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NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive

Contributed by Al Grazevich

USS Great Sitkin (AE-17)

International Radio Call Sign:
November - Uniform - India - Delta
NUID
JANAP Tactical Voice Radio Call Sign - Glamour (I)ndia - Section 6A of JANAP 119(F) 1968

Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons

Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - American Campaign Medal - World War II Victory Medal - National Defense Service Medal (2)
Bottom Row - Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (1-Cuba) - Vietnam Service Medal (2) - Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal

Mount Hood Class Ammunition Ship:

Laid down (date unknown), as a Maritime Commission type (C2-S-AJ1) hull under Maritime Commission contract (MC hull 1706) at North Carolina Shipbuilding Co., Wilmington, N.C.

Launched, 20 January 1945

Commissioned USS Great Sitkin (AE-17), 11 August 1945, at Charleston, S.C., LCDR. William F. Smith in command

During the Vietnam War USS Great Sitkin participated in the following campaigns:

Campaign and Dates	Campaign and Dates
Vietnam War Campaigns
Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase IV 1 to 12 May 1968 25 May to 8 June 1968	Vietnamese Counteroffensive - Phase V 23 September to 4 October 1968

Decommissioned, date unknown

Struck from the Naval Register, 2 July 1973

USS Great Sitkin earned two campaign stars for Vietnam War service

Final Disposition, sold by the Defense Reutilization and Marketing Service for scrapping, 1 March 1974 to US Ship Co., Camden, N.J. for $152,666,60, dismantled, March to October 1974.

Specifications:
Displacement 15,295 t.(fl)
Length 459' 2"
Beam 63'
Draft 28' 3"
Speed 16.4 kts (trial)

Complement

Officers 23

Enlisted 244

Largest Boom Capacity 35 t.

Cargo Capacity 7,275 DWT

non-refrigerated 400,000 Cu. ft.

Armament

one single 5"/38 cal dual purpose gun mount

four single 3"/50 cal dual purpose gun mounts

two twin 40mm AA gun mounts

eight twin 20mm AA gun mounts

Fuel Capacity NSFO 10,925 Bbls

Propulsion

one General Electric geared turbine engine

two Combustion Engineering "header-type" boilers, 450psi 750°

double General Electric Main Reduction Gears

three 300Kw 120V/240V D.C. Ship's Service Generators

single propeller, 6,000shp

Size	Image Description	Source
100k	*USS Great Sitkin* (AE-17)** underway off Charleston Navy Yard, Charleston, S.C., 15 August 1945, a few days after commissioning and a few days before completion of conversion. US National Archives, RG-19-LCM, photo # 19-N-87473, a US Navy Bureau of Ships photo now in the collections of the US National Archives, courtesy Shipscribe.com.	Robert Hurst
63k	*USS Great Sitkin* (AE-17)** underway, date and location unknown. US Navy photo from "All Hands" magazine August 1959	Joe Radigan MACM USN Ret.
28k	*USS Great Sitkin* (AE-17)** under way in port in 1961, location unknown.	Richard Miller BMCS USNR Ret.
77k	*USS Great Sitkin* (AE-17)** underway, date and location unknown. US Navy photo from "All Hands" magazine October 1962	Joe Radigan MACM USN Ret.
69k	*USS Great Sitkin* (AE-17) is left behind as USS Lester (DE-1022)** pulls away after an underway replenishment of ammunition, date and location unknown. US Navy photo from "All Hands" magazine October 1962	Joe Radigan MACM USN Ret.
275k	*USS Great Sitkin* (AE-17) delivers ammunition to USS Springfield (CLG-7)** during an underway replenishment in the Mediterranean Sea during 1965	William C. Swisher
225k	*USS Great Sitkin* (AE-17) rearming USS America (CVA-66)** while underway in the Mediterranean Sea in 1965.	Thomas Becher
87k	*USS Great Sitkin* (AE-17)** underway, date and location unknown.	Hyperwar US Navy in WWII
78k	*USS Great Sitkin* (AE-17)** underway, date and location unknown.	Hyperwar US Navy in WWII
160k	*USS Great Sitkin* (AE-17)** underway in the Mediterranean Sea in May 1967.	Photo by Jim McCoy
167k	*USS Great Sitkin* (AE-17)** moored in the harbor at Genoa, Italy, date unknown	Carlo Martinelli
117k	*USS Great Sitkin* (AE-17)** moored pierside, date and location unknown.	Tommy Trampp
71k	*USS Great Sitkin* (AE-17) and USS Wrangell (AE-12)** moored pierside, date and location unknown.	Richard Miller BMCS USNR Ret.
243k	*USS Great Sitkin* (AE-17)** under way in the Atlantic Ocean, date unknown. US Navy photo.	Mike Smolinski
78k	*USS Great Sitkin* (AE-17)** at anchor, date and location unknown.	Richard Miller BMCS USNR Ret.
156k	*USS Great Sitkin* (AE-17)** scale model courtesy motionmodels.com.	Richard Miller BMCS USNR Ret.
123k		Richard Miller BMCS USNR Ret.

