USS Yellowstone (AD-27)
Encyclopedia
USS Yellowstone (AD-27) was a named for Yellowstone National Park
, the second U.S. Naval vessel to bear the name.
Yellowstone laid down on 16 October 1944 at Tacoma, Washington
by the Seattle Division of the Todd-Pacific Shipyards, Inc.; launched on 12 April 1945; sponsored by Mrs. F. A. Zeusler, the wife of Capt. F. A. Zeusler, USCG
, the District Coast Guard Officer of the 13th Naval District; and commissioned on 16 January 1946, Captain J. A. Ferrall, Jr., in command.
and repairs at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard
to correct minor deficiencies which appeared during her initial cruise, Yellowstone operated in the Seattle, Washington area into March 1946. She departed Seattle on the last day of the month, transited the Panama Canal
on 11 April, and arrived at Newport, Rhode Island
on the 20th to take up her duties tending destroyers of the Atlantic Fleet. Yellowstone performed faithful service to the Fleet for the next 28 years, providing repair, supply, and auxiliary services (i.e., power and fresh water) not only to destroyers (the purpose for which she was designed) but also to aircraft carrier
s and submarine
s. In time, this valuable adjunct to the fleet earned a reputation for reliability and dependability that caused some to nickname her "Old Faithful," after the famous geyser in Yellowstone National Park
. The destroyer tender also earned the coveted battle efficiency "E" award
10 times.
Yellowstone was deployed to the Mediterranean Sea
11 times between 1947 and 1968. Her ports of operation ranged from Izmir, Turkey to Naples, Italy; from Venice
to Taranto
; from Souda Bay
on the Island of Crete
to Gibraltar
; and included cities in Spain
, France
, Italy
, and Greece
. In between her deployments with the 6th Fleet, the destroyer tender operated out of Boston
, Newport
, Norfolk
, Bermuda
, Mayport, Fl.
Her tasks were performed mostly unheralded and far from the public eye but were necessary to maintain the ships of the Fleet in operational trim. In October, 1969 she performed a noteworthy repair job when she replaced 1,162 tubes in the number one propulsion boiler of as that ship was preparing to deploy to the Mediterranean. Working against the destroyer's deadline, Yellowstone's skilled artisans accomplished the task in only 12 days and thus allowed her to get underway on time. Soon thereafter, Yellowstone deployed to the Mediterranean for the 12th and last time. She arrived at Naples on 9 December 1969 and, before long, found herself with another difficult, major repair task ahead of her. She replaced the starboard propeller of the , a job that normally required a dry-docking. Repair, supply, and deck divisions of both ships participated in the evolution that earned Yellowstone a commendation.
A little more than a month later, the tender's talent was once again subjected to a rigorous test. On 10 February 1970 at Naples, the Greek registry freighter Mautric collided with Yellowstone and the tender's nest of destroyers. The , the , and the all suffered extensive hull and structural damage, but Yellowstone worked nearly 24-hour shifts from 13 February to 22 February and effected the necessary repairs. Capt. R. D. Wood, commanding Yellowstone, and Senior Chief Ship Fitter William S. Burman received Navy commendation medals for heading the exemplary repair work that soon had all ships back in operational condition.
After a brief in-port period at Piraeus, Greece from 18 March to 5 April, Yellowstone returned to Naples, where she subsequently performed her second underwater propeller replacement of the deployment on the . The repair ship sailed for home in mid-May and arrived at Mayport, Florida on 1 June. One month later, on 1 July, the ship's home port was changed from Mayport to Charleston, South Carolina
. The destroyer tender provided services to ships of Cruiser-Destroyer Flotilla (CruDesFlot) 6 into January 1971. At the end of that month, she sailed for Puerto Rico
and took part in "Springboard" exercises before returning to Charleston on 16 February. That spring, when the Commander, CruDesFlot 6, embarked with the to deploy to the 6th Fleet, Yellowstone's commanding officer became the administrative deputy to the Charleston representative of Commander, CruDesFlot 6. In that role, he coordinated local pier assignments; arranged for tug and tow services; made military guardship and pier sentry assignments; scheduled ship tours; provided information and assistance to dependents; and represented the destroyer force at meetings of numerous naval station, base, and district advisory boards and committees.
