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U.S.S. SYLVANIA
(AFS-2)THE VIGILENT PROVIDER
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The USS SYLVANIA (AFS-2), a Mars class combat stores ship, was commissioned on 11 JUL 1964. USS SYLVANIA was built at National Steel and Shipbuilding in San Diego, CA and after commissioning transited the Panama Canal in August 1964 and took up her duty with the Atlantic Fleet. April 1965 SYLVANIA began her "ship's work", a series of Mediterranean deployments that extended in to the Indian Ocean as needed. USS SYLVANIA served her country for 29 years, 10 months and 15 days, until decommissioned on 26 MAY 1994. The hulk of the SYLVANIA was scrapped in July 2001.
The USS SYLVANIA (AFS-2) deployment history and significant events of her service career follow:
AFS-2 Deployments - Major Events
Add a AFS-2 Shellback Initiation | Add a AFS-2 Deployment - Major Event | ||||
Month | Year | to | Month | Year | Deployment / Event |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
AUG | 1962 | - | Keel Date: 18 AUG 1962 at National Steel and Shipbuilding Company San Diego CA | ||
AUG | 1963 | - | Launch Date: 15 AUG 1963 | ||
JUL | 1964 | - | Commissioned: 11 JUL 1964 | ||
JUN | 1967 | - | JUN | 1967 | Mediterranean |
JUN | 1967 | - | JUN | 1967 | support of rescue attempt-USS Liberty during Arab Israeli war |
AUG | 1967 | - | Shellback Initiation - 9 AUG 1967 - Indian Ocean | ||
JAN | 1968 | - | JUL | 1970 | Mediterranean |
AUG | 1970 | - | JAN | 1971 | Mediterranean |
NOV | 1970 | - | MAY | 1971 | Mediterranean |
FEB | 1972 | - | AUG | 1972 | Mediterranean |
MAY | 1973 | - | DEC | 1973 | Mediterranean |
AUG | 1974 | - | MAR | 1975 | Mediterranean |
JUN | 1975 | - | DEC | 1975 | Portsmouth Naval Yard / Newport News Ship Yard Ship OverHaul |
JAN | 1976 | - | JAN | 1977 | Mediterranean |
OCT | 1976 | - | JAN | 1977 | North Atlantic |
NOV | 1976 | - | DEC | 1976 | North Atlantic |
JAN | 1978 | - | FEB | 1979 | Mediterranean |
SEP | 1978 | - | FEB | 1979 | Mediterranean |
OCT | 1978 | - | MAY | 1979 | Mediterranean |
MAY | 1980 | - | SEP | 1980 | Mediterranean |
SEP | 1980 | - | FEB | 1981 | Mediterranean-Indian Ocean-Persian Gulf |
SEP | 1980 | - | Shellback Initiation - 12 SEP 1980 - Atlantic Ocean | ||
APR | 1981 | - | OCT | 1981 | Mediterranean |
APR | 1982 | - | MAY | 1982 | Guantanamo Bay |
JUL | 1982 | - | DEC | 1982 | Mediterranean |
JUL | 1982 | - | DEC | 1982 | Mediterranean-Lebanon |
JAN | 1983 | - | AUG | 1984 | Mediterranean |
JUN | 1983 | - | JUL | 1983 | Guantanamo Bay |
JUN | 1983 | - | JUL | 1983 | Guantanamo Bay |
OCT | 1983 | - | APR | 1984 | Mediterranean-Lebanon |
NOV | 1983 | - | APR | 1984 | Mediterranean |
APR | 1985 | - | OCT | 1985 | Mediterranean |
SEP | 1986 | - | FEB | 1987 | Mediterranean |
JUL | 1987 | - | OCT | 1987 | Mediterranean-Indian Ocean |
JAN | 1988 | - | JUN | 1988 | Mediterranean |
JAN | 1989 | - | JAN | 1990 | Mediterranean |
JAN | 1990 | - | AUG | 1990 | Operation Desert Storm |
OCT | 1990 | - | DEC | 1991 | Desert Storm |
OCT | 1991 | - | JUN | 1992 | Mediterranean-Indian Ocean-Persian Gulf |
AUG | 1992 | - | SEP | 1992 | Hurricane Andrew Support |
MAY | 1994 | - | Decommissioned: 26 MAY 1994 |
AFS-2 General Specifications
Class: Mars-class combat stores ship
Named for: Sylvania an asteroid
Complement: 486 Officers and Enlisted
Displacement: 17500 tons
Length: 581 feet
Beam: 79 feet
Flank Speed: 20 knots
Final Disposition: Sold for scrapping 28 July 2001
USS SYLVANIA (AFS-2)
The
second Sylvania (AFS-2) was laid down on 18 August 1962 by the National Steel and Shipbuilding Co., San Diego, Calif.; launched on 10 August
1963; sponsored by Mrs. Cyrus R.
