Uss Grand Rapids (Pg-98): The Best Fighting Ship the World Has Ever Seen

By Bruce Holdt

THE BOOK I HAD TO WRITE
I spent 30 years of my life as a US Navy Officer. All those years were great. But the one year, 1976, was the best year of my life. I was the Commanding Officer of the best ship in the US Navy. I had the finest crew anyone could hope for. I hope you enjoy reading this book as much as I enjoyed writing it.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Dec 20, 2014
• ISBN: 9781499094688

Bruce Holdt

Bruce Holdt is a retired U.S. naval officer. He spent six years as an enlisted sailor, four of which were attending the University of Washington as student in the Naval Enlisted Science Program. On May 30, 1968, he graduated, earning a Bachelor of Science degree. On August 30, 1968, he was commissioned as regular in the U.S. Navy. He served as the anti-submarine officer on the USS Taussig (DD-746) from September 1 to May 30, 1968. He was ordered to attend destroyer school. From April 1 to October 30, 1971, he served as operations officer on the USS Reasoner (FF-1063). He then served as combat cargo officer on the USS Tuscaloosa (LST-1187) from November 1, 1972, to March 30, 1974. He then attended Naval Postgraduate School, earning a Master of Science degree. From August 1 to October 30, 1976, he served as the commanding officer of the USS Grand Rapids (PG-98). He was then assigned to the office of chief of naval personnel in Washington, DC. From September 1, 1980, to December 15, 1982, He served as the commanding officer of the Implicit (MSO-455). He then attended the NATO Defense College in Rome, Italy. He then was assigned to the office of supreme allied commander in Mons, Belgium, from May 1, 1983, to August 1988. He then served as operations officer on the USS Nassau, as operations officer until August 30, 1986. He was then assigned to the office of chief of naval personnel in Washington, DC. He was then assigned as the military attaché to Brazil in Rio de Janeiro until September 30, 1989. From there, served in the office of chief of naval personnel in Washington, DC, retiring from the U.S. Naval Service on August 30, 1990. After his retirement from the U.S. naval service, he worked as a consultant for sever firms. He applied for a position with MCI as a project manager for a reengineering project for MCI Proceda, a communications company, located in Sao Paulo, Brazil. He worked in Brazil for three years before returning to his home on Clitherall Lake in Minnesota. He continued consulting until he became very ill with liver disease. He suffered four compression fractures of his spine and received a liver transplant. He lives and writes books from his home on a beautiful lake in northern Minnesota, USA.

Book preview

USS Grand Rapids

(PG-98)

The Best Fighting Ship

The World Has Ever Seen

Bruce Holdt

Copyright © 2014 by Bruce Holdt.

ISBN:      Softcover      978-1-4990-9469-5

                eBook           978-1-4990-9468-8

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Rev. date: 02/18/2015

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CONTENTS

A Note to Readers

Chapter 1 Tyrrhenian Sea

Chapter 2 Northern Minnesota

Chapter 3 University of Minnesota, Minneapolis

Chapter 4 US Navy Recruit Training Center, San Diego

Chapter 5 US Naval Air Station (NAS) Memphis

Chapter 6 US Naval Air Station Glencoe, GA

Chapter 7 US Naval Air Station Agana, Guam

Chapter 8 San Diego, CA

Chapter 9 Newport, RI

Chapter 10 Tacoma, WA

Chapter 11 Naples, Italy

Chapter 12 Mediterranean Sea

Chapter 13 Naples, Italy

Chapter 14 Florence, Italy

Chapter 15 Mediterranean Sea

Chapter 16 Naples, Italy

Chapter 17 Naples, Italy

Chapter 18 Naples, Italy

Chapter 19 Naples, Italy

Chapter 20 Sicily, Italy

Chapter 21 Mediterranean Sea

Chapter 22 Naples, Italy

Chapter 23 Istanbul Turkey

Chapter 24 In route USA

Chapter 25 Little Creek, VA

About the Author

Also By Bruce Holdt

Gunboats Forever

Brazil

Murder in San Francisco

A NOTE TO READERS

In December of 2012, I was recovering from a liver transplant. I was supposed to remain in bed, so that I would heal quickly. Besides the transplant, I had five-compression fracture of discs in my back, so getting out of bed was very painful. I became very bored and anxious for something to do. For the first time in five years, I felt good and was fully alert.

I asked my nurse, Can I have a laptop?

I don’t see why not. I will call have one delivered to you. Is there anything special you want on it?

Just access to the Internet and Microsoft Office.

Soon my laptop arrived and I had them set it up on the table they used to serve me my meals. I started it up, set up my email, and sent emails to my two daughters. Both of whom had often suggested I write a book about my first command as a Naval Officer. My first command was the USS Grand Rapids (PG-98), a Guided Missile Patrol Gunboat, home ported in Naples, Italy. I often told stories about the ship, its crew, and our adventures in the Mediterranean Sea and the countries surrounding it. My family thought it would make a good book.

