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USNS Observation Island (T-AGM-23)
Encyclopedia
USNS Observation Island (T-AGM-23), also known as ex-MA-28, ex-YAG-57, ex-E-AG-154, Empire State Mariner, is the historic naval vessel that in 1969 launched the first Poseidon Fleet Ballstic Missile ever successfully deployed from a vessel at sea, earning the ship and crew the Meritorious Unit Commendation. The ship is currently one of two Missile Range Instrumentation Ships operated by the Military Sealift Command
Military Sealift Command
The Military Sealift Command is a United States Navy organization that controls most of the replenishment and military transport ships of the Navy. It first came into existence on 9 July 1949 when the Military Sea Transportation Service became solely responsible for the Department of Defense's...
. One of the radars it carries is the AN/SPQ-11
AN/SPQ-11
The AN/SPQ-11 Cobra Judy is a PESA radar found on the Observation Island-class missile range instrumentation ship.It is used for space tracking, ballistic missiles tracking and other instrumentation....
Cobra Judy Passive Electronically Scanned Array
Passive electronically scanned array
A passive electronically scanned array , contrary to its active counterpart AESA, is a phased array which has a central radiofrequency source , sending energy into phase shift modules, which then send energy into the various emitting elements in the front of the antenna...
radar.
USNS Observation Island operates worldwide, monitoring compliance with strategic arms treaties and supporting U.S. military weapons test programs. Observation Island carries an Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
shipborne phased-array radar system for collecting data on missile tests. The ship is operated by Military Sealift Command for the Air Force Technical Applications Center
Air Force Technical Applications Center
The Air Force Technical Applications Center , based at Patrick Air Force Base, Fla. is an Air Force surveillance organization assigned to the Air Force Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Agency. Its mission is to monitor nuclear treaties of all applicable signatory countries...
at Patrick Air Force Base
Patrick Air Force Base
Patrick Air Force Base is a United States Air Force Base located between Satellite Beach and Cocoa Beach, in Brevard County, Florida, United States. It was named in honor of Major General Mason Patrick. An Air Force Space Command base, it is home to the 45th Space Wing...
.
USNS Observation Island was built as a "Mariner" class merchant ship, launched in August, 1953, and was acquired by the Navy in September 1956 for use as a fleet ballistic missile test ship. The vessel was converted at Norfolk Naval Shipyard, and kept in reserve as a Maritime Administration asset from 1972 until 1977. In August 1977, Observation Island was reacquired by the U.S. Navy and transferred to Military Sealift Command
Military Sealift Command
The Military Sealift Command is a United States Navy organization that controls most of the replenishment and military transport ships of the Navy. It first came into existence on 9 July 1949 when the Military Sea Transportation Service became solely responsible for the Department of Defense's...
, where it was reclassified as T-AGM 23, a missile range instrumentation ship
Missile Range Instrumentation Ship
Missile Range Instrumentation Ships, Range Ships, or Tracking Ships, are ships equipped with antennas and electronics to support the launching and tracking of missiles and rockets...
.
History
USNS Observation Island was converted to the first naval ship that had a fully integrated Fleet Ballistic Missile System. No major hull or engineering changes were made to the ship during this conversion. Because of the refit, the ship underwent a shakedown cruise at Guantanamo Bay.The first at-sea launch of the A-1 Polaris
UGM-27 Polaris
The Polaris missile was a two-stage solid-fuel nuclear-armed submarine-launched ballistic missile built during the Cold War by Lockheed Corporation of California for the United States Navy....
missile was from the USS George Washington (SSBN-598)
USS George Washington (SSBN-598)
USS George Washington , the lead ship of her class of nuclear ballistic missile submarines, was the third United States Navy ship of the name, in honor of George Washington , first President of the United States, and the first of that name to be purpose-built as a warship.-Construction and...
on July 18, 1960, and was monitored by the Observation Island. The ship was also present for initial tests of the A-2 and A-3 variants of Polaris. It was aboard Observation Island that President John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
, on November 16, 1963, witnessed an A-3 Polaris launch, six days before his assassination. While aboard Observation Island, President Kennedy gave his final speech from a U.S. Navy vessel:
In 1983, the first ever (USA) navel installation of a phased-array radar system was completed and tested on the USNS Observation Island. Weeks of sea trials were spent testing and perfecting the software required for a nonstable platform.
