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USS Seattle (AOE-3)
Encyclopedia
The second USS Seattle (AOE-3), a , was laid down on October 1, 1965, at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard
, Bremerton, Washington
; launched on March 2, 1968; sponsored by Mrs. William M. Allen, Chairman of the Board of the Children's Orthopedic Hospital
Association, Seattle; and commissioned on April 5, 1969, Capt. Bruce Keener III in command.
After fitting out, Seattle departed Puget Sound Naval Shipyard on September 24, 1969, en route to Norfolk
. Seattle visited Long Beach
, San Diego, Acapulco
, the Panama Canal
, and New Orleans, arriving at Norfolk, her designated home port, on November 22.
and shakedown training. On January 13, Seattle took attack carrier, , alongside for refueling. She departed again on January 19 for more exercises and a visit to Port-au-Prince
, Haiti
, before returning to Guantanamo on January 26.
Following additional exercises and battle problems, Seattle steamed for Mayport, Florida, and thence proceeded to Norfolk, arriving on February 12.
On February 26, Seattle was struck by a yard tug, puncturing a tank, and spilling black oil for almost two hours. The oil was quickly skimmed off the water, and no adverse reaction resulted from the mishap.
Seattle departed Norfolk on August 27 for her first overseas deployment. She entered her first European port, Lisbon
, Portugal
, on September 6. On September 8, she anchored off Rota, Spain
. Passing through the Straits of Gibraltar the next day, Seattle loaded cargo onto and then proceeded to the eastern Mediterranean Sea
via Augusta, Sicily. The Jordanian Crisis had brought matters close to a boil, and Seattle served as the primary logistic support ship for and her escorts. Toward the end of the month, Seattle was one of 12 ships reviewed by President Richard Nixon
.
Seattle continued her support of Saratoga in the eastern Mediterranean until October 20, when she arrived in Athens
, Greece
.
Leaving Athens on October 29, Seattle replenished ships until November 9, when she pulled into Augusta, Sicily, for another one-day fuel lift. She then proceeded to Taranto
, the Italian Navy
's largest base, arriving on November 12.
Seattle departed Taranto on November 16 and continued replenishment of 6th Fleet ships. She spent from November 25 to December 1 in Naples
. From December 8 to December 14, she was anchored in Barcelona
, Spain
; and ended the year at Villefranche
, France
.
. On January 17, she anchored in Naples, remaining there until January 22. She operated in the Ionian Sea
, the Algiers-Provencal Basin, and off Barcelona
until February 20, when she got underway for operations en route to Norfolk, arriving on March 1.
On August 10, Seattle departed for Puerto Rico
, arriving at Roosevelt Roads on August 13. She operated around Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands
, Guantanamo, and Haiti before returning to Norfolk on October 11.
On December 1, Seattle steamed out of Craney Island
, Virginia
, for a six-month deployment to the Mediterranean. The fast combat support ship arrived at Rota, Spain, on December 9, and got underway on the following day for Augusta, Sicily, arriving on December 16. On December 19, she was en route to Naples, where she spent Christmas
in port. On December 28, Seattle ended her stay in Naples and was underway to Barcelona, arriving on New Year's Eve
. At the completion of a seven-month Mediterranean cruise, Seattle returned to Norfolk on June 29, 1972. She operated out of Norfolk for four months, then departed, on October 24, for an unscheduled deployment to the U.S. 6th Fleet. She participated in "Bystander" operations in the western Mediterranean and in exercise "National Week XIV" before returning to Norfolk on December 19.
, New Jersey to take a crucial and important part, while no substantial bases and ports existed yet in the Persian Gulf, in the earlier and later actions in the build up to the Operation Desert Storm during the conflict of the First Persian Gulf War from the first weeks of August to the end of April next year, after the successful retaking of Kuwait
and surrender of Iraq
. Most of the main ammunition and other supplies for the Kennedy and Saratoga
Carriers task Force to provide Air cover on the assault to liberate Kuwait and pressure on Iraq itself done by these two American carrier battle group
s and supply of Allies countries vessels was done from this AOE
ship. Returning back to New Jersey and later a period of extensive repairs at the Naval Shipyards near Philadelphia
on deployment to the Persian Gulf
in June 2004. On August 12, 2004, Seattle rescued twelve crew of the Indonesia
n flagged cargo ship Edha II - delivering the survivors to Umm Qasr Port
, Iraq
. On December 14, 2004, she returned to Norfolk.
Seattle decommissioned on March 15, 2005.
Puget Sound Naval Shipyard
Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility is a United States Navy shipyard covering 179 acres on Puget Sound at Bremerton, Washington...
, Bremerton, Washington
Bremerton, Washington
Bremerton is a city in Kitsap County, Washington, United States. The population was 38,790 at the 2011 State Estimate, making it the largest city on the Olympic Peninsula. Bremerton is home to Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and the Bremerton Annex of Naval Base Kitsap...
