Solant Amity - Photos and Stories

This page is confined to photos and stories related to events occurring during the Navy's Solant Amity I Cruise to South America and Africa, November 1960 through May 1961. This is but a part of the story involving the members of the G" Company, 2nd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment out of Camp LeJeuene, North Carolina and, primarily, the crews of three ships of the U.S Navy: The USS Graham County LST 1176, later to become the AGP 1176, the USS Gearing DD710 and the USS Hermitage LSD-34.

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2-6-2 Mess Hall Camp LeJeune, NC 1960	Trinidad, BWI	USS Graham County Shellbacks: 1st Sgt Perkins & GSgt Lykens	Shellback Ceremony USS Graham County LST 1176	Equator Crossing
Equator Crossing	Equator Crossing	Equator Crossing	Equator Crossing	Photo by Richard Landry
Recife, Brazil Christmas Eve, 1960	Recife as seen from Olinda, Brazil	Nightime in Recife	Olinda, Brazil The Church of Our Lady of Carmo	Olinda, Brazil The Church of Our Lady of Carmo

Moulin Rouge - Furnished by Archie Fuller, Weapons Platoon	Brazilian Cruzeiros 1960	Shellback "Card."	What else but a bar coaster!	1960 Pounds from BWI
Amtrac Warfare	USS Graham County after Conversion to AGP-1176 [ History of LST-1176]	Timeline Split Resouces Congo-Santa Maria Eastern & Western South Atlantic Incidents	USS Geary DD-710 "She was a tin-can destroyer, the lead ship of the Navy's Gearing class..." Home Page	Leave Gearing, Return to Graham County
Guinean troops embark	Guinean troops evacuate Congo.	General Dianne Embarks	Guninean troops fill tank deck.	Guinean troops disembark in Conakry, Guinea.
The rows of photos above and below were furnished by former E4 Corporal Ronald G. Van Dunk ( rgvandslp@aim.com ) of the Field Communication Unit on the Hermitage . They represent the efforts and purposes of the Solant Amity Task Force in, first, providing for the evacuation of ill and wounded Guinean United Nations forces from the Congo conflict. And, too, our function in the region as expressed by the Captain of the Hermitage to provide assistance to the famine, culturally and educationally impoverished of the region: "In response to a United Nations request, Solant Amity ships assisted in the evacuaton of a Guinean Army United Nations detachment from the explosive Congo. After a record making trip up the tricky river, we arrived at Matadi where we embarked over 500 "blue capped" United Nations troops with all of their gear ... "pet" snakes and all ... into a folding cot ensconsed area of the forward well deck. For seven days we fed, entertained and observed our first combat-equipped African Army. Our amateur linguists applied high school French on the language barrier with evident success. Flying the U.N. flag, we steamed into Conakry, Guinea and were greeted by throgs of people celebrating the return of the "Armee Guinee."

Then, the Captain continued: "While we were in Bathurst, the United Nations called upon us to simultaneously alleviate the famine conditions in the Congo. Hence, HERMITGE proceeded to Lome, Togo where 500 tons ... exceeding the previously established record by 200 tons!! ... of grain were loaded into her well. It was accomplished, not with local help, but with the strong backs of sailors and Marines alike in but two days. It was then transported it to the port of Matadi, some eighty miles inland via the Congo River from the river's South Atlantic throat. There, it was unloaded and shipped via rail to the devastated regions of the upper Congo River. The basic tenets of the People-to-People program were to win friends, not buy them. To influence not dictate. To help nations mature, not to obligate or subjugate them. We carry a little of America wherever we go and must show our way of life to those who may be misinformed or ignorant of our national character. We donated food, clothing and medical supplies to schools, hospitals and missions to help the less fortunate get back on their feet. We presented books to those eager to learn. We did our best and can be proud of what we've accomplished.. All of which sounds like a great plan for life, whether "in country" or back in the world.
USS Gearing Abijan, Ivory Coast Sailor: Herb Gray and Marines: Meredith Phillips & Ed Shea	U.S. "Mule" & Ambassador & Monrovia's President Taubman	Troops pass in review for Monrovia's President Taubman in Liberia in January of 1961.	Archie Fuller atop his wounded mechanical "mule" on the Graham County parked in Point Noire, Congo.	Chaplain Kingsley and Lt. Carver provide three month's supply of milk on behalf of the United States, in Cape Town, SA in March of 1961.
Solant Amity I Cruise Calendar	Advanced Infantry Training Certifcate - Geiger 1965	Royal Shellback Certificate Lt.Col, Sweitzer	Plan of the Day 9Feb61 ******	Plan of the Day 23Mar61 ******
Ed Shea - January 1961 Monrovia, Liberia	Francs from the former French African Colonies - 1960	Bathurst, Gambia	Flag Removed from Russian Embassy in Conakry	Mail Call on Graham Country Photo by Fuller
Pfc Arthur Busbee & Pfc Meredith Phillips	Amtrac Inbound	Point Noire, Congo	Grunts to the beach	Joe Teklits & Ed Shea LST-1176 Off Cape Town
Another great photo of USS Graham County	USS Graham County's Solant Amity I - Travel Log***	Photo of Entire Company G - 2 - 6 ** [ Click for display options]	Gearing coming alongside the Graham County - Photo by Fuller, AL	Tabletop Mountain Cape Town, SA Photo by Fuller, AL
Minicone's Shellback Certificate	Gary Fusco & Pete Greco	Mameluke Sword	The "casually attired"Albie Sears on the Vogey's fantail	Sgt. Bailey at African orphanage
"Landing Ship Dock" LSD-34 USS Hermitage	Cape Point, South Africa	Cape Town, South Africa	Aerial view Cape Town to Cape Horn	View Cape Town from Table Mountain
3 rd Platoon Travel Log	"G" Company Officers wrestle with inlfation mechanism on Cape Town Beach-Photo by Fuller	Squad Leader Notebook	"G"-2-6 Officers & Staff NCOs 1961	Schmidt & Teklits Rota or Cadiz, Spain
Capetown Demonstration of Parashoot Landing by Recon Forces at Woodstock Beach		Cape Town, South Africa	South African Demonstration Landing of Helicopters at Woodstock Beach	For story about Capetown landing at Woodstock Beach, click Here
Another great night spot!	On the Watery Road Again!!!			My gawd, how many Great watering holes did we hit?
Medal Entitlement for Congo Expedition - USMC Expeditionary Medal	CRUISE BOOK Entire USS Gearing Solant Amity Cruise Book Published in Acrobat [ 7.1 Megs - Acrobat File]	TASK FORCE FLYER (1 Meg-Acrobat File)	CRUISE BOOK (7 Meg-Acrobat File)	HISTORY OF 6th MARINES *[ From WW I to 1987 ]*

* Provided by Rocco Minicone; **Provided by Douglass Carver, 2nd Platoon Commander; ***Provided by Steve Fetterly, Corpsman; ****Third Platoon Log furnished by George Bitsoli; *****Photo by Ron Kellar, Crewman of the destroyer Vogelgasang; ****** Documents provided by Robert Thomas, "B" Company of the 2nd Pioner Battalion

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