European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - November 20, 1964, Darmstadt, Hesse                              Destroyer with a mixed Crew test ship for the multilateral Force editors note while the nato dispute Over the feasibility or a Man Fleet of Polaris firing ships goes testing has been started to determine How such a ship would actually Tare in the following is a report on the destroyer Claude the ship selected to test the when the Navy guided mis Sile destroyer Claude Ricketts cruises into european Waters next Only half its Crew will be sailors Ever get the other half wont have reason to  be in Home the Ricketts will have a most unusual half will be and the other half will be made up of Navy men from West Brit Holland and the Ricketts was selected earlier this year As a demonstration ship to deter mine How easy or difficult it would i be to set up a multilateral Force Milf  Fleet suggested for nato by the late president the which ends is particularly testing How men work together despite standards of pay customs and food and religious differences of the the Ricketts is with Cooks from Italy Holland adding some of their Spe by Mark staff writer Ciul Les to the Navy the ships Library has books and magazines from All of the participating nations on the the arc is no speak ing since All foreign personnel had to speak English As a pre requisite to being assigned to the the first foreigner Alra urd arrived in june of this year in the person of the Royal navys William As a matter of officers were As signed first to pave the Way for the arrival of enlisted complements from their respective the newcomers spent several weeks in month Job training alongside the americans hey would the Ricketts is now about 95 per cent mixed manned with at least one representative from each when the full test Crew is there will be two officers and 47 men from two officers and 30 men from two officers and 24 men from both Greece and one officer and 17 men from the Netherlands and one officer and 10 men from they will work together with 10 officers and 1m men from the the Rock Els remains a Navy ship during the with american commanding and executive of and is taking part in regular inde pendent and Fleet next it is due to still into the Mediterranean und Othir the ship is equipped with surface to air and ask Antisubmarine warfare missile in the pro posed nato multilateral Force would consist of 25 vessels under multinational each ship equipped with eight Polaris before reporting on Many of the foreign personnel received special training in their own countries to prepare them for life aboard in Ameri can ship or at Navy As a Basic part of personnel arc not berthed according to their but rather Accord ing to their in some cases puts men of seven nations together in one living All personnel Are being paid in dollars at rates set by their own the by the Are getting an extra cents per Day to make up for the alcoholic beverage allowance they would normally receive aboard their own no drinking is allowed aboard Navy the Ricketts was commissioned As the Biddle at Philadelphia in and on july was renamed and recommissioned As the uss Claude Rick honouring the late Vic chief of naval Ricketts devoted much work to the project of mixed Manning and the multilateral Force British sailors watch engine room control Navy photos 1964 Llotd up Lor of different participating countries Are easily the stars and stripes 1j