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NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive

Contributed by Mike Smolinski

Contributed by Al Grazevich

USS Ashtabula (AO-51)

International Radio Call Sign:
November - Zulu - Alpha - Uniform NZAU
JANAP Tactical Voice Radio Call Sign - Vigil (U)niform - Section 6A of JANAP 119(F) 1968

Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons

Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - Combat Action Ribbon (retroactive - 24 October 1944) - Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation
Second Row - China Service Medal (extended) - American Campaign Medal - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (5)
Third Row - World War II Victory Medal - Navy Occupation Service Medal (with Asia clasp) - National Defense Service Medal (2)
Fourth Row - Korean Service Medal (7) - Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (Quemoy-Matsu, Vietnam, Korea, Op. Frequent Wind) - Vietnam Service Medal (8)
Fifth Row - Humanitarian Service Medal (1-Frequent Wind, 1-Boat People) - Philippines Presidential Unit Citation - Philippines Liberation Medal
Sixth Row - United Nations Service Medal - Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal - Republic of Korea War Service Medal (retroactive)

Cimarron Class Fleet Oiler:

Laid down, 1 October 1942, as a Maritime Commission type (T3-S2-A3) tanker hull, under Maritime Commission contract (MC hull 717), at Bethlehem-Sparrows Point Shipyard., Inc., Sparrows Point, MD.

Launched, 22 May 1943

Acquired by the Navy, 7 August 1943

Commission USS Ashtabula (AO-51), 7 August 1943, CDR. Louis Joseph Modave in command

During World War II USS Ashtabula was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater participating in the following campaigns:

Campaign and Dates	Campaign and Dates
Asiatic-Pacific Campaigns
Marshall Islands operation Occupation of Kwajalein and Majuro Atolls, 29 January to 8 February 1944	Okinawa Gunto operation Assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto, 24 March to 30 June 1945 5th and 3rd Fleet raids in support of Okinawa Gunto operations, 16 March to 13 June 1945
Marianas operation Capture and occupation of Saipan, 11 June to 10 August 1944 Battle of Philippine Seas, 19 to 20 June 1944 Capture and occupation of Guam, 21 to 26 July 1944	3d Fleet operations against Japan , 10 July to 14 August 1945
Leyte operation Leyte landings, 25 to 28 October 1944

Between 1945 and 1956 USS Ashtabula was assigned to Occupation and China service in the Far East for the following periods:

Navy Occupation Service Medal	China Service Medal (extended)
2 September 1945 to 4 March 1946	2 September 1945 to 4 March 1946
17 May to 14 June 1946	17 May to 14 June 1946
16 to 26 November 1946	29 December 1948 to 14 February 1949
16 to 17 February 1949	23 October to 6 December 1950
18 to 20 October 1950	20 January to 21 February 1952
	13 January to 14 February 1954
	23 to 30 January 1955
	21 February to 17 March 1955
	31 January to 4 March 1956

During Korean War USS Ashtabula participated in the following campaigns:

Campaign and Dates	Campaign and Dates
Korean War Campaigns
Communist China Aggression 8 December 1950 to 18 January 1951	Second Korean Winter 28 November to 5 December 1951 19 December 1951 to 9 January 1952 11 to 18 March 1952
First UN Counter Offensive 4 to 9 and 21 to 28 March 1951 31 March to 4 April 1951 9 to10, 15, and 19 to 21 April 1951	Korean Defense Summer-Fall 1952 30 October to 6 November 1952
Communist China Spring Offensive 22 to 30 April 1951 12 to 22 May 1951 6 to 12 and 15 to 21 June 1951	Third Korean Winter 13 to 22 November 1952
UN Summer-Fall Offensive 29 October to 16 November 1951 20 to 27 November 1951

During the Vietnam War USS Ashtabula participated in the following campaigns:

