- USS Shasta (AE-33)
The second USS "Shasta" (AE-33) was a "Kilauea"-class replenishment ammunition ship of the
United States Navy . She was named afterMount Shasta , a volcano in theCascade Range in northernCalifornia , USA."Shasta's" keel was laid down
November 10 1969 at the Ingalls shipyard inPascagoula, Mississippi , sponsored by Mrs. Ralph W. Cousins, wife of theVice Chief of Naval Operations . She was launched onApril 3 1971 . Upon completion, the builder took her toCharleston, South Carolina and delivered her to the Navy. "Shasta" was commissioned in Charleston onFebruary 4 1972 , with Captain Warren C. Graham, Jr., in command.After fitting out, the newly commissioned USS "Shasta" departed Charleston on
May 22 1972 for her shakedown cruise and training at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. After completing shakedown and training onJune 10 , she headed for the Pacific, where her new homeport was to be the Naval Weapons Station inConcord, California . Along the way, she made port visits toKingston, Jamaica ;Cartagena, Colombia ;Panama City , Canal Zone; andAcapulco ,Mexico . She passed through thePanama Canal and finally arrived in Concord onJuly 3 .After arrival in Concord, she underwent ship’s qualification trials and final contract trials. Upon completion of trials and preparations for deployment, "Shasta" departed Concord to join the 7th Fleet in the western Pacific ("WestPac" in navy terminology) on
January 3 1973 ."Shasta" was decommissioned on
October 1 1997 and transferred to the Fleet Auxiliary Force of theMilitary Sealift Command (MSC). On the same day her hull number was changed and she became USNS "Shasta" (T-AE-33).References
* [http://www.hazegray.org/danfs/auxil/ae33.txt DANFS online]
* [http://www.nvr.navy.mil/nvrships/details/AE33.htm Naval Vessel Register]External links
* [http://www.nvr.navy.mil/stat_16.htm Naval Fleet Auxiliary Force (Naval Vessel Register)]
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