Title was transferred to the United States Navy on 10 September 1956 and, after conversion, the ship was renamed Observation Island.[1][4] On commissioning the ship was classified as the "experimental miscellaneous auxiliary" (EAG), USS Observation Island (EAG-154) supporting fleet ballistic missile development.[1][5]Observation Island was the platform for the first at-sea firing of the Polaris missile in 1959.[1] On 1 April 1968, Observation Island was redesignated as a miscellaneous auxiliary USS Observation Island (AG-154).[1][5] She was the platform for the first at-sea firing of the Poseidon missile in 1969.[6][7]
Observation Island was decommissioned and placed in reserve from 1972 until 1977 in the Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet until withdrawn and then returned in 1978.[4][8] The ship was permanently withdrawn April 1979 and placed in service with MSTS successor, the Military Sealift Command (MSC).[4]
The ship served the MSC until her inactivation 25 March 2014 after her mission was taken over by USNSHoward O. Lorenzen.[3]
As Empire State Mariner
Empire State Mariner in harbor, c.1954.
Empire State Mariner was laid down as a Type C4 / Mariner-class high speed cargo ship 15 September 1952 by the New York Shipbuilding Corporation, Camden, New Jersey; launched as Empire State Mariner 15 August 1953; sponsored by Mrs. Samuel C. Waugh; and delivered to the Maritime Administration and the United States Lines for operation under General Agency Agreement 24 February 1954.[1]
Empire State Mariner transferred to the Navy 10 September 1956 with three other Mariner class ships.[1]
US Navy service history
Observation Island firing 28-foot Polaris test missile.
Her conversion to the first naval ship having a fully integrated Fleet Ballistic Missile System was authorized 15 October 1957, and partial completion of the project was accomplished at Norfolk Naval Shipyard, Portsmouth, Virginia. before she commissioned 5 December 1958 as Observation Island (EAG-154).[1]
During the conversion, there were no major hull or engineering changes made other than installation of a roll stabilization system. However, extensive alterations were accomplished in the superstructure and hold areas so as to accommodate the Fleet Ballistic Missile (FBM) Weapons System. Observation Island departed her homeport of Norfolk 3 January 1959, underwent shakedown at Guantanamo Bay, and then operated on the Atlantic Missile Range off Cape Canaveral, conducting dummy missile launches and communications tests.[1]
In March 1959, Observation Island returned to Norfolk Naval Shipyard for installation of additional equipment, including the Ships Inertial Navigation System (SINS). In June she steamed for her new homeport, Port Canaveral, Florida, and made preparations for the first at-sea launch of a Polaris missile. Designated UGM-27, the missile was successfully launched from Observation Island 27 August 1959.[1]
Following this milestone, Observation Island returned to Norfolk Naval Shipyard for installation of a fire control system to enable her to launch more sophisticated guided versions of new generation Polaris missiles. She also received a new launcher, the developmental prototype of those installed in the ballistic missile submarines.[1]
This work was completed in January 1960 and Observation Island returned to Port Canaveral to continue Polaris test launch operations. After a total of six launchings, the ship commenced support of Polaris launchings from submarines. She provided optical and electronic data gathering services, and acted as communications relay station between submerged submarines and the supervisor of range operations at the Cape. The first successful fully guided Polaris missile launching from a submerged submarine took place 20 July 1960 from USSGeorge Washington(SSBN-598). Through October Observation Island also supported launches from USSPatrick Henry(SSBN-599).[1]
Following further modifications at Norfolk Naval Shipyard in the fall of 1960, Observation Island returned to Port Canaveral in December to continue fleet ballistic missile support work and systems test and evaluation. She received the Navy Unit Commendation 15 December; launched the new A-2 Polaris 1 March 1961; and supported the first submerged A-2 launch from USSEthan Allen(SSBN-608) 23 October 1961.[1]
In late 1961, Observation Island served as a survey ship on the Atlantic Missile Range, and in January 1962 she again put in at Norfolk Naval Shipyard, this time for modifications preparatory to launching the new A-3 Polaris. Returning to Port Canaveral in March, she supported ballistic missile submarines through the following autumn, when she steamed for two months of operations on the Pacific Missile Range.[1]
