14 Feb
15 Feb - 01 Mar
02-07 Mar
08-11 Mar
12-14 Mar
15-25 Mar
26 Mar
28 Mar - 01 Apr
01-02 Apr
02-14 Apr
09 Apr
15-16 Apr
17-20 Apr
21-30 Apr
01-11 May
12 May
13-14 May
15-20 May
21-22 May
23 May - 01 Jun
02-07 Jun
08-11 Jun
12-13Jun
14 Jun - 06 Jul
07-10 Jul
11-14 Jul
15-16 Jul
17-27 Jul
28-31 Jul
01-04 Aug
05-07 Aug
08-11 Aug
12-24 Aug
25-29 Aug
30 Aug - 07 Sep
08-12 Sep
13-22 Sep
23-24 Sep
25-28 Sep

29-30 Sep
01-05 Oct
06-07 Oct
08-14 Oct
15-28 Oct
29 Oct - 11 Nov
12 Nov
13-16 Nov
15 Nov
17 Nov
18-20 Nov
21-22 Nov
23-30 Nov
01 Dec
02-05 Dec
06-07 Dec
08-10 Dec
11-13 Dec
14-31 Dec








































































Gaeta, Italy
At sea
Taranto, Italy
At sea
Villefranche, France
At sea
Gaeta, Italy
At sea
Casablanca, Morocco
At sea
Lisbon, Portugal
At sea
Barcelona, Spain
At sea
Gaeta, Italy
At sea
Gaeta, Italy
At sea
Gaeta, Italy
At sea
La Spezia, Italy
At sea
Gaeta, Italy.
Some of ship's company and Admiral's staff attended papal audience in Rome.
At sea
Palma, Majorca
At sea
Gaeta, Italy
Naples, Italy
At sea
Venice, Italy
At sea
Gaeta, Italy
At sea
Rhodes, Greece
At sea
Gaeta, Italy
At sea
Monaco
At sea
Gaeta, Italy
At sea
Rota, Spain
Gilbralta
At sea
Gaeta, Italy
At sea
Gaeta, Italy
At sea
Gaeta, Italy
At sea. Bad storm.
Dubrovnik, Yugoslavia (USS Little Rock first US Navy ship to go into this
communist country during cold war.)
At sea
Athens, Greece
At sea
Gaeta, Italy
Missing data (Perhaps Naples, Italy or Malta
Naples, Italy
At sea
Malta
Capt. Charles E. Little relieves Capt. Walter F.V. Bennett
At sea
Tripoli
At sea
Gaeta, Italy
At sea
Valleta, Malta
At sea
Toulon, France
At sea
Gaeta, Italy  (Bob Hope Christmas show aboard carrier in Bay of
Naples, Italy on Dec 18)


1970

01-06 Jan
07-08 Jan
08-11 Jan
13-15 Jan
16 Jan
17-29 Jan
30 Jan - 06 Feb
07-19 Feb
20-22 Feb
23-25 Feb
26 Feb - 01 Mar
02 Mar
03-06 Mar
07 Mar
08 Mar
09 Mar
10-13 Mar
14-15 Mar
16 Mar - ?
31 Mar
03-07 Apr
08-09 Apr
10-12 Apr
13 Apr
14-27 Apr
28 Apr
29 Apr - 03 May
04-08 May
0 9-23 May
24 May
25-30 May
13 Jun
08-11 Jun

17 Jun
19-26 Jun
10-15 Jul
31 Jul - 04 Aug
?? Summer
20 Aug
24 Aug

27-28 Aug
04 Sep
04 Oct
12 Oct / Nov ??















































Gaeta, Italy
At sea
Villefranche, France
Genoa, Italy
At sea
Gaeta, Italy
At sea
Gaeta, Italy
At sea
Tangier, Morocco
Gibraltar
At sea
Lisbon, Portugal
At sea
Rota, Spain
At sea
Barcelona, Spain
At sea
Gaeta, Italy
Ciuadella, Minorca
At sea
Valleta, Malta
Tunis, Tunisia
Depart Tunis for Gaeta.          At sea
Gaeta, Italy
At sea
Rapallo, Italy
At sea
Gaeta, Italy
At sea
Palma, Majorca
Athens, Greece
Little Rock (CLG-4) is in a minor collision with the Greek destroyer Longhi
in the Gulf of Laconia off Greece during NATO exercise "Dawn Patrol 70". (1)        
25th Anniversary of USS Little Rock. Secretary of Defense Melvin Laird aboard.
Temporary repair to bow at Malta
Monte Carlo, Monaco. ( Princess Grace and Prince Rainier visit Little Rock.)
Valencia, Spain
Dubrovnik, Yugoslavia
USS Springfield CLG-7 arrives in Gaeta to relieve Little Rock as Flagship.
USS Springfield relieves Little Rock.
Little Rock departs Gaeta with 26 wives and 10 children aboard.
Pierside Rota, Spain
Arrive Newport RI. First cruiser to be homeported in Newport.
Depart Newport for Yorktown NWS to off load ammo.
USS Little Rock enters Boston Naval Shipyard for 6 month overhaul.

