USS Pawcatuck
Pawcatuck refueling USS Doyle (FFG-39) in 1990
| |
History | |
---|---|
United States | |
Name | USS Pawcatuck |
Namesake | The Pawcatuck River in Connecticut and Rhode Island |
Builder | Sun Shipbuilding and Drydock Company, Chester, Pennsylvania |
Laid down | 22 March 1945 |
Launched | 19 February 1946 |
Commissioned | 10 May 1946 |
Decommissioned | 15 July 1975 |
In service | 1975 |
Out of service | 1991 |
Reclassified | T-AO-108 after 15 July 1975 decommissioning (originally classified AO-108) |
Stricken | 21 September 1991 |
Identification | IMO number: 7737157 |
Fate | Sold for scrapping 21 September 2005 |
General characteristics | |
Class and type | T3–S2–A3 type |
Type | Fleet replenishment oiler |
Displacement |
|
Length |
|
Beam | 75 ft (23 m) |
Draft |
|
Installed power | 30,400 hp (22,700 kW) |
Propulsion | geared turbines, four boilers, twin screws |
Speed | 16 knots (30 km/h) |
Capacity | 146,000 barrels (23,200 m3) of fuel oil |
Complement | 304 (as USS Pawcatuck) |
Crew | 108 civilians plus a U.S. Navy detachment (as USNS Pawcatuck) |
Armament |
|
Notes | "Jumboization" involved the lengthening of Pawcatuck's hull and installation of additional cargo capacity during 1965–66. |
USS Pawcatuck (AO-108) was a
Construction and commissioning
USS Pawcatuck (AO–108) was laid down under
Service career
1946–65
After shakedown, Pawcatuck was assigned the task of transporting
In November 1961, she sailed for her first
During 1964 Pawcatuck operated with the Atlantic Fleet performing logistic services and conducting training exercises. In January 1965 she sailed to the Caribbean, where she made port calls and provided support and training services. She returned to
"Jumboization", 1965–66
Upon returning to the
1967–75
After outfitting at Boston, Massachusetts, Pawcatuck sailed on 23 February 1967 to
On 29 January 1968, Pawcatuck deployed to the Mediterranean and serviced over 300 ships of the U.S. Sixth Fleet and NATO allies while participating in exercises "Fairgame IV", "Dawn Patrol", and "Flapex" and in many smaller fleet exercises. She returned to Mayport on 6 August 1968 and spent the latter part of the year servicing units of the recovery force for the Apollo 7 space mission.
During January and February 1969, Pawcatuck made preparations for another Mediterranean deployment.
Pawcatuck remained in active, commissioned U.S. Navy service until 1975, but the details of her career between 1969 and 1975 await further research. As of May 1972, Pawcatuck was still home ported in Mayport, FL. Toward the end of 1972 She went on a North Atlantic Cruise going to Holy Loch Scotland, Copenhagen, Rotterdam, Kristiansund Norway, Hamburg Germany and Back to Scotland.
Later career and disposition
Pawcatuck was decommissioned on 15 July 1975 and transferred to the Military Sealift Command, in which she served in a non-commissioned status with a civilian crew as USNS Pawcatuck (T-AO-108) until 1991.
Pawcatuck was stricken from the
Notes
- ^ Some sources refer to this class as the Mispillion class or Cimarron class
She was awarded the overall fleet efficiency award in 1971 and again in 1972. In 1972 she also won the engineering efficiency award.
References
This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.
- Wildenberg, Thomas (1996). Gray Steel and Black Oil: Fast Tankers and Replenishment at Sea in the U.S. Navy, 1912-1995. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. Retrieved 2009-04-28.
External links
- Photo gallery of Pawcatuck at NavSource Naval History