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


Last updated: 24 Jan 2012


1974 - 1979

1974     1975     1976      1977     1978     1979



1974
 
01 - 13 Jan

Remain in Gaeta, Italy
14 Jan

Underway from Gaeta
15 Jan

Underway for Gibraltar
16 - 19 Jan

At Gibraltar
19 Jan

Transit Straits of Gibraltar
20 - 24 Jan

Lisbon, Portugal
25 - 28 Jan
"


At Rota, Spain
27 Jan -  the Sixth Fleet Music Show performed at the station theater at 7 p.m.
28 Jan

Depart U.S. Naval Station, Rota, Spain (with some dependents aboard) for goodwill visit to Tangier, Morocco.
28 Jan - 01 Feb

Tangier, Morocco
01 Feb

Transit Straits of Gibraltar
01 - 05 Feb Malaga, Spain
06 - 07 Feb

At sea
8 - 13 Feb

Gaeta, Italy
13 - 19 Feb

At sea. Task Force operations in the ‘Blue Force’ in Exercise National Week
 20 - 21 Feb

Souda Bay, Crete
22-27 Feb

At Gaeta, Italy
28 Feb - 02 Mar

Palma “The Pearl of the Med”, Majorca, Spain
03 Mar

At sea.
04 - 07 Mar

Porto Scudo, Sardinia, Italy
08 - 19 Apr

Gaeta, Italy
??? Mar

FTG2 Dean Zaharis chosen as U.S.S. Little Rock "Sailor of the Year" for 1974.
20 - 24 Apr

At sea for Talos missile firings.
24 - 28 Apr

Rhodes, Greece
28 Apr - 01 May

Mykanos, Greece
02 - 09 May

At sea. Exercise "Dawn Patrol", in eastern Med, with an amphibious landing in Turkey.
09 - 22 May

Gaeta, Italy
23 May

At sea. Destination Split, Yugoslavia.
23 - 27 May

Split, Yugoslavia (Fleet picnic)
28 May - 01 Jun

Corfu, Greece with dependents
02 - 09 Jun

At sea.
10 - 25 Jun

Gaeta, Italy
26 Jun

At sea.
27 Jun

Arrive Villefranche, France
28 - 30 Jun

Villefranche, France
01 Jul
"


Depart Villefranche, France for one day dependent's cruise
Arrive Toulon, France
01 - 04 Jul
"


At Toulon, France
Little Rock celebrates the 4th of July with a 21 gun salute.
05 Jul

Depart Toulon and arrive Gaeta same day.
06 - 20 Jul
"


At Gaeta, Italy
Little Rock crew celebrates "belated 4th of July" with a two-day beach party.
20 Jul
"
"



Turkey invades Cyprus.
0800 Little Rock receives General Recall
1000 Little Rock gets underway.
21 - 27 Jul
"


Little Rock operating with Sixth Fleet involved in special operations at sea off Crete and Cyprus. Preparations for evacuation of personnel from Cyprus if necessary.
28 Jul

Underway for Alexandria, Egypt.
29 Jul - 03 Aug

In port at Alexandria, Egypt
03 Aug - 05 Aug

Underway. Little Rock operating with Sixth Fleet.
05 Aug - 19 Aug

At Gaeta, Italy for Tender Availability (TAV) with USS Yosemite.
15 Aug

Eligibility commencement date for Sea Service Deployment Ribbon.
19 Aug

Rodger P. Davies, U.S. Ambassador to Cyprus, is assassinated by a sniper.
19 Aug - 23 Aug

Underway for Cyprus.
24 Aug

Return to Gaeta, Italy to resume Tender Availability.
05 Sep
"


Change of Command ceremony in Gaeta.
VADM Frederick C. Turner relieves VADM Daniel J. Murphy Sr. as COMSIXTHFLT
18 Sep
Depart Gaeta for Palma, Majorca, Spain
19 - 22 Sept

Underway for Palma
23 - 24 Sep

At Palma
25 Sep
"
"



Embark 22 wives for a daytime trip to Barcelona, Spain
Depart Palma
Arrive Barcelona, Spain
26 - ?? Sep

