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NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive

Contributed by Mike Smolinski

Contributed by Al Grazevich

USNS San Jose (T-AFS-7)
ex
USS San Jose (AFS-7) (1970 - 1993)

International Radio Call Sign:
November - India - Bravo - Victor NIBV

Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons

Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - Navy Unit Commendation Second Row - Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation - Navy Expeditionary Medal - National Defense Service Medal
Third Row - Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (2) - Vietnam Service Medal (3) - Southwest Asia Service Medal
Fourth Row - Global War on Terrorism Service Medal - Humanitarian Service Medal - Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal

Mars Class Combat Stores Ship:

Laid down, 8 March 1969, at National Steel and Shipbuilding Co., San Diego, CA.

Launched, 13 December 1969

Commissioned, USS San Jose (AFS-7), 23 October 1970, CAPT. James H. Morris USN, in command

During the Vietnam War USS San Jose participated in the following campaigns:

Campaign and Dates	Campaign and Dates
Vietnam War Campaigns
Consolidation I 21 October 1971 28 October to 5 November 1971 9 to 27 November 1971	Vietnam Ceasefire 16 to 29 September 1972 10 to 21 October 1972 3 to 17 November 1972 1 to 14 December 1972 27 December 1972 to 9 January 1973 26 January to 3 February 1973 3 to 15 and 21 to 23 March 1973
Consolidation II 4 to 9 and 20 to 29 December 1971 14 to 24-January 1972 9 to 18 and 23 to 25 February 1972

Decommissioned and placed in service by MSC, 2 November 1993 as USNS San Jose (T-AFS-7)

USNS San Jose (T-AFS-7) is assigned to the Naval Fleet Auxiliary Force (PM1), MSC Far East

Deactived and struck from the Naval Register, 27 January 2010

Final Disposition, sold for scrapping, 1 October 2013, for $995,928, to All Star Metals, Brownsville, TX.

USS San Jose received three battle stars for Vietnam service

Specifications:
Displacement 9,200 t.(lt) 15,900-18,663 t.(fl)
Length 581'
Beam 79'
Draft 27' (max.)
Speed 20 kts.

