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U.S.S. HALEAKALA

(AE-25)

THE FAST LADY

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The USS HALEAKALA (AE-25), a Nitro-class ammunition ship, was commissioned on 3 NOV 1959. USS HALEAKALA served her country for 34 years, 1 month and 7 days, until decommissioned on 10 DEC 1993. Built by the Bethlehem Steel Shipbuilding Company in Baltimore, Maryland, USS HALEAKALA traveled to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba for REFTRA after commissioning. In March 1960 she transited the Panama Canal and on to her homeport of San Fransisco, CA. In July 1960 HALEAKALA departed on the first of many Western Pacific deployments. HALEAKALA voyaged to the Coast of Vietnam annually from 1965 to 1972. Decommissioned in December 1993, USS HALEAKALA was subsequently transferred to the National Defense Reserve Fleet.

The USS HALEAKALA (AE-25) deployment history and significant events of her service career follow:

AE-25 Deployments - Major Events

Add a AE-25 Shellback Initiation Add a AE-25 Deployment - Major Event
Month Year to Month Year Deployment / Event
FEB1944- Shellback Initiation - 18 FEB 1944 - Pacific Ocean
FEB1958-Keel Date: 3 FEB 1958
at Bethlehem Shipbuilding Company Staten Island
FEB1959-Launch Date: 17 FEB 1959
NOV1959-FEB1960Commisioning
NOV1959-Commissioned: 3 NOV 1959
JAN1960-NOV1960Middle Pacific
FEB1960-Shellback Initiation - 17 FEB 1960 - Pacific Ocean
NOV1962-DEC1969Republic of Vietnam defoliation
JUN1964-JUN1967West Pac-Viet Nam
JUL1964-JUN1967West Pac-Viet Nam
SEP1964-SEP1968West Pac-Viet Nam
SEP1964-SEP1968uss Haleakala vietnam west pac
JAN1965-DEC1967West Pac-Viet Nam
NOV1965-SEP1966West Pac
NOV1965-Shellback Initiation - 1 NOV 1965 - Pacific Ocean
JUN1966-MAY1967West Pac-Viet Nam
JAN1967-JAN1971West Pac-Viet Nam
MAR1967-NOV1967West Pac-Viet Nam
SEP1967-NOV1967Enemy Engagement Coast of Vietnam near Tigre Island
SEP1967-NOV1967West Pac
SEP1967-NOV1967West Pac-Viet Nam
JAN1968-JAN1969Operation Rolling Thunder
FEB1968-JUL1968Nuclear Weapons on Deck
FEB1968-SEP1968West Pac-Viet Nam
APR1968-NOV1968West Pac-Viet Nam
MAY1968-NOV1968Mig Engagements Op Mighty Yankee
JUN1968-JUL1968DaNang Ammo Depot Hit-Resupplied Depot after attack
SEP1968-DEC1969USS New Jersey BB-62 OPS
OCT1968-FEB1969Boiler Explosion/DaNang Entanglement
APR1969-MAY1969Operation Thor
JUL1969-AUG1969Typhoon Tess
OCT1970-MAY1971West Pac-Viet Nam
NOV1970-APR1971Steel Tiger Sea Ops
JUL1971-Shellback Initiation - 23 JUL 1971 - Pacific Ocean
OCT1971-SEP1972West Pac
OCT1971-SEP1972West Pac-Viet Nam
JAN1972-Shellback Initiation - 12 JAN 1972 - Pacific Ocean
JAN1972-MAR1973West Pac-Viet Nam
JAN1972-Shellback Initiation - 9 JAN 1972 - Pacific Ocean
JAN1972-JAN1973Middle Pacific
SEP1972-MAR1973West Pac-Viet Nam
MAR1973-NOV1973West Pac-Viet Nam
MAR1973-Shellback Initiation - 8 MAR 1973 - Pacific Ocean
AUG1973-Shellback Initiation - 29 AUG 1973 - Pacific Ocean
NOV1973-NOV1974West Pac
NOV1974-MAY1975West Pac-Viet Nam
APR1975-APR1975Operation Frequent Wind/Fall of Saigon/Evacuation of US Embassy
JAN1976-JAN1979West Pac
MAR1976-AUG1976West Pac
APR1976-NOV1976West Pac-Viet Nam
JAN1980-JAN1981West Pac
FEB1981-NOV1981West Pac
OCT1981-MAY1982West Pac
DEC1981-Shellback Initiation - 10 DEC 1981 - Pacific Ocean
DEC1981-Shellback Initiation - 14 DEC 1981 - Pacific Ocean
JAN1983-JAN1984Dry Dock
JAN1984-MAR1985Regular Overhaul
SEP1986-OCT1986Change Home Port to Guam
APR1990-Shellback Initiation - 15 APR 1990 - Pacific Ocean
AUG1990-OCT1990Desert Shield
JAN1991-MAY1991Desert Storm
JAN1991-APR1991Desert Shield
MAR1991-Shellback Initiation - 24 MAR 1991 - Indian Ocean
JAN1993-JAN1993Decommisioning
SEP1993-Shellback Initiation - 8 SEP 1993 - Indian Ocean
DEC1993-Decommissioned: 10 DEC 1993

AE-25 General Specifications

Class: Nitro-class ammunition ship

Named for: Haleakala

Complement: 331 Officers and Enlisted

Displacement: 8300 tons

Length: 512 feet

Beam: 72 feet

Flank Speed: 20 knots

Final Disposition: Sold 28 March 1994



USS HALEAKALA (AE-25)



Haleakala (AE-25) was launched 17 February 1959 by Bethlehem-Sparrows Point Shipyard Inc. Baltimore Md.; sponsored by Mrs. Maurice E. Curts wife of Vice Admiral Curts; and commissioned 3 November 1959 Captain Miles P. Refo III in command.

After shakedown out of Guantanamo Bay Haleakala transited the Panama Canal and visited Chile and Costa Rica before arriving San Francisco 17 March 1960. The fifth of a new class of ammunition ships designed from the hull up for carrying and transferring at sea the latest in munitions and guided missiles Haleakala spent the first part of April with Vega conducting replenishment exercises to test new equipment.

Haleakala departed San Francisco 7 July 1960 on her first Western Pacific deployment. Visiting Pearl Harbor Yokosuka and Sasebo she provided services to various units of the 7th Fleet before returning to Port Chicago Calif. 19 December 1960.

Haleakala departed on her second deployment to the Western Pacific 18 April 1961 and again serviced units of the 7th Fleet returning to Port Chicago 8 September. In October in company with Mount Katmai she steamed to Long Beach to participate in Exercise "Covered Wagon" an effort to test realistically a representative Attack Carrier Strike Force in all of its wartime tasks in the face of opposition similar to that which might be expected of a potential enemy.

Haleakala made two subsequent deployments to the Western Pacific between 29 May 1962 and February 1964. She arrived Todd Shipyard Inc. Seattle 28 February 1964 for overhaul and modernization to increase her efficiency and safety. With conversion completed by May 1965 through the fall of 1965 Haleakala participated in Operation "Baseline." On 20 November she sailed for Yankee Station via Pearl Harbor to support combat operations in Vietnam returning to Subic Bay 31 December.

Most of 1966 was spent on another WestPac deployment. Haleakala departed Subic Bay 23 August for the West Coast arriving San Francisco 12 September. After training exercises off Mare Island through December Haleakala returned for further replenishment operations off Vietnam into 1967.

[Note: The above USS HALEAKALA (AE-25) history may or may not contain text provided by crew members of the USS HALEAKALA (AE-25) or by other non-crew members and text from the Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships]