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

Rare Naval Document Announcing War's End to Be Auctioned

From the August 10, 2012, Washington Post "Rare naval dispatch declaring war's end to be auctioned on the 67th anniversary of V-J Day" AP.

Chief Yeoman Robert W. York went to the commander of the USS Holland with a dispatch from the Secretary of the Navy dated August 15, 1945, reading: "All hands of the United States Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard may take satisfaction in the conclusion of the war against Japan."

It was on an 8-inch-by 6.5-inch piece of paper.

York died in February at the age of 91, and had kept that short message in a shoe box since then.  His son is auctioning it.  York enlisted in the Navy on August 25, 1942 and he was assigned as the personal secretary of Rear Admiral Francis Denebrink.  He later served on the ill-fated USS Ocelot that was wrecked in a typhoon.  Then he was on the sub-tender Holland, headquarters of Vice Admiral Charles Lockwood, Jr., commander of the Pacific submarine fleet.

A massive invasion fleet was being assembled in August for the dreaded invasion of Japan

Denebrink read it and then handed it back to York and told him to keep it as a souvenir.

The auction house had hoped to get $7,000 for it.  It ended up going for $20,000.

--GreGen