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NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive
patches contributed by Mike Smolinski

Contributed by Al Grazevich

USNS Santa Barbara (T-AE-28)
ex
 USS Santa Barbara (AE-28) (1970 - 1998)

International Radio Call Sign:
November - Delta - Xray - Uniform
NDXU
Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons




Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - Navy Unit Commendation (2)
Second Row - Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation (3) - Navy Battle "E" Ribbon (4) - National Defense Service Medal
Third Row -Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (1-Op. Restore Hope, Somalia) - Vietnam Service Medal (1) - Southwest Asia Service Medal (2)
Fourth row - Sea Service Deployment Ribbon - Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal - Kuwait Liberation Medal (Kuwait)
Kilauea Class Ammunition Ship:
  • Laid down, 30 December 1966, at Bethlehem Steel Shipyard, Inc, Sparrows Point, MD.
  • Launched, 23 January 1968
  • Commissioned, USS Santa Barbara (AE-28), 11 July 1970, CAPT. Charles A. Whitmore USN in command
  • During the Vietnam War USS Santa Barbara (AE-28) participated in the following campaign:

    Vietnam War Campaign
    Vietnam Ceasefire Campaign
    26 July to 7 August 1972
    14 to 23 August 1972
    8 to 14 September 1972
    22 September to 3 October 1972
    24 October to 5 November 1972
    12 November to 3 December 1972
    11 to 21 December 1972
    6 to 18 January 1973

  • USS Santa Barbara was deployed in December 1990 to the Red Sea during Operation Desert Shield.
    She remained on station in the Red Sea during January 1991 in support of Operation Desert Storm, delivering over 7,000 tons of ammunition during the Desert war
  • Decommissioned, 25 September 1998, at Naval Weapons Station, Charleston, S.C.
  • Placed in service by the Military Sealift Command (MSC), 1 October 1998 as USNS Santa Barbara (T-AE-28)
  • USNS Santa Barbara (T-AE-28) was one of six Sealift Commands Ammunition Ships, in the Naval Fleet Auxiliary Force
  • While assigned to MSC USNS Santa Barbara was in Ready Operational Status 45 until downgraded to planned disposal, 3 August 2005
  • Struck from the Naval Register, 3 August 2005
  • USS Santa Barbara earned one campaign star for Vietnam War service
  • Final Disposition, scrapping contract awarded to ESCO, Brownsville, TX., 9 November 2006
    Specifications:
    Displacement 9,340 t.(lt) 19,940 t.(fl)
    Length 564'
    Beam 81'
    Draft 29'
    Speed 20 kts.
    Complement
    MSC 125 -133 Civilian Mariners
    Naval Detachment 30
    Cargo Capacity 60,000 cu ft 6,000DWT
    Armament
    USS - four twin 3"/50 cal dual purpose gun mounts
    USNS - none
    Aircraft two MH60S Seahawk helicopters
    Propulsion
    one General Electric turbine
    three Foster-Wheeler 600psi boilers
    single six blade fixed propeller, 22,000shp
    Click On Image
    For Full Size Image    		Size Image Description Contributed
    By
    USS Santa Barbara (AE-28)
    Santa Barbara 355k Santa Barbara (AE-28) ready for launching, 23 January 1968, at Bethlehem Steel Shipyard, Inc, Sparrows Point, MD. Dale Hargrave
    Santa Barbara 309k Christening of Santa Barbara (AE-28) 23 January 1968, at Bethlehem Steel Shipyard, Inc, Sparrows Point, MD. by Mrs. Graeme C. Bannerman, wife of the Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Installations and Logistics. Dale Hargrave
    Santa Barbara 182k USS Santa Barbara (AE-28) at sea in the Atlantic Ocean in 1972. Mike Smolinski
    Santa Barbara 62k USS Santa Barbara (AE-28) under way, date and location unknown.
    US Navy photo    		 MSC web site
    Santa Barbara 41k USS Santa Barbara (AE-28) under way, date and location unknown.
    ©Atlantic Fleet Sales, Norfolk VA.    		 Mike Smolinski
    Santa Barbara 895k USS Santa Barbara (AE-28) providing ammunition for the battleship USS Iowa (BB-61) during an under way replenishment, on 1 August 1984.
    Defense Imagery photo # DN-ST-86-02492, a US Navy photo now in the collections of Defense Imagery.    		 Robert Hurst
    Santa Barbara 142k Photo of USS Santa Barbara (AE-28) taken from the hanger deck of USS John F. Kennedy (CVA-67) during an under way replenishment, mid-Atlantic, circa January-February 1989. Photo by Bob Royes
    Santa Barbara 88k USS Santa Barbara (AE-28) under way while conducting Vertical Replenishment (VertRep) weapons on-load with the USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71), off the Virginia coast, sometime during 20 or 21 October 1995. The crates of ordnance are being transferred from Santa Barbara to USS Theodore Roosevelt via CH-46 Sea Knight helicopters.
    US Navy photo.    		 Edward Cleary
    Santa Barbara 966k USS Santa Barbara (AE-28) under way, date and location unknown. Wolfgang Hechler
    Santa Barbara 2237k USS Santa Barbara (AE-28) under way alongside USS George Washington (CVN-73), circa 20 May-17 November 1994. Wolfgang Hechler
    Santa Barbara 93k USS Santa Barbara (AE-28) passing under the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, date unknown. Richard Miller BMCS USNR Ret.
    Santa Barbara 106k USS Santa Barbara (AE-28) at anchor, date and location unknown.
    US Navy photo.    		 Richard Miller BMCS USNR Ret.
    Santa Barbara 58k USS Santa Barbara (AE-28) moored to a buoy, date and location unknown.
    US Navy photo.    		 Richard Miller BMCS USNR Ret.
    Santa Barbara
    09052817    		 184k USS Santa Barbara (AE-28) underway, off San Diego, CA., date unknown.
    ©George Barber    		 Nicholas Tiberio
    Ex-USS Santa Barbara (AE-28)
    Santa Barbara 153k Ex-Santa Barbara (T-AE-28) being scrapped at ESCO, Brownsville, TX., 15 November 2006. Forward of Santa Barbara are ex-Des Moines (CA-134) also being scrapped, and ex-Texas A&M USTS Texas Clipper I [ex-Queens (APA-103)] which is being prepared for sinking as an artificial reef. Photo by Michael Martin, Brownsville, TX.
    Santa Barbara 136k Ex-Santa Barbara (T-AE-28) being scrapped at ESCO, Brownsville, TX., 15 November 2006. Forward of Santa Barbara are ex-Des Moines (CA-134) also being scrapped. Photo by Michael Martin, Brownsville, TX.
    Santa Barbara 114k Ex-Santa Barbara (T-AE-28) with part of her bow removed while being scrapped at ESCO, Brownsville, TX., in February 2007. Photo by Michael Martin, Brownsville, TX.

