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Kilauea2
USNS Kilauea (T-AE-26)
Career (United States)
Name: USNS Kilauea (AE-26)
Namesake: Kilauea
Owner: United States Navy
Operator: Military Sealift Command
Awarded: 30 March 1965
Builder: General Dynamics Quincy Shipbuilding Division
Laid down: 10 March 1966
Launched: 9 August 1967
Sponsored by: Mrs. Michael J. Kirwan
Acquired: 12 June 1968
Commissioned: 10 August 1968
Decommissioned: 1 October 1980
In service: 1 October 1980
Identification: IMO number: 8834079
Fate: Expended as a target 24 July 2012
General characteristics
Class & type: Kilauea-class ammunition ship
Displacement: 11,915 tons (light) 20,169 tons (full)
Length: 561 ft (171 m)
Beam: 81 ft (25 m)
Draft: 31 ft (9.4 m)
Speed: 20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph)
Complement: 403
Armament: Originally 4 x 2 3-inch/50 DP guns, later: 2 x 2 3-inch/50 DP guns and 2 x 1 CIWS Phalanx mounts

USNS Kilauea (AE-26) was the lead ship of her class of ammunition ships of the United States Navy. She was named for Kilauea, the Hawaiian volcano.

Kilauea was laid down 10 March 1966 by General Dynamics Quincy Shipbuilding Division, Quincy, Massachusetts; launched 9 August 1967; sponsored by Mrs. Michael J. Kirwan, wife of Representative Michael J. Kirwan of Ohio. Kilauea was commissioned 10 August 1968 with Captain William L. McGonagle, USN commanding.

Kilauea was decommissioned and placed in service with the Military Sealift Command (MSC) as USNS Kilauea (T-AE-26) on 1 October 1980.

Kilauea was deployed to the Persian Gulf on August 23, 1990 as part of International Naval task force for Operation Desert Shield from 2 September 1990 to 20 January 1991 when she was assigned to the 3rd Marine Amphibious Group, The USS Theodore Roosevelt and USS Midway battlegroups for Operation Desert Storm from 20 January 1991 to April 17, 1991.

Kilauea was deployed to East Timor as part of the Australian-led INTERFET peacekeeping task force from 20 September to 2 October 1999.[1]

Kilauea was struck from the Naval Vessel Register in September 2008.

Kilauea was scheduled to be expended as a target vessel as part of the 2012 RIMPAC exercise.[2] It was sunk by a Mark 48 torpedo fired from the Australian submarine HMAS Farncomb on 24 July 2012.[3]


Awards[]

Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons

Bronze star
Bronze star
Bronze star
Bronze star
Bronze star
Bronze star
Bronze star
Bronze star
Bronze star
Bronze star
Bronze star
Bronze star
Bronze star

USS Kilauea earned 4 service stars and participated in the following campaigns:

Vietnam Service Medal ribbon
Vietnam War Campaign
Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase VII

7 to 23 August 1970 1 to 25 September 1970 1 to 2 October 1970 12 to 24 October 1970 2 to 11 November 1970 30 November to 11 December 1970 5 January to 26 January 1971

Consolidation II

1 to 8 December 1971 25 December 1971 to 3 January 1972 12 to 21 January 1972 28 January to 22 February 1972 5 to 29 March 1972

Consolidation I

3 to 11 September 1971 22 to 30 September 1971 19 to 26 October 1971 5 to 24 November 1971

Vietnam Ceasefire

30 March to 15 April 1972 21 April to 6 May 1972 13 to 23 May 1972 30 May to 12 June 1972

References[]



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