CASTLE'S COMMAND

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Author's note: As previously stated, in this AU I often take real military/political situations and fictionalize them.

Married officer's quarters. Naval Base San Diego, 07, May 1955.

Kate, Jenny and the four children had traveled by train from Norfolk to San Diego by train, having first class tickets so the trip was a luxurious ride. All the arrangements had been made before they left Norfolk.

The two families had identical houses next door to each other and the women were enjoying decorating the houses to their tastes. Each house had three bedrooms, one and a half bathrooms, den, kitchen, dining room and a service porch. They had a carport, but no garage.

There was a small back yard, a patio and a grassy area where the children could play.

Rick and Kevin had brought the Atlanta through the Panama Canal and up to San Diego. They were now happily setting up a barbecue in Rick's back yard. It was a beautiful, spring day the cool breeze off San Diego Bay carrying the scents of the ocean.

Kate and Jenny brought the children out, just as the barbecue was finished. The Ryan's older child, Sarah Grace was now four, a pretty, green-eyed blonde. She was, like her mother, somewhat reserved.

Alex Castle would turn three in August, but he was tall for his age and most people thought he was closer to four than three. He had his father's abounding curiosity and adventurous spirit.

Johanna Castle, at eight and a half months was starting to stand on her own.

Sean Devlin Ryan, at seven months was sharing a playpen with Johanna.

"The barbecue is finished; I just need to put the charcoal in it and light it. We should be ready to cook in half an hour." Rick said.

Kate smiled.

"Good. I bought some steaks at the commissary and corn on the cob at the market. Jenny made potato salad and brought hamburger patties. And I'll make a green salad. You men are in charge of the meat."

They had met their neighbors, Lieutenant Commander Victor King and his wife Carole, three days before and invited them over. The Kings brought hot dogs, buns and beans.

The food was excellent and conversation easy as they eared about each other.

"So, I hear that you're the captain of the Atlanta, Rick and you're his executive officer, Kevin."

"That's right, Vic. What do you do?" Rick said.

"I'm with JAG, not dealing with courts martial mostly legal matters with family law or dealing with civilian law firms that have any claims against the navy or navy personnel. I tried the adversarial roles and didn't like it. I prefer to be a mediator.

Carole said;

"Kate, the rumor mill has it that you're not just an officer's lady but a titled English lady as well."

"That's true, Carole, but it has no meaning this side of the pond. Over here I am Rick's wife and mother to our children and that's all I want to be. I served five years as an intelligence officer during the war and worked another two for naval intelligence here. It's enough. None of that gave me as much satisfaction as being a wife and mother does. Besides, with all the activities we officer's wives have to deal with, I'm kept very busy and none of it is make work. Do you have children?"

"Yes, we have two girls. They're visiting with their grandparents in Los Angeles. Jane is twelve and Lucy is ten. My sister Ann took them up there on the train. How long have you and Rick been married?

"Eleven very happy years. some trials, of course. but not many. We've had fights, of course, every couple does, but we have a rule. We never go to bed angry. We might sit up all night, however. Kevin and Jenny have been married the same amount of time. We even got married in the same church. How about you and Vic?

"Fifteen years. We got married the day Vic graduated the academy."

Jenny joined Kate and Carole. She was carrying Sean wo had needed a diaper change and was still a little cranky.

The men had served the main part of the meal, the women took care of salads and desserts'

Supper over, the ladies argued about singers and movie stars. The men debated the merits of this newly organized sport of drag racing at a track at Palomar, north of San Diego.

The evening ended with promises to repeat this soon, at the King's house.

The families had six weeks to settle in with the Atlanta just going out on short training exercises and gunnery live fire exercises in support of Marine amphibious training operations at Camp Pendleton.

At the end of the six weeks the Atlanta was sailed to the Mare Island naval shipyard for refit. She was there for six weeks as her radar and electronics were upgraded, the catapults for her float planes were removed and the planes replaced with two Sikorsky H-34 helicopters.

