Senators Norm Coleman (R-MN) and John McCain (R-AZ)
On June 22, 2007 Their cover letter is behind the links above.
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July 6, 1955 by Senator Hubert H. Humphrey (D., Minn.) She was
launched in December of 1954 and sponsored by Mrs. Edmund T. Woodridge,
wife of Vice Adm. Wooldridge. Commander of the 2nd Fleet,
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 Kawishiwi
is named after a river
near Ely USS
Kawishiwi AO-146
Is a 40,000 ton Navy fleet Oiler, used as a ?floating service station?. Not to be confused with a tanker that transports liquids between ports. Kawishiwi in a
typical
Underway Replenishment ?UNREP? configuration, left with USS Turner Joy and USS Kitty Hawk 23 April 1964 |
.The 1st commander of Kawishiwi was
Captain Joseph P. Swain, USN. He remained until 1957
This brochure has been prepared by Vern Bouwman
 They have guns for protection only. Work is required around the clock to service other ships and crew members feel important all the time. <>
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Nearly all persons have a negative image of an oiler. Refined fuel is transported on a fleet oiler, not crude oil. Navy Oilers have an excellent record for keeping their fuel out of the ecology threatened waters. Every navy sailor, officers especially, has had second thoughts about serving on an oiler when they are first assigned. When their duty is over, they say it was the best duty they have had. Oilers
are a service station, not a war machine.  |
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In the two photos above, Kawishiwi was full of
fuel as is always planned when a storm is approaching. The next page
shows an approaching typhoon as Kawishiwi
experienced off
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The Clinometer, shown above, displays what degree rolls a ship is in. During this voyage, the ship being empty, she rolled beyond 40° and the meter had to be removed from the bulkhead, turned over and replaced to get it back to porper working order. |
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The image at right displays
only a 15° lyroll. Just think what a 40° roll might be like.
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Hoses
that deliver fuel to Kawishiwi?s
customers are arranged in rigs like those shown at right with USS Enterprise CVA-65
approaching. When the customer sees that probe coming at them they
better be ready to take on fuel. |
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The
probe takes many hours of maintenance. If you look closely you can see
it looks just like those used in aerial refueling. Well that?s were the
idea came from; the air force had it first. |
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| A typical rig set up is shown above. The Span Wire is the first component of a setup. | |
To place the connecting span
wire to the customer’s ship, a small line is shot to her with a hand
gun. In the 60’s this was done buy a man’s strong hand toss. The rig saddles and hoses are not small.  Many winches are used to handle the hoses.  |
 The ships use signal flags for communication in making this connection. The first section of hand line to the customer includes a physical pair of wires so communication can be carried out by voice. This
ship has 8 stations on the 01 deck with 2, 3, or 4 valves to connect
the fuel line hoses to.
On the
main deck below are the pipes that connect the pipes to the ships tanks. |
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This ship also has a stern refueling rig, installed after her 3 inch guns were removed. All of this action involves every member of the oilers crew, and a good share of the customer’s crew. In the Jan. 2007 issue of “PROCEEDINGS”, Capt. Charles M. Gaouette USN, commander of USS Bunker Hill CG-52, describes the duties of commanding a ship. During UNREP he called his encounter, “FELLING THE BURN”. If you don’t feel it, you may not know what it going on. |
 This is UNREP This is VERTREP Both are necessary Supplies transferred may not just be fuel. It can include food, repair parts and even bombs and powder casings. |
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Kawishiwi?s
history includes her being
present during two Apollo Recoveries at sea. Logistics necessary for
the recovery were maintained on the oiler.
Her
Apollo XIII involvement was one of her proud moments, 17 April 1970.  The practice module at right
was used by many ships prepared to handle a recovery if their ship
happened to be the closest to the space ship landing. This photo was
taken during Apollo 15 recovery, 7 August, 1971.
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Another
proud duty for Kawishiwi
was her part in “OPERATION FREQUENT WIND”, the Saigon Evacuation. First
her fuel was transferred to the carriers, then
helicopters used the fuel to evacuate refuges from the area. Being at the scene, Kawishiwi
was the 1st naval vessel to receive refugees and transport them to an
island in the
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Kawishiwi
’s , . is moored very
quietly in California's Suisum Bay, up river from San Francisco. The
U.S. Maritime Admisitration is responsible for the custody,
presevation, maintenance and operation of the Ready Reserve Force
ships.
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| The
number ?1? spots the stern refueling rig on Kawishiwi,
here in row ?G?. Ships are L/R, Mispillion, Hassayampa, Kawishiwi, Pyro (now gone), Ponchatoula and Nereus. |
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One Mooring location in
The ODYSSEY Maritime
Other
Mooring thoughts can be found at:
http://www.memorieshop.com/Seattle/broucher.html
This ship
can be made useful. It is our duty to make sure she is.
See one
way she could be
configured. Additional decks within the tanks for storage,
tanks used to store
water or fuel, all needed in the area she is moored when disaster
strikes.
The
tank compartments as well other existing compartments and
above deck spaces can
also be used for museum displays.
Even
HOMELAND SECURITY
could utilize the command area for example,
for and outpost to watch over the
local harbor.
Perhaps a couple tanks could be used for research of local
waters.
A 5th
possible use would
be to house “HOMELESS VETERANS” in the many sleeping compartments.
See green
compartments in deck plans below.
01 Deck 02 Deck  |
Main Deck 03 Deck  |
PLEASE MAKE
CONTACT
WITH YOUR
U.S. SENATOR
AND
REQUEST
THAT THIS SHIP BE REMOVED FROM
DISPOSAL STATUS
AND
PLACE ON
At Duwamish Head, Kawishiwi would be attracted to everyone, from all directions.
If HOMELAND SECURITY were aboard, they would have the best spot on the bay
for observing every day action. A 5on. 38 and a quad 3in. 50 could be mounted for looks.
GETTING REAL SERIOUS, A WORKING MK15 PHALANX COULD BE MOUNTED JUST BEHIND THE STACK.
Print
out this set of pages from a WORD
DOCUMENT
Go To: Museum Proposal
Page