    For more photos and information about USS/USNS Santa Barbara, see:
  • Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)
  • USS Santa Barbara (AE-28)
    • Commanding Officers
    01CAPT. Whitmore Jr., Charles Abbott USN (1948-B)11 July 1970 - October 1971
    02CAPT. Page Jr., Louis Covington USNOctober1971 - October 1972
    03CAPT. Johnson, Ian Jarvis USNOctober 1972 - July 1974
    04CDR. Bassin, Paul Howard USNJuly 1974 - June 1976
    05CDR. Bass Sr., William Frederic USN (USNA 1960)June 1976 - 15 September 1978
    06CAPT. Mitchell Jr., Albert Hoyt USN15 September 1978 - 7 November 1980
    07CAPT. Willandt, Theodore August USN (USNA 1963)7 November 1980 - 5 November 1982
    08CDR. Sloane, Richard Tobias USN5 November 1982 - 8 March 1985
    09CDR. Kauffman, Gordon Eddie USN8 March 1985 - 7 April 1987
    10CAPT. Cummings, Kevin Peter USN7 April 1987 - May 1989
    11CDR. Frimenko Jr., Michael USNMay 1989 - 3 June 1991
    12CDR. Watson, Michael Grant USN (USNA 1975)3 June 1991 - 24 February 1993
    13CDR. Graham, James Michael USN24 February 1993 - 19 November 1994
    14CDR. Roemmich, Gary L. USN19 November 1994 - 20 September 1996
    15CAPT. Moser, Alan C. USN20 September 1996 - 30 September 1998
    Courtesy Wolfgang Hechler and Ron Reeves
    Crew Contact And Reunion Information
    U.S. Navy Memorial Foundation - Navy Log
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    Last Updated 15 July 2022