Detroit (AOE 4) - Naval Cruise Book

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Proud U. . N vy Ships Named Detroit R ' K ff Nix fs., , 1 ij Q X f' 'YL 1 Q x N . , 1 1 , I - 9 0 4 ' il' A ' SLM' ,... 1 KTFIYITU X. .

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L HISTORY OF SHIPS NAMED DETROIT AND VITAL STATISTICS USS DETROIT was built at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Bremerton, Washington. Christened and launched 00 21 11106 1969, She was commissioned and officially became part of the fleet on 28 March 1970. The ship's vital statistics are as follows: Length overall 794' gwff Beam 197' 4x77 Draft Cfull loadl 33' 55 Displacement Cfull load, 52,386 tons Liquid cargo capacity 9,416,474 gauons Armament 4 3,750 mounts C8 gun barrelsj Horsepower 100,000 Speed over 25 knots Complement 25 officers, 553 men HOIDC POI! Newport, R. I. Ships named DETROIT have played a role in United States Naval History since 1813. The first being a 19 gun sloop captured from the British in the Battle of Lake Erie on 10 September of 1813, The second DETROIT, also a sloop, was so named in May of 1869, but was rechristened USS CANADAIGUA three months later. The third DETROIT, a cruiser, was commissioned in 1893 and accounted proudly for herself during the Spanish-American War by capturing the Spanish steamer Catalina. It is that ship's bell that rests on the present DETROIT's quarterdeck, a gift from the City to our officers and men. The fourth DETROIT was a light cruiser commissioned in 1923. She served as a flagship for cruiser and destroyer squadrons in the Atlantic and Pacific fleets until 1941. The fourth DETROIT was at Pearl Harbor during the Japanese attack, but managed to get underway and fight back with anti-aircraft fire, accounting for several enemy planes. After a distinguished war record which included rescuing 22 tons of gold and silver from a submarine which had escaped from the falling Philippines, she was among the first to enter Tokyo Bay for the surrender ceremonies on 2 September 1945. The newest DETROIT is the first noncombatant to bear the name as the designation AOE indicates. It is also the fourth ship of her class, the Fast Combat Support Ship. The A denotes the DETROIT as an auxiliary ship able to support elements of the fleet whose primary purpose is to fight. The O is the naval designation for an oiler, and E indicates a ship that carries ammunition or explosives. DETROIT, WhiCh carries all is therefore designated AOE. Such a designation stands for fast, efficient, and complete service to the fleet. n DETROIT is designed to furnish rapid simultaneous delivery of petroleum products, ammunition, freight, provisions, and mail to customer ships steaming close aboard. Her well planned deck layout and sophis- ticated cargo handling equipment allow DETROIT to provide any number of services in calm or heavy seas equally well to the Navy's smallest combatants or largest aircraft carrier. Due to her speed, she is able to operate as an integral part of an attack carrier strike force and provide combatant ships with necessary replenishment support when and where they need it. The Fast Combat Support Ship is considered to be a revolutionary development in the exacting of mobile logistic support of combatant forces at sea. I It should be noted that the men who man her are DETROIT's greatest asset, and their comfort and well- being are likewise well taken care of. For example a chaplain and a doctor are embarked, and many of the facilities of a modern hospital are available. All living spaces are air-conditioned, and the ship is equipped with a library of 1,025 cloth-bound volumes and a paperback stack of 650 books. There are, of course, numerous facilities which make us proud of this, the fifth USS DETROIT to join the fleet.

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Ship's Histor The USS DETROIT QAOE 45 was built at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Bremerton, Washington. Christened and launched on 21 June 19.69, she was commissioned and officially became part of the fleet on 23 March 1970. DETROIT CAOE 45 is the fourth ship of her class designed to furnish rapid simultaneous delivery of petroleum products, ammunition, freight, provisions, and mail to customer ships steaming close aboard. The Fast Combat Support Ship is considered to be a revolutionary development in the exacting science of mobile logistics support of combatant forces at sea. After her initial shakedown cruises following commissioning, DETROIT departed Bremerton ongher first long journey rounding the horn of South America before arriving in her assigned homeport of New- port, Rhode Island. Shortly thereafter, DETROIT deployed for six months of extended operations in the Mediterranean. Since her return from the Mediterranean in December 1971, DETROIT has been supporting U. S. and NATO Fleet Units during various operations in the Atlantic, from the Arctic Circle to the Cape of Good Hope. On Decemberlst 1972 DETROIT again deployed to the Mediterranean for seven months of extended operations, with the U. S. SIXTH Fleet. D V