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NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive


Contributed by Mike Smolinski

USS Acadia (AD-42)

International Radio Call Sign:
November - November - Zulu - Alpha
NNZA
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 Battle "E" Ribbons (5) - Navy Expeditionary Medal (Persian Gulf)
Third Row - National Defense Service Medal - Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (Persian Gulf, Operation Restore Hope, Somalia) - Southwest Asia Service Medal (2)
Fourth Row - Sea Service Deployment Ribbon - Kuwait Liberation Medal (Kuwait) - Kuwait Liberation Medal (Saudi Arabia)


Yellowstone Class Destroyer Tender:
  • Laid down, 14 February 1978, at National Steel and Shipbuilding, San Diego, CA.
  • Launched, 28 July 1979
  • Commissioned USS Acadia (AD-42), 6 June 1981, CAPT. Brenton P. Hardy in command
  • Decommissioned, 16 December 1994
  • Laid up at the Naval Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility, Pearl Harbor HI.
  • Struck from the Naval Register, 13 December 2007
  • Final Disposition, sunk as a target off Guam, 19-20 September 2010
    Specifications:
    Displacement 13,526 t.(lt) 21,916 t.(fl)
    Length 643'
    Beam 85'
    Draft 25'
    Speed 20 kts.
    Complement 1,500
    Armament none
    Propulsion
    two boilers
    one steam turbine
    one propeller, 20,000 shp

