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NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive

Contributed by Mike Smolinski

Contributed by Al Grazevich

USS Kansas City (AOR-3)

International Radio Call Sign:
November - Zulu - Charlie - Mike NZCM

Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons

Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation (2)
Second Row - Navy Battle "E" Ribbon (3) - Navy Expeditionary Medal (2-Iran/Indian Ocean) - National Defense Service Medal
Third Row - Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (Persian Gulf, Op. Restore Hope Somalia) - Vietnam Service Medal (3) - Southwest Asia Service Medal
Fourth Row - Humanitarian Service Medal (1- Boat People) - Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal - Kuwait Liberation Medal (Kuwait)

Wichita Class Replenishment Oiler:

Laid down, 18 April 1968, at General Dynamics Corp., Quincy, MA.

Launched, 28 June 1969

Commissioned USS Kansas City (AOR-3), 6 June 1970, CAPT. Karl J. Christoph Jr. USN in command

During the Vietnam War USS Kansas City (AOR-3) participated in the following campaigns:

Campaigns and Dates	Campaigns and Dates
Vietnam War Campaigns
Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase VII 12 to 27 June 1971	Vietnam Ceasefire 5 to 28 May 1972 9 to 24 June 1972 4 to 19 July 1972 28 July to 15 August 1972 29 August to 8 September 1972 27 September to 18 October 1972 1 to 26 November 1972
Consolidation I 9 to 26 July 1971 6 to 30 August 1971 6 to 8 September 1971 26 September to 13 October 1971 21 October to 3 November 1971

Decommissioned, 7 October 1994

Laid up, 10 October 1994, in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, Suisun Bay, Benecia, CA.

Struck from the Naval Register, 8 April 1997

USS Kansas City earned the Meritorious Unit Commendation and the Vietnam Service Medal with three campaign stars for Vietnam War service

Custody transferred to MARAD, 24 February 2001

Final Disposition, sold, 11 June 2013, to All Star Metals, Brownsville, TX. (MA 14321)

Removed to Mare Island for cleaning, 31 July 2013

Removed from Mare Island, 16 August 2013 under tow by M/V Rachel to Brownsville, TX.

Arrived, 20 October 2013, at All Star Metals, Brownsville, TX

Specifications:
Displacement 14,048 t.(lt) 39,790 t.(fl)
Length 659'
Beam 96'
Draft 37' (max.)
Speed 20 kts.

Complement

Officers 34

Enlisted 463

Armament

two Phalanx Close-In-Weapons System (CIWS)

Sparrow Missile System (NSSMS)