Observation Island was back at Port Canaveral by Christmas 1962, and until June 1963 she expanded her role of oceanographic survey in the Atlantic Range. She conducted the first successful at-sea launches of the A-3 Polaris 17 and 21 June. President John F. Kennedy came on board 16 November 1963 to observe a Polaris launch, six days before his assassination.[1][9]
Observation Island was redesignated AG-154 on 1 April 1968. She commenced an extensive ten month conversion 24 June at Norfolk Naval Shipyard in preparation for support of the Poseidon C-3 missile program. The summer of 1969 found her once again at Port Canaveral, ready to resume experimental missile launchings, to assist in the training of submarine crews, to assist in ballistic missile submarine shakedown operations at Cape Kennedy, and to support other important phases of the development and deployment of the fleet ballistic missile weapons system.[1]
While the Observation Island was stationed at Port Canaveral, adjacent to NASA at Cape Kennedy, Florida, the week Apollo 11 was launched from the Cape, the ship also made history by beginning its mission to achieve the first successful at-sea firing of the Poseidon missile.[6][7] The commendation was earned by the 1969 crew and was awarded in 1971 while the ship was stationed at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii for various range survey duties. The success of the mission earned the ship and crew the Meritorious Unit Commendation from the Secretary of the Navy.[6][7]
The Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation can be awarded to a unit that has performed service of a character comparable to that which would merit a Bronze Star in a combat situation, or an equivalent award in a non-combat situation to an individual.
Observation Island was decommissioned by the US Navy 1 January 1972[10] and transferred to the Maritime Administration.[3]
Military Sealift Command service
Aft view of the USNS Observation Island showing the location of the Cobra Judy array.
18 August 1977 Observation Island was transferred to the Military Sealift Command at the request of the United States Air Force for use as a tracking ship designated USNS Observation Island (T-AGM 23).[3] The ship underwent a number of modifications including the installation of the AN/SPQ-11 Cobra Judy passive electronically scanned array radar which was used for verification of strategic arms treaties.[3] In the 31 years that followed, the ship averaged 260 days a year at sea in support of this monitoring mission.[3]
USNS Howard O. Lorenzen (T-AGM-25)[12] was delivered in January 2012 and replaced USNS Observation Island, which was to be removed from service on 1 April 2014.[3][13][14]Observation Island was inactivated 25 March 2014[3] and was stricken from the Naval Vessel Register 31 March 2014.[10]Observation Island was turned over to the Maritime Administration and towed by USNSGrapple(T-ARS-53) to Beaumont Reserve Fleet, Beaumont, Texas.[10][3] The ship was observed by a drone operator on 9 May 2018 being towed to Brownsville, TX for scrapping at All Star Metals.[15]
Awards
Observation Island has been awarded the following honors:[12]
The UGM-27 Polaris missile was a two-stage solid-fueled nuclear-armed submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM). As the United States Navy's first SLBM, it served from 1961 to 1980.
The UGM-73 Poseidon missile was the second US Navy nuclear-armed submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) system, powered by a two-stage solid-fuel rocket. It succeeded the UGM-27 Polaris beginning in 1972, bringing major advances in warheads and accuracy. It was followed by Trident I in 1979, and Trident II in 1990.
USS Patrick Henry (SSBN-599), named after the American Revolutionary War figure and Founding Father Patrick Henry (1736–1799), was a George Washington class nuclear-powered fleet ballistic missile submarine of the United States Navy. She was later converted into an attack submarine and redesignated SSN-599.
USS Thomas A. Edison (SSBN-610), an Ethan Allen-class nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine, was the second ship of the United States Navy to be named for the inventor Thomas Edison (1847–1931).
USS Lafayette (SSBN-616), the lead ship of her class of ballistic missile submarine, was the third ship of the United States Navy to be named to honor Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette, a French military hero who fought alongside and significantly aided the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War.
USS John Marshall (SSBN-611) was an Ethan Allen-class submarine, the only ship of the United States Navy to be named for John Marshall (1755–1835), the fourth Chief Justice of the United States. Originally a fleet ballistic missile submarine designated SSBN-611, she later was reclassified as an attack submarine and re-designated SSN-611.
