Norton Sound (AVM 1) - Naval Cruise Book

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H 1 ,l 5 5 I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I . I I I I I I I I I I , I ll I I I 3 'rrgl November 14, 19864 -COVERALL 3 Proud lady leaves behind legacy of honorable service The U.S. Navy's first and only guided missile test ship will be decommissioned at Port Hueneme, Calif., on Dec. 11. USS Norton Sound QAVM 11 will bring 41 years of active service to a close during ceremonies scheduled for 10 a.m. onboard the ship at the Naval Construction Battalion Center. VADM William H. Rowden, commander, Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., will be the principal speaker. Norton Sound was first commissioned in 1945 as a seaplane tender, with hull designation CAV llj. 4 5 ew fg The ship saw combat action in the Pacific and emerged from the war unscathed after several near misses from suicide planes. Norton Sound was subsequently redesignated CAVM ll and became the Navy's at-sea test platform for major weapon systems. Most recently, the ship successfully tested and evaluated Aegis, Standard Missile, Tomahawk, and the Vertical Launch Systems, which are being in- stalled in the new Ticonderoga QCG 471 Class Cruisers and Arleigh Burke QDDG 511 Class Destroyers. According to CDR Eric Washam, the ship's 31st and last commanding officer, the crew will depart immediately after the decommissioning ceremony for new duty sta- tions throughout the Navy. The ship itself will be tow- ed to the Navy Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility at Bremerton, Wash., to await final disposition. Norton Sound has been closely associated with Naval Ship Weapon Systems Engineering Sta- tion at Port Hueneme, which provides in-service engineering, logistics and crew training support for the ,Fleet on new and ex- isting weapon systems. Other major systems with which Norton Sound has been involved include the Aerobee and Viking rockets and the Skyhook Balloon for atmospheric radiation studies: Terrier and Tartar missile systems, the Typhon weapons cotrol systemg Sea Sparrow missile and Basic Point Defense System: the MK 45 5-inch gun: MK 86 gun fire con- trol system: and the MK 10, MK 41 and MK 26 guided missile launchers. CDR Eric Washam, Norton Sound's last commanding officer.

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' ,dwg -' Gif xv, x 'Q xlxl 5? ' . v- N A 22,-.gxvig W NS QLOQXQ- 2,8 4 620965 F sfo AVMw1,1945'- , , or sae me vm South 0xnardlPt. I-lueneme tage Seaplane tender S25 OBO. CgffQB2-53QQ. Week of Oct. 12, 1986 f Issue 501