Complement

(USS) 486

(MSC) 49 Navy, 125 civilian merchant seamen

Aircraft two UH-46 Sea Knight helicopters

Armament

USN (As Built) four twin 3"/50 dual purpose gun mounts

USNS unarmed

Propulsion

three 580 psi Babcock and Wilcox boilers

one De Laval Turbine

single propeller

Click On Image For Full Size Image	Size	Image Description	Contributed By
USS San Jose (AFS-7)
	62k	*USS San Jose* (AFS-7)** underway, date and location unknown.	Wendell Royce McLaughlin Jr.
	82k	*USS San Jose* (AFS-7)** underway, date and location unknown. US Navy photo from "NAVSEA Journal."	Bob Bush
	315k	*USS San Jose* (AFS-7) and USS Niagara Falls (AFS-3)** transfer cargo during their 1971 WESTPAC deployments. US Navy photo.	Richard Miller BMCS USNR Ret.
	1766k	*USS San Jose* (AFS-7)** underway off the coast of San Diego, CA., 28 April 1971. DoDMedia VIRIN: DN-SC-86-00179, a US Navy photo by PH1 Lucas	Robert Hurst
09520762	229k	*USS San Jose* (AFS-7)** underway off the coast of San Diego, CA., date unknown. ©George Barber	Nicholas Tiberio
09520763	232k	*USS San Jose* (AFS-7)** passing under the Golden Gate Bridge while outbound to sea from San Francisco Bay, date unknown.	Nicholas Tiberio
	176k	*USS San Jose* (AFS-7)** under way near Vancouver BC, 20 July 1971. City of Vancouver Archives, Photo No. AM1506-S3-3-: CVA 447-7940 by Walter E. Frost.	Mike Green
	1161k	Sailors man the rails as *USS San Jose* (AFS-7)** departs NAS Alameda, CA., having been assisted from the pier by Accomac (YTB 812), 10 August 1981. *San Jose* was deploying to her new home port in Guam. Defense Imagery photo # DN-SC-84-05046 NAS ALAMEDA (10 August 1981 a US Navy photo by PH1 Thomas Berault now in the collections of the Defense Imagery web site.	Robert M. Cieri
	156k	*USS San Jose* (AFS-7)** moored to a buoy in Hong Kong Harbor, June 1989.	Photo by William P. Jones, MD
	72k	*USS San Jose* (AFS-7)** moored to a buoy in Hong Kong Harbor, June 1989.	Photo by William P. Jones, MD
	86k	*USS San Jose* (AFS-7)** moored to a buoy in Hong Kong harbor, June 1989.	Photo by William P. Jones, MD
	76k	*USS San Jose* (AFS-7) moored pierside at Hong Kong. December 1989 with HMAS Stuart (DE-48)**.	William Chiu
	84k	*USS San Jose* (AFS-7)** moored pierside at Hong Kong, December 1989.	William Chiu
	73k	*USS San Jose* (AFS-7)** moored pierside at Hong Kong, December 1989.	William Chiu
	51k	*USS San Jose* (AFS-7)** moored pierside at Hong Kong, December 1989.	William Chiu
	68k	*USS San Jose* (AFS-7)** moored pierside at Hong Kong, December 1989.	William Chiu
	49k	*USS San Jose* (AFS-7)** moored to a buoy in Hong Kong Harbor, 16 April 1991.	William Chiu
	114k	*USS Sacramento* (AOE-1) coming alongside USS San Jose (AFS-7)** to begin an UNREP off the coast of Washington in 1994.	Photos by Douglas Brown USS Sacramento
	142k		Photos by Douglas Brown USS Sacramento
	53k	*USS San Jose* (AFS-7)** under way in the harbor at San Diego, CA., date unknown. US Navy photo.	Richard Miller BMCS USNR Ret.
	96k	*USS San Jose* (AFS-7)** under way date and location unknown. US Navy photo.	Richard Miller BMCS USNR Ret.
	82k	*USS San Jose* (AFS-7)** under way,date and location unknown. US Navy photo.	Richard Miller BMCS USNR Ret.
09520761	47k	Guard Mail postage stamp featuring *USS San Jose* (AFS-7)** Guard Mail was local mail on Guam instituted in the 1930s. Guard Mail was necessary since the US Post Office at Guam did not deliver to individual addresses.	Tommy Trampp
	32k	Cover for *USS San Jose* (AFS-7)** Welcome Aboard pamphlet, date unknown.	Richard Miller BMCS USNR Ret.
USNS San Jose (T-AFS-7)
	116k	*USNS San Jose* (T-AFS-7)** underway, date and location unknown. US Navy photo	MSC web site
	89k	*USNS San Jose* (T-AFS-7)** departing Sydney Harbor, Australia, April 2001. Photo by Ian Edwards.	USNS San Jose (T-AFS-7) web site
	99k	*USNS San Jose* (T-AFS-7) pulls alongside USS Kitty Hawk (CV 63)** to begin an underway replenishment. US Navy photo # 030206-N-5821P-007 by PHAN Jason T. Poplin, 6 February 2003.	Navy Newsstand
	87k	An MH-60 Knight Hawk assigned to *HC-5* assists with an underway replenishment between *USNS San Jose* (T-AFS 7) and USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72).** US Navy photo # 030124-N-8794V-006 by PH3 Kittie VandenBosch, 24 January 2002. Navy Newsstand	Bernard A. Cardali USS LST-306
	47k	*USNS San Jose* (T-AFS 7), background, and USS Swift (HSV-2), foreground, operating with USNS Mercy (T-AH 19), center, in the Indian Ocean, 25 February 2005. Mercy** is serving as an enabling platform to assist humanitarian operations ashore in ways that host nations and international relief organization find useful. USNS Mercy is off the waters of Indonesia in support of Operation Unified Assistance, the humanitarian relief effort to aid the victims of the tsunami that struck Southeast Asia. US Navy photo # 050225-N-8629M-115 by PH3 Rebecca J. Moat.	Lee Wahler
	71k	*USNS San Jose* (T-AFS 7), far left, and the High Speed Vessel USS Swift (HSV-2), far right, operating alongside USNS Mercy (T-AH-19) as she receives fuel from USNS Tippecanoe (T-AO 199)** in the Indian Ocean, 3 March 2005. USNS Mercy is serving as an enabling platform to assist humanitarian operations ashore in ways that host nations and international relief organization find useful. USNS Mercy is in the waters off the Indonesian coast in support of Operation Unified Assistance, the humanitarian relief effort to aid the victims of the tsunami that struck Southeast Asia. US Navy photo # 050303-N-8796S-075 by PH2 Timothy Smith. Photo from the Navy NewsStand web site.	Jack Treutle
	41k	*USNS San Jose* (T-AFS 7) sails in the Western Pacific during a vertical replenishment (VERTREP) with USS Kitty Hawk (CV-63)*. US Navy photo # 060709-N-3438B-167* by MC3 Jared Benner. Photo from the Navy NewsStand web site.	Lee Wahler
	272k	An S-330 Puma helicopters hover above *USNS San Jose* (T-AFS-7) during a supply transfer with the aircraft carrier USS Kitty Hawk (CV-63)** in the South China Sea, 3 September 2007. US Navy photo # 070903-N-9864S-003 SOUTH CHINA SEA (Sept. 3, 2007) by MC2 Joseph R. Schmitt.	Lee Wahler
	1251k	*USNS San Jose* (T-AFS-7) prepares to come alongside the amphibious dock landing ship USS Pearl Harbor (LSD-52), not shown, for a connected replenishment (CONREP), 10 September 2008. Pearl Harbor** is part of the Peleliu Expeditionary Strike Group and is deployed supporting maritime security operations in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility.. US Navy photo # 080910-N-5148B-016 PERSIAN GULF (Sept. 10, 2008) by MC3 Sarah E. Bitter.	Douglas Brown
	94k	*USNS San Jose* (T-AFS-7)** moored pierside at Naval Base Guam, 2010.	Richard Miller BMCS USNR Ret.
	1041k	*USNS San Jose* (T-AFS-7) prepares to come alongside the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis (CVN-74) during a replenishment-at-sea. John C. Stennis** is on a scheduled six-month deployment to the western Pacific Ocean. US Navy photo # 090223-N-6597H-053 PACIFIC OCEAN (Feb. 23, 2009) by MC3 Jon Husman.	Lee Wahler
	171k	Ex-*USNS San Jose* (T-AFS-7) being towed out of Pearl Harbor, 6 December 2012, by tug Roughneck** enroute to Brownsville, TX. for scrapping.	Photos by CAPT. Wade Armstrong, Pearl Harbor Pilot, Honolulu, Hawaii
	147k
09520760	137k	Mk33, 3"/50 caliber Twin Naval Guns from *USS San Jose* (AFS-7)** located in front of the Association of Vietnam Veterans of America Headquarters in the village of Mangilao, Guam.	Yhu Chu