I had written a great deal of technical documents as a Naval Officer and a consultant. I never thought I would be able write a book. However, was not going anywhere soon so I thought why not try? I started writing but soon learned that I could not remember all of my crews’ names or all of the events of the year. I think this is because of the toxins the five years of liver disease deposited in my brain.

I have tried to make this book as close to what really happened to my while I commanded the USS Grand Rapids. If you were, a crewmember of the Grand Rapids, during my command, would like to correct any part of the book, go to www.bruceholdt.com, click on the Contact tab, and send me your corrections. For my other readers, I have tried to make the book as accurate as possible through research and discussions with some of my crew mates, so I had to make some of them up.

Map of the Mediterranean Sea and surrounding Countries

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All of the events in this book occurred during the year of 1976. My family consisted of me, Bruce Edward Holdt. I was thirty-three years old. My wife, Karen Wallin Holdt, was thirty-four; my oldest daughter, Marnie Esther Holdt, was ten years old; my son, Theodore Charles Holdt, was six years old; and my youngest daughter, Melissa Missy Holdt, was five years old.

CHAPTER 1

Tyrrhenian Sea

It was a calm clear night. The moon was full, shining and very bright of the glassy sea. The stars were very bright. My ship was completely dark with all electronic systems in standby. We were only using our electronic counter measures system to try to find the Russian fleet.

Bridge, this is the starboard lookout. I can see a ship on our right bow that looks like a carrier!

This is the captain, I have the conn. Right standard rudder. Come to course 030.

Right standard rudder. Aye, aye, Captain.

CIC, this is the captain. Take one sweep of you surface search radar. I want the range to the contact at 030."

Captain CIC, the ship is twenty miles from us.

XO, sound general quarters for missile firing.

Aye, aye, Captain.

General quarters. General quarters for missile firing. All hands, man your battle stations!

Captain, this is CIC. The target has increase to thirty knots.

CIC, this is the captain. The target knows we have found him.

What is you evaluation of the target?

Captain, this is CIC. The target is radiating the radar of a Russian aircraft carrier.

We have found the Russian carrier. We are going to her!

Engineering, this is the captain. Bring up the turbine. Make ready for maximum speed.

CIC, this is the captain. Raise both missile launchers. Prepare to fire two missiles on my command.

Aye, aye, Captain.

Captain, this is engineering. The turbine is on the line.

Helmsman, full speed ahead.

CIC, this is the captain. Fire two missiles!

Two missiles away!

Fire the other two!

Two missiles away!

Helmsman, can you see the carrier?

Yes, Captain. She is directly ahead.

Steer directly at her at max speed. I want to get close to her.

Aye, aye, Captain.

Gunnery, this is the captain. Standby your fifties. I want you to shoot any survivors in the water. Then shoot anyone on deck of the carrier. I want you to kill all the damn Russian. They just sunk one of our carriers.

Aye, aye, Captain. It will be a pleasure.

Captain, this is CIC. The carrier has turned away from us at high speed.

That’s OK. She can’t outrun us.

Captain, this is the port lookout. I can see three long row of light on the carrier’s side!

I quickly brought up my binoculars.

My god. We attacked a cruise ship. She must think we are Sicilian pirates trying to stop and board her. That is not the Clemenceau. It is a cruise ship!

Helmsman, reverse course to 210. Maintain maximum speed. We need to get out of her before the cruise ship identifies us.

No, we did not actually attack the cruise ship. We were participating in a NATO exercise in the Mediterranean.

The French aircraft carrier. The Clemenceau was simulating a Russian aircraft carrier for the exercise. We had mistaken the cruise ship for the Clemenceau and simulated an attack on her. No doubt scaring the entire crew.

I have kept this a secret until now.

XO, tell the crew to stand down form battle stations and set the regular watch.

CHAPTER 2

Northern Minnesota

I was born in a small town in northern Minnesota called Clitherall. It got its name from my mother’s Mormon ancestors, called Cutlerites. They traveled to northern Minnesota to teach the Indians to speak and understand English, so that they could read the bible.

They formed the Church of Jesus Christ (Cutlerite). Its founder was Alpheus Cutler, a member of the Nauvoo High Council and of Joseph Smith’s Council of Fifty. It is a denomination of the Latter Day Saint movement headquartered in Independence, Missouri, United States.

The Cutlerites broke off from the Mormons in Illinois who followed Brigham Young to Utah. The biggest difference between the Mormons who continued on with Brigham Young and the splinter group was that these followers of a man named Audolphis Cutler did not believe in or allow polygamy.

Cutler died on June 10, 1864, and the group then elected my great-great-grandfather Sylvester Whiting to lead them with the assistance of his brothers Chauncey and Isaac.

Alpheus Cutler by Unknown - Findagrave.com: Image found here. Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons.

Image40771.JPG

It was a two-month trek from Nauvoo to Minnesota. Every evening the hardy band would stop and circle up their wagons, build a fire, and several of the men would go ought into the wilderness to hunt for food for the group.

They would return with a variety of game, rabbits, dear, and wild turkeys. The women would cook the meat and serve it with beans and bread. They had brought large bags of flour, bought in Nauvoo.

One day, after finally arriving in Minnesota,