; launched on March 2, 1968; sponsored by Mrs. William M. Allen, Chairman of the Board of the Children's Orthopedic Hospital
Children's Hospital and Regional Medical Center (Seattle)
Seattle Children's, formerly Children's Hospital and Regional Medical Center, is a 250-bed children's hospital in the Laurelhurst neighborhood of Seattle, Washington. Currently ranked as one of the top 10 children's hospitals in the country by U.S...
Association, Seattle; and commissioned on April 5, 1969, Capt. Bruce Keener III in command.
After fitting out, Seattle departed Puget Sound Naval Shipyard on September 24, 1969, en route to Norfolk
Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. With a population of 242,803 as of the 2010 Census, it is Virginia's second-largest city behind neighboring Virginia Beach....
. Seattle visited Long Beach
Long Beach, California
Long Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...
, San Diego, Acapulco
Acapulco
Acapulco is a city, municipality and major sea port in the state of Guerrero on the Pacific coast of Mexico, southwest from Mexico City. Acapulco is located on a deep, semi-circular bay and has been a port since the early colonial period of Mexico’s history...
, the Panama Canal
Panama Canal
The Panama Canal is a ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. Built from 1904 to 1914, the canal has seen annual traffic rise from about 1,000 ships early on to 14,702 vessels measuring a total of 309.6...
, and New Orleans, arriving at Norfolk, her designated home port, on November 22.
1970
Seattle left home port on January 2, 1970, for Guantanamo BayGuantanamo Bay Naval Base
Guantanamo Bay Naval Base is located on of land and water at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba which the United States leased for use as a coaling station following the Cuban-American Treaty of 1903. The base is located on the shore of Guantánamo Bay at the southeastern end of Cuba. It is the oldest overseas...
and shakedown training. On January 13, Seattle took attack carrier, , alongside for refueling. She departed again on January 19 for more exercises and a visit to Port-au-Prince
Port-au-Prince
Port-au-Prince is the capital and largest city of the Caribbean nation of Haiti. The city's population was 704,776 as of the 2003 census, and was officially estimated to have reached 897,859 in 2009....
, Haiti
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
, before returning to Guantanamo on January 26.
Following additional exercises and battle problems, Seattle steamed for Mayport, Florida, and thence proceeded to Norfolk, arriving on February 12.
On February 26, Seattle was struck by a yard tug, puncturing a tank, and spilling black oil for almost two hours. The oil was quickly skimmed off the water, and no adverse reaction resulted from the mishap.
Seattle departed Norfolk on August 27 for her first overseas deployment. She entered her first European port, Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
, Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
, on September 6. On September 8, she anchored off Rota, Spain
Rota, Spain
-External references:*, official website * On-line since 1999! News, premiere information, pictures, weather, etc. Into Spanish, English... ****- External links :...
. Passing through the Straits of Gibraltar the next day, Seattle loaded cargo onto and then proceeded to the eastern Mediterranean Sea
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
via Augusta, Sicily. The Jordanian Crisis had brought matters close to a boil, and Seattle served as the primary logistic support ship for and her escorts. Toward the end of the month, Seattle was one of 12 ships reviewed by President Richard Nixon
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...
.
Seattle continued her support of Saratoga in the eastern Mediterranean until October 20, when she arrived in Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
.
Leaving Athens on October 29, Seattle replenished ships until November 9, when she pulled into Augusta, Sicily, for another one-day fuel lift. She then proceeded to Taranto
Taranto
Taranto is a coastal city in Apulia, Southern Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Taranto and is an important commercial port as well as the main Italian naval base....
, the Italian Navy
Marina Militare
The Italian Navy is the navy of the Italian Republic. It is one of the four branches of military forces of Italy; formed in 1946, from what remained of the Regia Marina . As of 2008, the Italian Navy had 35,200 active personnel with 180 commissioned ships, 19 Floating Docks, and 123 aircraft...
's largest base, arriving on November 12.
Seattle departed Taranto on November 16 and continued replenishment of 6th Fleet ships. She spent from November 25 to December 1 in Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
. From December 8 to December 14, she was anchored in Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
; and ended the year at Villefranche
Villefranche-sur-Mer
Villefranche-sur-Mer is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region on the French Riviera.-Geography:...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
1971
Seattle got underway on January 6, 1971, for operations in the vicinity of southeast SicilySicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
. On January 17, she anchored in Naples, remaining there until January 22. She operated in the Ionian Sea
Ionian Sea
The Ionian Sea , is an arm of the Mediterranean Sea, south of the Adriatic Sea. It is bounded by southern Italy including Calabria, Sicily and the Salento peninsula to the west, southern Albania to the north, and a large number of Greek islands, including Corfu, Zante, Kephalonia, Ithaka, and...
, the Algiers-Provencal Basin, and off Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
until February 20, when she got underway for operations en route to Norfolk, arriving on March 1.
