Concord (AFS 5) - Naval Cruise Book

Page 11 text:

laying on 26 and launching Between keel March 1966 on 17 December 1966, CONCORD was trans- formed into a much-needed support vessel. Commis- sioned on 2 7 November 1968. CONCORD joinedher sister ships in the all im- portant mission of Service to the Fleet. Ship ' s data: Length ... 581 feet Width .... 79 feet Displacement 16,198 tons Sustained speed .... Excess of 20 knots Propulsion Delavel cross compound turbines developing 22,000 horsepower; operated by a fully automatic engine control system Armament 4 twin barrel 3 50 cal. AA guns Personnel 25 officers; 384 enlisted Mrs. U.S. Grant Sharp Jr., CON- CORD ' S sponsor, wields the tra- ditional champagne.

Page 10 text:

From scaffolding to champagne The USS CONCORD (AFS- 5) , is the fifth ship built utilizing a Mars class Combat Stores Ship design. Built by National Steel and Shipbuilding Co., San Diego, Calif., CONCORD is designed to replenish units of the fleet utilizing both the traditional method of alongside transfer of supplies and vertical re- plenishment. With her advanced design and equip- ment, she can provide vir- tually every item that might be required for human needs or equipment repair. -

Page 12 text:

Official party arrives: CAPT Collister and Mrs. U.S. Grant Sharp, ship ' s sponsor. Hoisted the colors and the com- mission pennant. The Commissioning Ceremony marks the acceptance of a ship as a unit of the operating forces of the United States Navy. .At the moment of breaking the commission pennant, USS CONCORD (AFS-5) became the responsibility of her Commanding Offi- cer, who, together with the ship ' s officers and men, has the duty of making and keeping her ready for any service required by our nation in peace or war. The captions on this and the following pages are excerpts taken from the Commissioning Day log.