For more photos and information about USS / USNS San Jose, see;
Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships
Miscellaneous Photo Collections

Commanding Officers
01	CAPT. Morris, James Haines, USN :RADM	23 October 1970 - 14 July 1972
02	CAPT. Smith Jr., Carol Castleman :VADM, USN (USNA 1952)	14 July 1972 - 25 September 1973
03	CAPT. Frick, Joseph Francis, USN (USNA 1953) :RADM	25 September 1973 - 7 May 1975
04	CAPT. Austin, James Willis, USN (USNA 1954) :RADM (Biogarphy)	7 May 1975 - 13 July 1976
05	CAPT. Arthur, Stanley Roger, USN :ADM	13 July 1976 - December 1977
06	CAPT. Perry, Leonard Gaylord, USN :RADM	December 1977 - September1979
07	CAPT. Johnson, Jerome Lamarr (Jerry), USN :RADM	September 1979 - February 1981
08	CAPT. Bull, Lyle Franklin, USN :RADM	February 1981 - August 1982
09	CAPT. Munsinger, Melvin David, USN	3 August 1982 - 19 May 1984
10	CAPT. Geist, Gary Quay, USN (USNA 1959)	19 May 1984 - 27 June 1986
11	CAPT. Wolf, Rexford Elwood, USN	27 June 1986 - July 1987
12	CAPT. Pivonka, Leo Michael, USN	July 1987 - 10 October 1987
13	CAPT. Haley, Willard James, USN	10 October 1987 - 17 June 1989
14	CAPT. Bird, Walter Dennis, USN	17 June 1989 - 9 December 1990
15	CAPT. Gemmill, Alan Mark (Vodka), USN :RADM	9 December 1990 - 27 July 1992
16	CAPT. Eason, Richard Alexander, USN	27 July 1992 - 2 November 1993


Courtesy Wolfgang Hechler and Ron Reeves

Crew Contact And Reunion Information
U.S. Navy Memorial Foundation - Navy Log

Crew Contact

Name: William "Bill" John Rigney Jr.
Address: 13581 Texas Hwy 22, Cranfills Gap, Texas 76637-4019
Home Phone: 254-597-1240
Cell Phones: 254-978-1918 or 254-978-1498
E-mail:midwayairdale@gmail.com

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This page is created and maintained by Gary P. Priolo

Last Updated 2 September 2022

NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive

USNS San Jose (T-AFS-7)ex USS San Jose (AFS-7) (1970 - 1993)

USNS San Jose (T-AFS-7)
ex
USS San Jose (AFS-7) (1970 - 1993)