USNS Kiska

USNS Kiska (T-AE-35), ex-USS Kiska (AE-35) was one of five ammunition ships operated by Military Sealift Command of the Naval Fleet Auxiliary Force. The ship was laid down on 8 April 1971 at Ingalls Shipbuilding, Pascagoula, Mississippi as USS Kiska (AE-35) and was launched on 11 March 1972. Originally commissioned on December 16, 1972 in Charleston South Carolina. The Kiska then travelled through the Panama canal to its first home port in Mare Island California. She was decommissioned on 1 August 1996, and that same day entered service with Military Sealift Command as USNS Kiska (T-AE-35). She continued to operate under Military Sealift Command's control until she was deactivated at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on January 15, 2011.[3][4] Kiska was the eighth and final ship of the Kilauea-class ammunition ships. Kiska was disposed of by Navy title transfer to the Maritime Administration as of May 30, 2013.[5] Kiska was completely dismantled to its material content by Esco Marine, Inc. in Brownsville, Texas on November 20, 2013.

USNS Kiska in the Persian Gulf, 2003
History
United States
Name	Kiska
Namesake	Kiska, a volcanic island in Alaska
Awarded	March 8, 1968[1]
Builder	Ingalls Shipbuilding[1]
Laid down	April 8, 1971[1]
Launched	March 11, 1972[1]
Commissioned	December 16, 1972[1]
Decommissioned	August 1, 1996[1]
In service	August 1, 1996
Stricken	January 15, 2011
Homeport	Port Chicago, Vallejo, CA
Identification	MMSI number: 367275000 Callsign: NMFC
Fate	Scrapped November 20, 2013
General characteristics
Class and type	Kilauea-class ammunition ship
Displacement	19,940 long tons (20,260 t)[2]
Length	564 ft (172 m)[2]
Beam	81 ft (25 m)[2]
Draft	28 ft (8.5 m)[2]
Propulsion	3 Foster-Wheeler boilers; 600 psi (4,100 kPa); 870 °F (466 °C); 1 turbine, 22,000 hp (16,000 kW); Automated Propulsion System (APS)
Speed	20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph)[2]
Complement	125 civilians, 55 naval personnel [2]
Aircraft carried	2 × CH-46 helicopters