*** USS Fulton Association ***
*** History ***
| The USS Fulton AS-11 was launched on December 27, 1940 at the Mare Island Navy Yard
in San Pablo Bay, opposite Vallejo. Vallejo is approximately 30 miles north of San Fransisco.
The Mare Island Navy Yard opened in 1854 and was the first U.S. Navy Shipyard on the Pacific coast.
The Facility was decommissioned on April 1, 1996. Shown at the right is the entrance to the Mare Island Naval Shipyard. |
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The USS Fulton was sponsored by Mrs. A. T. Sutcliff, great granddaughter of Robert Fulton, and
was commissioned on September 12, 1941. The USS Fulton, AS-11, was the fourth ship of the
United States Navy to be named in honor of Robert Fulton, inventor and ship designer.
WORLD WAR 2
The USS Fulton was on her shakedown cruise out of San Diego under the command of
Commander A. D. Douglas, when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor December 7, 1941.
She was immediately ordered to Panama and arrived on
December 9 , 1941. During the next month she established advanced seaplane bases in the
Gulf of Fonseca, Nicaragua, and in the Galapagos Islands, then returned to San Diego
to prepare for Pacific duty. She tended Pacific Fleet submarines at Pearl Harbor from
March 15, 1942 to July 8, 1942 putting to sea during the Battle of Midway.
| The USS Yorktown was lost in the battle of midway and the USS Fulton was involved with
bringing the Yorktown's survivors back to Pearl Harbor. On June 7, 1942 the USS Fulton rendezvoused
with the USS Portland CA-33 and USS Russell DD . The survivors were transferred to the Fulton as
shown at the right.
The Fulton then steamed to Pearl Harbor with the survivors.US Navy Photo
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| Shown at the right is the USS Fulton docking at Pearl Harbor on June 8, 1942. Fulton was assisted by
the tugs Hoga YT-146 and Nokomis YT-142. The USS Fulton delivered 101 surviving officers and 179 surviving enlisted men
of the Aircraft Carrier Yorktown safely to Pear Harbor. US Navy Photo |
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| The USS Fulton was at Midway until October 17, and then sailed for Brisbane, Australia
arriving on November 9.
At Brisbane the USS Fulton established a submarine base and rest camp, and in addition to refitting
submarines between their war patrols, acted as tender to other types of ships. The USS Fulton
also played an important role as support tender for submarines engaged in experiments
and tests of sonar mine detection devices which enabled American submarines to successfully
penetrate the minefields guarding the Inland Sea of Japan.
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Milne Bay, New Guinea, was the Fulton's station from 29 October 1943 until 17 March 1944, when
she sailed for a west coast overhaul. Returning to Pearl Harbor 13 June 1944, Fulton gave her tender
services to submarines there for a month, then at Midway between July 18th and September 8th, and
then at Saipan until April 25,1945.
The USS Fulton then returned to Pearl Harbor from May 7th to June 9th, and then sailed for Guam,
where she refitted submarines for the last patrols of the war.
The USS Fulton received one battle star for her World War II service.
After a west coast overhaul, Fulton then served as tender at Pearl Harbor from February through
May of 1946. The USS Fulton participated in the Operation "Crossroads," atomic weapons tests
at Bikini in the Marshalls Islands that summer.
In addition to caring for the six submarines assigned to the project, she acted as repair ship for other
vessels in the task force. On September 18, 1946 Fulton arrived at Mare Island again, where she was
decommissioned and placed in reserve on April 3, 1947. Her wartime service record tallied 332 vessels
repaired and serviced.
A NEW LIFE
Recommissioned on April 10, 1951, the USS Fulton sailed 3 weeks later for New London, her homeport
through 1991.
The USS Fulton's subs now included the Sea Wolf, the Skate, and the Nautilus - making Fulton the first Tender
to support Nulaa Fast Attack Subs.
Her primary assignment was as the tender for Submarine Squadron 10 at New. London, but she occasionally
relieved the tender Orion (AS-18), at Norfolk. The USS Fulton also allowed her sailors to earn "seapay" by
participating in exercises from Newfoundland and Iceland to the Caribbean. She first crossed the Atlantic in
the fall of 1957 for Operation "Natoflex," visiting Rothesay, Scotland, and Portland, England.
