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CHIEF OF NAVAL OPERATIONS Dear Captain Pinney, On the occasion of the commissioning of your ship, USS TOPEKA (CLG 8), I extend to you my congratulates on your new command and wish you, your officers and crew the best of luck. TOPEKA is the fourth in a series of Terrier guided missile cruisers whose armament will greatly increase the anti-aircraft capability of our Navy. The characteristics of your ship reflect the technological advances which have significantly improved the combat efficiency of the Navy through improved weapons and other epochal changes in combatant ships. It is your privilege to command one of the finest ships of the finest Navy on earth. The duties and responsibilities which will rest upon your shoulders during the time you have command will be heavy indeed. It will be your duty to weld the fine officers and men who compose your crew into a combat unit ready to carry out any of the many missions which may be assigned your ship. It will be your responsibility to generate the teamwork, the personal skill, and the individual devotion to duty making TOPEKA the effective fighting unit that she deserves to be. It will be your duty to ensure that each individual who has the honor to serve in your ship will have the personal satisfaction of being an important part of a successful fighting organization of the United States Navy. As Captain of your powerful ship, you will realize that you, your ship and each individual in her must be able to respond to any crisis with which the United States may be confronted. You and each one of your ship's company must be able to act swiftly and intelligently just as other men have done in U.S. men-of-war before you. By so doing you will make a personal contribution to the Navy's rich and meaningful tradition. To you and each member of your ship's company, a fair wind and God's help in the many tasks which you will encounter. Sincerely yours, ARLEIGH BURKE Captain Frank L. Pinney, USN |