(1) There are some "reports" of a collision between Little Rock and a 'Turkish' destroyer about the same time. These most likely are reports of the same incident. The name of the Greek destroyer is Longhi not Lonzhi as sometimes reported.



1971

28 Mar
19 Apr
23 Apr
Apr - Jun
11 Jun
12 Jun
?? Jun
?? Jul
?? Jul
13 Aug
16 Aug
20 Aug
Aug - Sep
22 Sep
29 Sep - Oct
?? Oct
23 Oct
?? Nov
01 Dec
25 Dec
?? Dec





















At Boston Naval Shipyard undergoing inclining experiments
Overhaul completed at Boston NSY.
CDR Joseph L. Dick reports aboard as Executive Officer
Newport, RI / Yorktown, VA
Capt. Gordon R. Nagler relieves Capt. Charles E. Little
Depart Newport for 10 week REFTRA Caribbean
San Juan, PR
San Juan, PR
St. Thomas, VI
Guantanamo Bay, Cuba
Culebra Gun Range w/USS Robert Wilson
Arrive Newport, RI. Berth Pier 1, starboard side to.
Undergoing Habitability Renovations
Underway for Yorktown, VA
Caribbean for CNO Project C/S-68
St. Thomas, VI
Arrive Newport, RI
CCTV System WCLG-3 goes on line
Depart for 5 month Med cruise
Naples, Italy - Visits to Rome
Malaga


1972

01 Jan
05 Jan
Jan - Feb
17 Feb
Late Feb
?? Feb
27 Jul
?? Oct
11 Dec









At sea - Russian helo hovers near Little Rock. Photo Ops!
Underway in Mediterranean Sea
Livorno, Florence, Pisa, Trieste, Venice (dates uncertain)
Three helicopters on the deck at the same time set record
Athens approx. 1 month (dates uncertain)
Thessaloniki (date uncertain)
Capt. Robert E. Morris relieves Capt. Gordon P. Nagler
Underway, Norwegian Sea for Exercise "Strong Express"
At Boston Naval Shipyard undergoing inclining experiments


1973

24 Jul
29 Aug
Early Oct
06 Oct
?? Oct
26 Oct
Early Nov
?? Dec








Capt. Peter K. Cullins relieves Capt. Robert E. Morris
USS Little Rock relieves the USS Springfield as 6th Fleet Flagship.
Istanbul, Turkey ?  Athens, Greece ?
1973 Arab-Israeli (Yom Kippur) War begins. (1)
Little Rock joins Task Force 60 and USS Independence
1973 Arab-Israeli War ends.
Gaeta, Italy (2 days)
Tunis, Tunisia. First visit since Arab-Israeli War.

(1)  From Wikipedia:  The Yom Kippur War, Ramadan War or October War, also known as the 1973 Arab-Israeli War and the Fourth Arab-Israeli War, was fought from October 6 to October 26, 1973, between Israel and a coalition of Arab states led by Egypt and Syria. The war began with a surprise joint attack by Egypt and Syria on the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur. Egypt and Syria crossed the cease-fire lines in the Sinai and Golan Heights, respectively, which had been captured by Israel in 1967 during the Six-Day War.

The Egyptians and Syrians advanced during the first 24-48 hours, after which momentum began to swing in Israel's favor. By the second week of the war, the Syrians had been pushed entirely out of the Golan Heights. In the Sinai to the south, the Israelis struck at the "seam" between two invading Egyptian armies, crossed the Suez Canal (where the old ceasefire line had been), and cut off the Egyptian Third Army just as a United Nations cease-fire came into effect.


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Contributors to this Page:

Ward Rusling LT / 1st & G Div - 1968-1970
 Frank Sikes
LTJG Flag / R Div - May 1968 to July 1970