Vulcan (AR 5) - Naval Cruise Book

Page 7 text:

VULCAN underwent a comprehensive nine month overhaul in 1976, emerging in November in a vastly improved material condition. The year 1977 saw VULCAN complete Refresher Training at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba with solid passing grades in each of the fifteen functional areas of training. Subsequent fleet repair services in Norfolk and Charleston were broken by at-sea training periods with visits to Halifax, Nova Scotia; Fort Lauderdale, Florida; and San Juan, Puerto Rica. VULCAN was awarded Engineering and Supply Battle Efficiency “E’ 's as well as a second hashmark to her Communications “C” for Fiscal Year 1977. In 1978, VULCAN visited Halifax, Nova Scotia; Bermuda; and spent a tending period in Earle, New Jersey. On 1 November 1978, VULCAN became the first naval ship other than hospital or transport ships to have women assigned as permanent crew members. In September of 1979 VULCAN deployed to the Mediterranean to serve as SIXTH-FLEET tender, her first major deployment in over three decades. While deployed, she received many commendations on her repair services from ships tended and group commanders. VULCAN returned to Norfolk in March 1980. In April and May, VULCAN was again in Earle. In September, VULCAN deployed to the North Atlantic to take part in the NATO exercise “TEAMWORK 80” which combined ships and aircraft from the U.S., UK, Norway and the Netherlands. 1982 will be remembered as the Year of Overhaul. The tender arrived in the shipyards of Boston’s General Ship Corporation on 27 January, ready for the upgrading that would add many more years of useful service life. 13 months later, VULCAN emerged with the majority of the overhaul work and the Light Off Examination (LOE) successfully completed. The tender braved one of the fiercest winter storms she ever encountered to arrive home in Norfolk in mid February 1983. Post-overhaul refresher training was conducted FTG Guantanamo in April and May with VULCAN “setting the tone for other tenders”, in the words of CAPT J. E. McConville. Through the remainder of 1983, the overhaul work was completed and repair availability resumed. As 1984 began, VULCAN cruised to the Caribbean in support of READEX 1-84, stopping at St. Thomas and Naval Station Roosevelt Roads. The ship’s itinerary for the year included an intermediate maintenance visit to Naval Weapons Station Earle, New Jersey, and MTT exercises off the Virginia Capes in preparation for the Mediterranean-Indian Ocean deployment in October 1984. In October 1984, VULCAN sailed to the Indian Ocean and returned six months later after succes-fully completing her first major cruise in four years. 3

Page 6 text:

VULCAN HISTORY USS VULCAN (AR-5) is 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. At the launching ceremonies on 14 December 1940, Mrs. James For-restal, wife of the first Secretary of Defense, broke the traditional bottle of champagne as VULCAN sponsor. Official commissioning of VULCAN was held 16 June 1941 at which VULCAN joined the Atlantic Fleet. Soon after VULCAN was pressed into service during World War II. At first VULCAN operated in the Atlantic and Mediterranean, basing at Argentia, Newfoundland; Hvalfjordur, Iceland; and off North Africa at Algiers, Oran, and Mer El Kebir. Her first major repair job was the emergency repairs made to USS KEARNY (DD-432) after the destroyer was torpedoed by a German U-boat off the coast of Iceland in October 1941. During the period of 15 August through 25 September 1944, VULCAN received the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal for her participation in the Allied invasion of Normandy. In December 1944, VULCAN was transferred to the Pacific Fleet where she continued to perform vital repair and support services for Allied naval and merchant ships. In April 1946, VULCAN returned to the Atlantic Fleet for duty where she was remained fulfilling her repair mission. Based in Newport. Rhode Island in the post war years, VULCAN changed her homeport to Norfolk, Virginia in early 1954. In October and November 1962, VULCAN deployed to the Caribbean to provide repair services to the U.S. warships participating in the Cuban Quarantine. In May 1970, VULCAN entered the Norfolk Naval Shipyard where she underwent a four month overhaul period. In 1972, VULCAN passed a Material Inspection by the board of Inspection and survey and received a grade of outstanding in the Administrative Inspection and was awarded the Battle Efficiency “E” and Engineering Red “E”. These accomplishments were duplicated in 1973 when VULCAN added hash marks to the Battle Efficiency “E” and Engineering “E awards, and received an additional award, the Supply “E”. In 1974, VULCAN received a second Supply “E” and the Communications ‘C”. In 1975, having successfully passed INSURV and Administrative inspections, VULCAN was awarded a second Communications “C” and the Battle Efficiency “E” as being the best of seven Atlantic Fleet tenders for Fiscal Year 1975. 2

Page 8 text:

CAPT JAMES P. BREECE