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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: 15 Feb 2010


1974 - 1979

1974     1975     1976      1977     1978     1979



1974
 
01 - 14 Jan

Remain in Gaeta, Italy
Mar ???

FTG2 Dean Zaharis chosen as U.S.S. Little Rock "Sailor of the Year" for 1974.
15 - 16 Jan

Underway for Gibraltar
16 - 19 Jan

At 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 - 05 Feb Malaga, Spain
06 - 07 Feb

At sea
8 - 12 Feb

Gaeta, Italy
13 - 27 Feb

At sea.
28 Feb - 02 Mar

Palma, Majorca, Spain
03 Mar

At sea.
04 - 07 Mar

Porto Scudo, Sardinia, Italy
08 - 10 Mar

At sea
11 - ?? Mar

Gaeta, Italy
20 - 23 Apr

At sea.
24 - 28 Apr

Rhodes, Greece
28 Apr - 01 May

Mykanos, Greece
02 - 10 May

At sea.
11 - 19 May

Gaeta, Italy
20 - 22 May

At sea.
23 - 27 May

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

Corfu, Greece
02 - 10 Jun

At sea.
11 - 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.
27 Jul

Underway for Alexandria, Egypt.
29 Jul - 03 Aug

In port at Alexandria, Egypt
03 Aug - ???

Underway. Little Rock operating with Sixth Fleet.
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.

24 Aug - 01 Sep

Gaeta, Italy
21 Sep

Arrive at Palma, Majorca, Spain
22 - 24 Sep

At Palma, Majorca, Spain
25 Sep


Depart Palma
Arrive Barcelona, Spain
26 - ?? Sep

Barcelona, Spain
01 - 04 Oct

Cannes, France
?? Oct

Monaco
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.
11 - 15 Nov
Tangier, Morocco
16 - 19 Nov

Toulon, France
?? Dec

Christmas raffle for two mountain bikes.
End of Dec

Gaeta, Italy

1975

01 - 16 Jan

Gaeta, Italy
16 Jan
Depart Gaeta on Dependent's Cruise
16 -19 Jan

Palermo, Sicily, Italy (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)
 03 Feb
Livorno, Italy (port stop on Dependent's Cruise)
?? Mar

CDR Kent R. Siegel relieves CDR Roger O. Simon as XO
02 Mar

Gaeta, Italy
17 - 18 Mar

At sea. Underway for Marseilles, France
19 Mar

Arrive Marseilles
20 - 24 Mar

Marseilles, France
21 Apr

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

Naples, Italy (Commercial shipyard dry-docking for rudder repairs and other work)
13 Oct

U.S.S. Little Rock celebrates 200th birthday of the U.S. Navy while in Naples Italy.
??? Oct

Rota, Spain (re-load weapons)
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  - 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.
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
01 Jun

Little Rock is transferred to 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.)
15 Jul
Little Rock arrives in Buffalo, NY to become a museum.

1978


15 Jul 77
to
30 Jun 79



Little Rock is prepared for opening as a museum.

1979


30 Jun

Little Rock 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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1941-1945
1946
1947-1956
1957-1965
1966-1973
1974-1979
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Without your collective help this chronology would be hopelessly incomplete!


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