All of her forty-millimeter guns were replaced with dual three-inch fifty mounts. The yard crews handled all that. Her regular crew returned to San Diego for temporary shore duty. Rick loved the six weeks uninterrupted time with his family, but hated the staff work he was stuck with.

Happy to put to sea again for sea trials of the new equipment, especially the gun crews getting used to the new model radar gun directors and the helicopter crews with operating from shipboard.

The rest of 1955 and 1956 were spent on routine peacetime deployments, the longest being a month- long cruise to Pearl Harbor. There were shorter cruises along the west coast naval bases, and "show the flag" visits to Canada, Mexico, Cuba and Brazil.

Married officer's quarters, Naval Base San Diego, 25, August 1956.

Since their birthdays were only a week apart, the Castles decided to hold a joint party. Alex was turning four and Johanna, two. Both the Ryan children came as well as about ten others. It was a typical party

Held in the back yard, with games, ice cream, cake and, of course, presents. Martha and George had flown out for the party. Presenting Alex with a cowboy outfit complete twin cap guns and holsters. Johanna got a doll almost as big as she was. The adults had almost as much fun watching the children as the children had. There was only one minor incident, when one boy a little older than the rest tried to take another boy's cake, after greedily gulping down his own. Fortunately, Jenny saw what was happening and put a stop to it.

The boy was made to sit still while his mother was called. He had trouble sitting down for the rest of the day.

Rick and Kate never let their wealth show, preferring to live on his naval salary. It just meant that they never had to pinch pennies or buy anything on credit. He'd continued to write his Stone File books at the pace of two a year and the radio show had morphed into a television series.

George managed their investments and the college funds that they'd already set up. The Castle's only extravagance was their two cars. Rick's 1949 Cadillac 62 club coupe and Kate's 1955 Chevrolet Nomad station wagon. The Cadillac was old enough not to raise any eyebrows. Rick liked the style more than the newer models, and saw no reason to buy a newer one. The Chevrolet wagon was perfect for family use. Both cars were waxed once a month to protect their finish from the sea air.

George had been advising rick on his investments.

"Rick, you've got enough wealth to get a little diverse. Up till now, we've invested in blue chip stocks and bonds but the best investment is always real estate Buy a house wherever you are stationed and never sell it. Pay cash if the price is right and when you are transferred, rent the house to another officer. The annual rent will cover the taxes.

"You and Kate are worth around six million dollars. Kate investing the money from the sale of her English properties was a very wise move.

I think that we should take a million of that and establish an investment corporation. As a corporation, your personal wealth would be safe if the company should ever go belly up. You would be President and chairman of the board. Kate would be vice president and hold your proxy if you should be on duty when a vote was needed. I know a fine young man we can hire as CEO. His Names is Jerry fisher. He has an MBA from Harvard and a doctorate in economics from Cornel. I will act as CFO and I also know of another young man who would make an excellent chief legal counsel. I'd like to ask your friends, the Ryan's to sit on the board of directors. They might not know much about business but they both have fine minds and can learn, as with you and Kate, Jenny would hold Kevin's proxy when everything is set up, we issue one hundred shares to each board member and after that open up the shares to open market except that the family always holds fifty-five percent."

Ric asked Kate to join them, they related the idea to her.

"I don't see any downside to this, Rick said. Our personal wealth is safe and we'll draw income from our shares as the company makes a profit."

They discussed it further and decided to do it. Rick called Kevin and asked him to come over and bring Jenny with him. After hearing the proposal, Kevin and Jenny agreed to serve as directors. George said;

"As soon as I get back to New York I will start setting things in motion. It should take about six months to get everything set up."

Real estate office, La Mesa California, 01 November 1956.

Rick had put George's suggestion into practice. He and Kate had just signed the papers to purchase a house in the little town of Lemon Grove, about twelve miles east of Downtown San Diego. The house was only two years old. The real estate agent was delighted to make a cash sale.

