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USS Kalamazoo (AOR-6)
Encyclopedia
USS Kalamazoo (AOR-6) was a commissioned by the U.S. Navy in 1973. She continued to support Navy requirements until 1996 when she was placed in the reserve fleet and later struck.
Construction
Kalamazoo was laid down on 1 October 1970 and launched on 1 November 1972 at the shipyard of the General Dynamics Corporation, Quincy, MassachusettsQuincy, Massachusetts
Quincy is a city in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. Its nicknames are "City of Presidents", "City of Legends", and "Birthplace of the American Dream". As a major part of Metropolitan Boston, Quincy is a member of Boston's Inner Core Committee for the Metropolitan Area Planning Council...
. On 11 August 1973 she was commissioned USS Kalamazoo (AOR-6) and placed into service for the fleet. Her homeport was Norfolk Naval Base in Norfolk, Virginia.
Navy operational service
AOR-6 Deployments - Major EventsAdd a AOR-6 Shellback Initiation Add a AOR-6 Deployment - Major EventMonth Year to Month Year Deployment / Event
OCT 1970 Keel Date: 1 OCT 1970 at General Dynamics Corporation Quincy MA:
NOV 1972 Launch Date: 1 NOV 1972:
AUG 1973 Commissioned: 11 AUG 1973:
JAN 1975 - DEC 1975 Marjorie Sterret Battleship Award:
APR 1975 - OCT 1975 Blue Nose - Artic Circle:
JUL 1976 - JUL 1976 New York Harbor Tall Ships Celebration:
APR 1978 - MAY 1979 Regular Overhaul:
FEB 1980 - SEP 1980 Mediterranean-Indian Ocean:
OCT 1981 - - - Shellback Initiation - 8 OCT 1981 - Atlantic Ocean:
OCT 1981 - APR 1982 Mediterranean-West Africa:
NOV 1982 - MAY 1983 Mediterranean:
DEC 1982 - JUN 1983 OVERHAUL-HOBOKEN N.J.:
JAN 1983 - DEC 1984 Mediterranean-Lebanon:
JAN 1984 - DEC 1984 Mediterranean-Lebanon:
JUN 1986 - SEP 1986 North Atlantic:
DEC 1989 - MAY 1990 Mediterranean:
DEC 1990 - JUN 1991 Desert Storm:
OCT 1992 - APR 1993 Mediterranean:
MAR 1993 - JAN 1994 Mediterranean-Indian Ocean-Persian Gulf:
AUG 1996 Decommissioned: 16 AUG 1996
Decommissioning
On 16 August 1996 Kalamazoo was decommissioned and placed in reserve at the National Defense Reserve FleetNational Defense Reserve Fleet
The National Defense Reserve Fleet consists of "mothballed" ships, mostly merchant vessels, that can be activated within 20 to 120 days to provide shipping for the United States of America during national emergencies, either military or non-military, such as commercial shipping crises.The NDRF is...
, James River
James River (Virginia)
The James River is a river in the U.S. state of Virginia. It is long, extending to if one includes the Jackson River, the longer of its two source tributaries. The James River drains a catchment comprising . The watershed includes about 4% open water and an area with a population of 2.5 million...
, Lee Hall, Virginia
Lee Hall, Virginia
Lee Hall is a former unincorporated town long located in the former Warwick County. Since 1958, Lee Hall has been a suburban community in the extreme western portion of the independent city of Newport News in the Commonwealth of Virginia....
. She was struck from the Navy list
Navy List
A Navy List or Naval Register is an official list of naval officers, their ranks and seniority, the ships which they command or to which they are appointed, etc., that is published by the government or naval authorities of a country....
on 29 October 1998 and, on 15 July 2008, she was sold by the U.S. Maritime Administration
U.S. Maritime Administration
The United States Maritime Administration is an agency of the United States Department of Transportation that maintains the National Defense Reserve Fleet as a ready source of ships for use during national emergencies, and assists the NDRF in fulfilling its role as the nation's fourth arm of...
to Esco Marine, Brownsville, Texas
Brownsville, Texas
Brownsville is a city in the southernmost tip of the state of Texas, in the United States. It is located on the northern bank of the Rio Grande, directly north and across the border from Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico. Brownsville is the 16th largest city in the state of Texas with a population of...
, for $1,465,726. Kalamazoo was towed out of James River Reserve Fleet on Tuesday September 30, 2008 en route to ESCO Brownsville.
Honors and awards
Qualified Kalamazoo personnel were authorized the following:- Joint Meritorious Unit AwardJoint Meritorious Unit AwardThe Joint Meritorious Unit Award is a military award that was established on June 4, 1981 by Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger and was implemented by Department of Defense Directive 1348.27 dated July 22, 1982...
- Navy Unit CommendationNavy Unit CommendationThe Navy Unit Commendation of the United States Navy is an award that was established by order of the Secretary of the Navy James Forrestal on 18 December 1944...
- Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation
- Navy Battle "E" RibbonBattle Effectiveness AwardThe Battle Effectiveness Award , commonly known as the Battle "E", is awarded annually to the small number of U.S...
(2) - Navy Expeditionary MedalNavy Expeditionary MedalThe Navy Expeditionary Medal is an award of the United States Navy which was first created in August 1936 by General Orders of the Department of the Navy...
(1-IranIranIran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
/Indian OceanIndian OceanThe Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...
, 5-LebanonLebanonLebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
) - National Defense Service MedalNational Defense Service MedalThe National Defense Service Medal is a military service medal of the United States military originally commissioned by President Dwight D. Eisenhower...
- Southwest Asia Service MedalSouthwest Asia Service MedalThe Southwest Asia Service Medal is a military award of the United States armed forces which was created by order of President George H.W. Bush on March 12, 1991. The award is intended to recognize those military service members who performed duty during the years of the Persian Gulf War...