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U.S.S. PROTEUS

(AS-19)

PREPARED PRECISE AND PRODUCTIVE

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USS Proteus (AS-19) was laid down 15 September 1941 at the Moore Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company, Oakland, CA. She as launched 12 November 1942 and after fitting out was commissioned 31 January 1944.

Proteus was a god of the sea in in Greek mythology. The word PROTEAN has the connotations of flexibility, versatility and adaptability. USS Proteus motto paralled this... Prepared Precise and Productive.

After commisoning and final fit out, Proteus sailed for Midway Island, arriving in May 1944. There until Decemeber 1944, she tended to the US Submarine Force that was battleing the Japanese. After a stay at Pearl Harbor from December 1944 to February 1945, USS Proteus moved on to Guam where she again was on station supporting the US Submarine Force.

At wars end, USS Proteus was assigned to Japanese home island occupation duty. She was in Tokyo Bay for the Japaneses surrender ceremony. Proteus remain in Japan until November 1945 then sailed for the United States.

Homeported in New London, CT after World War II, USS Proteus operated along the East Coast of the United States before being decommissoned and placed in service on 26 September 1947. In January 1960 USS Proteus began a conversion to support Polaris Fleet Ballistic Missile submarines. The conversion at Charleston Naval Shipyard was completed in July 1960 and Proteus was placed in commission. Refresher training was conducted at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

In February 1961 Proteus deployed to Holy Loch, Scotland. She remained at Holy Loch for two years upgrading and supporting the US Atlantic Submarine Force. In 1963 she returned to Charleston, SC NSY for overhaul.

Post overhaul, USS Proteus sailed where needed in 1964. She steamed for Holy Holy in December 1963. She moved on to Rota, Spain in February 1964, returned to Charleston in June 1964, then sailed to Gaum in October, where she remained homported until 1971.

In 1971 USS Proteus entered Mare Island NSY for overhaul. After overhaul she called on Pearl Harbor and Sydney, Australia, then again took up station on Guam. With the fall of South Viet Nam in 1975, throngs of refugees flooded the South West Pacific. Proteus crew members assisted US Navy SeaBees with the construction of a massive tent city to house more than 100,000 refugees.

USS Proteus was overhauled at Long Beach NSY during 1978-79, then returned to Guam in May 1980. With the decommisioning of the final Polaris Ballistic Missle Subamrines she departed Gaum in July 1981. Proteus was then converted to General Fleet Support Tender. She delpoyed into the Indian Ocean, plying her trade of maintenance and support of the fleet at Diego Garcia; Fremantle, Australia; Subic Bay, P.I. and then returned in April 1982 to Guam .

Proteus made made a similar deployments from Guam, supporting Seventh Fleet vessels where needed, in October 1982, April 1983, May 1984, July 1985, February 1986, 1987, 1988, March 1989, March 1990 and March 1991.

The June 15, 1991 eruption of Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines called USS Proteus to leave Guam and help dig out the Subic Bay Naval Base and nearby towns. She remained in P.I. until August, 1991 then returned to Gaum.

USS Proteus sailed to Australia in April of 1992 on her final voyage.

Proteus was decommissioned on 30 September 1992.

The USS Proteus (AS-19) operational history and significant events of her service career follow:

AS-19 Deployments - Major Events

Add a AS-19 Shellback Initiation Add a AS-19 Deployment - Major Event
Month Year to Month Year Deployment / Event
SEP1941-Keel Date: 15 SEP 1941
at Moore Dry Dock Company
NOV1942-Launch Date: 12 NOV 1942
JAN1944-Commissioned: 31 JAN 1944
MAR1944-DEC1944Midway Island Sub Base
FEB1945- Shellback Initiation - 9 FEB 1945 - Pacific Ocean
AUG1945-SEP1945Tokyo Bay - Japanese surrender
DEC1945-Panama Canal
JAN1946- Shellback Initiation - 30 JAN 1946 - Pacific Ocean
JAN1946- Shellback Initiation - 30 JAN 1946 - Pacific Ocean
JAN1946- Shellback Initiation - 30 JAN 1946 - Pacific Ocean
SEP1947-Decomissioned - 26 September 1947
JAN1959-JUL1960Charleston SC NSY for conversion to Ballistic Missle Tender
JUL1960-Recommisioned - 8 July 1960
JAN1961-FEB19611st SSBN Refit New London
MAR1961-Cross North Atlantic to Holy Loch Scotland
MAR1961-MAR19631st Holy Loch Site One Deployment
OCT1962-OCT1962Cuban Missle Blockade
JAN1963-NOV1964Dry Dock
DEC1963-FEB19642nd Site One Holy Loch Deployment
MAR1964-AUG1964Mediterranean
APR1964-MAY1964Sea Trials
MAY1969-DEC1970West Pac
MAY1971-MAY1971Typhoon Amy May 1 - 3 1971
NOV1971-NOV1972Regular Overhaul
DEC1972-DEC1972CrossedEquator @ 180 Long.(GOLDEN SHELLBACK) at 0200 on 12/16/72
DEC1972-DEC1972Golden Shellback Intiation
DEC1972-Shellback Initiation - 16 DEC 1972 - Pacific Ocean
DEC1972- Shellback Initiation - 16 DEC 1972 - Pacific Ocean
FEB1974-DEC1975Guam
MAR1974-DEC1975Guam
SEP1974-DEC1975Guam
DEC1974- Shellback Initiation - 12 DEC 1974 - Pacific Ocean
DEC1974- Shellback Initiation - 12 DEC 1974 - Pacific Ocean
DEC1974- Shellback Initiation - 12 DEC 1974 - Pacific Ocean
MAY1976-MAY1976Typhoon Pamela
MAY1976-MAY1976Typhoon Pamela
JAN1979-JAN1980Dry Dock
OCT1981-APR1982West Pac-Indian Ocean
DEC1981-Shellback Initiation - 22 DEC 1981 - Indian Ocean
DEC1981- Shellback Initiation - 22 DEC 1981 - Indian Ocean
DEC1981- Shellback Initiation - 22 DEC 1981 - Indian Ocean
DEC1981-Shellback Initiation - 12 DEC 1981 - Indian Ocean
DEC1981-MAR1982Guam to Indian Ocean - Diego Garcia
SEP1982-DEC1982West Pac
JAN1983-DEC1983West Pac-Indian Ocean
APR1984-OCT1984USS Proteus AS-19 Guam to Indian Ocean - Diego Garcia(B.I.O.T.)
MAY1984- Shellback Initiation - 31 MAY 1984 - Indian Ocean
MAY1984-Shellback Initiation - 31 MAY 1984 - Indian Ocean
OCT1984-Shellback Initiation - 8 OCT 1984 - Pacific Ocean
DEC1986-DEC1986return to Guam following and surviving Typhoon Marge
FEB1988-MAY1988West Pac
MAR1989-JUN1989West Pac
MAR1989- Shellback Initiation - 1 MAR 1989 - Pacific Ocean
SEP1989-Shellback Initiation - 28 SEP 1989 - Pacific Ocean
SEP1989- Shellback Initiation - 28 SEP 1989 - Pacific Ocean
SEP1989- Shellback Initiation - 29 SEP 1989 - Pacific Ocean
FEB1990-JUN1990West Pac
APR1991-JUL1992West Pac
APR1992-Shellback Initiation - 31 APR 1992 - Pacific Ocean
APR1992-Shellback Initiation - 13 APR 1992 - Pacific Ocean
APR1992-MAY1992Australia - 50th Anniversary of the Battle of the Coral Sea
APR1992- Shellback Initiation - 13 APR 1992 - Pacific Ocean
JUN1992-JUL1992Decommisioning
JUN1992-AUG1992Dry Dock
AUG1992-AUG1992Decommisioning

AS-19 General Specifications

Class: Fulton-class submarine tender

Named for: Proteus

Complement: 1487 Officers and Enlisted

Displacement: 9734 tons

Length: 529 feet 6 inches

Beam: 73 feet 4 inches

Final Disposition: Laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet. Scrapped 2007