On April 10, 1974, a special Sixth Fleet Task Force, CTF 65, was established under COMSIXTHFLT OPLAN 4371 to assist the Egyptians in clearing the Suez Canal of mines and other operational hazards.  At the time, USS Little Rock (CLG 4) was Flagship of the Commander United States Sixth Fleet and the COMSIXTHFLT staff worked from the ship to assist CTF 65 with operational issues.  Little Rock’s crew and equipment provided day-to-day support of COMSIXTHFLT that contributed to the successful reopening of the Suez Canal.

The task force used operational code names Nimbus Star, Nimbus Moon Land, Nimbus Moon Water, and Nimrod Spar.  Nimbus Star included controlled minesweeping of the canal and approach channels.  It was carried out by RH 53D Sea Stallion helicopters using the Mark 105 magnetic minesweeping sled.  The plan for Nimbus Moon Land was to train and advise Egyptian Army personnel to find and remove unexploded ordnance from the banks of the canal.  Nimbus Moon Water combined minesweeping craft and divers from the United States, Egypt, Britain and France to find and dispose of ordnance not found otherwise.  Nimrod Spar included the salvage and removal of ten sunken wrecks and other waterway hazards.

Ships from the Sixth Fleet that were part of CTF 65 included USS Iwo Jima (LPH 2), USS Inchon (LPH 12), USS Barnstable County (LST 1197), and USS Boulder (LST 1190).

Over the course of CTF 65 operations, more than 8500 contacts allowed for the disposal of 60-plus tons of ordnance.  Additionally, 200-plus tons of ordnance was pulled from boats, barges, trucks, tanks, and other vehicles removed the canal.  

On June 5, 1975, Little Rock joined the ceremonial convoy for the reopening of the Suez Canal.  All participating crewmembers received a Suez Canal Reopening certificate.

Vice Admiral Frederick C. Turner wrote a short note to commemorate the reopening of the Suez Canal as follows: 

            Today marks a milestone in world history in which the U.S. Navy has a proud and significant part.  The reopening of the Suez Canal to world commerce is, in large measure, a product of the efforts of the men of CTF Sixty-Five who have labored for more than a year to make this day possible.

            This effort demonstrates again the great versatility and capability of the U.S. Navy.  In this instance this expertise was applied for the benefit of all nations of the world who rely on ocean commerce.  The Suez Canal clearance effort brought together, under a U.S. Naval command, members of all United States armed services, and military forces of Egypt, Great Britain, and France, working as a team toward a common goal for the advantage of mankind.

            With the opening of this great waterway to the use and for the benefit of the world’s people, it is our earnest hope that the diligent work of our shipmates, American, Egyptian, British and French, will bring the world closer to the peace and stability which we all seek.

FREDERICK C. TURNER

Vice Admiral, U.S. Navy  

This is a scanned copy of the reopening certificate.

Hi Art:

Go ahead and use whatever you like from my post.  Although, I still have more to add.

I found this interesting passage about USS Little Rock (CLG 4).  It is taken from Negotiating for Peace in the Middle East by Ismail Fahmy.  He was Egypt’s Minister of Foreign Affairs at the time of the Suez Canal reopening.  A number of pages from this book are available on Google Books.  I ordered a copy from Amazon and hope to read the whole thing. 

This quoted material is in reference to Anwar Sadat requesting two U.S. Navy ships for the reopening of the Suez Canal as follows:

“I told Sadat in all frankness that it was a bad idea:  the presence of American warships was not only completely unnecessary but could be adversely interpreted in many ways.  Sadat was unconvinced and explained his fears:  ‘No, impossible.  Without the American ships, I cannot cross.  The Israelis would fire at me.’  I laughed and told him that this was not only impossible, but unimaginable.  Sadat was very angry and kept repeating, ‘No, they will fire at me.  You don’t know the Israelis, Ismail.’  Realizing that Sadat was genuinely worried about the Israelis, I tried to minimize the damage: ‘O.K. But why two American ships?  One is enough.  It will serve the same purpose.’  Sadat agreed and I called the US ambassador to convey Sadat’s wish.  Hermann Eilts also stared laughing, but naturally sent Sadat’s request to Washington.  The US government consented and the cruiser Little Rock, flagship of the Sixth Fleet, took part in the convoy which crossed the Suez Canal on 5 June 1975.”

“This is the real story behind the appearance of the Little Rock; it was not a gesture of recognition for the American Navy’s help in clearing the Suez Canal, as some writers argued.  The participation of the Little Rock did not escape the sharp eyes of the foreign reporters covering the ceremony.  While the convoy was going through the Canal, I suddenly found myself surrounded by a large group of correspondents who bombarded me with questions about the presence of the Little Rock in a convoy composed solely of commercial ships.  I was forced to limit myself to some evasive answers which left everybody unconvinced.  The reporters’ imagination took off from there.”

I really am trying to pick and choose from the information available and condense it.  If anyone is interested, there is a 115 page CTF 65 summary document available at handle.dtic.mil/100.2/ADA010261.  It can be downloaded as a PDF file.