Campaigns and Dates	Campaigns and Dates
Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal Vietnam Service Medal
Vietnam Advisory Campaign 30 August to 5 September 1963 11 to 12 September 1963 5 to 8 June 1964 30 June to 1 July 1964 11 to 12 July 1964 27 July to 3 August 1964 5 to 14 August 1964 25 August to 1 September 1964	Vietnam Winter-Spring 1970 1 to 16 November 1969
Vietnam Defense 4 to 17 August 1965 24 August to 1 September 1965 7 to 15 September 1965 22 September to 4 October 1965 17 October to 2 November 1965 19 to 29 November 1965 7 to 21 December 1965	Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase VII 20 to 24 August 1970 15 September to 3 October 1970 23 October to 3 November 1970 13 November to 2 December 1970 18 December 1970 16 January to 1 February 1971 4 to 25 December 1971 31 December 1971 to 5 January 1971
Vietnamese Counteroffensive 2 to 8 January 1966 19 January to 1 February 1966	Consolidation II 3 to 5 January 1972 12 January to 3 February 1972 12 to 29 February 1972 10 to 17 March 1972
Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase II 7 to 12 and 17 to 25 September 1966 10 to 16 and 20 to 29 October 1966 4 to 10 November 1966 5 to 7 and 16 to 26 December 1966 22 January to 5 February 1967 23 February to 2 March 1967 10 to 17 March 1967	Consolidation II 3 to 5 January 1972 12 January to 3 February 1972 12 to 29 February 1972 10 to 17 March 1972
Vietnam Summer-Fall 1969 14 to 27 June 1969 3 to 11 and 17 to 24 July 1969 30 July to 6 August 1969 21 August to 15 September 1969 30 September to 9 October 1969 18 to 22 October 1969

Decommissioned, 30 September 1982

Transferred to the Maritime Commission, 22 November 1982, for lay up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, Suisun Bay, Benecia, CA.

Struck from the Naval Register, 6 September 1991

Withdrawn from the National Defense Fleet, 7 December 1995

USS Ashtabula earned five battle stars for World War II service, seven battle stars for Korean War service, the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal and the Vietnam Service Medal with eight campaign stars for Vietnam War service

Final Disposition, sold for scrapping, 25 October 1995, to Astorial Metals t/a Pacific Rim Metals Corp., Issaquah, WA. Removed from Mare Island, 7 December 1995 by company tugs. Contract defaulted and scrapping terminated, 28 September 1999. Removed o/a, 6 October 1999, back to Mare Island. Disposed of as target 15 October 2000

Specifications:
Displacement 7,470 t.(lt) 23,235 t.(fl) 25,440 t. (lim)
Length 553'
Beam 75'
Draft 32' 4" (lim)
Speed 18.3 kts.
Complement 20 Officers, 278 Enlisted
Largest boom capacity 10 tons

Cargo Capacity

Navy Standard Fuel Oil 123,700 bbls.

Gasoline 788,000 bbls.

Armament

one single 5"/38 dual purpose gun mount

four single 3"/50 dual purpose gun mounts

four twin 40mm AA gun mounts

eight single 20mm AA gun mounts

Fuel Oil Capacity 15,000 bbls.
Propulsion

two Bethlehem turbines

four Foster-Wheeler boilers "K" type boilers 450psi 750°

double Falk main reduction gears
Ship's Service Generators
one turbo-drive 400Kw 230V A.C.
one Diesel-drive 150Kw 230V A.C.

twin propellers, 13,500shp

Jumboized Specifications Changes:

Displacement 16,500 t.(lt) 36,500 t.(fl)

Length 644'

