Truxtun’s crew puzzled

Press, 22 September 1980, Page 1

Truxtun’s crew puzzled

By MAX LAMBERT, of NZPA, aboard the Truxtun. Crewmen in the United States missile cruiser Truxtun cannot understand the fears some New Zealanders have about the ship’s visit to Wellington. They simply cannot credit reports such as the one on Saturday about a Palmerston North group offering to billet scared Wellingtonians during the Truxtun’s week-long stay in the capital. From commander to galley hand, the Truxtun’s 500 officers and crew are convinced of the total reliability and safety of the ship’s two nuclear reactors. Chief Petty Officer Gary Owens, aged 35, summed up the crew’s reaction to Questions about working in a nuclear-powered ship when he said, “There are, no radiation hazards or any other hazards here.” Petty Officer Owens, the chief reactor operator, added, “If there were any -health risk from the design or operation of the reactors I wouldn’t be working in the ship.” He has been in the Truxtun for eight years and is one of the handful of crew members in the ship when she was last at Wellington, four years ago. v *l. He remembers the

demonstrators protesting about the Truxtiin’s visit then and how they disappeared the second day the ship was in port. Like most men aboard the cruiser, he is not apprehensive about the possibility of demonstrators — the crew has been infoimed there may be ’ small-boat protesters as the Truxtun enters harbour about 8 a.m, today.

The Truxtun’s commander, Captain Mac Baldwin, said the 1976 protest did not hamper the welcome from Wellington. ‘T don’t expect them to this time,” he said.

,Of seaborne protesters, he said,'“lf those folk feel the need to express themselves in that way, that is their right .. . and I would support them in exercising that right.” Captain Baldwin said he is taking a “perfectly safe” ship into Wellington, a ship that poses no health or environmental risks.

He is unperturbed by the likely presence of small ships bearing signs saying: .“Yankee-go home” as he brings the Truxtun into Wellington. “We will proceed slowly and cautiously and count on the . New. Zealand authorities for a safe passage,” he said.

Word aboard the Truxtun and the. New Zealand frigate H.M;N.Z.S. Taranaki, is that small boats will 'be kept 100 -metres, from the cruiser.

The Truxtun continued exercises on Saturday with the Taranaki and yesterday another frigate H.M.N.Z.S Otago joined in. The Otago linked up with the other two on Saturday on • her way home from an Australian mission.

All three worked together yesterday afternoon in

an air defence exercise against R.N.Z.A.F. Skyhawk's in the Tasman Sea . off New Plymouth. Neither of the frigates will visit Wellington with .the Truxtun. A raggle-taggle flotilla of ' small yachts arid canoes is expected to. weave a tight oval pattern across the Wellington Harbour channel as the Truxtun slices in through rough seas and predicted gale-force winds. The cruiser is due to broach Wellington Heads

about 8 a.m. today but five keelers, two canoes, some trailer sailers, and some smaller craft will be ready to leave Worser Bay at 6 a.m., about half an hour before dawn breaks, to sail back and forth in an effort to halt the 8800-’ton-,ship. A gale is likely to build up to 35 knots to 45 knots about rthat time and outside the Heads the seas will be rough and visibility down to .about 4km, according to the Meteorological Service..