USS Milwaukee (AOR-2)
USS Milwaukee (AOR-2) was a Wichita-class replenishment oiler commissioned by the U.S. Navy in 1969. She continued to support Navy requirements until 1994 when she was placed in the reserve fleet and later struck.
_Mar1982.jpeg.webp) USS Milwaukee in March 1982 | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | USS Milwaukee |
| Namesake | The city of Milwaukee, Wisconsin and the Milwaukee River |
| Builder | General Dynamics Corporation, Quincy, Massachusetts |
| Laid down | 29 November 1966 |
| Launched | 1 January 1969 |
| Commissioned | 1 November 1969 |
| Decommissioned | 27 January 1994 |
| Stricken | 8 April 1997 |
| Identification | IMO number: 8644113 |
| Fate | Scrapped, 2009 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Wichita-class replenishment oiler |
| Displacement |
|
| Length | 659 ft (201 m) |
| Beam | 96 ft (29 m) |
| Draft | 37 ft (11 m) |
| Propulsion | 3 × boilers, 2 × steam turbines, 2 × shafts, 32,000 shp (23,862 kW) |
| Speed | 20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph) |
| Complement | 34 Officers, 463 Enlisted |
| Armament |
|
| Aircraft carried | 2 × CH-46 Sea Knight helicopters |
| Aviation facilities | Helo Deck and berthing for 8 Airdet Personnel |
History
Milwaukee was laid down on 29 November 1966 and launched on 1 January 1969 at the shipyard of the General Dynamics Corporation, Quincy, Massachusetts. On 1 November 1969 she was commissioned USS Milwaukee (AOR-2) and placed into service for the fleet.
_Craney_Island_1990.jpeg.webp)
Operational service
During the Vietnam War USS Milwaukee participated in operation Vietnam Ceasefire from 12 November 1972 through 20 February 1973. Milwaukee earned one campaign star for Vietnam War service.[1]
In September 1976, returning from a routine deployment, Milwaukee along with Sylvania had the honor of transporting the world-famous King Tutankhamun Exhibition to the United States for the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.
In September and October 1977 Milwaukee sailed on separate 3-week deployments to the Caribbean Sea in support of Atlantic Fleet exercises, with port calls at Roosevelt Roads, Puerto Rico and St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands.
On 1 March 1980 the Malaysian oil tanker Santo Prestige lost power and collided with Milwaukee which was moored in Norfolk, Virginia. The collision results in a 40-by-15-foot (12.2 by 4.6 m) gash in the hull of Milwaukee.[2]
In 1985 Milwaukee participated in the anti-submarine exercise Arctic Sharem.[3]
Decommissioning
On 27 January 1994 Milwaukee was decommissioned and struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 8 April 1997. On 15 January 2009, Milwaukee was sold for $56,410 for scrapping to Bay Bridge Enterprises, Chesapeake, Virginia.[4]
References
- "Replenishment Oiler (AOR) Photo Index".
- "American Cold War Veterans, Inc Blog: Jerry T: Naval Accidents During Cold War". 13 May 2009.
- "COLD WaR WaRRIORS GOT CHILLY RECEPTION IN ARCTIC - Free Online Library". www.thefreelibrary.com. Archived from the original on 2011-08-20.
- "Replenishment Oiler (AOR) Photo Index". www.navsource.org.
This article includes information collected from the Naval Vessel Register, which, as a U.S. government publication, is in the public domain.
- 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.