Quartermaster's Notebook of the U.S.S. Providence CLG-6, 1971: Finding Aid

History of U.S.S. Providence (Guided missile light cruiser: CLG-6)

Providence (CL-82) was laid down July 27, 1943 by Bethlehem Steel Co., Quincy, Massachusetts; launched December 28, 1944; sponsored by Mrs. Mary Roberts; and commissioned May 15, 1945, Captain W. B. Jackson in command.

Departing Boston June 13, 1945, Providence (CL-82) completed shakedown out of Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Upon arrival at Newport, Rhode Island, September 4, she trained prospective cruiser and carrier crews until October 6.

Departing Boston in November, she visited Piraeus, Greece, in December, Istanbul with Missouri (Battleship: BB-63) April 5 to April 9, 1946, and Alexandria, Egypt, in May. Leaving the Mediterranean June 16, she arrived at Philadelphia on the 25th. Following departure from the Delaware Capes in October and training out of Guantanamo Bay and Norfolk, Virginia, she left Hampton Roads for the Mediterranean February 3, 1947. After exercises and port visits in the Mediterranean, she departed Athens, Greece, in May, and arrived at Boston later that month.

Departing Newport, Rhode Island in November, she operated in the Mediterranean from November 20, 1947 to March 2, 1948, visiting Naples in December, Taranto in January, and Trieste and Venice in February, returning to Newport in March. Sailing from Newport in September 1948, she served the 6th Fleet in the Mediterranean from September 23, 1948 to January 14, 1949, visiting Thessalonika in October, Marseilles in November, Trieste and Venice in December, and Oran in January, returning to Newport later in January. She decommissioned at Boston June 14, 1949, and entered the Atlantic Reserve Fleet.

Reclassified CLG-6 on May 23, 1957, Providence commenced conversion to a guided missile light cruiser at Boston in June 1957. Provided with modern missiles, command ship facilities, and a nuclear weapons capability, she recommissioned September 17, 1959, Captain Kenneth L. Veth in command. Following shakedown out of Guantanamo Bay, she arrived at her new home port of Long Beach, California, July 29, 1960. After a six month tour of duty with the 7th Fleet, she returned to Long Beach March 31, 1961.

Following exercises off the west coast, she arrived at Yokosuka, Japan, in May 1962, and relieved Oklahoma City (Guided missile light cruiser; CLG-5) as flagship of the 7th Fleet. During 1962 and 1963 she participated in 7th Fleet exercises. During a three day visit to Saigon in January 1964, she hosted South Vietnamese and American dignitaries, and delivered more than 38 tons of Project Handclasp materials to local humanitarian organizations. Departing Yokosuka in July 1964, she returned to Long Beach in August. In October 1964 she began exercises in the Eastern Pacific. During January to June 1965, she received modern communications equipment. Spending the remainder of 1965 off the west coast with the 1st Fleet, she participated in exercises and visited various west coast ports.

Deployed to WestPac 12 November 1966, she again relieved Oklahoma City as flagship of the 7th Fleet on December 1, 1966 at Yokosuka, Japan. She contributed to a major bombardment of enemy positions in Vietnam April 1, 1967. She duelled with an enemy shore battery off the DMZ on May 25. In July she provided gunfire support for amphibious operations. She bombarded enemy storage areas south of Da Nang October 10.

During 1968, she provided gunfire support off Vietnam during each month except June and December. In February 1968, during the enemy's Tet offensive, gunfire from Providence effected an important breach in the wall of an enemy strong point at Hue. During 1969 she operated with the 1st Fleet off the west coast. Into 1970 she remained active with the Pacific Fleet.

Description of Contents

The Quartermaster's Notebook of the U.S.S. Providence CLG-6, comprising 0.04 linear feet of documentation in a single volume, spans from April 27 through May 26, 1971. The notebook comprises a daily log of the Providence's activities while transiting to San Diego between April 27 and May 1, and while moored at San Diego from May 1 until May 26 in between deployments to Vietnam.

The Notebook, which was kept while U.S.S. Providence was under the command of Captain H. S. Morgan, Jr. and operating with the 1st Fleet. The notebook offers a minute-by-minute record of events on board the ship as noted from the bridge, including such details as the movements of the ship's officers and crew, the status of maintenance jobs across the ship, reports of general conditions from other watch keeping stations, fuel status, and the location of nearby vessels.

Arrangement

The Quartermaster's Notebook of the U.S.S. Providence CLG-6 comprises a single volume. Entries therein are arranged chronologically.

Access and Use

Access

Access is unrestricted.

Copyright and Permission

The Quartermaster's Notebook of the U.S.S. Providence CLG-6 is the physical property of Nimitz Library. Copyright belongs to the authors or creators of the works, or their legal representatives. For further information, consult the Head, Special Collections & Archives.

It is the responsibility of the researcher to secure written permission to publish, reprint, or reproduce material from Special Collections & Archives. The researcher assumes responsibility for infringement of copyright or literary or publication rights. Please contact the Head, Special Collections & Archives for permission to publish and for further information.

Acquisition and Appraisal

Provenance and Acquisition

Gift of Major David Smith in February 1985. Accession No. 85-13.

Related Materials

Related Archival Material

Two cruise books, United States Ship Providence CLG-6, First Western Pacific Deployment, 1960-1961 and Wood & Iron, 1968, are available in the Nimitz Library general collection.

Additional deck logs of U.S.S. Providence should be available in Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships and Stations, 1941-1983, Record Group 24: Records of the Bureau of Naval Personnel, 1798-2007 at the National Archives and Records Administration.

Materials Cataloged Separately

No materials have been removed from this collection and cataloged separately.

Processing and Other Information

Preferred Citation

Quartermaster's Notebook of the U.S.S. Providence CLG-6, MS 539

Special Collections & Archives Department

Nimitz Library

United States Naval Academy

Selected Bibliography

The following sources were consulted during preparation of the biographical note:

"Providence IV (CL-82)." Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Washington: Naval History and Heritage Command, 2005, https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/p/providence-iv.html.

Processing Information

This collection was processed by David D'Onofrio in October 2019. Finding aid written by David D'Onofrio in October 2019.

Subject Headings

Name and Subject Terms

• Providence (Guided missile light cruiser : CLG-6)

Genre Terms

• Manuscripts
• Ships' logs