Complement 20 officers, 350 enlisted

Armament four single 3"/50 gun mounts

Cargo Capacity 145,000 barrels

Click On Image For Full Size Image	Size	Image Description	Contributed By / Source
	338k	*USS Ashtabula* (AO-51)** under way in Chesapeake Bay, circa August 1943. US Navy photo # USN 47320	Scott Koen
	106k	*USS Ashtabula* (AO-51)** fully loaded circa 1944. Her anti-aircraft armament has been upgraded to include four 40mm twin mounts. US National Archives, RG-19-LCM. Photo # 19-N-72463 a US Navy Bureau of Ships photo now in the collections of the US National Archives, courtesy Shipscribe.com.	Robert Hurst
091905140	391k	*USS Ashtabula* (AO-51) damaged shell plates frames 65-69. Ashtabula** was drydocked at Long Beach Navy Yard, from 15 December 1944 to 28 January 1945 to repair torpedo damage sustained, 24 October 1944, while operating in Leyte Gulf. US Navy Yard Long Beach photo	Daniel Laczo in memory of his grandfather Henry "Hank" Holota USS Ashtabuba (AO-51)
	94k	*USS Ashtabula* (AO-51) refuels USS Boxer (CV-21)** and a destroyer in heavy seas, during operations off the Korean coast. Photo is dated 10 April 1951. US National Archives photo # 80-G-435050, a US Navy photo now in the collections of the US National Archives	US Naval History and Heritage Command
091905139	239k	*USS Ashtabula* (AO-51) refuels USS Essex (CV-9)** in the South China Sea, 20 January 1955, during that carrier's deployment to the Western Pacific from 3 November 1954 to 21 June 1955. On deck are aircraft of Carrier Air Group 2 (CVW2). U.S. Navy National Museum of Naval Aviation photo No. 1996.488.242.011	Robert Hurst
0919062156	1299k	*USS Ashtabula* (AOL-51)** underway in a harbor, circa 1954-1957, location unknown. Photos by LTjg Carl Berry Moseley USS Taluga (AO-62), 1954-1957.	Gaelynn M. Thurman for her father LTjg. Carl. B. Moseley USS Taluga (AO-62), 1954-1957.