At Barcelona, Spain
26 Sep

Meyers, John C., ETN2 is Little Rock's Duty ET.
?? Sep

Depart Barcelona, Spain
01 - 04 Oct

Cannes, France
04 - 07 Oct

Monaco
08 - 23 Oct

Gaeta, Italy
13 Oct

"



U.S.S. Little Rock celebrates U.S. Navy's 199th birthday. Cake was cut by Senior Officer present VADM Turner and Senior Enlisted present MMCM Frank.
Little Rock's football team plays the Air Force “Black Falcons”. About 500 crew plus dependents attend – a dozen wives with pompons doing the cheerleading. Little Rock wins!
23 - 24 Oct

At sea for Talos missile firings.
25 - 26 Oct

Gaeta, Italy
27 Oct

Underway with about 400 dependents and selected Italian guests on board for Navy Day cruise. Little Rock conducts tours and demonstrations of general quarters with wives manning husband’s stations. USS Tinosa (SSN 606) participated, along with an air show by the USS Saratoga (CVA 60) air group.
27 Oct - 07 Nov

Gaeta, Italy
08 Nov

Underway for Tangier, Morocco
11 - 14 Nov
"


In port, Tangier, Morocco
The "Saga of the Disappearing Peacoats". (See Capt. Cullins' Oral History Segment 10.)
15 Nov

Underway for Toulon, France.
16 - 19 Nov

In port, Toulon, France
21 Nov - ??

Gaeta, Italy
28 Nov

Thanksgiving Day "Turkey Bowl". USS Little Rock beats CVA 62 Independence's football team in the Gaeta soccer stadium.
02 Dec

Depart Gaeta for a week of National Week XVII exercises.
?? Dec

Christmas raffle for two mountain bikes.
End of Dec

Gaeta, Italy

1975

01 - 16 Jan

Gaeta, Italy
16 Jan
Depart Gaeta for Palermo, Sicily on Dependent's Cruise.
16 -19 Jan

Palermo (port stop on Dependent's Cruise)
19 - 24 Jan

Tunis, Tunisia (port stop on Dependent's Cruise)
25 - 27 Jan

Cagliari, Sardinia, Italy (port stop on Dependent's Cruise)
27 Jan - 02 Feb

At sea of Sardinia doing Talos missile firings. (Dependents remain in Cagliari.)
 03 - 07 Feb
Livorno, Italy (port stop on Dependent's Cruise)
08 Feb - 17 Mar

In port at Gaeta, Italy
05 Mar

Little Rock conducts a "Fast Cruise" with a 24-hour "at sea" routine while remaining in port
19 Mar

Depart Gaeta for Marseilles, France
20 - 24 Mar

Marseilles, France
?? Mar

CDR Kent R. Siegel relieves CDR Roger O. Simon as XO
21 Apr

Refueled from USS Neosho AO-143
23 Apr Gunnery exercises at Salto di Quirra range, Sardinia. (Picture)
24 Apr

In port at Gaeta, Italy
17 May Capt. William R. Martin relieves Capt. Peter K. Cullins
?? May - 31 May

At Gaeta, Italy
01 Jun
"


Depart Gaeta
Underway replenishment and refueling.
02 - 04 Jun
"


Proceeding south via Straits of Messina to Mediterranean Sea.
Course and speed set to arrive Port Said the morning of 05 Jun.
05 - 06 Jun

U.S.S. Little Rock with Commander 6th fleet participated in reopening of Suez Canal.  (Only U.S. vessel.)  (2nd in line in transit from Port Said to Ismalia and return.)
07 - 09 Jun
Alexandria, Egypt
10 - 12 Jun
Dubrovnik, Yugoslavia
30 Jun

Ship’s designation changed from CLG 4 to CG 4.
02 - 07 Jul

Cannes, France
08 - 11 Jul
Genoa, Italy
24 - 27 Jul
Tunis, Tunisia
???

