An Ongoing History Project
(last updated January 1, 2008)

USS Hassayampa AO-145
USNS Hassayampa (T-AO 145)

Neosho Class Fleet Oiler

Fleet oilers operate as a unit of an underway replenishment group, replenishing petroleum products and ordnance to the fleet at sea during underway replenishments (UNREPS). The oilers transport bulk petroleum and lubricants from depots to the ships of the battle group. The ships also transport and deliver limited Fleet Freight, mail and personnel to combatants and support units underway.

Award date, 28 February 1952; Ship builder, New York Shipbuilding Corporation, Camden, Jew Jersey; Keel date, 13 July 1953; Launch date, 12 September 1954; Delivery date, 15 April 1955; Commission date, 19 April 1955; Commissioned USS Hassayampa (AO-145), Captain William V McKaig in command; Decommission date, 17 November 1978; Placed In-Service with Military Sealift Command as USNS Hassayampa (T-AO 145), 17 November 1978; Placed Out-of-Service, 1991; Decommission date, 2 October 1991; Struck from the Naval Register, 16 February 1997; Title transfer to MARAD, 1 May 1999 for lay up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, Suisun Bay, Benecia, California; Date set for dismantle, December 2005 [possibly being postponed (news as of June 2004)]

Specifications

Displacement	38,251 tons
Length	655 feet
Beam	86 feet
Draft	35 feet
Complement	324
Cargo - Navy special fuel oil	5,484,444 gallons
Cargo - Aviation Gas	454,188 gallons
Cargo - Jet Fuel (JP-5)	1,892,898 gallons
Speed - maximum	21 knots, plus
Speed - sustained	19 knots
Speed - economical	12 knots
Screws	Twin screws, four blades, 18 feet
Armament	Two single 5"/38 dual purpose mounts
	Six twin 3"/50 gun mounts
	.50 cal machine guns
Propulsion	Steam turbines

After shakedown

Upon completion of standard shakedown maneuvers, Hassayampa departed Camden, New Jersey and steamed southward into the western Atlantic on her way to Home Port Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. This cruise took Hassayampa southwesterly between Cuba and Haiti, past Jamaica, and on into the Canal Zone and through the Panama Canal on her way to layoffs in Southern California, arriving Pearl Harbor 15 July 1955 for duty with Service Force, Pacific Fleet.

Between July 1955 and May 1958, Hassayampa made three deployments to the Western Pacific, providing logistics for the United States 7th Fleet. In June 1958 Hassayampa joined the 1st Fleet at San Francisco to participate in the celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the cruise of the Great White Fleet around the world. On 16 July 1958, Hassayampa returned to Pearl Harbor and resumed regular duties.

In September 1958, Hassayampa, as part of America's flexible power afloat, deployed with the 7th Fleet to prevent invasion of Chinese offshore islands and convoyed Nationalist transports during the Quemoy-Matsu Crisis. Between 1959 and 1961 she made three additional deployments to the Western Pacific continuing her services to the 7th Fleet including an eventful 1960 visit to Perth, Western Australia and Adelaide, South Australia to participate in Australia's 18th annual celebration of the Battle of Coral Sea. In May 1962, Hassayampa supported units of the 7th Fleet moving Marines into Thailand to prevent flare-up of trouble in Laos.

During the period 25 April 1962 through 31 December 1962, fleet tankers Hassayampa, Ponchatoula, Kawishiwi, Tolovana, Chipola, and Tolovana were replenishment vessels during atmospheric nuclear testing off Johnston Island and Christmas Island in the Pacific, code named OPERATION DOMINIC. Hassayampa was involved in shots named Chama, Housatonic, Checkmate, Bluegill Triple Prime and Kingfish.

On 23 January 1963, Hassayampa deployed to the Far East to resume duty with the 7th Fleet. Returning to Pearl Harbor 15 June 1963, she underwent a modernization overhaul from October 1963 to January 1964. She again sailed for the Western Pacific 12 March 1964. On 31 March 1964, she joined a Navy carrier task force from Subic Bay, Philippines for operations in the Indian Ocean. On 4 April 1964, the  Concord Squadron,  commanded by Rear Admiral R. B. Moore and composed of Bon Homme Richard (CVA-31) the destroyers Shelton (DD-790), Blue (DD-744), Frank Knox (DD-742) and Hassayampa, entered the Indian Ocean from the Pacific and began a 6-week cruise which carried it near Iran, the Arabian Peninsula, Malaysia, the African Coast and into ports along the way for good will visits, until returning to Subic Bay 16 May 1964.