	76k	Broadside view of *USS Ashtabula* (AO-51) off Mare Island, 30 October 1956. Ashtabula** was undergoing repairs at Mare Island from 15 August. to 31 October 1956. Mare Island Naval Shipyard photo # 31969-10-56, 10/30/56	Darryl Baker
NS0212br	420k	*USS Hornet* (CVA-12) conducting an UNREP with USS Ashtabula (AO-51) and USS Brinkley Bass (DD-887)**, probably during her 1958 WestPac deployment (2 January–2 July), with Air Task Group (ATG) 4 aboard. US Navy photo.	David Buell
NS0212bra	684k	*USS Hornet* (CVA-12) conducting an UNREP with USS Ashtabula (AO-51) and USS Brinkley Bass (DD-887)**, taken at approximately the same time as the photo above.	Bob Canchola, BT, USN (Ret.)
	59k	*USS Ashtabula* (AO-51)** under way in 1957, location unknown.	Richard Miller BMCS USNR Ret.
	150k	*USS Ashtabula* (AO-51)** under way in port, date and location unknown. US Navy photo	Tommy Trampp
	40k	*USS Ashtabula* (AO-51) refueling USS Thomaston (LSD-28)** refueling, circa January-February 1963, Pacific Ocean	Ron Reeves
	112k	*USS Ashtabula* (AO-51) refueling USS Ranger (CVA-61) and USS Worden (DLG-18)** in WestPac, circa 1964-65. Photo from USS Ranger Cruise book 1964-65	John Slaughter USS Ranger
	106k	*USS Ashtabula* (AO-51)** under way in the Gulf of Tonkin, circa 1966.	Richard Miller BMCS USNR Ret.
	296k	*USS Ashtabula* (AO-51)** after Jumboization, 1968	Ed Benningfield GMG1 USNR Ret, USS Ashtabula 1968-70
U.S. Navy and Marine Corps Museum / Naval Aviation Museum photo #1996.488.198.018	333k	*USS Ashtabula* (AO-51) simultaneously refueling the USS Kearsarge (CVS-33) and USS Bronstein (DE-1037)** off the Vietnam coast in the Gulf of Tonkin, 22 June 1969. U.S. Navy photo #1996.488.198.018 from the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps Museum / Naval Aviation Museum	Mike Green and Robert Hurst
US Navy photo	667k		Mike Green and Robert Hurst
091905132	441k	*USS Ashtabula* (AO-51) conducting an underway replenishment with USS Oriskany (CVA-34) in the South China Sea, in 1969 Photos by R.T. Wheeler USS Oriskany (CAV-34)**, shared by his daughter Shireen Wheeler	Bob Canchola
091905133	382k
091905134	454k
091905135	371k
091905136	402k
091905137	315k
091905138	409k
091905130	97k	*USS Ashtabula* (AO-51) conducting an underway replenishment with USS Saratoga (CVA-60) in the South China Sea, 9 June 1972. Photos by Bruce A. Hevner USS Mispillion (AO-105)**	Bob Canchola
091905131	137k		Bob Canchola
	64k	*USS Ashtabula* (AO-51)** refueling an unidentified destroyer off the coast of Vietnam, with USCGC Rush (WHEC 723) making an approach to starboard, circa 1970s	Joe Radigan MACM USN Ret USCGC Rush web site
	135k	*USS Ashtabula* (AO-51)** under way circa 1970s, location unknown.	Richard Miller BMCS USNR Ret.
	104k	*USS Ashtabula* (AO-51)** under way at Naval Station Pearl Harbor, HI., date unknown. US Navy photo from "All Hands" magazine, February 1981.	Joe Radigan MACM USN Ret.
	108k	*USS Ashtabula* (AO-51) refuels USS Ticonderoga (CVA-14)** while operating off the coast of Vietnam, circa early 1966. US Navy photo received for the "All Hands" magazine Editorial Department, 14 February 1966. US Navy photo# NH 97487 from the collections of the US Naval Historical Center.	US Naval Historical Center
	72k	*USS Ashtabula* (AO-51)** underway in the Gulf of Tonkin, circa 1970s.	Richard Miller BMCS USNR Ret.
	177k	*USS Ashtabula* (AO-51) conducting an underway replenishment with USS Saratoga (CVA-60) and USS Sarsfield (DD-837)** in the South China Sea, 17 May 1972	Glenn Sirkis MMSN STREAM Team A-Division USS Ashtabula WestPac 1971-1972
	127k	*USS Ashtabula* (AO-51)** at anchor at Hong Kong in 1975. Photos courtesy of Karsten Petersen, Sailor-Global Images.	Robert Hurst
	122k		Robert Hurst
	39k	*USS Ashtabula* (AO-51)** at anchor in Subic Bay, Philippines, date unknown.	Richard Miller BMCS USN Ret.
	77k	*USS Ashtabula* (AO-51) moored pierside to at Naval Station Subic Bay in March 1981. USNS Mercury (T-AKR-10)** on the opposite side of the pier is taking on containerized cargo. US Navy photo from "US Amphibious Boats and Craft", by Norman Friedman.	Robert Hurst
	123k	*USS Ashtabula(AO-51)* moored port side to at Naval Station Subic Bay, date unknown.	Richard Miller BMCS USNR Ret.
	64k	Ex-*USS Ashtabula(AO-51)* as target ship. In all, *Ashtabula* was subjected to eight Harpoon missiles, two standard (SM-2) missiles, three Sea Skua missiles, four bombs from S-3 Vikings, and over 100 rounds of gunfire from 3", 100mm, and 5" guns.	Joe Radigan MACM USN Ret
	64k	This 15 October 2000 view shows a close-up of ex-*USS Ashtabula* (AO-51)**'s stern, where a Sea Skua missile scored a hit. The missile was equipped with a penetration warhead, so it exploded inside the ship, causing major internal destruction but leaving relatively little external evidence	Joe Radigan MACM USN Ret
	64k	Despite the terrific pounding she suffered from a force of seven US, British and French ships on October 14th, ex *USS Ashtabula* (AO-51) remained afloat the next day. She was finally sent to the bottom by demolition charges. The frigate in the background is USS Thach (FFG 43)**.	Joe Radigan MACM USN Ret
	64k	The last view of ex-USS Ashtabula, a tough ship by any standards, or a sad commentary on modern day missiles. Frigate in the background is *USS Thach* (FFG 43)**.	Joe Radigan MACM USN Ret

