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Ethiopia (A–01)
Encyclopedia
Ethiopia (A-01) was a training ship of the Ethiopian Navy
in commission from 1962 to 1991. She was Ethiopia
's largest naval ship throughout her time in service, which extended across the final 29 years of the Ethiopian Navys operational existence.
Barnegat-class
seaplane tender
USS Orca (AVP-49)
. Commissioned
in 1944, she served in the New Guinea campaign
and Philippines campaign
during World War II
, and at Okinawa and the Bikini Atoll
atomic bomb tests post-war before being decommissioned
in 1947. Recommissioned in 1951, she served in the Pacific until decommissioned again in 1960.
under the Military Assistance Program and was commissioned as the training ship Ethiopia (A-01). Sold outright to Ethiopia in March 1976, Ethiopia was the Ethiopian Navy's largest ship from her arrival in 1962 until the navy was disestablished in 1991.
In May 1991, at the end of the Ethiopian Civil War
and Eritrean War of Independence
, the independence of Eritrea
made Ethiopia a landlocked country. Ethiopia was among ten Ethiopian Navy ships to escape to Yemen
.
or Djibouti
came to nothing; the Ethiopian Navy was disestablished. Never again operational after arriving in Yemen in 1991, Ethiopia survived as a hulk there until she was sold for scrap in 1993.
Ethiopian Navy
The Ethiopian Navy was a branch of the Ethiopian National Defense Force that existed from 1955 until 1991. It was disestablished after the independence of Eritrea, which left Ethiopia landlocked.-Founding of the navy:...
in commission from 1962 to 1991. She was Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
's largest naval ship throughout her time in service, which extended across the final 29 years of the Ethiopian Navys operational existence.
Construction and United States Navy service 1944-1960
Ethiopia was built as the United States NavyUnited States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
Barnegat-class
Barnegat class seaplane tender
|The Barnegat class was a large class of United States Navy small seaplane tenders built during World War II. Thirty were completed as seaplane tenders, four as motor torpedo boat tenders, and one as a catapult training ship.-Design:...
seaplane tender
Seaplane tender
A seaplane tender is a ship that provides facilities for operating seaplanes. These ships were the first aircraft carriers and appeared just before the First World War.-History:...
USS Orca (AVP-49)
USS Orca (AVP-49)
The second USS Orca was a United States Navy seaplane tender in commission from 1944 to 1947 and from 1951 to 1960.-Construction, commissioning, and shakedown:...
. Commissioned
Ship commissioning
Ship commissioning is the act or ceremony of placing a ship in active service, and may be regarded as a particular application of the general concepts and practices of project commissioning. The term is most commonly applied to the placing of a warship in active duty with its country's military...
in 1944, she served in the New Guinea campaign
New Guinea campaign
The New Guinea campaign was one of the major military campaigns of World War II.Before the war, the island of New Guinea was split between:...
and Philippines campaign
Philippines campaign
Philippines campaign may refer to various military campaigns that have been fought in the Philippine Islands, including:-Spanish colonial period :...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, and at Okinawa and the Bikini Atoll
Bikini Atoll
Bikini Atoll is an atoll, listed as a World Heritage Site, in the Micronesian Islands of the Pacific Ocean, part of Republic of the Marshall Islands....
atomic bomb tests post-war before being decommissioned
Ship decommissioning
To decommission a ship is to terminate her career in service in the armed forces of her nation. A somber occasion, it has little of the elaborate ceremony of ship commissioning, but carries significant tradition....
in 1947. Recommissioned in 1951, she served in the Pacific until decommissioned again in 1960.
Ethiopian Navy service 1962-1991
In January 1962, Orca was loaned to EthiopiaEthiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
under the Military Assistance Program and was commissioned as the training ship Ethiopia (A-01). Sold outright to Ethiopia in March 1976, Ethiopia was the Ethiopian Navy's largest ship from her arrival in 1962 until the navy was disestablished in 1991.
In May 1991, at the end of the Ethiopian Civil War
Ethiopian Civil War
The Ethiopian Civil War began on September 12, 1974 when the Marxist Derg staged a coup d'état against Emperor Haile Selassie, and lasted until the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front , a coalition of rebel groups, overthrew the government in 1991. The war overlapped other Cold War...
and Eritrean War of Independence
Eritrean War of Independence
The Eritrean War of Independence was a conflict fought between the Ethiopian government and Eritrean separatists, both before and during the Ethiopian Civil War. The war started when Eritrea’s autonomy within Ethiopia, where troops were already stationed, was unilaterally revoked...
, the independence of Eritrea
Eritrea
Eritrea , officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa. Eritrea derives it's name from the Greek word Erethria, meaning 'red land'. The capital is Asmara. It is bordered by Sudan in the west, Ethiopia in the south, and Djibouti in the southeast...
made Ethiopia a landlocked country. Ethiopia was among ten Ethiopian Navy ships to escape to Yemen
Yemen
The Republic of Yemen , commonly known as Yemen , is a country located in the Middle East, occupying the southwestern to southern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the north, the Red Sea to the west, and Oman to the east....
.
Final disposition
Discussion of the possibility of the Ethiopian Navy surviving as an operational force based in EritreaEritrea
Eritrea , officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa. Eritrea derives it's name from the Greek word Erethria, meaning 'red land'. The capital is Asmara. It is bordered by Sudan in the west, Ethiopia in the south, and Djibouti in the southeast...
or Djibouti
Djibouti
Djibouti , officially the Republic of Djibouti , is a country in the Horn of Africa. It is bordered by Eritrea in the north, Ethiopia in the west and south, and Somalia in the southeast. The remainder of the border is formed by the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden at the east...
came to nothing; the Ethiopian Navy was disestablished. Never again operational after arriving in Yemen in 1991, Ethiopia survived as a hulk there until she was sold for scrap in 1993.