Hassayampa remained in the Far East until mid-September 1964. During that time she refueled ships off Japan and in the South China Sea. During the Tonkin Gulf crisis in August 1964 Hassayampa provided at-sea logistics support for the ready ships of the US Pacific and 7th Fleets. After completing her deployment, the busy fleet oiler arrived Pearl Harbor 29 September 1964.

Resuming Far East duty in April 1965, Hassayampa operated in the South China Sea and supported the American effort to thwart Communist aggression in Southeast Asia. During this time, Hassayampa acted as an integral replenishment vessel in support of Operation Market Time which was a joint effort between the US Navy and the South Vietnamese Navy in an effort to stop the flow of supplies from North Vietnam into the south by sea. (According to Navy reports, Operation Market Time was very successful, but received little credit. Eventually, all the supply routes at sea became non-existent which forced the North Vietnamese to use the Ho Chi Minh Trail.)

Hassayampa returned to home port Pearl Harbor 16 December 1965, thence serving as a recovery logistic ship during the Gemini 8 space shot in mid-March and the Gemini 9 space shot in early-June 1966.

Sailing again for the Far East 5 June 1966, during the next five months Hassayampa maintained a busy schedule refueling escorts and hard-hitting carriers of the Pacific and 7th Fleets, including Constellation (CVA-64), Oriskany (CVA-34), Ranger (CVA-61), Franklin D. Roosevelt (CVA-42), Intrepid (CVS-11) and Coral Sea (CVA-43). (At one point, on 8 September 1966 during Task Group refueling operations, the Soviet Intelligence Trawler Gidrofon closed the formation and placed herself in close proximity to Roosevelt. At that point, the carrier that was refueling alongside Hassayampa directed USS Black (DD-666) to intervene and "shoulder" the intruder away from the formation.) During a 2-week period in November 1966, Hassayampa refueled 67 ships. Prior to returning to Pearl Harbor 16 December 1966,  Hassayampa had refueled 367 ships in the Western Pacific.

Hassayampa maintained her posture and seaworthiness while repeatedly responding to the needs of Pacific- and 7th-Fleet vessels and crewmembers into the late 60s to the point of even refueling one of our nation's most golden treasures -- USS New Jersey (BB-62) -- during March 1969.

While continuing her service in the Western Pacific, Hassayampa served as replenishment vessel during the Apollo 11 recovery mission where she was on hand for replenishment duties for USS Hornet (CVS-12) and  support vessels USS Arlington (AGMR-2) and USS Goldsborough (DDG-20). On 22 July 1969, Hassayampa refueled USS Hornet (CVS-12) just prior to Hornet's recovery of the Apollo 11 space capsule. Hornet's deck log shows this occurring on July 22, 1969, about 36 hours before Hornet picked up the Apollo 11 astronauts and crew fresh from their lunar excursion. The command module "Columbia" splashed down about 200 nautical miles south of Johnston Island at 12:50 GMT July 24, 1969. Apollo 11 was the first manned mission to land on the Moon. It was the fifth human spaceflight of the Apollo program and the third human voyage to the moon. Launched on July 16, 1969, it carried Commander Neil Armstrong, Command Module Pilot Michael Collins and Lunar Module Pilot Edwin 'Buzz' Aldrin. On July 20, Armstrong and Aldrin became the first humans to land on the Moon while Collins orbited above. The mission fulfilled President John F. Kennedy's goal of "landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the Earth" by the end of the 1960s. Many consider the landing one of the defining moments of the 20th century.

As a fleet oiler, Hassayampa continued to operate out of Pearl Harbor well into the 1970s to maintain peak readiness and efficiency while preparing to further support the 7th Fleet off Southeast Asia.

During a bleak period in US Naval history in 1972, racial tensions erupted aboard several naval vessels, including Hassayampa. These incidents indicated the depth of racial problems in the Navy. All of the services had experienced similar problems earlier, but the Navy had lagged behind the others in addressing the issues that contributed to the racial tensions that had erupted. At this point, Admiral Elmo R. Zumwalt, Jr., Chief of Naval Operations, instituted new race relations programs and made significant changes to Naval Regulations to address many of the very real issues raised by Black sailors regarding racial injustice in the Navy.

