'In Common Cause': The NATO Multilateral Force and the Mixed-Manning Demonstration on the USS Claude V. Ricketts, 1964-1965

In mid-1964, the USS Claude V. Ricketts began an eighteen-month operation known as the Mixed-Manning Demonstration. The Ricketts (formerly the USS Biddle) carried men from seven different North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) nations and was intended to demonstrate the viability of "mixed-manning" as part of NATO plans for the so-called Multilateral (Nuclear) Force, a purpose-built flotilla of nuclear armed ships to be owned, operated, controlled, and manned by Alliance members. While the Multilateral Force never came to fruition, the Mixed-Manning Demonstration proved to be a considerable success. This article aims to provide an alternative perspective on the history of the Multilateral Force by examining the development of the multilateral mixed-manning concept, showing how officers from the Ricketts attempted to overcome the difficulties encountered in operating with an international crew, and analysing the inherent long-term disadvantages of manning a ship in such a way.