..
USS Kawishiwi AO-146 working both sides.
ANCHORED off KONA
Kawishiwi and Russian Trawler - BOTH wait for APOLLO-15
APOLLO-15 Capsule is hoisted aboard USS Okinawa LPH-37 in August 7, 1971
Russian Spy Ship "PROTRAKTOR" getting in close!
Starboard UNREP with USS Knox DE-1052 with Russians taking notes.
USS Oklahoma City CG-5, Alongside - Port.
I am not sure
if the USS OKC picture was taken the day we
gave it a good black-oil washdown (if you remember my Memory Shop story), but
very likely. A black day for Capt Wyand, I am sure .
Kawishiwi had role as secondary recovery ship for the
Apollo-15 splashdown. It gave us a good ringside seat. And it
was fun practicing picking up a floating Apollo capsule.
(NASA loaned us one;
let me tell you, it is close to impossible to drive a 38,000 ton ship
in open
water & stop it dead alongside a floating capsule. Glad we didn't
have to
do it for real).
A couple of
Russian trawlers ... those pesky things would
get mighty close. They always hung around ship maneuvers in the Hawaii
theater
