Amphion (AR 13) - Naval Cruise Book

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Decommissioning a ship is ordinarily a long, hard job ending on a note of sadness as the ship goes into Mothball Fleet. We have been very lucky to have a 'thot turnover in a country halfway around the world. This has enabled our select crew to enjoy two ports of cally Recife, Brazil and Mombasa, Kenya. Though both visits were E much too short, they were enjoyed by all. AMPHION's transfer to the Imperial Iranian Navy comes at the beginning of the celebration of their 2,500th anniversary of the founding of the Persian Empire. She will be the largest Navy ship of any of the Middle Eastern nations. Her mission will still be service, however. The service will be mainly to the new destroyers of their ra- pidly expanding navy. We have turned over to the Imperial Iranian Navy a good ship. Ihope she serves them well. a The records achieved by men of AMPHION are impressive: Eight Battle Efficiency E's, two Communications C's, two Supply E's, the 1962 Marjorie Sterret Battleship Fund Award, two Admiral Cup awards, four awards for outstanding mess and ten awards for athletic championships. The culmina- tion of the awards was the receipt of the Supply and Battle Efficiency E's for 1971 two days prior to our departure from Norfolk. AMPHION will be surely missed by the ships who have been receiving our service. - As those who have worked so hard to .achieve these successes on a 25-year old ship know, it's not the ship, but the .caliber of the men aboard her who make the impossible seem simple. Thanks to each of you for doing your part. I sincerely hope to see all of you again. God Speed and Smooth Sailing. I J. BENTLEY RIVERS ,A

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U.S.S. AMPHION CAR-131 was built by the Tampa Shipbuilding Company, Tampa, Florida and commissioned an Auxiliary Repairship on January 30, 1946. She is 492 feet in length with a beam of 69 feet and displaces 14,000 tons. Her primary purpose is to act as a repair facility to the fleet. She is well equipped with facilities ranging from watch repair to heavy machine shops. In March 1971, shortly after celebrating her twenty-fifth anniversary, came the announce- ment that AMPHION was to be leased to the Iranian government. Thus began the long process of preparation for turnover. On October 2, 1971 AMPHION will be decommissioned as a unit ofthe U. S. Navy and commissioned I.I.S. CHAHBAHAR where once again she will serve her primary purpose-a repair. facility to the growing fleet of Iran.