USS Thomas Jefferson (SSBN-618), an Ethan Allen class nuclear-powered submarine, was the second ship of the United States Navy to be named for Founding Father Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826), the third President of the United States (1801–1809). She later was reclassified as an attack submarine and redesignated SSN-618.
USS Nathanael Greene (SSBN-636), a James Madison-class fleet ballistic missile submarine, was the third ship of the United States Navy to be named for Major General Nathanael Greene (1746–1786), who served in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War.a
USS Andrew Jackson (SSBN-619) was a Lafayette-class nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine. It was the second ship of the United States Navy to be named for Andrew Jackson (1767–1845), the seventh President of the United States (1829–1837).
USS Kamehameha (SSBN-642) was a Benjamin Franklin-class ballistic missile submarine and the only ship in the United States Navy to be named after Kamehameha I, the first King of Hawaii. She is one of only two United States ships named after a monarch.a She was later reclassified as an attack submarine and re-designated SSN-642.
USS Casimir Pulaski (SSBN-633), a James Madison-class ballistic missile submarine, was the second ship of the United States Navy to be named for Casimir Pulaski (1745–1779), a Polish general who served in the American Revolutionary War.
USS Simon Lake (AS-33) was the lead ship of her class of submarine tenders in the United States Navy, named for Simon Lake, a pioneering designer of early submarines.
A tracking ship, also called a missile range instrumentation ship or range ship, is a ship equipped with antennas and electronics to support the launching and tracking of missiles and rockets. Since many missile ranges launch over ocean areas for safety reasons, range ships are used to extend the range of shore-based tracking facilities.
USAS American Mariner was a United States Army research vessel from January 1959 to 30 September 1963. She was originally assigned to the DAMP Project by the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA) to attempt to collect radar signature data on incoming intercontinental ballistic missiles in the Caribbean, the South Atlantic Ocean, and the Indian Ocean. Her initial operations involved providing radar track on the Atlas missile, which was under development at the time. Subsequently, she provided track on other types of missiles as they proceeded through their development and operational stages. In September 1963 the original contract was transferred to the USAF until the completion of the testing phase in 1964.
USNS Mohawk (T-ATF-170) was a United States Navy Powhatan-class tugboat operated by the Military Sealift Command from 1980 to 2005.
USNS Howard O. Lorenzen (T-AGM-25) is a Missile Range Instrumentation Ship built for the U.S. Navy by VT Halter Marine of Pascagoula, Mississippi. The keel was laid during a ceremony on August 13, 2008, and the vessel became operational in 2014. This ship carries a next-generation active electronically scanned array radar system named Cobra King. This system is the first use of a radar system that can be used to target, and then through phase change, overwhelm an adversary's electronic systems to force shut down.
USNS Waters (T-AGS-45) is a United States Navy vessel tasked with supporting submarine navigation-system testing and providing ballistic missile flight test support services. In 2011, it was homeported in Port Canaveral, Florida.
USNS Norwalk (T-AK-279) was the first in her class, a Fleet Ballistic Missile Cargo Ship, which was launched as a World War II commercial Victory cargo ship SS Norwalk Victory under the Emergency Shipbuilding program. The Norwalk Victory was acquired by the U.S. Navy in 1963.
USNS Furman (T-AK-280) was a Norwalk class Fleet Ballistic Missile Cargo Ship, which was launched as a World War II commercial Victory cargo ship, the SS Furman Victory under the Emergency Shipbuilding program. The Furman Victory was acquired by the U.S. Navy in 1963.
USNS Marshfield (T-AK-282) was a Fleet Ballistic Missile Cargo Ship, which was launched as a World War II commercial Victory cargo ship SS Marshfield Victory under the Emergency Shipbuilding program. The Marshfield Victory was acquired by the U.S. Navy in 1968.
This article includes information collected from the Naval Vessel Register, which, as a U.S. government publication, is in the public domain.The entry can be found here.
1 2 3 4 5 "Empire State Mariner". Ship History Database Vessel Status Card. U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration. Retrieved 10 May 2015.
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