USSButte(AE-27)
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| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | USSButte |
| Namesake | Butte, Montana |
| Ordered | 30 March 1965 |
| Laid down | 21 July 1966 |
| Launched | 9 August 1967 |
| Commissioned | 14 December 1968 |
| Decommissioned | 3 June 1996 |
| In service | Transferred to theMSC |
| Out of service | 24 May 2004 |
| Stricken | 24 May 2004 |
| Homeport |
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| Motto | "We keep the guns loaded" |
| Fate | Sunk as a target 3 July 2006 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Kilauea-classammunition ship |
| Displacement |
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| Length | 564 ft (172 m) |
| Beam | 81 ft (25 m) |
| Draught | 30 ft (9.1 m) |
| Propulsion |
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| Speed | 20 knots (37 km/h) |
| Complement |
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| Armament |
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| Aircraft carried | 2CH-46 Sea Knighthelicopters |
The secondUSSButte(AE-27)was aKilauea-classammunition shipin theUnited States Navy.She was laid down 21 July 1966 byGeneral Dynamics Quincy Shipbuilding DivisionatQuincy, Massachusetts,and was christened and launched 9 August 1967. She was commissioned on 14 December 1968 in theBoston Naval Shipyardand assigned to theU.S. Atlantic Fleet,originally homeported inNorfolk, Virginia.
Service history
[edit]During the crisis inJordanin 1970,Buttewas awarded aMeritorious Unit Commendationfor her peacekeeping role in that operation.
From December 1972 to July 1973 she operated in theTonkin Gulfand was awarded theVietnam Service Medalwith one battle star.
Shortly after getting underway from Norfolk on 3 September 1974,Buttesuffered a major fire in the main switchboard, disrupting all ship support electrical supply. She was towed back to the naval base for repairs which included replacing the switchboard.
In July 1978,Butte's homeport was temporarily shifted toBrooklyn,New York,where she underwent a major overhaul. In June 1979, her homeport then becameNaval Weapons Station Earle, New Jersey.Buttewas awarded the Navy Expeditionary Medal for a 1981 Indian Ocean deployment which also took her to the Mediterranean. A 1983 deployment tookButteto the shores of Beirut, Lebanon, where she was awarded the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal for her support of U.S. Embassies overseas, including those in Beirut, Lebanon, and Tunis, Tunisia. During a 1984-85 Mediterranean deployment, she was rated as best ship in Service Squadron Two and, in May 1985, was awarded the Battle Efficiency "E" in Engineering, Damage Control, Command Control and Communications, Navigation/Deck Seamanship and Fleet Support.Butteunderwent another major overhaul inMobile, Alabama,from August 1985 to May 1986.Buttewas a big part ofOperation Goldenrodduring a 1987Mediterraneandeployment when she helped with the arrest of two Lebanese terrorists in international waters off the coast ofLebanon.
Buttewas in Brooklyn, NY for a short Phased Maintenance refitting yard period from April 1990 to September 1990 whileOperation: Desert Shieldwas conducted. During the Brooklyn yard period, the ship was outfitted to accommodate its new female crew members. The shipyard allegedly did substandard repair work on the ship, and went bankrupt while the ship was in dry dock. The U.S. Navy sent theButteto the shipyards at Naval Station Philadelphia for inspection of work already done by the Brooklyn yard and to finish the repair work. That was from late 1990 til January 1991 and the beginning of the Gulf War. The Butte was still in Earle when the War ended. TheButtewould later spend a month off the coast of Cuba near Guantanamo Bay for pre-deployment Damage Control and firefighting training. The Butte did in fact, deploy to the Mediterranean in support of continuing operations in the Persian Gulf and Kuwait, and the crew received the Southwest Asia Service ribbon.
Final deployment
[edit]In September 1995,Buttebegan her last deployment as part of theUSSAmericabattlegroup. She spent October 1995 operating in theAdriatic Sea,supporting air strikes inBosniaas part ofOperation Deliberate Force.The ship also visitedCannes,France, as the U.S. Navy's representative to the annualAdmiral de Grassebirthday celebration. In mid-November,Butteheaded south through theSuez Canalinto theRed Sea.The ship delivered turkeys and other supplies for holiday meals to United States embassies in Jordan, Eritrea,YemenandDjibouti.Upon departure from thePersian Gulf,Buttereturned to theAdriatic,supporting theNATOPeace Implementation Forces inOperation Joint Endeavor.Between operations in theAdriaticin January and February, she spent her time completing ammunition exchanges and "rollback" among the ammunition facilities in theMediterranean.On her way home across theAtlanticin February 1996,ButteandAmericaconducted the last underway replenishment operation forAmericaprior to her decommission.Buttewas scheduled to return to port on 24 February 1996, however, offsetting winds aroundSandy Hook,kept her from entering port until 3 days later.
Decommissioning
[edit]She was decommissioned on 3 June 1996 and placed in service with theMilitary Sealift Command,where she became USNSButte(T-AE-27). Like five of the six other ships of her class, she was overhauled upon the transfer: accommodations were improved, the main armament was taken out and she was outfitted for reduced civilian crewing. On 24 May 2004, she was put out of service by the MSC, stricken from theNaval Vessel Registerand transferred to theNAVSEAInactive Ships Maintenance Facility inPhiladelphiaawaiting her disposal. On 3 July 2006, theex USS Buttewas sunk as a target off the east coast of theUnited StatesusingHarpoonmissiles, aMark 48 torpedofired from theUSSSan Juanand EOD explosives. Coincidentally, theprevious USSButtewas also sunk deliberately in 1948 after use as a target ship inOperation Crossroads.