July, August, September and October 1972 found Hassayampa facilitating heavy cruiser Newport News (CA-148) and other naval ships in combat action throughout southeast Asia -- and continued that stance well into the 1980's.

In 1982, working in conjunction with Barbel (SS-580), Hassayampa was instrumental in securing the rescue of 87 Vietnamese refugees drifting at sea in an open boat off the coast of South Vietnam. While en-route to Singapore to safely offload the 87 refugees picked up by Barbel, Hassayampa came upon an additional boat with 104 refugees. Two years later, in 1984, Hassayampa rescued an additional 20 Vietnamese refugees adrift in the open ocean. In all, Hassayampa facilitated in the rescue of 211 Vietnamese Boat People.

October 1983 found USNS Hassayampa entwined in Russian politics and foreign intrigue when she accompanied Coast Guard Cutter Monro, the rescue salvage ship USS Conserver and the Fleet Tug USNS Narrangansett in search and salvage efforts surrounding the wreckage of Korean Air Lines Flight 007 that was brought down by Russian firepower. In addition, there were also three Japanese tugs chartered through the U.S. Navy’s Far East Salvage Contractor (Selco)—the Ocean Bull, the Kaiko-Maru 7, and the ill-fated Kaiko-Maru 3. These vessels, which housed navigation systems equipment, had the assignment of towing sideways scanning sonars designed to detect objects at the bottom of the sea such as the wreckage of Korean Air Lines Flight 007. Additionally, there were U.S. naval combatants and logistical support ships—the USS Elliot, USS Badger, USS Sterrett, USS Callaghan, USS Brooke, USS Meyerkord, USS Tower, USS Stark and USS Wichita.

By 1987, Hassayampa was well-versed in war effort management and was operating with Battle Group Echo. The 1987 COMCARGRU 1 / Battle Group Echo deployment to the Arabian Sea included Ranger (CV-61), Missouri (BB-63); Hassayampa (T-AO 145), Leftwich (DD-984), Hoel (DDG-13); Kansas City (AOR-3), Bunker Hill (CG-52), Robert E. Peary (FF-1073); Long Beach (CGN-9), Wichita (AOR-1) , Gridley (CG-21), Curts (FFG-38); Shasta (AE-33), John Young (DD-973), Curts (FFG 38) and Buchanan (DDG-14).

Throughout the 1980's, Hassayampa played an integral role in Western Pacific, Indian Ocean and Persian Gulf peace keeping efforts and worked in harmony with naval and military operations including Operations Earnest Will, Nimble Archer and Praying Mantis (the destruction of Iranian oil platforms in the Persian Gulf that were being used by Iranian forces to attack US ships and aircraft transiting the Persian Gulf). At one point, during a 1987 Indian Ocean deployment, two Battle Groups [the USS Ranger (Battle Group Echo) and USS Missouri (Battle Group Romeo)] were combined into one and became Joint Task Force 200 in a furtherance of international peace efforts.

In the years that followed, up to October 1991, Hassayampa  continued to support United States protection policy. Hassayampa provided underway replenishments to Naval forces on an ongoing basis, as did many other US Naval Ships and auxiliaries that participated in Desert Shield and Desert Storm in 1990 and 1991. During this period she operated as a vital unit with the Military Sealift Command in the North Arabian Sea. In the summer of 1991, USNS Hassayampa further distinguished herself in participating in Operation Fiery Vigil following the June 12, 1991 eruption of Mount Pinatubo, the Philippines. Hassayampa, along with 22 other ships, helped move over 45,000 people from the Subic Bay Naval Station to the Port of Cebu in the Visayas. Operation Fiery Vigil was the largest peacetime evacuation of active military personnel and their families in history.

Throughout her distinguished life, Hassayampa earned numerous service awards, some of which include the Combat Action Ribbon, Joint Meritorious Unit Award, Navy Unit Commendation, Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation (4), Navy Battle "E" Ribbon, Navy Expeditionary Medal (4 Iran), National Defense Service Medal, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (17), Vietnam Service Medal, Southwest Asia Service Medal, Humanitarian Service Medal (Boat People), Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross Unit Citation, Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal and the Kuwait Liberation Medal.

