CREW'S STORIES
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ARTICLES FROM THE "SYDNEY MORNING HERALD"
29 April 1967 ( CORAL SEA - GUESTS )
Three United States Warships will reach Sydney tomorrow morning carrying 3,510 sailors, anxious to see the sites. They are the 44,500 ton carrier BENNINGTON, the destroyer EPPERSON and the 55,000 ton Fleet Supply Vessel SACRAMENTO, which have served off Vietnam with the Seventh Fleet. The BENNINGTON and EPPERSON will sail through the Heads at 7AM followed by the SACRAMENTO at 8AM. The ships will be in Sydney until Monday, May 8th, for the 25th anniversary of the Battle of the Coral Sea. A total of 8,800 U.S. sailors from 13 warships will pay visits to Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, Hobart and Albany.
The U.S. Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral David McDonald, who will be guest-of-honor for the Sydney celebrations, will also arrive on Sunday at Kingsford Smith Airport.
The USS BENNINGTON CVS-20 and the EPPERSON will be moored at Garden Island and the SACRAMENTO at the Kirribilli Dolphins. The ships will be open to the public from 1:30 to 4:30 PM on Sunday. The BENNINGTON will be open to visitors every day for the rest of its stay. The SACRAMENTO will also be open for inspection on Monday, May 1st, Saturday, May 6th, and Sunday May 7th at the same hours.
30 April 1967 ( CARRIER DUE - Navy Anchors Sandra )
The U.S. aircraft carrier BENNINGTON is due in Sydney today and keeping Sandra Hilder 45 miles out of town while security officials make sure the Admiral's bedroom remains his own.
Sandra is the 20 year old blonde who hid under the Admiral's bed aboard the U.S. Navy's lone missile cruiser Long Beach last week in hopes of sailing to the United States to join Barnard ("Bud") Brewster, of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, whom she had met in Sydney last month during his shore leave from the Navy Icebreaker GLACIER.
When the BENNINGTON docks at Garden Island, harbor patrol boats will be on station to make certain no unauthorized persons make it aboard the ship.
Sandra, all the while, will be under the eye of her father at her home in Long Jetty. He said she would not be visiting any U.S. Navy vessels this time. "In fact", he said, "I would not be surprised if she was banned from the area". But Sandra has vowed to keep trying to stowaway aboard a ship going to the United States - -- and Bud.
The BENNINGTON, the U.S. supply vessel SACRAMENTO and the destroyer EPPERSON are coming to Sydney to take part in the annual Coral Sea Week Commemoration. As well as being on guard against Sandra, the crew of the BENNINGTON will have a wary eye out for university students. You see, 10 years ago, when BENNINGTON was here for Coral Sea Week, students slipped through a tight security screen and reached the bridge and sounded the ship's chemical warfare alarm, sparking off a row about the vessel's security.
4 May 1967 ( CURFEW FOR 29 CARRIER CREW )
Twenty-nine sailors from the visiting carrier USS BENNINGTON are on restricted liberty in Sydney. They have the reputation of being "liberty risks" by misbehaving in other ports. Some got drunk, others were involved in brawls and some were late returning to the ship. The Carrier's Public Affairs Officer, Lt. Roger Adams, said, yesterday, that sailors on the restricted list had to be aboard by midnight and restricted Petty Officers by 1AM.
Mr. Stanley E. Shepherd, 44, of Anzac Parade, Kensington, yesterday Presented a check to the U.S. Navy aboard the BENNINGTON. He said it was his way of saying "thanks" to the United States Navy for saving Australia from Japanese invasion during World War II.
NOTE:
These articles have been retyped (as they appeared in the Sydney
Morning Herald on the dates stated above) by SK3 Joe Pires
Special thank you to GARY ELSBERRY in Australia for his
Assistance in obtaining these articles for our website.
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