For more photos and information about USS Great Sitkin, see;
Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)
MARAD Vessel History Database
USS Great Sitkin Association
AE/AOE Sailors Association

Commanding Officers
	LT. Guyon, Elmer Edward, USNR (Ferry Command Crew # 1)	19 February 1945 - 21 February 1945
	Decommissioned	21 February 1945 - 11 August 1945
01	CDR. Smith, William F., USNR	11 August 1945 - 21 February 1946
02	CAPT. Perry, Emil Bates, USN	21 February 1946 - 23 July 1946
03	CAPT. Catterton, Max Lee	23 July 1946 - July 1947
04	CAPT. Hindman, Joseph Aloysius Esten	July 1947 - June 1948
05	CAPT. Busck, Vilhelm Klein,	June 1948 - July 1949
06	CAPT. Watson Jr., William Henry,	July 1949 - July 1950
07	CAPT. King, George Edward,	July 1950 - July 1951
08	CAPT. Butler Jr., William Clayton, RADM	July 1951 - January 1952
09	CAPT. Phillips, George Lincoln,	January 1952 - 10 January 1953
10	CAPT. Whitfield Jr., James Dickson,	10 January 1953 - 14 December 1953
11	CAPT. Wolseiffer, Frederick, USN	14 December 1953 - July 1955
12	CAPT. Gage, Norman Dwight,	July 1955 - 28 June 1956
13	CAPT. Brock, James Ward, RADM	28 June 1956 - 9 August 1957
14	CAPT. Hahn, Harry Barrett,	9 August 1957 - 21 September 1958
15	CAPT. Schlech Jr., Walter Frederick, RADM	21 September 1958 - 09 September 1959
16	CAPT. Stebbins, Edgar Erwin,	09 September 1959 - 15 August 1960
17	CAPT. Manning, William James,	15 August 1960 - 21 July 1961
18	CAPT. Weinel, John Philip, ADM	21 July 1961 - 18 July 1962
19	CAPT. Burley Jr., Thomas Grover, USN (USNA 1941)	18 July 1962 - 12 July 1963
20	CAPT. Boyle Jr., John Earl,	12 July 07.1963 - 14 July 1964
21	CAPT. English Jr., Elbert Hartwell	14 July 1964 - 16 July 1965
22	CAPT. Esler Jr., Clifford Myers, USN (USNA 1942)	16 July 1965 - 27 July 1966
23	CAPT. Boice, Grant	27 July 1966 - 14 September 1967
24	CAPT. Riehl Jr., Julian William,	14 September 1967 - 23 December 1968
25	CAPT. Hermann, Edward Paul,	23 December 1968 - 30 January 1970
26	CAPT. Gerhard Jr., Harry E. RADM	30 January 1970 - 26 October 1970
27	CAPT. Rohrer, Paul W. :RADM	26 October 1970 - 16 July 1972
28	CAPT. Buchwald, Robert Dale	16 July 1972 - 23 March 1973
29	LCDR. La Pean Sr., James W.	23 March 1973 - 02 July 1973


Courtesy Wolfgang Hechler and Ron Reeves

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

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Last Updated 9 March 2018