In mannerisms depicting military prowess, Hassayampa, on several occasions, displayed her abilities to act offensively, as well as defensively. In the early 1960s, Hassayampa earned battle efficiencies and was so honored by being able to display the coveted "E" for Battle Efficiency. Throughout her lifetime, Hassayampa continued to display proficiency in military readiness. Time and time again, she continued to prove herself. Even as she served with the Military Sealift Command, in 1989 USNS Hassayampa earned an MSCPAC Smart Ship Award, which is the MSC’s version of the coveted "E."

In addition to her brilliant service career, Hassayampa contributed at least six individuals to flag rank, those being:

• Former Commanding Officer Captain Bernard "Chick" Clarey went on to become Rear Admiral Clarey, Commander, Submarine Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet; Vice Admiral Clarey, Deputy Commander, and Chief of Staff and Aide to the Commander in Chief, U.S. Pacific Fleet; then on to Commander, U.S. Second Fleet and Commander, NATO Striking Force Atlantic; later as Admiral Clarey, Vice Chief of Naval Operations and finally on to Commander in Chief, U.S. Pacific Fleet, retiring from the Navy in 1973 as one of the Navy's most highly decorated officers. Additionally, the bridge to Ford Island at Pearl Harbor is named after him.

• Former Commanding Officer Captain John H. Maurer went on to become Rear Admiral Maurer and subsequently as Commanding Officer of the USS Saint Paul (CA-73), flagship of Commander Seventh Fleet; then as Chief of Staff and Aide to Commander, Submarine Force, Atlantic; then as Director of Submarine Warfare, the Pentagon; then Director of Naval Warfare Analyses in the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations; then on to Commander Middle East Force; and then, finally, as Commander Submarine Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet. Rear Admiral Maurer's son is a recently retired Navy Captain.

• Former Commanding Officer Captain Albert T. Church, Jr. went on to become Rear Admiral Church.

• Albert T. Church, III, son of former Commanding Officer Captain Albert T. Church, Jr., served as the Navy's Inspector General, the Navy’s top investigative officer. Upon completion of several sea and shore commands and periods of time within the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Captain Albert T. Church, III was selected to the rank of Rear Admiral. Admiral Church began serving as Deputy Chief of Staff for Shore Installation Management, U.S. Pacific Fleet; then as Director, Office of Budget in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Financial Management/Comptroller) and Director, Fiscal Management Division in the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations; then on to Director of Navy Staff; and then to Naval Inspector General.

• Former LT Paul O. Soderberg was Hassayampa's Supply Officer from 1972-1974. LT Soderberg, commissioned in 1969 through Officer Candidate School, went on to become Rear Admiral Paul O. Soderberg as Director, Logistics/Fleet Supply Officer; then on to Commander, Naval Exchange Service Command, in charge of the Navy Exchange system worldwide. NEXCOM is a field activity of the Naval Supply Systems Command whose primary mission is to provide U.S. Naval Forces with quality supplies and services. NEXCOM oversees the Navy Exchange System, which includes Navy Exchanges, Navy Uniforms, Navy Lodges, Ship Stores, Public Private Ventures and Service Programs.

• Former Officer-in-Charge of the Military Department aboard USNS Hassayampa, Mike Shatynsk went on to become Rear Admiral Mike Shatynski as Vice Commander, Naval Surface Forces where he directs the implementation of the Surface Sea Warrior culture and personnel readiness strategy for the Surface Force. Rear Admiral Shatynski is a Surface Warfare Officer who earned his commission in 1979 from the U.S. Naval Academy.

 

Due to the loss of the five Sullivan Brothers aboard USS Juneau (CL-52) when it was sunk by enemy fire on 13 November 1942, US Navy policy regarding family members serving together in the same unit has been revised several times. In short, today, if members of the same immediate family desire to serve together, the Chief of Naval Personnel will permit it under certain conditions. In any event, throughout Hassayampa's history, there have been several instances whereby brothers served with brothers, and in one instance where a son served with father. The following is a list of immediate family members serving together aboard Hassayampa. Rex Courser ('59) with brother Bob Courser ('59) Larry Markham ('59) with brother ("name") ('59) Charles Vaughn Jr. ('59) with brother Dewey Vaughn ('59) Harold Deshotel ('60-'65) with son Dan Deshotel ('64-'66) Terry Kuehn ('60-'63) with brother Leo Kuehn ('62-'65) Ed Casten ('62-'64) with brother Hank Casten ('62-'66) Bob Lucas ('67-'68) with brother James Lucas ('67-'68) Patrick Hart ('74-'76) with brother Dave Hart ('74-'76) There are two other instances that are suspected, these being the following: Hoplight Brothers - first names and years aboard not certain Pettit Brothers - first names and years aboard not certain

