- USS Howard W. Gilmore (AS-16)
USS "Howard W. Gilmore" (AS-16) was a sclass|Fulton|submarine tender, originally named "Neptune" but renamed "Howard W. Gilmore" in honor of
Commander Howard W. Gilmore , aMedal of Honor recipient. She was launched by theMare Island Navy Yard atMare Island, California , on16 September 1943 , sponsored by Mrs. H. W. Gilmore, widow of Howard W. Gilmore and was commissioned24 May 1944 , with Captain D. N. Cone in command. For her first two months, "Howard W. Gilmore" conducted shakedown training out ofSan Diego, California . After loading parts and supplies, she sailed12 August forPearl Harbor , arriving on18 August 1944."Howard W. Gilmore" arrived
Majuro Atoll on19 September 1944, and began her vital tending duties. In the four months that followed she made voyage repairs on submarines, replenished them, and helped in training both crewmen and repairmen. These tasks contributed to the attacks on Japanese shipping which hastened the end of the war. The ship also provided repairs and parts for surface ships when necessary.Returning to
Pearl Harbor on29 January 1945 , the ship took on replacement crews forAustralia based submarines and sailed forBrisbane , arriving23 February 1945. But the tender was soon underway again, this time sailing via Humboldt Bay toSubic Bay ,Philippines , with supplies for an advanced base. The "Howard W. Gilmore" arrived13 March 1945 and immediately started refitting7th Fleet submarines and setting up a recuperation area for their crews. She continued this duty through the climactic days of the Pacific war, sailing for the East Coast, via Pearl Harbor andPanama 31 August 1945. Arriving inNew York City on the 17th of October, the "Howard W. Gilmore" took part in the Navy Day celebrations inNew York Harbor , where the fleet was reviewed by PresidentHarry S. Truman .After a short stay in
New London, Connecticut , the "Howard W. Gilmore" steamed toPortsmouth, New Hampshire , to loadtorpedo es and then sailed to her new home port,Key West , where she arrived25 January 1946 . ServingSubmarine Squadron 4 , the ship was to stay inFlorida for the greater part of the next 13 years, serving submarines on their training and readiness duties. The ship occasionally tended submarines atNorfolk, Virginia and deployed to theCaribbean twice during this period, notably forOperation Springboard , a fleet exercise in the Caribbean in1958 .The "Howard W. Gilmore" sailed into Charleston harbor
30 July 1959 to take up her tending duties from this new base. In addition to servicing submarines during the next 18 months, the ship rode outHurricane Donna in September1960 off Charleston. During1961 she operated off the Florida coast before enteringCharleston Naval Shipyard in November for a major overhaul. During this repair period, the "Howard W. Gilmore" was fitted with facilities for servicingnuclear submarines , increasing her versatility and usefulness for today's nuclear Navy. With thisFleet Rehabilitation and Modernization Overhaul (FRAM) completed the ship returned to the Caribbean for refresher training before resuming tender duties at Charleston.In October
1962 the introduction of offensive missiles into Cuba brought strong response from the American President and people, a naval quarantine of the island. The "Howard W. Gilmore's" crew worked around the clock servicing two squadrons of submarines for Caribbean operations.From
1963 into1967 , the veteran tender continued to serve submarines from her home port, Charleston, making short cruises for training off the South Carolina coast and in the Caribbean. "Howard W. Gilmore" was decommissioned in1980 and scrapped in March2006 .References
*DANFS|http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/h8/howard_w_gilmore.htm
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