USS Platte (AO-186) was the fifth and last of the Cimarron-class ships

Replenishment Oiler

A replenishment oiler or fleet tanker is a naval auxiliary ship with fuel tanks and dry cargo holds, which can replenish other ships while underway in the high seas. Such ships are used by several countries around the world....

 built to carry cargo and bulk fuel to battle groups. She was homeported in Norfolk, Virginia

Norfolk, Virginia

Norfolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. With a population of 242,803 as of the 2010 Census, it is Virginia's second-largest city behind neighboring Virginia Beach....

 and carried a crew of between 230–180 sailors as standard during her years of service.

Platte derived her name from the Platte River

Platte River

The Platte River is a major river in the state of Nebraska and is about long. Measured to its farthest source via its tributary the North Platte River, it flows for over . The Platte River is a tributary of the Missouri River, which in turn is a tributary of the Mississippi River which flows to...

. Her contract was awarded April 11, 1978 and she was built at Avondale Shipyard

Avondale Shipyard

Avondale Shipyard was an independent shipbuilding company, acquired by Litton Industries, in turn acquired by Northrop Grumman Corporation. Now, along with the former Ingalls Shipbuilding, the yard is part of Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding. The yard is located on the West Bank of the Mississippi...

 in New Orleans

New Orleans, Louisiana

New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...

. Her keel was laid 2 February 1981, and launched 30 January 1982. Platte was commissioned on 16 April 1983.

Her most notable historical event was the collision with the approximately 500 miles east of Jacksonville, Florida

Jacksonville, Florida

Jacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida in terms of both population and land area, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968...

 on 19 April 1989.. This event was reported in the media, however it was overshadowed by a major naval disaster that occurred the same day. That was the day the turret 2 exploded

USS Iowa turret explosion

The USS Iowa turret explosion occurred in the Number Two 16-inch gun turret of the United States Navy battleship USS Iowa on April 19, 1989. The explosion in the center gun room killed 47 of the turret's crewmen and severely damaged the gun turret itself...

 killing 47 sailors off the coast of Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...

.

In May 1989 the Platte embarked female sailors stationed as part of the permanent crew for the first time in her existence. She was crewed with a mixed gender crew from 1989 until her decommissioning a little over a decade later.

Between May 1989 – May 1994 she transited the Panama Canal

Panama Canal

The Panama Canal is a ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. Built from 1904 to 1914, the canal has seen annual traffic rise from about 1,000 ships early on to 14,702 vessels measuring a total of 309.6...

 four times (three times west to east and once east to west.)

She departed Norfolk, Virginia 28 December 1990 en route to Desert Shield support. Before she made the turn into the Straits of Hormuz, the shield became a storm and she fueled ships as the "Fifth and Finest Fleet Oiler" before becoming the "Preferred Oiler of the Persian Gulf." . She returned to Norfolk 28 June 1991 from Desert Storm.

In February 1992 she departed Norfolk, Virginia and returned to Avondale Shipyard. Between February and December Platte was "jumboized", meaning that, after cutting the ship into two sections, a 35.7 m long section was added to increase the fuel load. The new "mid-body" section included an ammunition elevator, a second Fairbanks Morse emergency diesel generator, additional a/c capabilities as well as several cargo holds. She departed Avondale Shipyard December 1992 being the last of the five ships to undergo this process and completing it in 10 months.

At commissioning she was 88 feet wide at her beam, 216 m (700 ft) long, displaced approx 37,000 tons at a speed of 19 knots. Propulsion was two 600 psi (4,136,854.4 Pa) steam boilers (automated steam) to one propeller. Her draft was 32 feet.

In 1991 she circumnavigated South America

South America

South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...

 escorting the aircraft carrier to its west coast home port after leaving the shipyards in Norfolk, Va.

She was decommissioned 30 June 1999 and resides in the James River Reserve Fleet (Ghost Fleet

United States Navy reserve fleets

The United States Navy maintains a number of its ships as part of a reserve fleet, often called the "Mothball Fleet". While the details of the activity have changed several times, the basics are constant: keep the ships afloat and sufficiently working as to be reactivated quickly in an...

) near Fort Eustis, Virginia.. Platte is slated for disposal at the earliest opportunity as of 7 August 2008 .