Casablanca, Morocco
30 Aug
"


At NATO fuel pier, Gaeta, Italy
In the evening USS Little Rock hosted Miss America with a fantail party. Seven lucky crewmen
escort Miss Cothran and her party for the evening.
??? Sep

Rota, Spain (off-load weapons prior shipyard availability)
??? Sep - ??? Oct
At Naples, Italy (Commercial shipyard dry-docking for rudder repairs and other work)
07 Sep

Ship's football team "Fighting Tigers"plays U.S.S. Piedmont's "Bulldogs"
12 Sep
Ship's football team "Fighting Tigers"plays NAF, Naples
20 Sep
Ship's football team "Fighting Tigers"plays Army/Air Force
26 Sep
Ship's football team "Fighting Tigers"plays AFSOUTH
 04 Oct

Ship's football team "Fighting Tigers"plays AGNANO
10 Oct
Ship's football team "Fighting Tigers"plays U.S.S. Piedmont's "Bulldogs"
19 Oct
Ship's football team "Fighting Tigers"plays NAF, Naples
25 Oct
Ship's football team "Fighting Tigers"plays Army/Air Force
13 Oct

U.S.S. Little Rock celebrates 200th birthday of the U.S. Navy while in Naples Italy.
??? Oct
Transit Straits of Gibraltar (need date)
??? Oct

Rota, Spain (re-load weapons)
??? Oct
Transit Straits of Gibraltar (need date)
02 Nov

Ship's football team "Fighting Tigers"plays AFSOUTH
08 Nov

Ship's football team "Fighting Tigers"plays AGNANO
17 - 20 Nov

Izmir, Turkey
Date uncertain First U.S. military fiber optic telephone link is installed on the Little Rock. (See Note 3.)
End of year
Gaeta, Italy


1976

01 - 15 Jan

At Gaeta, Italy as Flagship COMSIXTHFLT. Embarked at this time; VADM Frederick C. Turner, USN COMSIXTHFLT and Capt J.T. Parker Chief of Staff.
16 Jan

Depart Gaeta. Underway for Casablanca, Morocco
17 - 20 Jan

At sea Western Mediterranean.
20 - 23 Jan

Casablanca, Morocco
23 - 27 Jan

Underway from Casablanca to Villefranche, France
27 - 30 Jan

Villefranche, France
30 - 31 Jan

At sea.
31 Jan - 01 Feb

At Gaeta, Italy
02 Feb

Underway from Gaeta to Naples, Italy
02 - 21 Feb
"


Naples, Italy (Tender availability period).
Tender availability provided by USS Piedmont AD-17.
21 Feb - 01 Mar

Little Rock at Gaeta, Italy
01 - 03 Mar

Underway. Conducting operations enroute to Piraeus (Athens), Greece in Eastern Mediterranean.
  03 - 06 Mar Piraeus (Athens), Greece. First visit to Greece since 1974 Cyprus Crisis.
06 - 10 Mar Steaming with USS Saratoga and other 6th Fleet Units. (Picture)
10 - 15 Mar
Little Rock participates in "National Week XX" held in the Tyrrhenian Sea. Twenty-six ships and over 17,000 men took participated in the exercise, a part of the U.S. Sixth Fleet's readiness training.
16 Mar - 03 Apr

At Gaeta, Italy
03 - 05 Apr

At sea conducting operations enroute to Toulon, France.
  05 - 09 Apr At Toulon, France
09 Apr Depart Toulon conducting operations enroute to Gaeta, Italy.
10 Apr Arrive Gaeta, Italy for 16 day upkeep period.
11 - 25 Apr

At Gaeta for upkeep period.
26 Apr Depart Gaeta to participate in Italian Air Defense "Dixie Jargon/X-Tell" Exercises.
27 Apr Arrive Gaeta, Italy.
28 - 29 Apr

At Gaeta
30 Apr -01 May
"


In transit enroute "Dawn Patrol 1976".
Little Rock experiences engineering casualty (a ruptured lube oil cooler on #1 main engine) while in the Tyrrhenian Sea. (Letters of Commendation awarded to three crewmen for repairs made.)
02 - 07 May Little Rock at Naples, Italy for repairs
07 May Underway for NATO exercise "Dawn Patrol" at Capo Teulada, Sardinia.
13 May Return to Gaeta, Italy.
14 May - 04 Jun
"


At Gaeta
Personnel Inspection held on Fleet Landing. on 26 May.
05 Jun Depart Gaeta for Dubrovnik, Yugoslavia. Twelve dependent boys aboard for cruise.
06 - 07 Jun