Aircraft two CH-46E Sea Knight helicopters

Propulsion

two steam turbines

three boilers

twin propellers, 32,000shp

Click On Image For Full Size Image	Size	Image Description	Source
	92k	Kansas City (AOR-3) on the builders ways at General Dynamics Corp., Quincy, MA., 27 June 1969, is lighted up with activity as final preparations are made for her launching and christening the following day, 28 June 1969. Mrs. Harry Darby, wife of Kansas industrialist and former US Senator will christen the ship. AP Wirephoto.	Ron Reeves
	166k		Ron Reeves
	66k	Kansas City (AOR-3) ready for launching, 28 June 1969, at General Dynamics Corp., Quincy, MA.	Tommy Trampp
	163k	*USS Kansas City* (AOR-3)** under way, date and location unknown.	Richard Miller BMCS USNR Ret.
09210330	128k	*HMAS Brisbane* (D-41) crew members unpacking 5-inch main armament ammunition projectiles and powder canisters coming aboard from USS Kansas City (AOR-3)** off the coast of Vietnam in 1971. Photos from HMAS Brisbane by Bob Westthorp RAN 1964-68.	Bob Canchola
	91k	*HMAS Brisbane* (D-41) breaks away from USS Kansas City (AOR-3)** after completing a replenishment-at-sea off the coast of Vietnam in 1971. Photos from HMAS Brisbane by Bob Westthorp RAN 1964-68.	Bob Canchola
	84k
	92k
	174k	*USS Kansas City* (AOR-3) underway while replenishing ,USS John Paul Jones (DDG-32) and USS Coral Sea (CVA-43)**, probably off the coast of California during a training/CarQual period, circa 1971-75.	Richard Miller BMCS USNR Ret.
09065947	149k	*USS Kansas City* (AOR-3) underway in WestPac preparing to conduct an underway replenishment at sea with USS VEga (AF-59)*, May 1972. Photo taken from USS Mispillion (AO-105) by Bruce Hevner.*	Bob Canchola
09065948	129k		Bob Canchola
	67k	*USS Kansas City* (AOR-3)**, date and location unknown. US Navy photo	Courtesy Greg Peterman MMCM(SS) USN Ret via Brad Bradford ETC USNR Ret
	33k	*USS Kansas City* (AOR-3)**, date and location unknown. US Navy photo	.
	157k	Aerial view of NAS Alameda piers, circa July-August 1975. Ships present include from left to right: *USS Enterprise* (CVN-65), USS Coral Sea (CV-43), USS Kansas City (AOR-3), USS Wabash (AOR-5), and USS Oriskany (CV-34)** US Navy photo from the Naval Photographic Center, Washington, D.C.	Robert M. Cieri
	186k	*USS Kansas City* (AOR-3)** underway in San Francisco Bay in 1978, Note the Boeing-Vertol UH-46 Sea Knight. Photos by Karsten Petersen	Robert Hurst
	171k
	226k
	57k	*USS Kansas City* (AOR-3)**, dry docked, at San Francisco, circa early to mid-1980s.	Photo by Mark Townsend via Brad Bradford ETC USNR Ret
09210333	119k	Overhead view of *USS Kansas City* (AOR-3) refueling the aircraft carrier USS Coral Sea (CV-43) and escorts, in 1983. Coral Sea*, with assigned Carrier Air Wing 14* (CVW-14), was on her round-the-world cruise from 21 March to 12 September 1983. U.S. Navy photo from the USS Kansas City (AOR-3) 1983 cruise book	Robert Hurst
	92k	*USS Kansas City* (AOR-3)** underway in San Francisco Bay, date unknown	Richard Miller BMCS USNR Ret.
	117k	*USS Kansas City* (AOR-3)** underway, date and location unknown.	Richard Miller BMCS USNR Ret. and Mark Townsend via Brad Bradford ETC USNR Ret
	260k	*USS Kansas City* (AOR-3)** underway in the Pacific Ocean, 2 July 1987. DVIC photo # DN-SC-05-07454, a US Navy photo, by PHAN K. Mcelreath USN, now in the collections of the Defense Visual Information Center.	Bill Gonyo
	48k	*USS Kansas City* (AOR-3)** underway, date and location unknown.	Richard Miller BMCS USNR Ret.
	64k	Overhead view of *USS Kansas City* (AOR-3)** underway, date and location unknown. US Navy photo from the collections of the US Navy Memorial	Stan Svec
09210332	263k	*USS Kansas City* (AOR-3)** underway out bound to sea from San Francisco, Bay, date unknown.	Nicholas Tiberio
	512k	*USS Kansas City* (AOR-3)** underway on the Columbia River, 8 June 1989. Photos by Rick Garcia	Chris Howell, Southland Ship Stores Limited, Port of Bluff, N.Z.
	458k
MARAD Suisun Bay Group Reserve Fleet
	249k	Ex-*USS Kansas City* (AOR-3)** laid up in reserve in the Maritime Administration National Defense Reserve Fleet Suisun Bay, Benecia, CA. US Maritime Administration photos	Ron Reeves
	214k		Ron Reeves
	97k	Ex-*USS Kansas City* (AOR-3)** at the former Mare Island Naval Shipyard for cleaning, 31 July 2013, prior to being towed to Brownsville, TX. for dismantling.	Photo by Mike McCullough
	75k	Tugs MV Z Four and MV Lynn Marie move ex-*USS Kansas City* (AOR-3)** out of Drydock No. 2 at the former Mare Island Naval Shipyard after cleaning, 16 August 2013, prior to being towed to Brownsville, TX. for dismantling.	Photo by Mike McCullough

USS Kansas City Additional Ships Patches
Contributed by Mike Smolinski	Contributed by Kevin Mook

USS Kansas City (AOR-3)
Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)

Commanding Officers
01	CAPT. Christoph Jr., Karl John, USN (USNA 1948-A) :RADM	6 June 1970 - 27 September 1971
02	CDR. Schwoefferman, Robert Eugen, USN (USNA 1948-B) (acting)	27 September 1971 - 28 September 1971
03	CAPT. Craven, Phillip Robert, USN	28 September 1971 28 October 1972
04	CAPT. Schwoefferman, Robert Eugen, USN (USNA 1948-B)	28 October 1972 - February 1974
05	CAPT. Henriques Jr., David Nunes, USN	2 February 1973 - July 1974
06	CAPT. Hansen, Ronald Ralph, USN	29 July 1974 - 29 June 1976
07	CAPT. Moore, Thomas George, USN	29 June 1976 - 28 October 1977
08	CAPT. Wilson Jr., John R. (Smoke), USN	28 October 1977 - 12 January 1979
09	CAPT. Brooks, Dennis Mathew, USN (USNA 1957) :RADM	12 January 1979 - 14 June 1980
10	CAPT. Scoffield, Gary Adam, USN	14 June 1980 - 8 January 1982
11	CAPT. Brown Jr., Ralph Edward, USN	8 January 1982 - 26 January 1984
12	CAPT. Churchill, Bruce William, USN (USNA 1961)	26 January 1984 - 16 August 1985
13	CAPT. Anselmo, Philip Shepard, USN :RADM	16 August 1985 - 3 April 1987
14	CAPT. Christensen Jr., Ernest Edward, USN (USNA 1964)	3 April 1987 - 6 January 1989
15	CAPT. Pivonka, Leo Michael, USN	6 January 1989 - 6 February 1991
16	CAPT. Franson, William Eric, USN	6 February 1991 - 11 August 1992
17	CAPT. Malone, Michael Dennis, USN (USNA 1970) :VADM	11 August 1992 - 25 July 1994
18	CAPT. Boyer, Philip Owen, USN	25 July 1994 - 7 October 1994


Courtesy Wolfgang Hechler and Ron Reeves

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

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This page is created and maintained by Gary P. Priolo

Last Updated 23 June 2023