Vulcan (AR 5) - Naval Cruise Book

Page 10 text:

VULCAN HISTORY ■jT USS VULCAN was the first of the modern Repair Ships. Her keel was laid on 16 December 1939 at the Camden, New Jersey Yard of the New York Shipbuilding Company. Commissioning of VULCAN was held on the 16th of June 1941, at which time VULCAN joined the Atlantic Fleet. Soon after, VULCAN was pressed into service during World War II. She participated in the invasion of Normandy and the bombardment of Cherbourg. During the war, USS VULCAN received the European-African-Middle Eastern and the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medals. In April, 1946, VULCAN returned to the United States and the Atlantic Fleet. She was sent to the Carribean to provide repair services to the US warships in the Cuban Quarrantine in 1962. On 1 November 1978, VULCAN became the first Naval ship to have women assigned as part of the crew, other than the Navys' hospital ships. In September 1979, VULCAN deployed to the Mediterranean, the first ship to deploy with women, and the first of VULCANS deployments in nearly thirty years. In 1980, she cruised the North Atlantic while taking part in TEAMWORK 80 , a NATO exercise which combined ships and aircraft from the US, United Kingdom, Norway, the Netherlands, France, and West Germany. 1982 will be remembered as the year of the the Overhaul. After 13 months in Boston that would add many more years of useful service life, the tender braved one of the fiercest of winter storms off the Atlantic Coast in her return to Norfolk. As 1984 began, Vulcan cruised to the Carribean once again in support of READEX 84. In October, she sailed from Norfolk for a six month Mediterranean-lndian Ocean deployment. ■ USS VULCAN is assigned to Service Group Two. She provides a wide variety of repairs, supplies, medical and dental and religious services.

Page 9 text:

LCDR DOUGLAS SHAMBURGER COMMAND MASTER CHIEF ENCM LANNY WHITE 5

Page 11 text:

VULCAN NEST VULCAN weighs 16,245 tons and she is 530 feet long, her beam is 73 feet and draft 25 feet. Her speed is 19.5 knots and she has a crew of 725, including 130 women. 1985 i 1942 7