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USS
Hassayampa AO-145
Not
under USN anymore, notice
different Stack paint and NO guns. She was being operated by civilians
under MSC. At U.S. Naval Station, Subic Bay, Philippines;
An aerial view of
a portion
of the naval station, showing some of the damage caused by the volcanic
ash that fell following the eruption of Mount Pinatubo.
When USS
Hassayampa
(AO-145) was decommissioned on November 17th, 1978 she was transferred to the
Military Sealift Command and
began her life as USNS Hassayampa T-AO-145. View two ship area change
plans below.
During
her conversion
to "civilian" duty the Hass was disarmed, de-militarized, modernized
and given the distinctive blue and yellow stripes on her stack.
Berthing
spaces were converted to 2 person staterooms. The forward 3"-50's
and the old 5"-38 mount base were replaced by a VERTREP
station. A boxy structure was placed on the 02 & 03 levels
aft to
provide staterooms for the civilian crew. "Officers Country"
became berthing for the US Navy personnel and included staterooms for
the women
assigned to her. ("They were lumpy sailors or seamen; you had to
look
right through them, and treat them like anybody else. That's
equal
opportunity." - Capt Pat
Moloney)
After conversion, the Hassayampa,
under the command of US Maritime Service Captain Gottfried C. Krull,
embarked on a distinguished 12 1/2 year career serving the needs of the
Navy around
the world, including participation in Operation Desert Storm .
While her
physical appearance may have changed, her spirit did not..
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USNS
Hassayampa
(TAO-145)
23 September 1991
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