    Click On Image
    For Full Size Image
    Size Image Description Source
    Acadia
    09034207
    38k USS Acadia (AD-42) Yu Chu
    Acadia 554k USS Acadia (AD-42) launching, 14 February 1978, at National Steel and Shipbuilding, San Diego, CA., San Diego, CA.
    NASSCO
    S. Dale Hargrave
    Acadia 146k USS Acadia (AD-42) under way in the harbor at San Diego, CA., in 1982. Mike Smolinski
    Acadia 55k USS Acadia (AD-42) under way with USS Fresno (LST-1182), 1 November 1982, location unknown.
    US Defenseimagery.mil photo VIRIN: DN-SC-86-02389
    Robert Hurst
    Acadia
    09034204
    400k USS Acadia (AD-42) under way with USS Fresno (LST-1182), 1 November 1982, location unknown.
    US Navy photo now in the collections of the US National Archives
    Yu Chu
    Acadia
    09034206
    594k USS Acadia (AD-42) outbound from San Diego to sea, 14 April 1987.
    US Navy photo by PH1 Dupree now in the collections of the US National Archives
    Yu Chu
    Acadia 53k USS Acadia (AD-42) moored pierside in the Gulf of Oman, circa 1987. Yu Chu, Photo by Geraldo Soto
    Acadia
    09034232
    292k USS Acadia (AD-42) services, from left, the guided missile cruiser USS Josephus Daniels (CG-27), the guided missile cruiser USS England (CG-22), and, at right, the ocean minesweepers USS Fearless (MSO-442) and USS Conquest (MSO-488), 1 December 1988. Arcadia is on a six-month Western Pacific deployment.
    US National Archives Identifier: 6442346, a US Navy photo by PH1 Veronica L. Head.
    Yu Chu
    Acadia
    09034210
    250k USS Acadia (AD-42) crew members inspect life vests aboard a motor whaleboat, Naval Station San Diego, 30 January 1988.
    US Navy photo by PH1 Michael Flynn
    Yu Chu
    Acadia
    09034231
    241k USS Acadia (AD-42) Commanding Officer CAPT Gerald M. Grunwald takes part in a videotaped interview on the ship's bridge, 24 January 1989.
    US National Archives Identifier: 6441919, a US Navy photo by PH2 Ronald Otero
    Yu Chu
    Acadia
    09034203
    355k Homecoming, the commercial tug Cheryl Anne pushes USS Acadia (AD-42) toward her berth at Naval Station San Diego, 25 April 1991. Acadia is returning to San Diego following her deployment to the Persian Gulf region for Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm.
    US Navy photo by JO2 Gawlowicz, now in the collections of the US National Archives.
    Yu Chu
    Acadia
    09034208
    151k Homecoming, USS Acadia (AD-42) returns to San Diego, 24 April 1991, following her deployment to the Persian Gulf region for Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm.
    US Navy photo by JOSN Mark Burton now in the collections of the US National Archives.
    Yu Chu
    Acadia
    09034213
    77k Homecoming, dependents wait on the pier as USS Acadia (AD-42) ties at San Diego, 24 April 1991, following the ship's deployment to the Persian Gulf region for Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm.
    US Navy photo
    Yu Chu
    Acadia
    09034209
    142k Homecoming, USS Acadia (AD-42) crew members disembark at San Diego, 24 April 1991, following the ship's deployment to the Persian Gulf region for Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm. Yu Chu
    Acadia
    09034212
    104k Homecoming, a USS Acadia (AD-42) holds his son on the pier at San Diego, 24 April 1991, following the ship's deployment to the Persian Gulf region for Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm.
    US Navy photo
    Yu Chu
    Acadia 203k USS Acadia (AD-42) with the destroyer USS Oldendorf (DD-972) and the guided missile frigate USS Curts (FFG-38) alongside.
    US Navy photo from USS Acadia newspaper "Tendergram" November 1990.
    Robert Hurst
    Acadia 43k USS Acadia (AD-42) with the guided missile frigate USS Stark (FFG-31) alongside, date and location unknown.
    US Navy photo.
    Robert Hurst
    Acadia
    09034205
    265k USS Acadia (AD-42) at anchor with a platform secured to her port side, 1 April 1992. Acadia is deployed to the Persian Gulf in support of Operation Desert Shield.
    US Navy photo by PH2 John C. Carnes, now in the collections of the US National Archives
    Yu Chu
    Acadia
    09034235
    162k USS Acadia (AD-42) underway off San Diego, CA., date unknown.
    ©George Barber
    Nicholas Tiberio
    Acadia
    09034236
    175k USS Acadia (AD-42) outbound to sea passing Point Loma while exiting San Diego Bay, date unknown.
    ©George Barber
    Nicholas Tiberio
    Acadia 55k Ex-USS Acadia (AD-42) laid up at NISMF Pearl Harbor, 1 August 2000 Photo by Jim Bedient
    Acadia 62k Ex-USS Acadia (AD-42) laid up at NISMF Pearl Harbor, 1 August 2000 Photo by Jim Bedient
    Acadia
    09034211
    72k Ships laid up at NISMF Pearl Harbor from top to bottom, ex-USS Duluth (LPD-6), ex-USS Acadia (AD-42), ex-USS Durham LKA-114) and ex-USS St. Louis (LKA-116), 26 July 2006. Photo by Yu Chu
    Acadia 74k Ex-USS Acadia (AD-42) is the target during a sinkex off the coast of Guam during exercise Valiant Shield, 20 September 2010.
    Photo from USS Acadia web site.
    Mike Hibbard
    Acadia 87k
    Acadia 104k
    Acadia 577k Ex-USS Acadia (AD-42) lies on her starboard side off the coast of Guam as a guided bomb detonates against the hull during a day-long bombardment of ordnance delivered from Naval aircraft and ships during exercise Valiant Shield.
    US Navy photo # 100920-N-6720T-182 PACIFIC OCEAN (Sept. 20, 2010) by MC Adam K. Thomas.
    Mike Hibbard
    Acadia 1137k Ex-USS Acadia (AD-42) floats capsized off the coast of Guam as an HH-60H Sea Hawk helicopter assigned to the Chargers of Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron (HS-14) prepares to fire a MK-46 Mod 5A (S) Anti-Submarine Warfare torpedo at the ship. The sinking of Acadia is part of a day-long bombardment of ordnance delivered from Naval aircraft and ships during exercise Valiant Shield.
    US Navy photo # 100920-N-6720T-214 PACIFIC OCEAN (Sept. 20, 2010) by MC Adam K. Thomas.
    Mike Hibbard


    For more photos and information about USS Acadia, see;
  • Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)
  • Welcome Aboard Pamphlet, circa 1985
  • Decommissioning Program

  • Commanding Officers
    01CAPT. Hardy, Brenton Philip6 June 1981 - 5 May 1983
    02CAPT. Finch Jr., Parker T.5 May 1983 - 22 March 1985
    03CAPT. Harness, Francis William :RADM22 March 1985 - 3 April 1987
    04CAPT. Grunwald, Gerald Max3 April 1987 - 13 March 1989
    05CAPT. King, Larry L.13 March 1989 - 30 April 1991
    06CAPT. Eckler, Joseph F.30 April 1991 - 10 June 1991
    07CAPT. Grunwald, Gerald Max10 June 1991 - 30 September 1991
    08CAPT. Wilson, Charles H.30 September 1991 - 16 July 1993
    09CAPT. Liuzzi, Donato A., USN16 July 1993 - 16 December 1994
    Courtesy Wolfgang Hechler and Ron Reeves

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

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    Last Updated 17 June 2022