Yellowstone remained in port at Charleston into 1973. Among the noteworthy events that occurred that year was the ship's nomination to receive the Ney Award, recognizing the ship's outstanding food service mess, as the nominee of the Commander, Cruiser Destroyer Force, Atlantic Fleet. After 28 years of continuous service to the Fleet (the last few years of which were spent along the eastern seaboard of the United States) Yellowstone was decommissioned on 11 September 1974. Struck from the Naval Vessel Register
the next day and subsequently transferred to the Maritime Administration for disposal, the veteran auxiliary was sold for scrapping in September 1975.
Yellowstone National Park
Yellowstone National Park, established by the U.S. Congress and signed into law by President Ulysses S. Grant on March 1, 1872, is a national park located primarily in the U.S. state of Wyoming, although it also extends into Montana and Idaho...
, the second U.S. Naval vessel to bear the name.
Yellowstone laid down on 16 October 1944 at Tacoma, Washington
Tacoma, Washington
Tacoma is a mid-sized urban port city and the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. The city is on Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, northeast of the state capital, Olympia, and northwest of Mount Rainier National Park. The population was 198,397, according to...
by the Seattle Division of the Todd-Pacific Shipyards, Inc.; launched on 12 April 1945; sponsored by Mrs. F. A. Zeusler, the wife of Capt. F. A. Zeusler, USCG
United States Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard is a branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven U.S. uniformed services. The Coast Guard is a maritime, military, multi-mission service unique among the military branches for having a maritime law enforcement mission and a federal regulatory agency...
, the District Coast Guard Officer of the 13th Naval District; and commissioned on 16 January 1946, Captain J. A. Ferrall, Jr., in command.
Service history
After shakedown training out of San DiegoSan Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
and repairs at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard
Puget Sound Naval Shipyard
Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility is a United States Navy shipyard covering 179 acres on Puget Sound at Bremerton, Washington...
to correct minor deficiencies which appeared during her initial cruise, Yellowstone operated in the Seattle, Washington area into March 1946. She departed Seattle on the last day of the month, 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...
on 11 April, and arrived at Newport, Rhode Island
Newport, Rhode Island
Newport is a city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States, about south of Providence. Known as a New England summer resort and for the famous Newport Mansions, it is the home of Salve Regina University and Naval Station Newport which houses the United States Naval War...
on the 20th to take up her duties tending destroyers of the Atlantic Fleet. Yellowstone performed faithful service to the Fleet for the next 28 years, providing repair, supply, and auxiliary services (i.e., power and fresh water) not only to destroyers (the purpose for which she was designed) but also to aircraft carrier
Aircraft carrier
An aircraft carrier is a warship designed with a primary mission of deploying and recovering aircraft, acting as a seagoing airbase. Aircraft carriers thus allow a naval force to project air power worldwide without having to depend on local bases for staging aircraft operations...
s and submarine
Submarine
A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
s. In time, this valuable adjunct to the fleet earned a reputation for reliability and dependability that caused some to nickname her "Old Faithful," after the famous geyser in Yellowstone National Park
Yellowstone National Park
Yellowstone National Park, established by the U.S. Congress and signed into law by President Ulysses S. Grant on March 1, 1872, is a national park located primarily in the U.S. state of Wyoming, although it also extends into Montana and Idaho...
. The destroyer tender also earned the coveted battle efficiency "E" award
Battle Effectiveness Award
The Battle Effectiveness Award , commonly known as the Battle "E", is awarded annually to the small number of U.S...
10 times.
Yellowstone was deployed to the Mediterranean Sea
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
11 times between 1947 and 1968. Her ports of operation ranged from Izmir, Turkey to Naples, Italy; from Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
to Taranto
Taranto
Taranto is a coastal city in Apulia, Southern Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Taranto and is an important commercial port as well as the main Italian naval base....