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USS Hassayampa (AO-145) Commanding Officers CAPT William V. McKaig, April 1955 - October 1956 CAPT George Pressey, October 1956 - September 1957 CAPT Kenneth West, September 1957 - July 1958 CAPT Bernard Clarey, July 1958 - August 1958 CAPT John H. Maurer, August 1958 - October 1959 CAPT J. F. Morse, October 1959 - October 1961 CAPT Albert T. Church Jr., October 1961 - January 1962 CAPT Gerald S. Norton, January 1962 - October 1962 CAPT Marion C. Walley, October 1962 - August 1963 CAPT Archer R. Gordon, August 1963 - December 1964  CAPT James McCormick, December 1964 -September 1965 CAPT William G. Coulter, September 1965 -October 1967 CAPT George Harrelson, October 1967 - October 1968 CAPT Julian S. Lake, October 1968 - June 1969 CAPT Jack E. Waits, June 1969 - October 1970 CAPT James E. Edmundson, October 1970 - April 1972  CAPT O. W. McGuire, April 1972 - December 1972 CAPT Robert B. Olds, December 1972 - July 1974 CAPT Ralph Goulds, July 1974 - July 1976 CAPT Lew Chatham, July 1976 - January 1978 CAPT Roger Box, January 1978 - November 1978

USS Hassayampa (AO-145) Executive Officers LCDR O. J. Bachman, April 1955 - November 1956 CDR Harry H. Haeussler, Jr., November 1956 - January 1958 CDR J. Keith Wills, January 1958 - May 1959 CDR L. H. Jullien, May 1959 - September 1961 CDR Robert H. Crawford, September 1961 - April 1963 LCDR Richard T. Whitehead, April 1963 - March 1965 LCDR C. A. Taylor, March 1965 - February 1967 LCDR W. E. Richards, February 1967 - August 1968 CDR T. G. Caston, August 1968 - August 1971 CDR W. H. Hannaford, August 1971 - September 1972 CDR John Albright, September 1972 - July 1974 LCDR Sterling M. Giannotti, July 1974 - December 1975 LCDR James Pafias, December 1975 - November 1977 LCDR R. T. Sloane, November 1977 - November 1978

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When USS Hassayampa (AO-145) was decommissioned on November 17, 1978 she was transferred to the Military Sealift Command and began her life as USNS Hassayampa (T-AO 145). During her conversion to civilian duty, the Hass was disarmed, de-militarized, modernized and given the distinctive blue and yellow stripes on her stack; berthing spaces were converted to 2-person staterooms; the forward 3"-50's and the old 5"-38 mount base were replaced by a VERTREP station; a boxy structure was placed on the 02 & 03 levels aft to provide staterooms for the civilian crew; "Officers Country" became berthing for the US Navy personnel and included staterooms for the women assigned to her. ("They were lumpy sailors or seamen; you had to look right through them, and treat them like anybody else.  That's equal opportunity." - Capt Pat Moloney) After conversion, Hassayampa, under the initial command of US Maritime Service Captain Gottfried C. Krull, began embarking on a distinguished 12 1/2 year career serving the needs of the Navy around the world, including participation in Operation Desert Storm. While Hassayampa's physical appearance may have changed, her spirit did not.

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USNS Hassayampa (T-AO 145) Masters CAPT Gottfried C. Krull, November 1978 - May 1980 CAPT Jack Shettlesworth, May 1980 - April 1981 CAPT Robert A. Farr, April 1981 - December 1981 CAPT Charles Tracy, December 1981 - January 1983 CAPT Joshua T. Johnston, January 1983 - January 1984 CAPT Donald Gavin, January 1984 - April 1984 CAPT Patrick A. Moloney, April 1984 - December 1988 CAPT Burton L. Holt, May 1989 - June 1991

USNS Hassayampa (T-AO 145) Relief Masters CAPT Burton L. Holt, December 1984 - February 1985 CAPT Robert A. Farr, October 1985 - November 1985 CAPT Michael R. Melton, April 1986 - July 1986 CAPT Nathan E. Smith, July 1986 - September 1986 CAPT Charles L. Becker, April 1987 - June 1987 CAPT Thomas J. Savoie, December 1987 CAPT James P. Walsh, December 1987 - March 1988 CAPT Daniel P. Hawley, March 1988 CAPT Michael R. Melton, December 1988 - May 1989 CAPT Michael Murphy, December 1989 - March 1990 CAPT Robert Wiley, September 1990 - December 1990 CAPT Patrick A. Moloney, July 1991 CAPT Bradley K. Smith, August 1991 - October 1991

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If anybody can add any information to this History Page please contact the webmaster at  contovi@aol.com  Thank You!

