USS Camden (AOE-2) |
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| Career (US) | |
|---|---|
| Name: | USS Camden |
| Namesake: | Camden, New Jersey |
| Awarded: | 25 April 1963 |
| Builder: | New York Shipbuilding |
| Cost: | Approx. $458 million |
| Laid down: | 17 February 1964 |
| Launched: | 29 May 1965 |
| Acquired: | 11 March 1967 |
| Commissioned: | 1 April 1967 |
| Decommissioned: | 14 October 2005 |
| Struck: | 14 October 2005 |
| Homeport: | Bremerton, Washington |
| Identification: | 05833 |
| Motto: | Flexibility, Readiness, Endurance |
| Nickname: | The Powerful Pachyderm of the Pacific |
| Honors and awards: |
Navy Unit Commendation x 4 Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation x 3 Navy Battle "E" Ribbon x 3 Navy Expeditionary Medal-Iran Indian Ocean x 3 Navy Expeditionary Medal-Persian Gulf x 2 National Defense Service Medal Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal x 9 Vietnam Service Medal x 7 Southwest Asia Service Medal Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal |
| Fate: | Disposed of by Scrapping, Dismantling 13 May 2008 |
| Badge: | |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Sacramento-class fast combat support ship |
| Displacement: | 20,717 long tons (21,049 t) light 53,138 long tons (53,991 t) full |
| Length: | 796 ft (243 m) |
| Beam: | 107 ft (33 m) |
| Draft: | 38 ft (12 m) |
| Propulsion: | 4 x 600 psi (4,100 kPa) @ 856 °F (458 °C) boilers 2 × steam turbines 2 × shafts 2 x 23 ft (7.0 m) propellers 100,000 shp (75 MW) |
| Speed: | 25 kn (46 km/h) 25 kn (29 mph) |
| Boats and landing craft carried: |
2 x 26 ft (7.9 m) Motor Whale Boats 2 x 33 ft (10 m) Personnel Boats |
| Capacity: | Fuel Oil: 5,200,000 USgal (20,000,000 l) Aviation fuel (JP-5): 2,700,000 USgal (10,000,000 l) Dry/Refrigerated Stores: 675 t (675,000 kg) |
| Complement: | 27 officers, 587 enlisted |
| Armament: | 2 × 20 mm Phalanx CIWS Mark 15 guns 1 × 8 cell NATO Sea Sparrow Mark 29 missile launcher Super Rapid Blooming Off-Board Chaff (SRBOC) system |
| Aircraft carried: | 2 × SH-60 Seahawk Helicopters |
The USS Camden (AOE-2) is the second ship of the United States Navy named after the city of Camden, New Jersey that lies on the Delaware River across from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was a Sacramento-class fast combat support ship, combining the functions of three logistic support ships in one hull - fleet oiler (AO), ammunition ship (AE), and refrigerated stores ship (AF).
Camden was commissioned 1 April 1967 as the second of four vessels in its class. It was also the 542nd and final contract in the 68-year history of New York Shipbuilding, and the last vessel completed and launched at the shipyard. It was assigned to the Pacific Fleet in September 1967 and was initially homeported in Long Beach, California. For their accomplishments during her first deployment to WestPac in 1968-1969, her crew was awarded the Meritorious Unit Commendation.
On 7 February 1974, Camden moved to its new homeport of Bremerton, Washington. The ship operated extensively up and down the West Coast of the United States and deployed frequently to the Western Pacific and Indian Oceans to support units of the Seventh Fleet.
On 20 July 1983 The New York Times reported that the Camden along with seven other vessels in the Carrier Ranger Battle Group left San Diego on Friday 15 July 1983 and were headed for the western Pacific when they were rerouted and ordered to steam for Central America to conduct training and flight operations in areas off the coasts of Nicaragua, El Salvador and Honduras as part of major military exercises planned for that summer.
The battle group comprised the carrier Ranger, the cruiser Horne, the guided missile destroyer Lynde McCormick, the destroyers Fletcher and Fife, the frigate Marvin Shields, the oiler Wichita and the support ship Camden.
On 17 May 1987 USS Camden was redirected to assist the USS Stark after it was attacked by unfriendly fire. USS Camden's job was to unload all of the weapons onboard the Stark in case of further attack.
In March 1996, Camden was awarded its third consecutive Battle "E" for demonstrating excellence in all warfare and mission categories.
In 2004, Camden won the Battle "E" again. This was the final year of Battle "E" eligibility for the Sacramento-class fast combat support ship.
In January 2005, Camden left on its final deployment, an eight-month world tour with the USS Carl Vinson escorting that carrier to its new homeport in Norfolk, Virginia. Camden was decommissioned 14 October 2005 at Naval Base Kitsap, Bremerton, Washington, and was disposed of by scrapping at Esco Marine, in Brownsville, Texas.
Camden's power plant was one of two built for the Iowa-class battleship USS Kentucky, which was cancelled in 1947 when 72.1 percent complete. The other Kentucky power plant was used to power USS Sacramento, the lead ship of her class.
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