| USS Merrimack (AO-179) | |
|---|---|
 USS Merrimack before the jumboization, 1985 | |
| Career (USA) |  |
| Name: | USS Cimarron |
| Namesake: | Merrimack River |
| Builder: | Avondale Shipyards |
| Laid down: | 16 July 1979 |
| Launched: | 17 May 1980 |
| Commissioned: | 14 November 1981 |
| Decommissioned: | 18 December 1998 |
| Struck: | 18 December 1998 |
| Fate: | Scrapped 5 June 2013 |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement: | 36,977 tons full load |
| Length: | 700 ft (210 m) |
| Beam: | 88 ft (27 m) |
| Draft: | 32 ft (9.8 m) |
| Propulsion: | Steam Turbine |
| Speed: | 20 kn (37 km/h) |
| Complement: | 12 officers, 148 enlisted |
| Armament: | 2 × 25 MM Cannons 2 × 20 MM Phalanx Cannons CIWIS 4 × 50 Cal. Machine Guns |
USS Merrimack (AO-179) was the third ship of the Cimarron-class of fleet oilers of the United States Navy. Merrimack was built at the Avondale Shipyards in New Orleans, Louisiana starting in 1978 and was commissioned in 1981 for service in the Atlantic Fleet. Total cost for the ship was $107.1 million. She was last homeported at Norfolk, Virginia. Between 1989 and 1991 Merrimack was "jumboized", meaning that, after cutting the ship into two sections after about a third from the bow, a 35.7 m long section was added to increase the fuel load. Merrimack was decommissioned on 18 December 1998 and struck from the Naval Vessel Register on the same day. Her title was transferred to the Maritime Administration. She was scrapped in Brownsville on 5 June 2013.
Awards[]
Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons
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- Joint Meritorious Unit Commendation
- Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation - x2
- Navy E Ribbon - x2
- Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal
- Armed Forces Service Medal
- Coast Guard Meritorious Unit Commendation
- Coast Guard Special Operations Service Ribbon
_USS_Merrimack_(AO-179)_Jan1985.jpeg){kind=link}
Merrimack after refueling USS Iowa (BB-61) in 1985.
References[]
- This article includes information collected from the Naval Vessel Register, which, as a U.S. government publication, is in the public domain. The entry can be found here.
External links[]
- Navsource
- 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. http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/GSBO/index.html. Retrieved 2009-04-28.
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The original article can be found at USS Merrimack (AO-179) and the edit history here.