A heightening of her responsibility came 1 April 1958, when three nuclear submarines were assigned to her
squadron.
In August, Fulton sailed to New York for the celebration of the arrival of Nautilus (SSN-571) from her historic
submerged passage under the North Pole.
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| USS Fulton Ship's plaque |
USS Fulton underway |
The USS Fulton tied up at the State Pier in New London, CT
with subs of Submarine Squadron Ten. Notice the Route 95
bridge over the River Thames in the background.
The years between 1959 and 1971 were spent tending units of SubRon 10 from the state
pier at New London, CT., with an occasional break for minor overhauls and R&R trips. In
1970 the USS Fulton sailed to Bermuda for a R&R trip and in 1971 she sailed to
Charlestown South Carolina for a drydock yard overhaul. During this time units of Submarine
Squadron Ten were the USS Fulton, AS-11; USS Skylark, ASR-20; USS Gato; USS
Nautilus; USS Greenling; USS Pollack; and USS Sturgeon.
In 1972 Fulton made a 5 month deployment to the Mediterranean, at LaMaddalena, Sardinia.
Fulton's mission was to prepare for full time use an advance refit site for nuclear fast attack
submarines.
This was the first deployment of a WWII vintage submarine tender to the Med since WWII.
After a shipyard overhaul in 1976, Fulton returned to New London to continue support of
Atlantic Fleet submarines.
Fulton was again modernized in 1983-1984 with an extensive overhaul at both Electric Boat,
Groton, CT, and General Dynamics, Quincy, MA. While at Quincy a fire started in the After
Engine Room in an electrical panel when it was re-energized at about 0830 (the panel was wired
incorrectly by the shipyard). It quickly spread to the cork lagging which had about 45 years of
oil and paint in and on it. The crew performed quickly and well, and soon had the fire under
control.
The ship did not return to EB for repair, repairs were accomplished at Fore River.
On the way down to Gitmo for refresher training after the yard period, the ship had a problem
with a propeller shaft that required drydocking and repair at Philadelphia Naval Shipyard,
which took approximately two weeks. (Provided by Bryan Moody ex-ET1(SS) USS Fulton)
In late 1984, Fulton attended REFTRA (refresher training) at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Then on
January 3, 1985, the Fulton got underway for LaMaddalena, Sardinia to relieve her sister tender
(AS-18) Orion of her maintenance responsibility, to allow a pier-side SRA period for Orion's
overhaul.
During this underway period, she visited Barcelona and Palma Spain, and Bergen, Norway.
The USS Fulton returned to New London May 10, 1985. She was underway 128 days, and
travelled over 11,000 miles without incident.
From May 1985 through January 1988, Fulton remained the flagship of ComSubron-10, tending
submarines at State Pier.
There were short underway periods throughout this period, including a deployment to Puerto Rico
for "sub rescue operations". About half way there, the sub which was in trouble was okay, but
Fulton completed the transit, staying only about 4 or 5 weeks.
Other port visits during this period included St. Johns, Newfoundland, Ft. Lauderdale, FL, and
Annapolis, MD. to attend graduation ceremony at the U. S. Naval Academy.
In January 1988, Fulton again found herself undergoing another SRA rehab period in a drydock
at Norshipco in Norfolk, VA.
Extensive berthing rehab, sandblast of the hull below the waterline, and other repairs were
conducted. In March 1988 the USS Fulton again returned to New London to tend submarines as
the ComSubron-10 flagship until her decommissioning in 1991.