USS Ashtabula Miscellaneous Memorabilia
Contributed by Tommy Trampp	Contributed by Tommy Trampp

For more photos and information about USS Ashtabula, see;
Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships
USS Ashtabula 1943 - 2000

Commanding Officers
01	CDR. Modave, Louis Joseph	7 August 1943 - 10 June 1944
02	LCDR. Barnett Jr., Walter	10 June 1944 - 15 December 1944
03	LCDR. Reece, Miles K., USNR	15 December 1944 - 18 December 1945
04	CDR. Street, Gordon M., USNR	18 December 1945 - 25 December 1945
05	LT. Aptel, Arthur	25 December 1945 - 11 January 1946
06	LCDR. Boarman, Charles Samuel	11 January 1946 - 18 February 1946
07	CAPT. Ely, George Ernest	18 February 1946 - 16 May 1946
08	CAPT. Johnson, Harry Darlington	16 May 1946 - 12 September 1947
09	CAPT. White, William, USN (USNA 1926)	12 September 1947 - 20 December 1948
10	CAPT. Corwin, John Thomas	20 December 1948 - 17 April 1950
11	CAPT. Williams, John Alton	17 April 1950 - 20 August 1951
12	CAPT. Wauchope, Frank W., USNR	20 August 1951 - 22 April 1953
13	CAPT. Roessler, Anthony Carroll	22 April 1953 - 7 June 1955
14	CAPT. Robards, William Camp Fitzhugh	7 June 1955 - 6 June 1956
15	CAPT. Shepard, Richard Daniels	17 August 1957 - June 1958
16	CAPT. Neyman Jr., Clinton Andrew	June 1958 - 15 August 1958
17	CAPT. Jones, Axton Turner	15 August 1958 - 26 September 1959
18	CAPT. Gallagher, Harry Joseph	26 September 1959 - 22 September 1960
19	CAPT. Lambert, Valdemar Greene :RADM	22 September 1960 - 22 September 1961
20	CAPT. Gray Jr., Oscar Edward, USN (1940) :RADM	22 September 1961- 20 September 1962
21	CAPT. Hill, John Starr	20 September 1962 - 9 August 1963
22	CAPT. Norrington Jr., William Edward	9 August 1963 - 27 August 1964
23	CAPT. Boe, Nils William	27 August 1964 - 11 October 1965
24	CAPT. Graham, Ralph Ellsworth	11 October 1965 - 1 July 1967
25	CAPT. Doney, Robert Gerald (Jerry)	1 July 1967 - 22 March 1968
26	LCDR. Fassett, Harold Steven	22 March 1968 - 5 August 1968
27	CAPT. Koehler, Robert Herbert	5 August 1968 - 30 January 1970
28	CAPT. Davies, James Wilson	30 January 1970 - 18 May 1971
29	CAPT. McConnell Jr., James Henry	18 May 1971 - 29 September 1972
30	CAPT. Dickins, Richard Amos	29 September 1972 - 26 June 1974
31	CAPT. Peelle, Morris Albert (Moe)	26 June 1974 - 24 October 1975
32	CAPT. Wynn Jr., Carl Everett	24 October 1975 - 28 January 1977
33	CAPT. Batzler, John Richard, USN :RADM	28 January 1977 - 25 August 1978
34	CAPT. Leeds, Rene Wesley (Sam)	25 August 1978 - 15 July 1979
35	CAPT. Woods, Brian Dunstan	15 July 1979 - 26 January 1981
36	CAPT. Ready, John Kenneth :VADM	26 January 1981 - 30 September 1982


Courtesy Wolfgang Hechler and Ron Reeves

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

Additional Resources and Web Sites of Interest
MARAD Vessel History Database

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Last Updated 18 October 2024