Mount Hood (AE 29) - Naval Cruise Book

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sift! iiri 1 ' ,' ' . Q' Q5 - 'Lrg -f Q f-5-f THE USS MOU T HOOD OF TODAY USS MOUNT HOOD CAE-295 is the fourth of the KILAUEA class of ammunition ships to be built for the U.S. Navy. Her mission is to provide the missiles, bombs, rockets, projectiles, torpedoes, mines, and other GXPGU' dable ordnance required by the Navy's operational forces to secure the freedom of the seas. MOUNT HOOD possesses the most recent development in ammunition and missile handling equipment- The system is called STREAM, Standard Tensioned Replenishment Alongside Method. This system uses a ram- tensioned wire extended from ship to ship to safely and quickly transfer cargo between them while underwH5'- She also possesses the capability of carrying two Boeing Vertol UH 46-D jet-powered helocopters, which can tranSf9I' ammunition to other ships at up to one hundred tons of cargo per hour. Using her full capability MOUNT HOOD can rearm four ships simultaneously while steamin acting science of mobile logistic support of combat forces at sea. MOUNT HOOD is 564 feet in length, with a beam of 81 feet, and a full load draft of 28 feet She is fitted with special roll stabilization tanks to provide a steady platform for handling ammunition. Her three installed boilers are capable of developing 22,000 shaft horsepower, which can propel MOUNT HOOD to a top speed well in ex- f 20 k A l i cess o nots. se f-defense capability is provided by four twin 3750 dual purpose gun mounts and their associated fire control equipment. A modem, , r. , 1 f g 1 cet i normal compliment of 322 men and 16 officers, MOUNT HOOD is assigned to Commander, Service l'lOl'l'9- ll-S' Pacific Fleet. She is homeported in Concord, California, as a unit of Service Gro g in excess of 20 knots, a revolutionary development in the ex- partially air conditioned ship with spacious working messing 'ind livin f 1 in modutions for l19Y up One. i ,v it Q OO 4 ., Nia Q. ,... Q -- 1+ 2 ! ,nl 14 A 7 4 '--- ' 45' 4 74 7 W ffff - K , . - wf' f' -r' f W ,, , ,, Q, u We WQQWC1 9 A x , C 731 Ji. L l

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.- .,, .,.,.i4f ..-...-.....,.4--144 -xx A HISTORY OF SHIPS NAMED MOUNT HOOD USS MOUNT HOOD CAE-295 is the second ship of the fleet to bear the name of an extinct volcanic peak in the Cascade Range of Oregon. The highest point in the state, it is 11,225 feet above sea level. The first MOUNT HOOD QAE-11? was laid down at the North Carolina Shipbuilding Company of Wilmington, North Carolina, 28 September 1943 and she was launched 30 November 1943, under the sponsorship of Mrs. A. J. Reynolds, wife of Major Reynolds, USA, at that time serving with the 366th Fighter Group, Army Air Base, Wilmington, North Carolina. Built for the U.S. Maritime Commission KMC Hull No. 13563, she was named MARCO POLO. Acquired by the Navy on a Loan-Charter basis 28 January 1944, the ship was fitted out at Norfolk Navy Yard, renamed MOUNT HOOD and com- missioned 6 August 1944-, Commander H. A. Turner, USN, in command. MOUNT HOOD had an overall length of 459 feet, 2 inches, an extreme beam of 63 feet, a full load displacement of 14,110 tons, a maximum draft of 26 feet, 7 inches, and accommodations for 22 officers and 296 men. She had a maximum speed of 16.4 knots and was armed with one 5-inchf38 caliber gun, four 3-inch!50 caliber guns and two twin 40-mm anti-aircraft mounts. MOUNT HOOD conducted brief shakedown training at Norfolk and reported to Commander Service Force, U.S. Atlantic Fleet. She loaded ammunition and 21 August 1944, departed Norfolk for the Pacific in company with other ships of Task Unit 29.6.9 After transit of the Panama Canal, 27 August, she steamed for Finschaven, New Guinea, arriving 21 September 1944. She departed the same day and 22 September, anchored in Seeadler Harbor, Manus, Admiralty Island. On the morning of 10 November 1944, MOUNT HOOD exploded by accident while at anchor in Seeadler Harbor. At 0855, an explosion, evidenced by flame and smoke, shot up from amidships to more than masthead height. Within a few seconds at the most, the bulk of the ammunition aboard the USS MOUNT HOOD was set off with a terrible explosion. Smoke mushroomed 7,000 feet into the air and obscured the ship and the surrounding vicinity for a radius of approximately 500 yards on all sides. When the smoke had lifted from the surface of the water a few minutes later, only small pieces of debris were to be seen. The ship and all personnel on board had disappeared. The force of the explosion blasted a trough in the ocean floor more than 100 yards long, 50 feet wide, and from 30 to 40 feet deep directly below the position of the USS MOUNT HOOD. No fragments could be found on the ocean floor larger than pieces of metal 16 feet by 10 feet. Pieces of metal and projectiles were hurled in all directions. Some fragments landed more than 2,- 000 yards from the anchorage of the USS MOUNT HOOD. The concussion and flying missiles caused casualties and damage to ships and small craft within this radius. Among the men assigned to MOUNT HOOD, one officer and 17 men ashore at the time survived, one man was known dead, and 295 were missing. On board the 27 other ships and craft in the area, there were 17 known dead, 32 missing, and 370 injured. MOUNT HOOD was officially struck from the Navy List 11 December 1944. .,-e HOOD AE-11 ORIGINAL USS MOUNT

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