Meritorious Unit Commendation
While the Observation Island was stationed at Port CanaveralPort Canaveral
Port Canaveral is a cruise, cargo and naval port in Brevard County, Florida, United States. It is one of the busiest cruise ports in the world with nearly 2.8 million multi-day cruise passengers passing through during 2010. As a deep water cargo port, it has a high volume of traffic. Over of bulk...
, adjacent to NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
at Cape Kennedy, Florida, in the very week Apollo 11
Apollo 11
In early 1969, Bill Anders accepted a job with the National Space Council effective in August 1969 and announced his retirement as an astronaut. At that point Ken Mattingly was moved from the support crew into parallel training with Anders as backup Command Module Pilot in case Apollo 11 was...
was launched from the Cape, the ship also made history by beginning its mission to achieve "the first successful at-sea firing of the POSEIDON Fleet Ballistic Missile
UGM-73 Poseidon
The Poseidon missile was the second US Navy ballistic missile system, powered by a two-stage solid fuel rocket. It succeeded the Polaris missile beginning in 1972, bringing major advances in warheads and accuracy...
." (Admiral E.R. Zumwalt Jr., 1971). The commendation was earned by the 1969 crew and was awarded in 1971 while the ship was stationed at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii for various range survey duties. In later 71 (or 72?) she was decommissioned for awhile, though later she reappeared for other missions as a USNS ship (see above). The success of the mission earned the ship and crew the Meritorious Unit Commendation
Meritorious Unit Commendation
The Meritorious Unit Commendation is a mid-level unit award of the United States military which is awarded to any military command which displays exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding service, heroic deeds, or valorous actions....
from the Secretary of the Navy. As taken directly from the Commendation letter sent to crewman SD2 Rolando S. Caparas, (along with cover letter from Commanding Officer, Captain W.C. Dotson), Admiral Zumwalt wrote of the Commendation:
The Meritorious Unit Commendation
Meritorious Unit Commendation
The Meritorious Unit Commendation is a mid-level unit award of the United States military which is awarded to any military command which displays exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding service, heroic deeds, or valorous actions....
is considered to be equivalent in importance to the Bronze Star. Photocopies of both letters are inserted below.
Present
In 2008, the USNS Observation Island was part of the U.S. Government program attempting to use an anti-missile missile to shoot down satellites by tracking the satellite before and after the missile launch.Replacement
USNS Howard O. Lorenzen (T-AGM-25)USNS Howard O. Lorenzen (T-AGM-25)
USNS Howard O. Lorenzen is a future Missile Range Instrumentation Ship under construction by VT Halter Marine Inc. of Pascagoula, Mississippi. The keel was laid during a ceremony on August 13, 2008....
is due to be delivered in 2010 and is slated to replace USNS Observation Island.
External links
- Observation Island at the Naval Vessel RegisterNaval Vessel RegisterThe Naval Vessel Register is the official inventory of ships and service craft in custody of or titled by the United States Navy. It contains information on ships and service craft that make up the official inventory of the Navy from the time a vessel is authorized through its life cycle and...
- Observation Island at the Dictionary of American Naval Fighting ShipsDictionary of American Naval Fighting ShipsThe Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships is the official reference work for the basic facts about ships used by the United States Navy...
- Observation Island at NavSource.org
- Observation Island at Military Sealift CommandMilitary Sealift CommandThe Military Sealift Command is a United States Navy organization that controls most of the replenishment and military transport ships of the Navy. It first came into existence on 9 July 1949 when the Military Sea Transportation Service became solely responsible for the Department of Defense's...
Ship Inventory - Missile Range Instrumentation Ships at Military Sealift CommandMilitary Sealift CommandThe Military Sealift Command is a United States Navy organization that controls most of the replenishment and military transport ships of the Navy. It first came into existence on 9 July 1949 when the Military Sea Transportation Service became solely responsible for the Department of Defense's...
Fact Sheets - Cobra Judy radar system at Raytheon.com
- Cobra Judy radar system at FAS.org