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| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | USSFlint |
| Awarded | 8 March 1968 |
| Builder | Ingalls Shipbuilding |
| Laid down | 4 August 1969 |
| Launched | 9 November 1970 |
| Acquired | 30 August 1971 |
| Commissioned | 20 November 1971 |
| Decommissioned | 4 August 1995 |
| In service | Transferred toMilitary Sealift Command 4 August 1995 |
| Identification | |
| Motto |
|
| Fate | Sold for scrap 24 November 2015[1] |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Kilauea-classammunition ship |
| Displacement |
|
| Length | 564 ft (172 m) |
| Beam | 81 ft (25 m) |
| Draft | 29 ft (8.8 m) |
| Speed | 20knots (37 km/h; 23 mph) |
| Complement | 28 officers and 375 enlisted |
USSFlint (AE-32/T-AE-32) is aKilauea-classammunition ship of theUnited States Navy, and was named after the sparking rockflint (not, as is commonly thought, the city ofFlint, Michigan).[2]Flint was constructed at theIngalls Nuclear Shipbuilding Division,Litton Industries, Inc.,Pascagoula, Mississippi. The ship was delivered to theUnited States Navy atCharleston, South Carolina, on 30 August 1971.
Flint is capable ofunderway replenishment at a sustained speed of 20 knots, which enables her to keep pace with fast-moving naval task forces. Her modern transfer-at-sea facilities included the capability of utilizing twoCH-46 Sea Knight helicopters for vertical replenishment (VERTREP). Normal alongside methods were improved by the installation of a ram tension wire system called STREAM – Standard Tensioned Replenishment Alongside Method.Flint's holds were specifically configured for ease of handling, loading and stowing ofmissiles, rocket boosters, and all types ofmunitions required by theFleet.Flint is capable of providing living accommodations for more than 400 men and women.
Several new design innovations were incorporated inFlint, including a bulbousbow for better streamlinedhull. Another innovation was the APS (Automated Propulsion System) essentially a central console in anair conditioned space in theengine room which gives automatic readings of the performance of the engineering plant and allowed the bridge to directly control the engines.
USSFlint was commissioned following extensive sea trials.[3] The ship then made a transit through thePanama Canal to its home port ofNaval Weapons Station,Concord, California.
Flint made its firstWestern Pacific (WestPac) deployment in fall of 1972. It participated in numerous underway replenishment activities with ships of the US7th Fleet in support of military operations off the coast of Vietnam including resupply of gunlinedestroyers and aircraft carriers participating inOperation Linebacker andOperation Linebacker II. Itshelicopter detachment flew hundreds of sorties ferrying munitions to US naval ships in the operational theatre.
In subsequent deployments in 1973–1974 and 1974–1975,Flint was assigned to naval forces in theGulf of Aden in support of operations monitoring theYom Kippur War, theVietnam evacuation task force (Operation Frequent Wind) and rescue forces involved in theMayagüez incident.
Flint served as ammunition supply ship during operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, 1990 to 1992.[3] A 22-year-old machinist mate, Thomas Mosley lost his life tragically while on board in October 1993. It is the only known death occurring while doing weapons elevator maintenance.
Flint completed 15 deployments to the western Pacific and received recognition for the dramatic 1978 rescue of 86 fishermen shipwrecked nearPalawan Island, Philippines, during atyphoon.
Flint was decommissioned at Naval Air Station Alameda, California, on 4 August 1995 after more than 23 years of service. The ship was transferred to theMilitary Sealift Command, at which time it became known as the USNSFlint (T-AE-32).
Under the Military Sealift Command,Flint operated with a smallercivilian crew operating the ship's major systems and a smaller Navy detachment responsible for communications and operational coordination. As an MSC asset,Flint participated in additional deployments to the Western Pacific andPersian Gulf.
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