USS Vulcan (AR-5)-- Part 1: The Battle of the Atlantic Before U.S. Entry Into the War

In the last post, I mentioned that when the USS Fulton (AS-11) submarine tender was decommissioned in 1991, it was the third oldest commissioned ship in the U.S. Navy after the Constitution (commissioned in 1797) and the USS Vulcan (AR-5).

I knew about the Constitution, but not the Vulcan and had not posted about it.  Turns out, the Vulcan had quite the long and varied career.

From Wikipedia.

The USS Vulcan (AR-5) was the lead ship of her class of repair ships in the U.S. Navy.   It was laid down on 16 December 1939 and launched 14 December 1940,commissioned 14 June 1941.

It was 530 feet long, had a 73.4 foot beam and crew of 1,297.    Armed with four 5-inch guns and four .5 inch machine guns.

She was assigned to the Atlantic fleet.  In July 1941, at the request of the Icelandic government, U.S. troops had occupied the island.  Two bases were established at Reykjavik and Havalfjorour, which became known in Navy circles as "Rinky Dink" and "Valley Forge."

The Allies feared that the German battleship Tirpitz might break ot into the North Atlantic as her sister battleship Bismarck had done in the spring of 1941, the U.S. dispatched a task force to Iceland which included the aircraft carrier Wasp (CV-7) USS Mississippi (BB-41), USS Wichita (CA-45) and Vulcan along with four destroyers.

A German U-boat spotted them but couldn't keep up and the task force arrive at "Valley Forge." on 29 September 1941.

Remember, the U.S. Was Not Yet at War.  --GreGen

USS Fulton (AS-11)-- Part 5: From WW II to Nuclear and 3rd Oldest Commissioned Ship At One Time

In 1972, the Fulton made a 5 month deployment to the Mediterranean Sea with a mission to establish a full-time advance site for repairs for nuclear powered fast attack submarines.  This was quite an accomplishment since the Fulton was still a World War II-era ship.

In 1976, she returned to New London and was modernized 1983-1984.  She was at many stations after that until decommissioned in 1991.

In 1988, Submarine Squadron 10 (SubRon10) consisted of the Fulton, the flagship, and submarines Jack, Tinosa, Dace, Whale, Greenling, Gato, Pargo, Trepang, Billfish and torpedo retriever Labrador.

On 30 September 1991, SubRon 10 was disbanded and the Fulton decommissioned at her berth in New London, Connecticut.  At that time, she was the third oldest commissioned ship in the U.S. navy, exceeded only by the USS Constitution and the USS Vulcan (AR-5).  The Vulcan was decommissioned the same day.

The Fulton was sold in 1995 for scrap.

A Long-Serving Ship.  --GreGen

USS Fulton (AS-11)-- Part 4: Tending the Nuclear Submarines

1951-1960

The Submarine tender Fulton was recommissioned in 1951 and home ported for the next 40 years in New London, Connecticut, where she was tender for Submarine Squadron  10 (SubRon10).  In April 1958, three nuclear submarines were assigned to the squadron, including the USS Nautilus.

1959-1960, she underwent an overhaul at Philadelphia Naval Shipyard which enabled her to provide service for both nuclear and conventional submarines.  As such, she was the very first tender with both capabilities, much as her previous Fulton (AS-1) was the first purpose-built submarine tender back in 1914.

The Fulton continued as the tender and flagship of the first all nuclear submarine squadron with the Nautilus, Seawolf, Skate, Triton and Skipjack.

--GreGen

USS Fulton (AS-11)-- Part 3: A Busy Ship and At Operation Crossroads

The USS Fulton was at Midway until 17 October and Brisbane from  9 November.

  There she established a submarine base and rest camp, and in addition to refitting submarines between their war patrols, acted as a tender to other ships.

Milne Bay, New Guinea, was her station from 29 October 1943 to 17 March 1944 when she sailed for the U.S. West Coast for an overhaul.

Returning to Pearl Harbor 13 June 1944,  the Fulton took care of submarines for a month, then to Midway and later to Saipan.    Then to Guam where she fitted out submarines until the end of the war.

In Operation Crossroads, the testing of nuclear weapons at Bikini Atoll for the six submarines assigned to the project and also served as a repair ship to others involved in it.

Decommissioned in 1947.

--GreGen

USS Fulton (AS-11)-- Part 2: Battle of Midway

I wrote about the five ships that have been in the U.S. Navy by this name, of course, after the inventor of the steamboat Clermont, earlier this month.  This ship participated in World War II and for many years afterwards.

From Wikipedia.

The USS Fulton  (AS-11) was the lead ship of her class of seven submarine tenders.   It was launched December 1940 at Mare Island Navy Yard in San Francisco and sponsored by Mrs. A.T. Sutcliffe, the great granddaughter of Robert Fulton.   Commissioned 12 September 1941.

529.6 feet long,  73.4 beam, 1303 crew and four 5-inch guns.

It was on its shakedown cruise out of San Diego when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor.  She was ordered immediately to the Panama Canal, arriving December 9.   During the next month, the Fulton established several seaplane bases.

Then she tended submarines out of Pearl Harbor from March 1941 to July 1942, when she put out to sea during the Battle of Midway.  She transported many of the survivors of the aircraft carrier USS Yorktown back to Pearl Harbor, arriving  8 June.

--GreGen

USS Fulton (AS-11)-- Part 1: Five Ships By This Name in U.S. Navy

Last month, I wrote about four previous USS Fultons that served in the U.S. Navy in three of my blogs.

USS Fulton (USS Demologos), designed by Robert Fulton, launched in 1815.  steam frigate in my Not So Forgotten" War of 1812 blog.

USS  Fulton (1837)  A sidewheel  steamer carrying four cannons.  Captured by the Confederates in 1861 and destroyed by them at Pensacola, Florida, to prevent capture in 1862.  This was in my Running the Blockade: Civil War Navy blog.

USS Fulton (AS-1).   The first purpose-built submarine tender launched in 1914 and reclassified as a gunboat in 1930 in my Cooter's History Thing blog.

USS Fulton (SP-247) a tugboat converted to a patrol boat 1917-1919.  In my Cooter's History Thing blog.

And this is the last U.S. ship by that name and a submarine tender which was in World War II and served until 1991.  At the time of decommissioning, it was the third oldest U.S. Ship, behind the USS Constitution and USS Vulcan.

--GreGen