Enroute Dubrovnik.
08 - 12  Jun Dubrovnik, Yugoslavia
?? Jun Little Rock receives Commander Sixth Fleet "Shipshape and Sharp in 76" award, for the best maintained ship in Sixth Fleet during Bicentennial Year.
13 Jun
"


Depart on family/guest cruise from Dubrovnik, Yugoslavia for Bari, Italy.
More than 120 family and guests embarked.
13 - 16 Jun At Bari, Italy.
17 Jun
"



Little Rock conducts operation "Fluid Drive" in Eastern Mediterranean.
USS Little Rock is ordered to Lebanon to assist in evacuating US citizens from Beruit, Lebanon during Lebanese Civil War.
20 Jun With USS Little Rock and other 6th Fleet units off shore, U.S.S. Spiegel Grove (LSD-32) evacuates 279 persons from Lebanon, and transports them to Athens, Greece. (See Little Rock website data.)
25 - 26 Jun Catania, Sicily, Italy.
27 Jun Arrive Gaeta, Italy.
28 - 29 Jun

At Gaeta.
30 Jun Depart Gaeta  for Cannes, France.
01 Jul Arrive in Cannes for celebrations honoring the Bicentennial of America's Independence.
02 Jul "Dancing Under the Stars" attended by 68 young ladies.
03 Jul Little Rock's 45 man marching unit participates in a function at Bar-Sur-Loupe. Later that day they participate along with the Little Rock Marine Corps marching unit in a parade in Grasse, France.
04 Jul Celebrated America's bicentennial in Cannes, France with the USS Little Rock's Navy and Marine Corps marching units as well as 6th Fleet, USS Saratoga, and French units participating in a one and one-half hour long Grand Parade through downtown Nice. Miss Mireille Mathieu, the noted French singer performed a series of numbers on the Little Rock. She was presented a Little Rock plaque by XO Kent R. Siegel. Later a Bicentennial Dinner was held at the Palm Beach Casino in Cannes, followed by a midnight fireworks show.
06 Jul Depart Cannes for Gaeta.
07 Jul Arrive Gaeta.
08 - 12 Jul

At Gaeta.
13 - 14 Jul Underway for "Missilex" missile firing exercise near Crete.
15 - 16 Jul Little Rock fires two Talos missiles. One Talos firing was evaluated a success and one a failure.
17 - 18 Jul Conducting exercises while underway in Eastern Mediterranean bound for Gaeta, Italy.
19 - 20 Jul

At Gaeta.
21 Jul Depart Gaeta to assist in a second evacuation of personnel from Lebanon.
22 - 29 Jul



"





Little Rock conducts operation "Fluid Drive" in Eastern Mediterranean enroute Gaeta, Italy.
Evacuation of 303 Americans and foreign nationals from Lebanon is completed on 27 Jul.
The U.S.S. Coronado LPD-11 evacuates about 300 people, including approximately 150 Americans. Evacuees were also taken to Piraeus Greece. (See Little Rock website data.)
During firing exercises Little Rock expends 234 rounds of 5"/38 and 177 rounds of 6"/47 ammo. (These were the last rounds to be fired by Little Rock prior to decommissioning.)
30 Jul Arrive Gaeta, Italy.
31 Jul - 19 Aug
"


At Gaeta.
05 Aug VADM Harry DePue Train II relieves VADM Frederick C. Turner as COMSIXTHFLT.
20 Aug
"


Little Rock enroute to Augusta Bay, Sicily.
Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) announces that Little Rock is to be decommissioned in the Fall.
21 - 22 Aug

Little Rock at Augusta Bay.
23 - 27 Aug

At sea conducting operations in Western Mediterranean ("National Week XXI")
28 Aug

Official message from CNO to CINCLANTFLT Norfolk VA dated R282104Z AUG 76 confirms that USS Little Rock CG4 will be decommissioned and struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 22 Nov 1976. Decommissioning site to be Philadelphia, PA.
28 Aug  - 06 Sep
"


At Gaeta, Italy.
While in the Mediterranean the Russian submarine K-22 (Echo II class) collides with USS Voge DE-1047 (Click to see VADM Train's comments.)
07 Sep
"


In Gaeta, U.S.S. Little Rock is relieved as Flagship ComSixthFlt by U.S.S. Albany CG-10.
Approximately 25% of Little Rock crew transfers ("cross-decks") to Albany.
09 Sep Final departure from Gaeta.
11 (?) Sep

Transit Straits of Gibraltar
10 - 12 Sep

Enroute to Lisbon, Portugal
13 - 15 Sep At Lisbon, Portugal
16 - 17 Sep

At sea enroute Azores.
18 Sep
"

"




At Ponta Delgada, Sao St. Miguel in Azores for about 8 hours to take on fuel.
LTJG Marco Sanguinetti given permission to go ashore for about four hours to visit his wife's family.
Depart Ponta Delgada.
19 - 24 Sep

At sea enroute Yorktown, VA.
25 - 29 Sep At Naval Weapons Station, Yorktown, VA to offload weapons.
30 Sep

Enroute Yorktown to Philadelphia, PA.
01 Oct
Arrive Philadelphia NSY for decommissioning.
02 - 19 Oct
"


At Philadelphia NSY preparing for decommissioning.
Ship's Store closes for good on 10 Oct.
20 Oct

"Last Skipper" Cdr. Kent R. Siegel relieves Capt. William R. Martin as CO USS Little Rock CG-4.
21 Oct - 22 Nov
"
"



At Philadelphia NSY preparing for decommissioning.
On 05 Nov the Ship's Laundry ceased operations.
Ship's Barber Shops closed on 18 Nov.
22 Nov USS Little Rock is decommissioned at Philadelphia NSY and is stricken from the Naval Register.

1977

01 Jan
"


USS Little Rock profiled in “All Hands” Magazine.
January 1977 All Hands Magazine article included the following Editor’s Note: “Since this story was written, stripping of the Little Rock has ceased pending her possible disposal as a naval memorial at a location still to be determined.
03 Feb


John J. Bennett, Ass't Secretary of the Navy, writes Vice President Walter Mondale informing him the Navy had no further use for USS The Sullivans and USS Little Rock and agreed to give them to Buffalo. Vice President Mondale subsequently notifies the House and Senate Armed Services committees of the Navy's plans.
01 Jun
"


Little Rock is officially transferred to the  Buffalo & Erie County Naval & Servicemen's Park in Buffalo, N.Y. (Click HERE to read an article on how the Little Rock came to be in Buffalo, NY.)
29 Jun

Two sea-going tugs and 15 volunteer crewmen began a 2,180 nautical mile journey of towing the 376 foot, 2,050 ton The Sullivans and the 610 foot, 10,700 ton Little Rock from Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, up the Atlantic coast, through the St. Lawrence Seaway and through the Welland Canal to Buffalo.
15 Jul
Little Rock arrives in Buffalo, NY to become a museum.
17 Jul

With the USS Little Rock and USS The Sullivans in the background, Buffalo's civic leaders, numerous Navy officials, and a crowd of 3,000 gathered at 2:00 p.m. to dedicate the city's new Naval and Servicemen 's Park. The principal Navy speaker was Rear Admiral Gordon R. Nagler, USN, Deputy Director, Command and Control and Communications (C3) Programs, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations (OP-094B) and former Little Rock Commanding Officer 1971-1972. Also speaking for the Navy was Mr. Stephen C. Yednock, Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, whose office issues the contracts for ship transfers.

1978


15 Jul 77
to
30 Jun 79



Little Rock is prepared for opening as a museum.

1979


30 Jun

Little Rock is opened to the public as a museum in Buffalo, NY.



Notes


1. Date shown for ports generally indicate arrival date.
2. Port stays are typically 3-5 days.
3. Various sources refer to the installation of a small fiber optic link telephone system aboard the Little Rock. It would seem from the data we've accumulated that the system (a) may have been installed as early as 1973, (b) that it may have been limited to 6 stations (phones),  (c) that it was installed to verify the limited susceptibility to electro-magnetic interference from other equipment, or (d) it provided "secure" communications between the stations. There are also references to a Mr. Don Williams of the Naval Electronics Laboratory Center (NELC) in San Diego as the person heading up this project.

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