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Hassayampa - The Upside-down River

Fleet oilers are named after American rivers bearing Indian names. USS Hassayampa was named after the River Hassayampa in the State of Arizona.

In Arizona, there is a river that flows both above ground and below ground. Because of this characteristic, the American Indians of the time named the river the Hassayampa River, which means "the upside-down river." Today, a section of the Hassayampa River has been set aside as the Hassayampa River Preserve and is a place for wildlife to be nurtured and for mankind to learn from that nurturing.

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Origin of the name Hassayampa

Oilers of the US Navy are named after rivers. Hassayampa, the river for which this ship is named is an intermittent stream channel having its rise in North Central Arizona, near Prescott, site of the original capital of Arizona Territory, and running south to the Gila river. It has been the scene of innumerable events contributing to the history of Arizona.

The incident marking the origin of the name "Hassayampa" occurred in 1863, the year in which Abraham Lincoln appended his signature to the Act of Congress creating the Territory of Arizona, but preceded by almost a year the arrival of the officers chosen by the President to effect the Territory's organization.

In 1862 a company of thirty hardy frontiersmen, headed by Captain Joe Walker, a famous adventurer of the period, was organized in the Colorado Rockies to explore the gold region of Arizona. Exciting and tragic events, including the killing of Magnus Colorados, chief of the Mimbreno Apaches, and one of the greatest Apache warrior chiefs, marked the progress of this expedition through New Mexico and westward through Arizona by way of the Gila river to where a conspicuous stream channel approached from the north, the direction in which the gold fields lay, to reach which the Walker expedition was bending its efforts.

Here the party was joined by a band of Mojave-Apache Indians, whose chieftain, Irotaba, guided the party up the tortuous channel. The chief spoke no words of English, but upon the approach of each bend in the channel waved his arms to indicate his course and exclaimed "Haviyamp," with a laborious grunt on the "p."

A liberal prospect of gold was found all along the creek, and upon final determination that the prospect was good the journey came to an end -- a few miles south of what was soon to be the townsite of Prescott, the capital of the new Territory. A miners' meeting was held, organization effected and a mining district declared. It was given the name of "Haviyamp," as pronounced by the Indians, but the recorder of the proceedings, while arranging his records, declared his intention to give the word a Spanish pronunciation. It was spelled "Hassayampa" and the spelling has been sustained by all geographies, thereby rendering a pure Indian word by the assistance of a Spanish dialect, obscure and uncertain.

The history of the Hassayampa River and the territory it traverses is replete with interesting, exciting and important events.

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Origin of the name "Humpin' Hass"

Humpin' Hass was developed during the ship's first long term Indian Ocean deployment in 1980. After the hostages were snatched in Iran the Navy started keeping a carrier battlegroup in the North Arabian Sea. As they chopped into 7th fleet an MSC oiler would be added to the group from the gang of five homeported in the Far East. We would generally leave from Subic and 105 days later return to Subic, without having made landfall the whole time. Hass was new to MSC at the time and I was her Cargo Mate. My notes show that we joined the Midway Battlegroup, but while we were on station we also worked with the Eisenhower Battlegroup too. The three and a half month deployment had us humpin' but also gave us a lot of time between jobs. The ship didn't have a nickname like our old oilers so Humpin' Hass came to be. We designed a logo with a fleabitten camel with a drum of oil strapped to either side of the hump (DFM and JP-5 of course) with hoses trailing in the wind. Once we got back to Subic that quickly appeared on t-shirts. The name stuck to the end of her MSC career. The other Far East oilers were the Mispelling (also know as Spill a Million), the Pumpin' P (Passumpsic), the Nastysoda (Navisota), the Ponch, and the West Coaster Kawishiwi kept her USN Special K name. Later when I was Capt on her the Humpin' Hass name would be included in early messages to the battlegroups and became semi-official. Everybody in 7th Fleet knew her by that name.
So there is the rest of the story.

Pat Moloney
01/15/2006

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