Kawishiwi (AO 146) - Naval Cruise Book

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USS KAWISHIWI ( AO 146) Welcome aboard the USS KAWISHIWI ( AO- 146), one of the mighty super - oilers servicing the United States Pacific Fleet, providing vital petroleum products to aircraft carrier and destroy- er alike, and enabling Fleet units to remain at sea for weeks, cr even months, at a time without having to return to port to refuel. We are honored to have you aboard our fine ship, and we hope that your visit with us will b pleasant and interesting. We are willing and anxious to show you fhe many points of interest aboard ship, and to answer any questions you may have concerning KAWISHIWI and Navy life. KAWISHIWI is one of a group of six sister ships commonly known as Navy super - oilers, three of which serve in the Pacific as vital members of the logistical life - line that keeps the Fleet mobile and ready to me?t any challenge. All Navy oilirs are named for United States rivers that bear American Indian names; thus KAWISHIWI (pronounced Ka-Wee-She-Wee ) is derived from the river af that name which is located in the extreme norlheast portion of the State of Minnesota. The woH itself comes from the Ojibway Indians and in English means ' River full of Beavers ' Houses. ' Our sh ' p is designed for high speed replenishment of the fuel needs of today ' s fcr - flung naval forces. This highly specialized evolution of underway replenishment can be carried on during daylight hours or under cover of night, and is not necessarily limited to the transfer of fuel and petroleum products; it can and does provide the capability of transferring to receiving ships cargo, mail, pas:engers, and provisions, in addition to the primary products. These primary items are die:el fuel, black oil, aviation gasoline and jet fuel; it is not at all unusual to be pumping these last three products simultaneously by making use of th? four completely independent fueling rigs on each side of the ship. KAWISHIWI ' s consistently outstanding performance record makes her a pace - setter of the modern Navy. Fast and sleek, w th a ' can do ' spirit in the face of any situation, KAWISHIWI, as befits any beautiful lady, is proud of h = r ' vital statistics ' She is 656 feet long, has a beam of 83 feet, displaces 38,000 tons at full load, and can steam at twenty knots and above- Her liqu d cargo capacity is in excess of 7,000,000 gallons, enough fuel to keep a heavy cruiser continuously at sea for at least nine months.

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COMMANDER BRAND W. DREW E x i i t i v e O • '

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KAW SHIWI is literal I . a cit, afloat! Her huge generators produce enough electric power to meet the needs of a sizable communit,. She boasts such conveniences as a laundrv, tailor shop, clothing store, soda fountain, ship ' s store I selling film, razor blades, toothpaste, and dozens of other personal and gift items , libra r , , U. S. Post Office, baker,, machine shop, barber shop, hospital, and hobb. shop The ship carries the most modern movie projection equipment, and nightl. movies aboard are part of the ship ' s routine both underwa, and in port. Though most ladies won ' t tell their age quite so readil,, KAWISHIWI ' s outh is no secret. She was built by the New York Shipbuilding Co. of Camden, N. J, the keel was laid in October 195?, she was launched in December 1954 and commissioned in Jul. 1955. Her original home port was Long Beach, California where she arrived after a vo,age from the East Coast via the Panama Canal. Pearl Harbor has been home to KAWISHIWI and her crew since Januar, 1958. Her record is a proud one, including two consecutive .ears as winner of the coveted Battle Efficiency Award, followed b. two .ears as runner-up. An interesting KAWISHIWI ' first ' took place in December 1958, at which time a weight simulating an actual load was transferred between USS VESUVIUS and ourselves. This weight of 10,000 pounds set a record for the heaviest load ever transferred between two ships underwa.. KAWISHIWI is currentl. the proud holder, again for the fifth consecutive .ear, of a plaque awarded for the meritorious conduct of her crew while ashore in Hong Kong, British Crown Colon.. In 1962, the ship was the winner of the coveted NEY award for having the best focd service in the U. S. Nov.. Justly deserving, justly proud, KAWISHIWI men strive to present a picture as the Nav ' s finest. Our officers and men come from ever state in the Union including Alaska and Hawaii, and from the far-off territor, of American Samoa as well. We also number as shipmates nationals of Guam and the Republic of the Philippines This interesting mixture of racial and cultural backgrounds aboard ship is ver. appropriate to the cosmopolitan setting of Hawaii, and KAW- SHIWI is proud indeed to carr. the ' ALOHA ' spirit with her in calling at various ports throughout the vast Pacific In this same spirit we invi ' e ,ou to be an ' HONORARY KAWISHIWI SHIPMATE ' and to share with us our pride in a fine ship. ' Shipmate ' is a term peculiar to the seafaring fraternity the world over; it is an all-embracing term that covers a multitude of human emotions but in KAWISHIWI, especially it means that .ou ' re part of the heartbeat of a mighty ship.