Decommissioned, 30 September 1991
Struck from the Naval Register, 20 December 1991
Final Disposition, sold for scrapping, 17 November 1995, by the Defense Reutilization and
Marketing Service.
| In 1988 Submarine Squadron TEN, of which FULTON was the flagship, included the USS JACK (SSN-605),
USS TINOSA (SSN-606), USS WHALE (SSN-638), USS GREENLING (SSN-614), USS GATO (SSN-615),
USS PARGO (SSN-650), USS TREPANG (SSN-674), USS BILLFISH (SSN-676) and the Torpedo Retriever TWR-681. |
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SHIPS DATA
| HULL |
MACHINERY |
ARMAMENT |
ALLOWANCES |
| Length: 530 ft. 6 in. |
Propulsion: Diesel Electric |
Four: Single 20 mm mounts |
52 Officers |
| Beam: 73 ft. 4 in. |
Shafts: Two |
Two: Single 50 cal mounts |
918 Enlisted Men |
| Max Height: 124 ft. 10 1/2 in. |
Shaft HP: 5,600 each shaft |
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| Displacement: 15,0344 Tons |
Speed: 16 knots |
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| Draft: 22 ft. 5 1/4 in. |
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COMMANDING OFFICERS
| Captain A. D. Douglas |
12 Sep 1941 To 14 Oct 1942 |
| Captain E. C. Bain |
14 Oct 1942 To 27 Aug 1944 |
| Captain A. A. Clarkson |
27 Aug 1944 To 16 May 1945 |
| Captain A. R. St. Angelo |
16 May 1945 To 4 Apr 1947 |
| Captain V. B. Mccrea |
10 Apr 1951 To 16 Jan 1952 |
| Commander T. K. Kimmel |
16 Jan 1952 To 26 Feb 1952 |
| Captain J. S. Coye jr. |
26 Feb 1952 To 27 Aug 1953 |
| Captain J. F. Enright |
27 Aug 1953 To 26 Jul 1954 |
| Captain C. H. Henderson |
26 Jul 1954 To 4 May 1955 |
| Captain E. T. Shepard |
4 May 1955 To 6 Jul 1956 |
| Captain A. R. Faust |
6 Jul 1956 To 9 Jul 1957 |
| Captain D. G. Baer |
9 Jul 1957 To 11 Aug 1958 |
| Captain F. E. Janney |
11 Aug 1958 To 28 Jul 1959 |
| Captain R. H. Lockwood |
28 Jul 1959 To 1 Jul 1960 |
| Captain M. H. Rindskope |
1 Jul 1960 To 21 Jul 1961 |
| Captain P. K. Schratz |
21 Jul 1961 To 2 Aug 1962 |
| Captain C. K. Miller |
2 Aug 1962 To 20 Jul 1963 |
| Captain M. C. Duncan |
20 Jul 1963 To 2 Jul 1964 |
| Captain H. E. Rice |
2 Jul 1964 To 10 Sep 1965 |
| Captain R. B. Gustafson |
10 Sep 1965 To 25 May 1966 |
| Captain H. S. Morgan Jr |
25 May 1966 To 7 Fed 1968 |
| Captain W. H. McCracken |
7 Feb 1968 To 2 Jan 1970 |
| Captain S. M. Jenks |
2 Jan 1970 To 26 Jun 1971 |
| Captain R. W. Bulmer |
26 Jun 1971 To 7 Jul 1973 |
| Captain J. P. Bayne |
7 Jul 1973 To 20 May 1975 |
| Captain E. S. Kellogg III |
20 May 1975 To 2 Oct 1976 |
| Captain R. M. Hughes |
2 Oct 1976 To 1 Jul 1978 |
| Captain W. S. Rich |
1 Jul 1978 To 20 Sep 1980 |
| Captain W. 0. Lange |
20 Sep 1980 To 31 Jul 1982 |
| Captain J. R. Groth |
31 Jul 1982 To 14 Jul 1984 |
| Captain D. R. Montgomery |
14 Jul 1984 To 18 Jul 1986 |
| Captain R. H. Hartman |
18 Jul 1986 To 22 Jul 1988 |
| Captain G. M. Hewitt |
22 Jul 1988 To 20 Jul 1990 |
| Captain M. C. Haley |
20 Jul 1990 To 17 May 199 |
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Credits: Dictionary of American Fighting Ships, U.S. Navy., Tender Tales, Mike Ratican
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Last edited on October 30, 2004