Our Ship Our Shipmates

Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation (2)

Navy Battle "E" Ribbon (2)

National Defense Service Medal

Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (5-Taiwan Straits, 4-Quemory-Matsu, 6-Vietnam, 1-Persian Gulf)

Vietnam Service Medal

Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross Unit Citation (12)

Vietnam Campaign Medal

Suribachi Class Ammunition Ship:

Laid down, 6 May, 1955, at Bethlehem Steel Shipyard, Inc., Sparrows Point, MD.
Launched, 3 May, 1956
Commissioned, USS Mauna Kea (AE-22), 30 March 1957

Capt. Kenneth Loveland, in command

Decommissioned, 30 June 1995
Laid up in the Reserve Fleet
Struck from the Naval Register, 12 December 1996
Title transferred to MARAD, 18 December 1998 for lay up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet,

Suisun Bay, Benecia, CA.

Final Disposition, disposed as target during RIMPAC 2006, sunk 12 July 2006
The ship was decommissioned 30 June 1995 with over 38 years of active service. Mauna Kea was

the oldest active ship in the Navy prior to being decommissioned.

Specifications Propulsion

Displacement 9,286 t.(lt) 15,728 t.(fl) One geared turbine

Length 511' Two boilers, steam turbines

Beam 72' Single propeller, 16000 shp

Draft 28'

Speed 20 kts. Armament

four twin 3"/50 gun mounts

Complement

Officers 23 - Enlisted 324

NMHU

NOVEMBER - MIKE- HOTEL-UNIFORM

JANAP Tactical Voice Radio Call Sign - Citrus Foxtrot

Our Ship...

VIETNAM WAR CAMPAIGNS

Campaign and Dates

Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase ll

24 January to 8 February 1967 - 18 February to 17 March 1967 - 30 March to 13 April 1967 - 29 April to 18 May 1967 - 24 to 31 May 1967

Tet Counteroffensive

15 March to 1 April 1968

Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase lV

2 April 1968 - 10 to 24 April 1968 - 16 to 28 June 1968

Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase V

7 to 17 July 1968 - 27 July to 6 August 1968

Tet 69/Counteroffensive

11 to 27 April 1969 - 4 to 15 May 1969 - 24 May to 5 June 1969

Summer - Fall 1969

14 June to 9 July 1969 - 30 July to 18 August 1969 - 29 August to 18 September 1969 - 1 to 21 October 1969

Sanctuary Counteroffensive

24 to 30 June 1970

Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase Vll

17 July 1970 - 18 July to 9 August 1970 - 25 August to 3 September 1970 - 27 September to 18 October 1970 - 2 to 14 November 1970 -

20 November to 2 December 1970 - 15 to 31 December 1970 - 9 to 13 January 1971

Consolidation l

19 August to 3 September 1971 - 12 to 21 September 1971 - 13 to 18 October 1971 - 29 October to 8 November 1971 -

15 to 26 November 1971

Consolidation ll

15 to 23 December 1971 - 2 to 13 January 1972

Vietnam Ceasefire

23 August to 4 September 1972 - 11 to 24 September 1972 - 8 to 22 October 1972 - 10 to 14 November 1972 - 1 to 22 December 1972 -

27 December 1972 - 1 to 25 January 1973

For the Record - facts from the 1968 Cruise...

Over 60,000 miles steamed...more than twice around the world.
Radio Central processed over 12,000 messages
Of the 221 days deployed ; 181 were underway, 34 in port for load-outs, and 6 in R & R ports
The "Stew Burners" were runners-up in the 1968 Ney Awards competition in the SERVPAC "Heavy" class
The signal gang sent and received over 2,000 visual messages
The Coke machine dispensed over 63,000 cups of soda and 68,000 cans of soda were sold from the ship's store, contributing over $5,153.82 to the welfare and recreation fund.
The "Snipes" used over 2,600,175 gallons of fuel oil
The Paymaster paid out over one half million dollars during the many paydays
Mauna Kea was the first AE to enter into inner Danang Harbor for loading ammunition
Largest UNREP: USS ENTERPRISE (CVAN-65) - 729,566 s/tons, June 2
Smallest UNREP: 10 gallons of ice cream - "swiftboat"
200th ship alongside 14 July: USS BENNER (DD-807)

Commanding Officers of the USS Mauna Kea...

  1.   CAPT. Loveland, Kenneth :RADM  ~ 30 March 1957 - 2 November 1957

    2.   CAPT. Waliszewski, Henry Ludwig ~ 2 November 1957 - 20 January 1959

    3.   CAPT. Cochran, Dale Eugene  ~ 20 January 1959 - 26 January 1960

    4.   CAPT. Hilton, Hart Dale ~ 26 January 1960 - 19 May 1961

    5.   CAPT. Hoker, Joseph Emil ~ 19 May 1961 - 27 July 1962

    6.   CAPT. Elkins Jr., James Samuel ~ 27 July 1962 - 14 August 1963

    7.   CAPT. McCormick Jr., Thomas Edward ~ 14 August 1963 - 17 October 1964

    8.   CAPT. Howe Jr., George Benjamin ~ 17 October 1964 - 27 February 1965

    9.   LCDR. Leedom Jr., Clair Edward ~ 27 February 1965 - 15 November 1965

    10. CAPT. Timmes, Francis Xavier ~ 15 November 1965 - 29 October 1966

    11. CAPT. Lindsay, John Ross ~ 29 October 1966 - 14 February 1968

    12. CAPT. Sells, Warren Hanson ~ 14 February 1968 - 17 July 1969

    13. CAPT. Polk, Thomas Harding ~ 17 July 1969 - 4 October 1970

    14. CAPT. Monger, Albert Jackson (Jack) RDM ~ 4 October 1970 - 10 August 1971

    15. CAPT. Grafius, Guy A. B. ~ 10 August 1971 - 6 December 1972

    16. LCDR. Dirvianskis, Jonathan Arunas ~ 6 December 1972 - 18 May 1974

    17. CDR. Kilpatrick, Thomas Eugene ~ 18 May 1974 - 14 August 1976

    18. CDR. Riedel Jr., Bernard ~ 14 August 1976 - July 1978

    19. CDR. Davis, Alden Adams ~ July 1978 - 12 July 1980

    20. CAPT. Breece, James Philip ~ 12 July 1980 - 10 July 1982

    21.  CAPT. Amos, Robert E., USN ~ 10 July 1982 - 17 August 1984

    22. CDR. Kelly, John Thomas ~ 17 August 1984 - 17 December 1986

    23.  CDR. Charuhas, Richard B. ~ 17 December 1986 - 9 January 1989

    24. CDR. Gorski, Thomas H. ~ 9 January 1989 - 4 April 1991

    25. CDR. Strott, John B. ~ 4 April 1991 - 24 January 1993

    26. CDR. Nathanson, Richard F. ~ 24 January 1993 - 30 June 1995

USS MAUNA KEA AE-22 Reunions

USS MAUNA KEA

Awards, Citations, and Campaign Ribbons