Mauna Kea (AE 22) - Naval Cruise Book

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HISTORY USS MAUNA KEA (AE 22), the second of five Suribachi- class ammunition ships, was built by the Bethlehem Steel Corpo- ration at their Sparrows Point Shipyard in Maryland. MAUNA KEA ' S keel was laid 16 May 1955, and she was launched the fol- lowing year on 3 May. Named for the volcano whose peak is the highest in the Hawaiian Islands, MAUNA KEA was commis- sioned in a ceremony held at Sparrows Point on 30 March 1957. The ship joined the Pacific Fleet in July 1957 and was originally homeported at Mare Island, Vallejo, California. Her maiden de- ployment to the Western Pacific began in November of that year, and in October 1960 she became the first ammunition ship to transfer missiles at sea. MAUNA KEA played a vital role in support of U.S. Seventh Fleet during the Vietnam conflict. The ship earned the Vietnam Campaign Award twelve times and was presented two Meritori- ous Unit Commendations, the first for the safe and timely delivery of 24,000 tons of ammunition during two hundred seventy under- way replenishment operations from 2 March to 6 October 1968, and the second for the transfer of 10,000 tons of ammunition dur- ing eighty-seven replenishments from 10 June 1970 to 29 January 1971. During her 1975 deployment, MAUNA KEA received sixty- six ships alongside and, in addition to ordnance, provided her cus- tomers with over two million gallons of fuel. MAUNA KEA was transferred to the Naval Reserve Force (NRF) on 1 October 1979, and her crew complement was reduced by 40%. While assigned to the NRF the ship nonetheless main- tained a high tempo of operations, participating in numerous exer- cises in support of reserve training and overall fleet readiness. MAUNA KEA was reassigned to the regular Navy in January 1982. Now homeported in Concord, California, USS MAUNA KEA is currently the oldest, most experienced ammunition ship in the U.S. Pacific Fleet. Her most recent deployment to the West- ern Pacific and Indian Ocean, which began 1 February 1990, saw the ship safely steam over 41,000 miles and transfer more than 7000 tons of ordnance during fourteen replenishments of ships at sea. Returning from this cruise 31 July 1990, MAUNA KEA quickly resumed her role as a mainstay of the Navy ' s Combat Lo- gistics Force in the Eastern Pacific. SHIPS HISTORY

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iJ i OFMiR, COMMANDER T. H. GORSKI U.S. NAVY Commander Gorski, a native of Toledo, Ohio, was commissioned from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1971. Upon commissioning, he was assigned to USS GLENNON (DD 840) where he served as Damage Control Assistant and First Lieutenant. Following the Department Head Course at Destroyer School, he reported to USS DYESS (DD 880) in May 1975 and served as Engineer Officer. In January 1977, he reported to USS TRUCKEE (AO 147) as First Lieutenant. In May 1979, Commander Gorski completed the Recruiting Officer Management Orientation Course and report- ed to Navy Recruiting District Michigan where he served as Officer Programs Recruiter and Officer Programs Offi- cer. In July 1981. he was reassigned as Officer Programs Inspector for Commander, Navy Recruiting Command, Standardization and Audit Team Inspector General. In Sept ember 1982, Commander Gorski reported to Commander, Service Squadron TWO and served as Staff Material Officer. While there he was additionally assigned as Engineer Officer in USS SURIBACHI (AE 21) and in USS DETROIT (AOE 4). In June 1986, he reported to USS VULCAN (AR 5) as Executive Officer. Commander Gorski assumed command of USS MAUNA KEA on 9 January 1989. Commander Gorski ' s decorations include Meritorious Service Medal. Navy Commendation Medal, Navy Achievement Medal, Combat Action Ribbon, Meritorious Unit Commendation, National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Campaign Medal, and the Sea Service Deployment Ribbon. Commander Gorski is married to the former Patrice Nicolette Demars of Toledo, Ohio. They have two children, Michael and Katherine. CO- 7