USS ''Great Sitkin'' (AE-17) was a ''

Mount Hood Mount Hood is a potentially active stratovolcano in the Cascade Volcanic Arc. It was formed by a subduction zone on the Pacific coast and rests in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located about east-southeast of Portlan ...

'' class ammunition ship, which served in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

from 1945 to 1973. USS ''Great Sitkin'' supported USN operations in several major theatres, including the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the e ...

, the

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...

, Cuban Missile Blockade, Guantanamo Bay, and the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

. In the tradition of naming ammunition ships after volcanos, AE-17 was named after the Great Sitkin Volcano in Alaska.

Early service

USS ''Great Sitki''n was launched under Maritime Commission contract by North Carolina Shipbuilding Co., Wilmington, N.C., 20 January 1945, sponsored by Miss Anne L. Dimond, daughter of Judge Anthony J. Dimond, then congressional representative for Alaska, and commissioned at

Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina, the county seat of Charleston County, and the principal city in the Charleston–North Charleston metropolitan area. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint o ...

. After shakedown out of

Norfolk Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the No ...

, ''Great Sitkin'' sailed to

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

25 November 1945 to begin dumping condemned ammunition in an assigned area off Sandy Hook, N.J. ''Great Sitkin'' continued this duty for a year, returning to Norfolk in November 1946. ''Great Sitkins pattern of operations for the next few years took her to the

Caribbean The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...

and the

Panama Canal Zone The Panama Canal Zone ( es, Zona del Canal de Panamá), also simply known as the Canal Zone, was an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the Isthmus of Panama, that existed from 1903 to 1979. It was located within the terr ...

on ammunition replenishment trips, as well as twice to

Gibraltar ) , anthem = " God Save the King" , song = " Gibraltar Anthem" , image_map = Gibraltar location in Europe.svg , map_alt = Location of Gibraltar in Europe , map_caption = United Kingdom shown in pale green , mapsize = , image_map2 = Gib ...

. In addition, she participated in local operations.

Mediterranean service

From 1951 ''Great Sitkin'' served as a mobile ready reserve source of ammunition. ''Great Sitkin'' regularly deployed to the

to support regional operations of the

Sixth Fleet The Sixth Fleet is a numbered fleet of the United States Navy operating as part of United States Naval Forces Europe. The Sixth Fleet is headquartered at Naval Support Activity Naples, Italy. The officially stated mission of the Sixth Fleet in ...

, and served the fleet during crises in trouble spots such as

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus li ...

and

Suez Suez ( ar, السويس '; ) is a seaport city (population of about 750,000 ) in north-eastern Egypt, located on the north coast of the Gulf of Suez (a branch of the Red Sea), near the southern terminus of the Suez Canal, having the same boun ...

. When not deployed in the Mediterranean, she operated out of

, participating in various fleet maneuvers in the

and the

Caribbean Sea The Caribbean Sea ( es, Mar Caribe; french: Mer des Caraïbes; ht, Lanmè Karayib; jam, Kiaribiyan Sii; nl, Caraïbische Zee; pap, Laman Karibe) is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean in the tropics of the Western Hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico ...

Cuban Missile blockade

During the

Cuban Missile Crisis The Cuban Missile Crisis, also known as the October Crisis (of 1962) ( es, Crisis de Octubre) in Cuba, the Caribbean Crisis () in Russia, or the Missile Scare, was a 35-day (16 October – 20 November 1962) confrontation between the United S ...

, she sailed for the

on 23 October 1962, following

President Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination i ...

's announcement of a naval quarantine around

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

. USS ''Great Sitkin'' cruised the Caribbean during the next several weeks carrying reserve ammunition for American ships on quarantine duty off Cuba.

Atlantic and Mediterranean service

Departing the Caribbean 16 December 1962, USS ''Great Sitkin'' returned to New York and resumed her pattern of operations in the Atlantic and the Mediterranean. On 5 April 1963, ''Great Sitkin'' suffered slight damage during a fire of unknown origin while tied up at the Main Ship Repair Corporation in

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

. Between August 1963 and July 1966 ''Great Sitkin'' deployed three times with the 6th Fleet, participating in several Fleet and

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...

exercises. After a 3-month overhaul in the

Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation Bethlehem Steel Corporation Shipbuilding Division was created in 1905 when the Bethlehem Steel Corporation of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, acquired the San Francisco shipyard Union Iron Works. In 1917 it was incorporated as Bethlehem Shipbuilding Co ...

, Hoboken, N.J., in December 1966 USS ''Great Sitkin'' participated in training exercises off Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. ''Great Sitkin'' continued to support American ships in the Atlantic and the Mediterranean theaters.

Vietnam War service

In 1968, ''Great Sitkin'' supported the

Seventh Fleet The Seventh Fleet is a numbered fleet of the United States Navy. It is headquartered at U.S. Fleet Activities Yokosuka, in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. It is part of the United States Pacific Fleet. At present, it is the largest of th ...

during U.S. Naval operations in the

. USS ''Great Sitkin'' participated in the Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase IV and Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase V, from May to October 1968. ''Great Sitkin'' was awarded 2

campaign stars A service star is a miniature bronze or silver five-pointed star inch (4.8 mm) in diameter that is authorized to be worn by members of the eight uniformed services of the United States on medals and ribbons to denote an additional award or ser ...

for Vietnam War service.

