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USS White Plains (AFS-4)
Encyclopedia
USS White Plains (AFS-4) was the fourth of the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
. The ship was named after the city of White Plains
White Plains, New York
White Plains is a city and the county seat of Westchester County, New York, United States. It is located in south-central Westchester, about east of the Hudson River and northwest of Long Island Sound...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, scene of the Battle of White Plains
Battle of White Plains
The Battle of White Plains was a battle in the New York and New Jersey campaign of the American Revolutionary War fought on October 28, 1776, near White Plains, New York. Following the retreat of George Washington's Continental Army northward from New York City, British General William Howe landed...
during the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
.
Construction and commissioning
White Plains was laid down on 2 October 1965 by the National Steel and Shipbuilding CompanyNational Steel and Shipbuilding Company
National Steel and Shipbuilding Company, commonly referred to as NASSCO, is a shipyard in San Diego, California and Norfolk, Virginia and a division of General Dynamics. The shipyard specializes in constructing commercial cargo ships and auxiliary vessels for the US Navy and Military Sealift...
in San Diego
San Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. She was launched
Ship naming and launching
The ceremonies involved in naming and launching naval ships are based in traditions thousands of years old.-Methods of launch:There are three principal methods of conveying a new ship from building site to water, only two of which are called "launching." The oldest, most familiar, and most widely...
on 26 July 1966, sponsored by Mrs. Bob Wilson, and commissioned
Ship commissioning
Ship commissioning is the act or ceremony of placing a ship in active service, and may be regarded as a particular application of the general concepts and practices of project commissioning. The term is most commonly applied to the placing of a warship in active duty with its country's military...
at the Long Beach Naval Shipyard
Long Beach Naval Shipyard
thumb|right|300px|Long Beach Naval Shipyard in 1993The Long Beach Naval Shipyard, which closed in 1997, was located at Terminal Island between the city of Long Beach and the San Pedro district of Los Angeles and approximately 23 miles south of the Los Angeles International Airport.The Long Beach...
at 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...
, California, on 23 November 1968, with Captain
Captain (naval)
Captain is the name most often given in English-speaking navies to the rank corresponding to command of the largest ships. The NATO rank code is OF-5, equivalent to an army full colonel....
Thomas B. Brenner in command.
White Plains was used as the trial vessel for the class to mount the two Vulcan Phalanx CIWS
Phalanx CIWS
The Phalanx CIWS is an anti-ship missile defense system. It is a close-in weapon system and was designed and manufactured by the General Dynamics Corporation, Pomona Division...
. The ship retained the Phalanx systems after decision was made not to mount them on the rest of the class.
Service history
In the late 1980s, the ship was one of the first U.S. Navy ships to have women sailors aboard. By 1991, and after a berthing retrofit accomplished in overhaul, the ship had a complement of female officers, and female senior and junior enlisted aboard.On May 9, 1989, while underway in the South China Sea en route to Guam, the White Plains experienced a major Class Bravo fire in the main engine room while conducting underway fuel replenishment with the combat replenishment ship USS Sacramento (AOE-1)
USS Sacramento (AOE-1)
USS Sacramento was the third ship in the United States Navy to bear the name, for both the Sacramento River and the capital city of California...
. The fire resulted from the ejection of a valve stem on the fuel transfer system which sent a high-pressure spray of fuel over the boiler and consequently ignited into a fireball. The cause of the valve stem ejection was from navy supply system black coated/painted fasteners, that were not the right type of metal (brass vs. copper) to withstand the pressure and heat of the system and environment. It was determined after an investigation that navy logistics had purchased the black coasted fasteners for use on ship fuel systems, without confirming or inspecting their metal content. After the tragedy, a complete review of these fasteners was conducted navy wide. There were 6 fatalities and 161 injuries reported as a result of the fire.http://www.dcfp.navy.mil/mc/museum/WHITEPLAINS/WhitePlains1.htm The ship and the ship's crew never really recovered from the tragedy. A plaque of the 6 who died hung in Damage Control Central as a constant reminder and the ship would occasionally receive mail for the crew that had died.
In January 1991 the White Plains was relieved from its deployment in Persian Gulf by sister ship .
In early August 1992, the ship received an extensive refit, including her main steam plant. Later that same month, as the ship was unable to be leave on its own power, its mooring lines were reinforced with anchor chain and steel cables to keep it moored to the pier as Typhoon Omar
Typhoon Omar
Super Typhoon Omar was the 15th tropical depression, the 15th named storm, and the 9th typhoon of the 1992 Pacific typhoon season...
approached the island of Guam
Guam
Guam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. Guam is listed as one of 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United...
.
On 27 August 1992, under the command of Capt. Robin Y. Weber, and although the ship weathered the initial pass of the eye of Super Typhoon Omar, after a relative calm and then the final pass of the eye of Typhoon Omar, White Plains was torn from her moorings. The ship with its skeleton crew rode out Omar's 150 mph winds in Apra Harbor
Apra Harbor
Apra Harbor is a deep-water port on the western side of Guam in the Mariana Islands. The harbor is formed by Orote Peninsula in the south and Cabras Island in the north. To the south, the harbor narrows and then widens again to form an inner harbor. The southern end of the harbor is the location...
. The ship ultimately ran aground on the coral beach. There were several theories as to why the ship was torn from her reinforced moorings. One of which was, despite the recommendation of the Auxiliary Division Officer, the ship leadership decided to lock the ship's rudder in the hard over position instead of the midships position. During refit, the ship also had its helo hanger doors removed. Its likely when the water flowed out of the harbor with the strong winds, on the final pass of the eye of the typhoon, the rudder being hard over, and having no doors on the helo hanger, helped drive the ship away from the pier, ultimately stretching and breaking the mooring lines. Water under the ship, pulling it away from the pier, and wind entering the hanger like a sail, pulling it forward.
Very fortunate to have run aground quickly in the harbor channel, after the ship left the pier in the storm, the ship lost its only power source for a day, a notoriously fickle emergency diesel generator. The generator situation was corrected after several hours and troubleshooting, and ultimately solved by a simple observation made by the electrical officer, LTJG. Lee, that a control governor mechanical linkage was undone. Essential power for emergency services were restored to the ship, enabling the crew to handle any flooding or fire that would occur. While the ship was aground for 3–5 days, the crew sustained on MREs, and helped plan, with harbor operations, for her ungrounding. There was no real damage to the ship's hull.
The ship recovered completely from the grounding and was underway for gulf operations in May 1993.
The ship, well past its life cycle and usefulness to the U.S. Navy, was decommissioned in 1995.