USNS Kiska (T-AE-35), ex-USS Kiska (AE-35) was one of five ammunition ships operated by Military Sealift Command of the Naval Fleet Auxiliary Force. The ship was laid down on 8 April 1971 at Ingalls Shipbuilding, Pascagoula, Mississippi as USS Kiska (AE-35) and was launched on 11 March 1972. Originally commissioned on December 16, 1972 in Charleston South Carolina. The Kiska then travelled through the Panama canal to its first home port in Mare Island California. She was decommissioned on 1 August 1996, and that same day entered service with Military Sealift Command as USNS Kiska (T-AE-35). She continued to operate under Military Sealift Command's control until she was deactivated at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on January 15, 2011.[3][4] Kiska was the eighth and final ship of the Kilauea-class ammunition ships. Kiska was disposed of by Navy title transfer to the Maritime Administration as of May 30, 2013.[5] Kiska was completely dismantled to its material content by Esco Marine, Inc. in Brownsville, Texas on November 20, 2013.

USNS Kiska in the Persian Gulf, 2003
History
United States
NameKiska
NamesakeKiska, a volcanic island in Alaska
AwardedMarch 8, 1968[1]
BuilderIngalls Shipbuilding[1]
Laid downApril 8, 1971[1]
LaunchedMarch 11, 1972[1]
CommissionedDecember 16, 1972[1]
DecommissionedAugust 1, 1996[1]
In serviceAugust 1, 1996
StrickenJanuary 15, 2011
HomeportPort Chicago, Vallejo, CA
Identification
FateScrapped November 20, 2013
General characteristics
Class and typeKilauea-class ammunition ship
Displacement19,940 long tons (20,260 t)[2]
Length564 ft (172 m)[2]
Beam81 ft (25 m)[2]
Draft28 ft (8.5 m)[2]
Propulsion3 Foster-Wheeler boilers; 600 psi (4,100 kPa); 870 °F (466 °C); 1 turbine, 22,000 hp (16,000 kW); Automated Propulsion System (APS)
Speed20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph)[2]
Complement125 civilians, 55 naval personnel [2]
Aircraft carried2 × CH-46 helicopters

Citations

edit
  1. ^ a b c d e f "USNS Kiska". Naval Vessel Register. Retrieved 18 November 2010.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Military Sealift Command 2007, Ship Inventory.
  3. ^ "USNS Kiska (T-AE 35)". www.navysite.de. Retrieved March 2, 2023.
  4. ^ "Ammunition Ship Photo Index". www.navsource.org. Retrieved March 2, 2023.
  5. ^ http://www.nvr.navy.mil/SHIPDETAILS/SHIPSDETAIL_AE_35.HTML

References

edit
edit

  Media related to USS Kiska (AE-35) at Wikimedia Commons