WARSHIP ATTRACTS HUNDREDS

Navy Lt. Cmdr. Christopher John McDonald is looking forward to duty on the USS Squall, a Navy coastal patrol ship that was christened in St. Louis.

"Most of this crew along with a SEALS team will be together for the next two years," said McDonald Tuesday.

The Squall, McDonald and a number of crewmen were in Cape Girardeau Tuesday, a day after the warship was commissioned during a special ceremony near the Gateway Arch July 4.

The Navy's newest coastal patrol ship (PC 7) is the seventh of 13 to be built in the new Cyclone class. It is designed for coastal patrol, surveillance, escort and evacuation.

McDonald, the ship's commanding officer and a two-time recipient of the Navy Commendation Medal, was promoted to lieutenant commander three days before the Squall was christened.

Also aboard the Squall was Al Stubblefield, who will be commander of the USS Zephyr (PC 8) when it comes out of the shipyard.

Tuesday marked the second time the Squall stopped at Cape Girardeau; it stopped here June 26 en route to its christening ceremony.

More than 500 people were on hand to welcome the Squall Tuesday. Most of them hoped to tour the 170-foot ship.

"It's larger than I imaged," said Gary Golightly of near Fruitland. "I've been on some of the Navy's smaller ships."

Golightly, who served in the Marine Corps a dozen years, toured the ship with his wife, Judith, and 9-year-old son, Joseph.

"It's much larger than the ships I served on in the Navy," said Don Statler, who toured the Squall. "I spent 27 months in the Pacific on much smaller ships."

Statler said he served on a small tanker that provided fuel for PT boats.

"This brought back some memories," said Statler's wife, Inez. "I never toured any of the ships Don served on, but we toured some after he left the Navy, including the battleship, Texas."

"I would like to take a trip on the Squall," said Statler. "It would be great to go from here to St. Louis on it."

That would be about a six-hour trip, said Matthew Nieman, a crewman who guided one of the 10-person tours.

"This ship has great maneuverability," said Nieman. "We can turn on a dime, and it's a fast ship."

The Squall's cruising speed is about 25 knots, with a maximum speed of 35 knots.

The ship is powered by four, 3,350-horsepower Paxman diesels, and has a fuel capacity of 11,000 gallons.

"These ships are designed to go into shallow coastal areas and engage an enemy in its own waters at close quarters," said McDonald. "The Squall is fitted with a variety of machine guns, grenade launchers and anti-aircraft Stinger missiles."

The primary armament, however, is an embarked specials forces contingent, usually Navy SEALS, described by Nieman as "the most elite special forces group in the world."

The USS Squall is en route to the San Diego, Calif. area, via New Orleans and the Panama Canal.

"Once we reach San Diego, we'll undergo about seven to eight months training, along with the SEALS team," said McDonald. "We have space on the ship for nine members of a SEALS unit."

The units usually work together in teams of seven or 14.

"We have no idea where we will be called after training," said McDonald. Two of the Cyclone warships are serving in the Haiti area.

The Squall will stop at a number of ports along the Mississippi River, including Cairo, Ill.; Paducah and Wickliffe, Ky.; New Madrid; Memphis, Tenn.; Helena, Ark.; and Rosedale and Greenville, Miss.

The Squall was christened by a former Paducah, Ky. woman, Lea Ann Wood Edwards. She is married to Texas U.S. Rep. Chet Edwards. She is a native of Paducah and a graduate of the Paducah Tilghman High School.

It marked the first time that a Navy ship has been commissioned in St. Louis.

The ship was built by Bollinger Shipbuilding in Lockport, La., and is handled by a crew that includes four officers and 22 enlisted sailors. It has sleeping, operations and prepping areas for a nine-man squad of Navy SEALS.

The Cape Girardeau Convention and Visitors Bureau planned special activities in connection with the Squall's Tuesday visit here, assisting in organizing 10-person tour groups, and including some fun and games on the waterfront for Boys Scouts and Girl Scouts and the crew of the Squall.

Tours of the ship were free.