Will thou, Jack, have this woman as thy wedded wife, to live together insofar as the Bureau of Naval Personnel will allow?  Wilt thou love her, comfort, honor, and keep her, take to the movies and come home to her regularly on the 4:30 bus?  I will.

Wilt thou, Jane, take this sailor as thy wedded husband, bearing in mind liberty hours, boat schedules, watches, sudden orders, uncertain mail communications, and all the other penalties of Navy life?  Wilt thou obey him, honor him and wait for him, press his uniform, and let him smoke Navy plug in the Home?  I will.

I, Jack, take thee, Jane, as my wedded wife from 4:30 pm until 8:00 am as far as permitted by the commanding officer, liberty subject to change without notice, for better or worse, for earlier or for later.

I, Jane, take thee, Jack, as my wedded husband, subject to the whims of the officer of the deck, changing my residence whenever the ship moves, to have and to hold just as long as my allotment comes regularly, and therefore, I give my troth.

(from The Angeleno, February 1946, pg 7)
 

The original LOS ANGELES, and the Graf Zeppelin, were the only dirigibles built since World War I that did not have a disastrous ending.  The LOS ANGELES was decommissioned in 1932 after eight years of uninterupted service, which was two years longer than the other ship.

The U.S.Navy, after having built one dirigible and purchased another, decided to make a thorough test of dirigibles, and in 1921 the Allied Council of Ambassadors in Europe agreed to vary the treaty restrictions and permit the Zeppelin Works in Germany to build  an airship for this country on the reparation account.

The airship was completed in 1924, and was originally known as the ZR-3.  It was 650 feet long and 90 3/4 feet in diameter; with its five 400 hp engines it maintained a cruising speed of between 45 and 71 miles an hour and had a cruising range of 5000 miles.  The gas capacity was 2,475,000 cubic feet; it could lift 150,000 pounds, 60% of which was useful load.  Originally designed as a commercial craft, it could accomodate 30 passengers and carried the same number as members of the crew.

This was the last of America's non-metallic dirigibles.  The gas cells were made with gold beater's skin, a small section of the intestines of a bull, from 4,000,000 cattle.

The U.S. Navy has built or purchased five large dirigibles since World War 1, four of which ended their service in disaster; the Shenandoah (ZR-1) in Ohio in 1925, the Roma (ZR-2) in Virginia in 1922, the Akron (ZR-4) off New Jersey in 1933, and the Macon (ZRS-5) off California in 1935.  The LOS ANGELES (ZR-3) alone, had a successful career, and after covering 140,000 miles in 250 flights, it was finally decommissioned in Lakehurst, N.J. in 1932.

Captain Carter, who once served aboard the airship LOS ANGELES  now commands the cruiser of the same name.

(from The Angeleno, March 1946, pg 3)
 

Through the blackest night, through the thickest fog Radar can spot the enemy.  Combat Informaton Center, where this search gear is operated, is a central place for assembling and disbursing tactical information.

Our Combat Team has been training together for one year--through intense  drills and simulated battle problems at Newport, Ocracoke, Little Creek, and Brigantine, and on board the Brooklyn and Mayflower.  Each man has a knowledge of all gear in C.I.C., but he is particulary trained in one.  While underway; each man will have to operate each piece of equipment, work relative motion problems; and track  targets that are picked up for coarse, speed, and closest approach.  The trained operator will have to identify the ship as friendly or enemy and the size and type of unit it may be.

Besides the Radarmen, there are the Electronic Technician Mates, 'Techs', who are constantly calibrating, tuning, aligning, and trouble shooting radio, search and fire control radar for peak performance.

(from The Angeleno, March 1946, pg 3)
 

The aviation unit of the Los Angeles was formed on 1 March 1945 at N.A.S. Norfolk, Va.  In May, the entire unit moved to Floyd Bennet Field, Brooklyn, N.Y. for further training; and in June the unit moved to Mustin Field, Philadelphia, Pa.  Our compliment at the time was twenty two men, five officers and four SC-1 aircraft.  The SC-l had been in production only a short time and our unit, along with other units of new cruisers being built, helped work the bugs out of the new SC-1.  The identification name of the SC-1 is the 'Seahawk'.  The SC-1 is a single engine, single place, scout observation airplane for use as a seaplane aboard cruisers and battleships.  By the removal of the main and wing tip floats, and the addition of fixed landing gear the SC-1 can be used as a land plane.

The airplane is powered by a Wright R-1820-62 which is equipped with turbo supercharger.  The engine drives a four bladed Curtiss Electric propeller, 10 feet 2 inches in diameter.  The plane is equipped with hydraulically operated wing flaps, cowl and intercooler flaps and an automatic pilot.

The pilots started training to join the Los Angeles almost a yeear before her commissioning.  In spite of its apparent simplicity, VO-VCS flying is highly specialized.  For example, to complete the necessary requirements for a cruiser pilot, one has to go to either Pensacola or Corpus Christi, NAS Taxsonville, Fla., USS Absercon, Ft. Lauderdale, FLA.; Fort Sill, Lawton, Oklahoma; and then to either Alameda, Cal., or NAS, Norfolk, Va.

The men attached to the unit attended SC-1 school in Norfolk and various class 'A'  or class 'B' naval schools before taking courses in SC-1 maintenance.

Just a plug for the 'V' division:  We will welcome recruits with open arms.
(WE NEED SEAMEN!!)

(from The Angeleno, May 1946, pg 3)