Vance; and commissioned on 11 July
1964, Capt. Bernard A. Lienhard in command.
At the time of commissioning Sylvania was the second
of a new class of combat store ship designed to combine the functions of
the AF (store ship), AK.S (stores issue ship), and AVS (aviation issue
ship). She completed fitting out and, after sea trials, departed
California for duty with the Atlantic Fleet. The Panama Canal was
transited on 11 August, and the ship arrived at Norfolk on 16 October 1964
for post-shakedown
availability. Upon completion thereof, the
ship operated in the Norfolk area until the spring of 1965.
Sylvania stood out of Norfolk on 14
April 1965, en route to the Mediterranean and her first tour of duty with
the 6th Fleet. She called at Rota, Spain, and arrived at her new home
port, Naples, on 29 April. Two days later, she began her first underway replenishment operation
with the 6th Fleet. On 31 July, Sylvania
completed the first vertical
replenishment of an aircraft carrier
using UH-46A helicopters. In early October
the store ship logged her 1,000th accident-free helicopter landing. She served as flagship for the Service Force, 6th Fleet, from 5 December 1966 to 17
April 1967. During the night of 8
January 1968, the cargo ship
suffered her only material loss of the year. She experienced a roll of 38 degrees and took water over the flight deck. The roll, wind, and water parted
the tie-downs on cargo staged on the
flight deck for the next day's
replenishment. Consequently, 52 pallets of provisions were lost. On 1 July 1968, Sylvania was awarded the Battle Efficiency "E" for her
class and the Supply E for Supply
Efficiency.
Sylvania was honored on 19 October by a
visit from the Assistant Secretary of the Navy, Charles A. Bowser,
and a party of eight who came aboard for a briefing and tour and to observe an underway replenishment exercise. The ship was in drydock at Malta
from 29 November until 10 December
1968 when she returned to normal 6th
Fleet operations. On 16 June 1969 the
ship lost a UH-46D helicopter when it crashed
during vertical replenishment operations in the harbor of Palma de Mallorca, but the crew was rescued. On 30
September, the ship outchopped from the
6th Fleet and returned to Norfolk on 24 October after an absence of four and one-half years.
Sylvania deployed to the 6th Fleet again
from 28 December 1969 to 15 February 1970. She then began preparations
for her first overhaul since commissioning. The ship was in drydock from 11 April to 13 May
when she moored at the shipyard, and was
ready for sea on 13 July. On 20 July the ship was awarded the Meritorius Unit Commedation for service to the 6th
Fleet during the period 25 April 1965 to 30 September 1969. The next day, Admiral Elmo R. Zumwalt, Jr., Chief of Naval Operations, visited Sylvania. The
period from 13 August to 11 September was spent in refresher training at Guantanamo Bay.
Sylvania stood out of Norfolk on 18
November 1970 to begin a six-month deployment in logistic support of the 6th
Fleet and returned to Norfolk on 17 May 1971. In June, the ship entered
the Norfolk Naval Shipyard for a four-month restricted availability period.
Sylvania left the yard on 4 October and,
from 23 to 27 October, conducted a four-day port call at Fort Lauderdale,
Fla. After two weeks of refresher training at Guantanamo Bay, she returned
to Norfolk for another
two-month availability period. The ship then commenced
predeployment loadout and underway training
in the Virginia Capes area until mid-February. Sylvania deployed to the Mediterranean in support of the 6th Fleet from 24 February to 26
August. After five weeks of reloading
supplies at Norfolk, the cargo ship
returned to the Mediterranean, from 2 October
to 10 November, to replenish the AFS that was on station there. The remainder of the year 1972 and until 5 March 1973 was spent at Norfolk in upkeep and underway training.
Sylvania, sailed to Guantanamo Bay and
held refresher training from 6 to 16 March and then paid a three-day
visit to Cape Kennedy before returning to her home port on the 23d. She
stood out of Norfolk on 25 May for another tour with the 6th Fleet and relieved
Concord (AFS-5) as the on-station AFS on 16 June. She, in turn, was
relieved by San Diego (AFS-6) on 12 November and returned to Norfolk on 3
December 1973.
Sylvania operated out of Norfolk until
early September 1974 when she again deployed to the Mediterranean
for duty with the 6th Fleet. As of 1 March 1975, she was still serving with that fleet.
[Note: The above USS SYLVANIA (AFS-2) history may, or may not, contain text provided by crew members of the USS SYLVANIA (AFS-2), or by other non-crew members, and text from the Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships]