Guantanamo Bay and shakedown training. On 13 January, ''Seattle'' took attack carrier, , alongside for refueling. She departed again on 19 January for more exercises and a visit to
Port-au-Prince
Port-au-Prince ( , ; ht, Pòtoprens ) is the capital and most populous city of Haiti. The city's population was estimated at 987,311 in 2015 with the metropolitan area estimated at a population of 2,618,894. The metropolitan area is defin ...
, Haiti, before returning to Guantanamo on 26 January.
Following additional exercises and battle problems, ''Seattle'' steamed for
Mayport, Florida Mayport is a small community located between Naval Station Mayport and the St. Johns River in Jacksonville, Florida. It is part of the Jacksonville Beaches communities. The only public road to Mayport is State Road A1A, which crosses the St. John ...
, and thence proceeded to Norfolk, arriving on 12 February.
On 26 February, ''Seattle'' was struck by a yard tug, puncturing a tank, and spilling black oil for almost two hours. The oil was quickly skimmed off the water, and no adverse reaction resulted from the mishap.
''Seattle'' departed Norfolk on 27 August for her first overseas deployment. She entered her first European port,
Lisbon, Portugal, on 6 September. On 8 September, she anchored off
Rota, Spain
The town of Rota is a Spanish municipality located in the Province of Cádiz, Andalusia. Its surface area is 84 km2 and is bordered by the towns of Chipiona, Sanlúcar de Barrameda and El Puerto de Santa María. It is located near the city of ...
. Passing through the
Straits of Gibraltar
The Strait of Gibraltar ( ar, مضيق جبل طارق, Maḍīq Jabal Ṭāriq; es, Estrecho de Gibraltar, Archaic: Pillars of Hercules), also known as the Straits of Gibraltar, is a narrow strait that connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Medi ...
the next day, ''Seattle'' loaded cargo onto and then proceeded to the eastern
Mediterranean Sea
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 ...
via
Augusta, Sicily
Augusta (, archaically ''Agosta''; scn, Austa ; Greek and la, Megara Hyblaea, Medieval: ''Augusta'') is a town and in the province of Syracuse, located on the eastern coast of Sicily (southern Italy). The city is one of the main harbours in It ...
. The Jordanian Crisis had brought matters close to a boil, and ''Seattle'' served as the primary logistic support ship for and her escorts. Toward the end of the month, ''Seattle'' was one of 12 ships reviewed by president
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was t ...
.
''Seattle'' continued her support of ''Saratoga'' in the eastern Mediterranean until 20 October, when she arrived in
Athens
Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh List ...
, Greece.
Leaving Athens on 29 October, ''Seattle'' replenished ships until 9 November, when she pulled into Augusta, Sicily, for another one-day fuel lift. She then proceeded to
Taranto
Taranto (, also ; ; nap, label=Tarantino dialect, Tarantino, Tarde; Latin: Tarentum; Old Italian: ''Tarento''; Ancient Greek: Τάρᾱς) is a coastal city in Apulia, Southern Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Taranto, serving as an ...
, the
Italian Navy's largest base, arriving on 12 November.
''Seattle'' departed Taranto on 16 November and continued replenishment of 6th Fleet ships. She spent from 25 November to 1 December in
Naples
Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...
. From 8 to 14 December, she was anchored in
Barcelona
Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ...
, Spain; and ended the year at
Villefranche, France.
1971
''Seattle'' got underway on 6 January 1971, for operations in the vicinity of southeast
Sicily
(man) it, Siciliana (woman)
, population_note =
, population_blank1_title =
, population_blank1 =
, demographics_type1 = Ethnicity
, demographics1_footnotes =
, demographi ...
. On 17 January, she anchored in Naples, remaining there until 22 January. She operated in the
Ionian Sea
The Ionian Sea ( el, Ιόνιο Πέλαγος, ''Iónio Pélagos'' ; it, Mar Ionio ; al, Deti Jon ) is an elongated bay of the Mediterranean Sea. It is connected to the Adriatic Sea to the north, and is bounded by Southern Italy, including ...
, the
Algiers-Provencal Basin, and off
Barcelona
Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ...
until 20 February, when she got underway for operations en route to Norfolk, arriving on 1 March.
On 10 August, ''Seattle'' departed for
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and Unincorporated ...
, arriving at
Roosevelt Roads
Roosevelt Roads Naval Station is a former United States Navy base in the town of Ceiba, Puerto Rico. The site operates today as José Aponte de la Torre Airport, a public use airport.
History
In 1919, future US President Franklin D. Roos ...
on 13 August. She operated around Puerto Rico, the
Virgin Islands
The Virgin Islands ( es, Islas Vírgenes) are an archipelago in the Caribbean Sea. They are geology, geologically and biogeography, biogeographically the easternmost part of the Greater Antilles, the northern islands belonging to the Puerto Ric ...
, Guantanamo, and Haiti before returning to Norfolk on 11 October.
On 1 December, ''Seattle'' steamed out of
Craney Island,
Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the East Coast of the United States, Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography an ...
, for a six-month deployment to 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 th ...
. The fast combat support ship arrived at Rota, Spain, on 9 December, and got underway on the following day for Augusta, Sicily, arriving on 16 December. On 19 December, she was en route to Naples, where she spent Christmas in port. On 28 December, ''Seattle'' ended her stay in Naples and was underway to Barcelona, arriving on New Year's Eve. At the completion of a seven-month Mediterranean cruise, ''Seattle'' returned to Norfolk on 29 June 1972. She operated out of Norfolk for four months, then departed, on 24 October, for an unscheduled deployment to the
U.S. 6th Fleet. She participated in "Bystander" operations in the western Mediterranean and in exercise "National Week XIV" before returning to Norfolk on 19 December.
1972–73
''Seattle'' spent the remainder of 1972 at Norfolk and the first six months of 1973 in operations from that port. In June, she began another voyage to the "middle sea." This tour of duty lasted until December, with ''Seattle'' arriving in Norfolk on 1 December.
Missing is the history in 1973 of the USS Seattle AOE-3 in helping resupply the Aircraft Carriers used to resupply the aircraft being flown to Israel.
"Stepping Stones"
The AOE-3 would steam at high speed 27 knots to resupply the US Navy Carrier Groups in the Western Mediterranean Sea, the middle, and Eastern groups. Frequently the Russians would get in the way requiring us to change course, however, one day, the Russian was in the way and he had to move quickly seeing the black smoke coming from our stack.
After refueling and rearming the 3 different groups, we would sail to Augusta Bay, Sicily and be refueled by one of the old slow US Navy Tankers and the 27 knots to the West, Central and East to resupply the Carriers again. We repeated this round robin refuel and rearm for several hours as the planes flying in from Lajes could not make it all the way to Israel.
"Stepping Stones"
During the 1973 Arab-Israeli war, Washington used the Lajes airbase as a stepping stone in mounting an arms airlift to Israel. Lisbon then was hit by the Arab oil embargo.
http://www.csmonitor.com/1983/0214/021445.html
http://www.jewishworldreview.com/0798/twersky1.asp
http://www.jewishmag.com/167mag/kissinger-nixon-war-watergate/kissinger-nixon-war-watergate.htm
1990-1999
On the first 48 hrs. after the assault on
Kuwait
Kuwait (; ar, الكويت ', or ), officially the State of Kuwait ( ar, دولة الكويت '), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated in the northern edge of Eastern Arabia at the tip of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to the no ...
by Iraqi forces under
Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein ( ; ar, صدام حسين, Ṣaddām Ḥusayn; 28 April 1937 – 30 December 2006) was an Iraqi politician who served as the fifth president of Iraq from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003. A leading member of the revolution ...
, the ''Seattle'' received immediate orders to be deployed from its new Homeport recently changed from
Naval Station Norfolk
Naval Station Norfolk is a United States Navy base in Norfolk, Virginia, that is the headquarters and home port of the U.S. Navy's Fleet Forces Command. The installation occupies about of waterfront space and of pier and wharf space of the Hamp ...
to
Naval Weapons Station Earle
Naval Weapons Station Earle is a United States Navy base in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. Its distinguishing feature is a pier in Sandy Hook Bay where ammunition can be loaded and unloaded from warships at a safe distance from heav ...
, New Jersey to incorporate and provide support with the fleets sent underway at first to exert military pressure to political negotiations but later, when the government of Saddam entrenched, to provide continued cover during
Operation Desert Shield
The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Iraq were carried out in two key phases: ...
. During the course of operations, the ''Seattle'' would take a crucial and important part, while no substantial bases and ports existed yet in the Persian Gulf, in the earlier and later actions in the buildup to the
Operation Desert Storm
Operation or Operations may refer to:
Arts, entertainment and media
* ''Operation'' (game), a battery-operated board game that challenges dexterity
* Operation (music), a term used in musical set theory
* ''Operations'' (magazine), Multi-Ma ...
during the conflict of the First
Persian Gulf War
The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a Coalition of the Gulf War, 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Ba'athist Iraq, ...
from the first weeks of August to the end of April next year, after the successful retaking of
Kuwait
Kuwait (; ar, الكويت ', or ), officially the State of Kuwait ( ar, دولة الكويت '), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated in the northern edge of Eastern Arabia at the tip of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to the no ...
and surrender of
Iraq
Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...
. Under its new captain, Wilbur Trafton, Vietnam veteran Naval Pilot, the ''Seattle'' was assigned an extra wing of Air crews and helicopters to provide faster and continued air cargo supply, around the clock, besides its main operations of replenishment while at sea to multiple ships on its starboard and port sides even while underway at fast speed. Most of the main ammunition and other supplies for the
Kennedy and Saratoga Carriers task Force to provide Air cover on the assault to liberate Kuwait and pressure on Iraq itself done by these two American
carrier battle group
A carrier battle group (CVBG) is a naval fleet consisting of an aircraft carrier capital ship and its large number of escorts, together defining the group. The ''CV'' in ''CVBG'' is the United States Navy hull classification code for an ai ...
s and supply of Allies countries vessels was done from this
AOE ship. During the -month period of its active duty back and forth in the Persian Gulf and Red Sea theatre of operations, the Seattle was mostly well covered by the defense systems of the carriers and battle groups, but on two separate occasions Iraqi Forces spotted the vessel and tried to strike it with Scud missiles while away replenishing itself in allied ports (Jeddah, Saudi Arabia & Haifa, Israel), in order to hinder the fleets main source of provisions and thus, their continued presence and air raids on them. Returning to New Jersey and later a period of extensive repairs at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyards.
Last years
''Seattle'' accompanied the
carrier battle group
A carrier battle group (CVBG) is a naval fleet consisting of an aircraft carrier capital ship and its large number of escorts, together defining the group. The ''CV'' in ''CVBG'' is the United States Navy hull classification code for an ai ...
on deployment to the
Persian Gulf
The Persian Gulf ( fa, خلیج فارس, translit=xalij-e fârs, lit=Gulf of Fars, ), sometimes called the ( ar, اَلْخَلِيْجُ ٱلْعَرَبِيُّ, Al-Khalīj al-ˁArabī), is a mediterranean sea in Western Asia. The bo ...
in June 2004. On 12 August 2004, ''Seattle'' rescued twelve crew of the
Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...
n flagged cargo ship ''Edha II'' – delivering the survivors to
Umm Qasr Port, Iraq. On 14 December 2004, she returned to Norfolk.
''Seattle'' decommissioned on 15 March 2005.
As of March 2013 the captain's gig of Seattle resides at Nauticus in Norfolk, VA on display at the pier's end.
External links
*
combatindex.com: USS ''Seattle''USS Seattle Veteran's AssociationNavy.mil article 2004 Rescue at Sea
{{DEFAULTSORT:Seattle
Sacramento-class fast combat support ships
1968 ships