After four months of local operations , '' Salem '' sailed for Guantanamo Bay on 24 January 1953 for training . Returning to Boston on 27 February , she sailed for the Mediterranean on 17 April and again relieved '' Newport News '' as flagship . Her fourth deployment was marked by Exercise " Weldfest " and by emergency relief work after the 1953 Ionian earthquake which devastated the Ionian Islands . '' Salem '' was the first American ship to arrive on the scene , and provided relief supplies and assistance from 13 August until her own stocks ran low four days later . Relieved by '' Des Moines '' as flagship on 9 October , she returned to Boston on 24 October and entered the shipyard for overhaul
1953 Ionian earthquake
1953 Ionian earthquake
USS Salem (CA-139)