; from Souda Bay
Souda Bay
Souda Bay is a bay and natural harbour on the northwest coast of the Greek island of Crete. The bay is about 15 km long and only two to four km wide, and a deep natural harbour. It is formed between the Akrotiri peninsula and Cape Drapano, and runs west to east...
on the Island of Crete
Crete
Crete is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, and one of the thirteen administrative regions of Greece. It forms a significant part of the economy and cultural heritage of Greece while retaining its own local cultural traits...
to Gibraltar
Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
; and included cities in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, and Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
. In between her deployments with the 6th Fleet, the destroyer tender operated out of Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, Newport
Newport
Newport is a city and unitary authority area in Wales. Standing on the banks of the River Usk, it is located about east of Cardiff and is the largest urban area within the historic county boundaries of Monmouthshire and the preserved county of Gwent...
, Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
, Bermuda
Bermuda
Bermuda is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United States, its nearest landmass is Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. It is about south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and northeast of Miami, Florida...
, Mayport, Fl.
Her tasks were performed mostly unheralded and far from the public eye but were necessary to maintain the ships of the Fleet in operational trim. In October, 1969 she performed a noteworthy repair job when she replaced 1,162 tubes in the number one propulsion boiler of as that ship was preparing to deploy to the Mediterranean. Working against the destroyer's deadline, Yellowstone's skilled artisans accomplished the task in only 12 days and thus allowed her to get underway on time. Soon thereafter, Yellowstone deployed to the Mediterranean for the 12th and last time. She arrived at Naples on 9 December 1969 and, before long, found herself with another difficult, major repair task ahead of her. She replaced the starboard propeller of the , a job that normally required a dry-docking. Repair, supply, and deck divisions of both ships participated in the evolution that earned Yellowstone a commendation.
A little more than a month later, the tender's talent was once again subjected to a rigorous test. On 10 February 1970 at Naples, the Greek registry freighter Mautric collided with Yellowstone and the tender's nest of destroyers. The , the , and the all suffered extensive hull and structural damage, but Yellowstone worked nearly 24-hour shifts from 13 February to 22 February and effected the necessary repairs. Capt. R. D. Wood, commanding Yellowstone, and Senior Chief Ship Fitter William S. Burman received Navy commendation medals for heading the exemplary repair work that soon had all ships back in operational condition.
After a brief in-port period at Piraeus, Greece from 18 March to 5 April, Yellowstone returned to Naples, where she subsequently performed her second underwater propeller replacement of the deployment on the . The repair ship sailed for home in mid-May and arrived at Mayport, Florida on 1 June. One month later, on 1 July, the ship's home port was changed from Mayport to Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...
. The destroyer tender provided services to ships of Cruiser-Destroyer Flotilla (CruDesFlot) 6 into January 1971. At the end of that month, she sailed for 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...
and took part in "Springboard" exercises before returning to Charleston on 16 February. That spring, when the Commander, CruDesFlot 6, embarked with the to deploy to the 6th Fleet, Yellowstone's commanding officer became the administrative deputy to the Charleston representative of Commander, CruDesFlot 6. In that role, he coordinated local pier assignments; arranged for tug and tow services; made military guardship and pier sentry assignments; scheduled ship tours; provided information and assistance to dependents; and represented the destroyer force at meetings of numerous naval station, base, and district advisory boards and committees.
Yellowstone remained in port at Charleston into 1973. Among the noteworthy events that occurred that year was the ship's nomination to receive the Ney Award, recognizing the ship's outstanding food service mess, as the nominee of the Commander, Cruiser Destroyer Force, Atlantic Fleet. After 28 years of continuous service to the Fleet (the last few years of which were spent along the eastern seaboard of the United States) Yellowstone was decommissioned on 11 September 1974. Struck from the Naval Vessel Register
Naval Vessel Register
The 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...
the next day and subsequently transferred to the Maritime Administration for disposal, the veteran auxiliary was sold for scrapping in September 1975.