Final disposition

USS ''Great Sitkin'' was decommissioned and struck from the

Naval Register A Navy Directory, formerly the Navy List or Naval Register is an official list of naval officers, their ranks and seniority, the ships which they command or to which they are appointed, etc., that is published by the government or naval author ...

on 2 July 1973. The ship was sold by the

Defense Reutilization and Marketing Service DLA Disposition Services (formerly known as the Defense Reutilization and Marketing Service) is part of the United States Defense Logistics Agency. Headquartered at the Hart–Dole–Inouye Federal Center in Battle Creek, Michigan, the organization ...

for scrapping, 1 March 1974 to US Ship Co.,

Camden, New Jersey Camden is a city in and the county seat of Camden County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Camden is part of the Delaware Valley metropolitan area and is located directly across the Delaware River from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. At the 2020 ...

. for $152,666.60. USS ''Great Sitkin'' was dismantled from March to October 1974.

Awards

American Campaign Medal The American Campaign Medal is a military award of the United States Armed Forces which was first created on November 6, 1942, by issued by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The medal was intended to recognize those military members who had perfo ...

World War II Victory Medal (United States) The World War II Victory Medal is a service medal of the United States military which was established by an Act of Congress on 6 July 1945 (Public Law 135, 79th Congress) and promulgated by Section V, War Department Bulletin 12, 1945. The Wor ...

Navy Occupation Service Medal The Navy Occupation Service Medal is a military award of the United States Navy which was "Awarded to commemorate the services of Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard personnel in the occupation of certain territories of the enemies of the U.S. durin ...

with Europe clasp *

National Defense Service Medal The National Defense Service Medal (NDSM) is a service award of the United States Armed Forces established by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1953. It is awarded to every member of the US Armed Forces who has served during any one of four sp ...

(2) *

Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal The Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (AFEM) is a military award of the United States Armed Forces, which was first created in 1961 by Executive Order of President John Kennedy. The medal is awarded to members of the U.S. Armed Forces who, after ...

Vietnam Service Medal The Vietnam Service Medal is a military award of the United States Armed Forces established on 8 July 1965 by order of President Lyndon B. Johnson. The medal is awarded to recognize service during the Vietnam War by all members of the U.S. A ...

(2) *

Vietnam Campaign Medal The Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal, also known as the Vietnam Campaign Medal ( vi, Chiến Dịch Bội Tinh), is a South Vietnamese military campaign medal which was created in 1949, and awarded to French military personnel during the First ...

Commanding officers

* CDR. Smith, William F., USNR 11 August 1945 - 21 February 1946 * CAPT. Perry, Emil Bates, USN 21 February 1946 - 23 July 1946 * CAPT. Catterton, Max Lee 23 July 1946 - July 1947 * CAPT. Hindman, Joseph Aloysius Esten July 1947 - June 1948 * CAPT. Busck, Vilhelm Klein, June 1948 - July 1949 * CAPT. Watson Jr., William Henry, July 1949 - July 1950 * CAPT. King, George Edward, July 1950 - July 1951 * CAPT. Butler Jr., William Clayton, RADM July 1951 - January 1952 * CAPT. Phillips, George Lincoln, January 1952 - 10 January 1953 * CAPT. Whitfield Jr., James Dickson, 10 January 1953 - 14 December 1953 * CAPT. Wolseiffer, Frederick, USN 14 December 1953 - July 1955 * CAPT. Gage, Norman Dwight, July 1955 - 28 June 1956 * CAPT. Brock, James Ward, RADM 28 June 1956 - 9 August 1957 * CAPT. Hahn, Harry Barrett, 9 August 1957 - 21 September 1958 * CAPT. Schlech Jr., Walter Frederick, RADM 21 September 1958 - 9 September 1959 * CAPT. Stebbins, Edgar Erwin, 9 September 1959 - 15 August 1960 * CAPT. Manning, William James, 15 August 1960 - 21 July 1961 * CAPT. Weinel, John Philip, ADM 21 July 1961 - 18 July 1962 * CAPT. Burley Jr., Thomas Grover, USN (USNA 1941) 18 July 1962 - 12 July 1963 * CAPT. Boyle Jr., John Earl, 12 July 07.1963 - 14 July 1964 * CAPT. English Jr., Elbert Hartwell 14 July 1964 - 16 July 1965 * CAPT. Esler Jr., Clifford Myers, USN (USNA 1942) 16 July 1965 - 27 July 1966 * CAPT. Boice, Grant 27 July 1966 - 14 September 1967 * CAPT. Riehl Jr., Julian William, 14 September 1967 - 23 December 1968 * CAPT. Hermann, Edward Paul, 23 December 1968 - 30 January 1970 * CAPT. Gerhard Jr., Harry E. RADM 30 January 1970 - 26 October 1970 * CAPT. Rohrer, Paul W. :RADM 26 October 1970 - 16 July 1972 * CAPT. Buchwald, Robert Dale 16 July 1972 - 23 March 1973 * LCDR. La Pean Sr., James W. 23 March 1973 - 2 July 1973

References

External links

USS Great Sitkin Association

AE-17 Internet Links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Great Sitkin (AE-17) Mount Hood-class ammunition ships Ships built in Wilmington, North Carolina 1945 ships World War II auxiliary ships of the United States Cold War auxiliary ships of the United States