On August 10, Seattle departed for Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
, arriving at Roosevelt Roads on August 13. She operated around Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands
Virgin Islands
The Virgin Islands are the western island group of the Leeward Islands, which are the northern part of the Lesser Antilles, which form the border between the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean...
, Guantanamo, and Haiti before returning to Norfolk on October 11.
On December 1, Seattle steamed out of Craney Island
Craney Island (Virginia)
Craney Island is a point of land in the independent city of Portsmouth in the South Hampton Roads region of eastern Virginia in the United States. The location, formerly in Norfolk County, is near the mouth of the Elizabeth River opposite Lambert's Point on Hampton Roads. It is managed by the U.S...
, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, for a six-month deployment to the Mediterranean. The fast combat support ship arrived at Rota, Spain, on December 9, and got underway on the following day for Augusta, Sicily, arriving on December 16. On December 19, she was en route to Naples, where she spent Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
in port. On December 28, Seattle ended her stay in Naples and was underway to Barcelona, arriving on New Year's Eve
New Year's Eve
New Year's Eve is observed annually on December 31, the final day of any given year in the Gregorian calendar. In modern societies, New Year's Eve is often celebrated at social gatherings, during which participants dance, eat, consume alcoholic beverages, and watch or light fireworks to mark the...
. At the completion of a seven-month Mediterranean cruise, Seattle returned to Norfolk on June 29, 1972. She operated out of Norfolk for four months, then departed, on October 24, for an unscheduled deployment to the U.S. 6th Fleet. She participated in "Bystander" operations in the western Mediterranean and in exercise "National Week XIV" before returning to Norfolk on December 19.
1972–73
Seattle spent the remainder of 1972 at Norfolk and the first six months of 1973 in operations from that port. In June, she began another voyage to the "middle sea." This tour of duty lasted until December, with Seattle arriving in Norfolk on December 1.1990's
The Seattle was deployed from its new Homeport recently changed from Norfolk to Sandy Hook BayNaval Weapons Station Earle
Naval Weapons Station Earle is a United States Navy base in New Jersey. Its distinguishing feature is a 2.9-mile pier in Sandy Hook Bay where ammunition can be loaded and unloaded from warships at a safe distance from land....
, New Jersey to take a crucial and important part, while no substantial bases and ports existed yet in the Persian Gulf, in the earlier and later actions in the build up to the Operation Desert Storm during the conflict of the First Persian Gulf War from the first weeks of August to the end of April next year, after the successful retaking of Kuwait
Kuwait
The State of Kuwait is a sovereign Arab state situated in the north-east of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south at Khafji, and Iraq to the north at Basra. It lies on the north-western shore of the Persian Gulf. The name Kuwait is derived from the...
and surrender of Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
. Most of the main ammunition and other supplies for the Kennedy and Saratoga
USS John F. Kennedy (CV-67)
USS John F. Kennedy is a John F. Kennedy class aircraft carrier, the last conventionally powered carrier built for the United States Navy. The ship is named after the 35th President of the United States, John F...
Carriers task Force to provide Air cover on the assault to liberate Kuwait and pressure on Iraq itself done by these two American carrier battle group
Carrier battle group
A carrier battle group consists of an aircraft carrier and its escorts, together composing the group. The first naval task forces built around carriers appeared just prior to and during World War II. The Imperial Japanese Navy was the first to assemble a large number of carriers into a single...
s and supply of Allies countries vessels was done from this AOE
Fast combat support ship
The fast combat support ship is the United States Navy's largest combat logistics ship, designed as an oiler, ammunition and supply ship. All fast combat support ships currently in service are operated by Military Sealift Command . The AOE has the speed and armament to keep up with carrier battle...
ship. Returning back to New Jersey and later a period of extensive repairs at the Naval Shipyards near Philadelphia
Recent years
Seattle accompanied the carrier battle groupCarrier battle group
A carrier battle group consists of an aircraft carrier and its escorts, together composing the group. The first naval task forces built around carriers appeared just prior to and during World War II. The Imperial Japanese Navy was the first to assemble a large number of carriers into a single...
on deployment to the Persian Gulf
Persian Gulf
The Persian Gulf, in Southwest Asia, is an extension of the Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.The Persian Gulf was the focus of the 1980–1988 Iran-Iraq War, in which each side attacked the other's oil tankers...
in June 2004. On August 12, 2004, Seattle rescued twelve crew of the Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
n flagged cargo ship Edha II - delivering the survivors to Umm Qasr Port
Umm Qasr Port
Umm Qasr Port is Iraq's only deep water port, part of the city of Umm Qasr.Iraq's second port in scale of size and goods shipped to the port of Basra, it is strategically important, located on the western edge of the al-Faw peninsula, where the mouth of the Shatt al Arab waterway enters the Persian...
, Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
. On December 14, 2004, she returned to Norfolk.
Seattle decommissioned on March 15, 2005.