Captain Snyder's Letter to Family and Friends of NEWPORT NEWS - 24 March 1968

Dear Family and Friends of NEWPORT NEWSmen,

It has been about six weeks since our last FAMILYGRAM to you so I'll take this opportunity while we are off the "firing line" to bring you up-to-date on the adventures of your NEWPORT NEWSman.

Before I go on, let me introduce myself;  I am the Captain Ed Snyder who does not have command of the Battleship NEW JERSEY, instead, I have the greatest cruiser in the world and I'm mighty happy about it.  I relieved Captain McCarty on the 7th of February in a "sea-going" ceremony just after we departed the firing line for Subic Bay.  We put that grand Captain and gentleman on a plane for the U.S. on the 9th.  All hand (except me) were saddened by Captain McCarty's departure, but we in the Navy have become accustomed to the many changes that must be thrust upon us, recognizing that Captain McCarty is destined for ever-greater things as he moves into the fast-moving area of decision making in the Pentagon.  He turned over to me a proud fighting ship with a magnificent crew.  She is truly the pride of the fleet.  As for my background, I enclose a short biography to show you where I have spent my last 26 years in the Navy.  You sill see that Captain McCarty's career and mine have been quite similar, even to the extent of having commanded the same submarine.

At this moment, we are speeding toward Hong Kong for a well-deserved bit of rest and recreation in one of the most fascinating cities in the world.   Shopping and sightseeing will be the order of the day for the next five days.   We have been saving our money for this last fling and the opportunity to "save so much more" buying bargains.

By now I'm sure that most of you are aware that NEWPORT NEWS has been extended in her Western Pacific deployment for a short period.  This extension is necessary because our relief has had some last-minute material problems and her arrival out here has been delayed about 2 weeks.  I know that this is frustrating news to all of you, as it has been to us; however, I'm sure that when you understand how vital a service we are providing to our troops along the DMZ, you will accept this delay in the same spirit that your NEWPORT NEWSman has.  Let me elaborate on this point a moment.   When we left Subic last month to head back to the Gulf of Tonkin we were urged to return at "Best Speed" because of the great pressure being exerted on our forces in the DMZ by the North Vietnamese Army Regulars.  We put on 30-plus knots and arrived at the DMZ with our guns literally blazing.  Time and time again the Marine spotters ashore have called us in to fire our big accurate guns on large concentrations of enemy troops, supply and weapons positions, mortar and rocket positions, snipers and especially active artillery sites.  You can't imagine the satisfaction we feel when we hear the harassed spotter's voice filled with gratitude and relief as he reports an artillery piece silenced or an enemy force dispersed.  Believe me, the fire power of this ship is needed over here and it has produced some magnificent results in this time of need.  It will interest you to know that in the past 24 days on the line we have fired over 22,000 rounds of ammunition in direct support of our Marine and Army forces, breaking all existing cruiser/destroyer records.  This brings our total for the cruise to 47,000.  Quite a load of headaches for the enemy.  I will append some of the appreciative messages that we have received for our efforts.  So, you see we are not being retained over here just for a drill.  We are vitally needed, and we intend to meet this challenge with all of our might and sail into Norfolk in mid-May with our heads held just a little bit higher for our sacrifice (and yours).  You can rest assured of one thing, once released, we sill be back in Norfolk as fast as this ship will carry us.  We will have to stop briefly in Subic Bay, Guam, Pearl and Panama for fuel enroute but we don't intend to tarry.  Incidentally, we will receive mail at each of these stops so keep your letters coming to your NEWPORT NEWSman.  You should start using the FPO New York 09501 address again on 1 MAY 1968.  Your letter mean the world to us!!

Best Regard.

Sincerely,

Signed Ed Snyder

Captain E.K. SNYDER, U.S. Navy
Commanding Officer
USS NEWPORT NEWS (AC148)
FPO San Francisco 96601