The house had four bedrooms, two bathrooms, kitchen with a pantry, a laundry room dining room, living room with a stone clad fireplace, den and patio. The detached two car garage had a small guest room built on the back. A complete workshop was behind the garage.

It was an easy drive down highway 94 to San Diego. Rick and Kate spent the next month furnishing the house, before moving in. the Navy was happy to have more quarters available on base.

Two months later Kevin and Jenny decided that George's advice was good for them too. George arraigned financing for them through his bank at a very low interest rate and they bought a home just two blocks away from Rick and Kate. Kevin's housing allowance covered the mortgage payments.

Rick and Kevin commuted together, alternating days driving. One day in Rick's Cadillac, one day in Kevin's 1953 Mercury Monterey sedan.

Headquarters Naval Base San Diego, 15, August 1957

Captain Frederic Johnston, personnel officer said;

"Come in gentlemen, take seats. Coffee?"

Rick and Kevin sat and both said;

"Yes sir, thank you sir." A steward brought in a coffee service and the three men fixed their coffees as they liked them. After initial sips of their coffee, Captain Johnston said;

"Captain Castle, you have been in command of the Atlanta for almost three years and have a fine record and one of the best command teams in the navy. It will be necessary to break that team up. It is time for both you and Commander Ryan to move up. You will be assuming command of the . Los Angeles, a Baltimore class heavy cruiser. She is now in refit and you will be taking over on November first. You, Commander Ryan will be promoted Captain and will assume command of the Atlanta. Your date of Rank will be October first. That will give you time to get used to the hot seat and make any changes in the crew you need to make. Do realize that captain Castle can recruit op to ten percent of the Atlanta's crew.

"I'll try not to take all the good ones." Castle joked.

You will assume command of the On November first so that we can hold both change of command ceremonies on the same day, an hour apart. That we can hold one hell of a party at the O club. You see, gentlemen, I was a skipper once before this bum knee put me on the beach. I enjoy a party as much as anyone." Admiral Kane has declared that weekend a ship's holiday for both cruisers was set

The captain handed them the folders. Here are copies of your crew manifest and your warning orders. Start working up your crews. Good luck, gentlemen. Dismissed."

On the ride home the two men talked.

"It will be great getting my own ship command, every line officer wants that, but it be weird not working together. We've been a team for fifteen years."

"We'll still be a team, Kevin, just not on the same ship. It's time that you have your own command. You've been my exec way too long. Your career demands it. Look at that nice fat paycheck you'll be bringing home. Besides it's going to be hard on me, I'll have break in a new exec and the senior chief of the boat. Chief Esposito is not one of the crew I'll be stealing. He'll be staying with you."

They spent several days in conference going over their respective ship's

Crew rosters, taking notes of those retiring or merely ending a hitch and leaving.

Jenny was overjoyed that her husband was finally getting the recognition he deserved but she knew that the separation was bittersweet. The days flew by, there was so much to do. Both for the ships and for the personnel. New name plates had to be made, as did some officer's calling cards. Castle had a myriad of small problems to deal with and one major one. Commander Barry Reid was the former exec of the Los Angeles and thought he would accede to command. After complaining to everyone he could think of, with no results he made an error in judgement fatal to his career. In front of witnesses, he accused Castle of being unfit to command a heavy cruiser and that he got the position by pulling strings or calling in favors. He was called into Admiral Kane's where he received a furious dressing down.

"Commander Reid without one shred of evidence. You have impugned the reputation of a fine officer and challenged his skills You continued to do so despite orders to desist. I am informing you that you will be facing disciplinary action, which may be court martial on the charges of insubordination ad conduct unbecoming an officer Furthermore, whatever the outcome of the disciplinary action, I can guarantee that any chance you have of command is gone as is any upward mobility in your career. I am certain that on end of this tour of duty you will be separated from the Navy. As of now, you are confined to the base pending filing of the charge. You will leave your quarters only to eat in the officer's mess, to go to the gym for daily exercise and to attend divine services Lieutenant, escort this officer to his quarters."

