USS Camden (AOE-2)

USS Camden (AOE-2)
History
United States
Name:	USS Camden
Namesake:	Camden, New Jersey
Awarded:	25 April 1963
Builder:	New York Shipbuilding
Cost:	Approx. $458 million
Laid down:	17 February 1964
Launched:	29 May 1965
Acquired:	11 March 1967
Commissioned:	1 April 1967
Decommissioned:	14 October 2005
Struck:	14 October 2005
Homeport:	Bremerton, Washington
Identification:	05833
Motto:	Flexibility, Readiness, Endurance
Nickname(s):	The Powerful Pachyderm of the Pacific
Honors and awards:	Navy Unit Commendation x 4 Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation x 3 Navy Battle "E" Ribbon x 3 Navy Expeditionary Medal-Iran Indian Ocean x 3 Navy Expeditionary Medal-Persian Gulf x 2 National Defense Service Medal Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal x 9 Vietnam Service Medal x 7 Southwest Asia Service Medal Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal
Fate:	Scrapped at ESCO Marine, Brownsville, TX. Scrapping complete May 13, 2008
General characteristics
Class and type:	Sacramento-class fast combat support ship
Displacement:	20,717 long tons (21,049 t) light 53,138 long tons (53,991 t) full
Length:	796 ft (243 m)
Beam:	107 ft (33 m)
Draft:	38 ft (12 m)
Propulsion:	4 × 600 psi (4,100 kPa) @ 856 °F (458 °C) boilers 2 × steam turbines 2 × shafts 2 × 23 ft (7.0 m) propellers 100,000 shp (75 MW)
Speed:	30 kn (56 km/h) 30 kn (35 mph)
Boats & landing craft carried:	2 × 26 ft (7.9 m) Motor Whale Boats 2 × 33 ft (10 m) Personnel Boats
Capacity:	Fuel Oil: 5,200,000 US gal (20,000,000 l) Aviation fuel (JP-5): 2,700,000 US gal (10,000,000 l) Dry/Refrigerated Stores: 675 t (675,000 kg)
Complement:	27 officers, 587 enlisted
Armament:	2 × 20 mm Phalanx CIWS Mark 15 guns 1 × 8 cell NATO Sea Sparrow Mark 29 missile launcher Super Rapid Blooming Off-Board Chaff (SRBOC) system
Aircraft carried:	2 × SH-60 Seahawk Helicopters

The USS Camden (AOE-2) is the second ship of the United States Navy named after the city of Camden, New Jersey that lies on the Delaware River across from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was a Sacramento-class fast combat support ship, combining the functions of three logistic support ships in one hull - fleet oiler (AO), ammunition ship (AE), and refrigerated stores ship (AF).

Camden was commissioned 1 April 1967 as the second of four vessels in its class. It was also the 542nd and final contract in the 68-year history of New York Shipbuilding, and the last vessel completed and launched at the shipyard. It was assigned to the Pacific Fleet in September 1967 and was initially homeported in Long Beach, California. For their accomplishments during her first deployment to WestPac in 1968-1969, her crew was awarded the Meritorious Unit Commendation.

In August 1974, Camden moved to its new homeport of Bremerton, Washington. The ship operated extensively up and down the West Coast of the United States and deployed frequently to the Western Pacific and Indian Oceans to support units of the Seventh Fleet.

In 1980, Camden moved again to the homeport of Bremerton, Washington for an overhaul.

On 20 July 1983 The New York Times reported that the Camden along with seven other vessels in the Carrier Ranger Battle Group left San Diego on Friday 15 July 1983 and were headed for the western Pacific when they were rerouted and ordered to steam for Central America to conduct training and flight operations in areas off the coasts of Nicaragua, El Salvador and Honduras as part of major military exercises planned for that summer.

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