The Shore Patrol lieutenant escorted Commander Reid to his quarters.

With Reid out of the way, Rick was able to select Lieutenant Commander Gary Calvert, Atlanta's gunnery officer to be promoted commander and become his exec, which allowed Kevin to promote the assistant gunnery officer.

Trying to keep the crew intact as much as possible, Rick made very few additions, especially among the senior petty officers. He only lost two of them to retirement. Among the junior enlisted, about twenty per cent were new to the ship.

Naval base San Diego, 10:00 hours, 01 November.

Ryan, Kate and Jenny were among the guests standing on the foredeck when Rick relieved the captain of the U.S.S Los Angeles and read out his orders assuming command. An hour later, Rick, Kate and Jenny were on the Atlanta's foredeck for Ryan's command assumption. Rick spent the rest of the day doing a cursorily inspection of the Los Angeles. The ship had undergone similar upgrades as the Atlanta had. Radar and electronics, helicopters. All of her forty-millimeter mounts replaced with three-inch fifties.

The next few months would be heavy on the training to weld the crew into an efficient fighting force. That was nothing new for Rick he'd been doing it for most of his career. Cruiser-destroyer squadron six consisted of two heavy cruisers, the Los Angeles and the Helena, two light cruisers, the Atlanta and the Dayton and eightdestroyers. The Forest Sherman, John Paul Jones, Chevalier, Damato, Shelton, Cory, O'Hare, and the Hamner.

The squadron was assigned to carrier battle group sixteen formed around the aircraft carrier U.S.S. Lexington CV-16. Tensions were high, even though peace time as the political situations in Viet-Nam and between Communist China and Taiwan were always troublesome. The training became even more intense, now the whole battlegroup running exercises including anti-submarine drills, surface warfare exercises, downed pilot rescue, and shore bombardment. They practiced support for Marine amphibious landings.

The ocean off San Diego, the gunnery range at San Clemente Island, Marine base Camp Pendleton, and the Naval Air Stations Miramar and North Island hadn't seen such intense action since the end of the Korean war. Consequently, the Castle and Ryan families saw much less of their men than they preferred. What little time they could carve out for themselves was precious.

When Rick and Kevin were in port, they made special effort for their wives. To be able to take them to nice places or take the children to the other couple's home to allow them a time to themselves. One night Rick and Kate, Kevin and Jenny double-dated to the Del Coronado Hotel for an evening of dining and dancing and the night spent in the hotel. It was good that the walls of the rooms were thick.

One of the problems that the ladies had to deal with while their men were at sea were the local lotharios who tried to prey on them. Some were naval personnel. Some contractors. One persistent man who fixated on Kate was Lieutenant Joshua Davidson a surgeon. He wouldn't take a polite no for an answer one afternoon he cornered Kate in the hospital.

"Kate, you've been avoiding me. That's no way to treat an officer!

"It is if the lady in question is married. If you persist in bothering me, as you have been, I shall report you for violation of professional ethics and conduct unbecoming an officer. If that doesn't work, I'm sure that my husband will be quite happy to help you fall down the stairs."

Department Of Defense 20, May 1958.

The DOD announced the creation of two new senior enlisted pay grades for all services, E-8 and E-9 the rank titles differed according to the service branch, but in the case of the Navy they were Senior Chief Petty Officer E-8 and Master Chief Petty Officer E-9.

Javier Esposito on the Atlanta and Brian Worth on the Los Angeles were promoted Master Chief Petty Officer. Several other CPOs on both ships were promoted Senior Chief Petty Officer. The increased pay made the orders that came down a couple of months later, easier to take.

San Diego Navy Base, 07, July 1958.

The Lexington's carrier battlegroup received orders to make ready to sail for the vicinity of the Taiwan Straits in seventy-two hours.

TBC

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