Chronology of USS Observation Island (E-AG-154 / USNS Observation Island (T-AGM-23)
Compiled by David Campbell Quartermaster USS Observation Island 1968-1971 |
| September 15, 1952 | Keel Laid - Camden, New Jersey |
| August 15, 1953 | Launched as Empire State Mariner |
| September 10, 1956 | Transferred to the US Navy |
| October 15, 1957 | Conversion Authorized, Baltimore, Maryland |
| April 1, 1958 | Training of Crew started |
| December 5, 1958 | Commissioned as EAG154 at Norfolk, Virginia - CAPT. Leslie Slack, in command |
| January 3, 1959 | Operational Readiness Training, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba - Transit to Port Canaveral, Florida |
| March 1959 | Transit to Portsmouth, Virginia - SINS Installation
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| June, 1959 | Transit to Port Canaveral, Florida
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| August 27, 1959 | Polaris A1 Launch
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| August 30, 1959 | Transit to Portsmouth, Virginia - Polaris Launch Tube Installation
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| January 1960 | Transit to Port Canaveral, Florida
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| March 29, 1960 | A1X Test Vehicle Launched
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| March, 1960 | Captain Thomas King Jr. Assumed Command
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| 1960 | 6 Additional Polaris A1 Launches
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| Fall 1960 | Transit to Portsmouth, Virginia
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| December, 1960 | Transit to Port Canaveral, Florida
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| December 15, 1960 | Awarded Navy Unit Commendation
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| February, 1961 | Captain Gideon Boyd Assumed Command
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| March 1, 1961 | Polaris A2 Launch
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| Nov. & Dec. 1961 | Conducted surveys on Atlantic Missile Range
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| January, 1962 | Transit to Portsmouth, Virginia - Second Polaris Launch Tube Installation
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| March 1, 1962 | Transit to Port Canaveral, Florida
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| April 1962 | Captain John Williams Assumed Command
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| September & October 1962 | Polaris A2 Launches
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| April 10, 1963 | Polaris A3 Launch
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| April-June 1963 | Conducted surveys on Atlantic Missile Range
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| August 16, 1963 | Captain Roderick Middleton Assumed Command
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| September 26, 1963 | Polaris A3 Launch
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| November 16, 1963 | President John F. Kennedy Visit
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| March 6, 1964 | Transit to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii
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| May 15, 1964 | Transit to Port Canaveral, Florida
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| May 24, 1964 | Inport: Acapulco, Mexico
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| July 23, 1964 | Captain Kenneth Wallace Assumed Command
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| October 10, 1964 | Transit to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii
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| October 27, 1964 | Inport: San Diego, Ca.
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| December 13, 1964 | Underway to Hong Kong
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| December 22, 1964 | Inport: Hong Kong
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| January 2, 1965 | Inport: Subic Bay, Philippines
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| January 10, 1965 | Inport: Guam
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| January 29, 1965 | Captain Napier Assumed Command
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| February 12, 1965 | Inport: Kwajalein Island
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| April 9. 1965 | Arrival: Pearl Harbor, Hawaii
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| March, 1965 | Transit to Portsmouth, Virginia
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| May, 1965 | Transit to Port Canaveral, Florida
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| 1965 | Port Visit:Bermuda
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| 1965 | Port Visit: Trinidad
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| 1966 | Captain J.J. Hancotte Assumed Command
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| 1966 | Two Trips to Pearl Harbor and Pacific Missile Range for launches
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| April, 1967 | Transit to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii
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| August, 1967 | Transit to Port Canaveral, Florida
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| October, 1967 | Transit to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii
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| October, 1967 | Polaris A3 Launch
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| December, 1967 | Transit to Port Canaveral, Florida
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| January, 1968 | Transit to Bangor, Washington
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| January, 1968 | Transit to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii
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| January, 1968 | Captain James Anderson Assumed Command
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| April 1, 1968 | Redesignated AG154
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| June, 1968 | Transit to Port Canaveral, Florida
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| June 24, 1968 | Transit to Portsmouth, Virginia - Poseidon Launch Tubes Installation
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| May 1, 1969 | Operational Readiness Training, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba
Port Visit: Montego Bay, Jamaica
Transit to Port Canaveral, Florida
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| September, 1969 | Captain William Dotson Assumed Command
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| December 16, 1969 | Poseidon C3 Launch
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| February 4, 1970 | Poseidon C3 Launch
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| March 24, 1970 | Poseidon C3 Launch
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| June, 1970 ??? | Transit to Portsmouth, Virginia - Type 11 Periscope Installation
Transit to Port Canaveral, Florida
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| August 3, 1970 | Poseidon C3 Launch from USS James Madison
Incident with Russian ship, Khariton Laptev
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| January 22, 1971 | Transit to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii
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| April 15, 1971 | Polaris A2 Launch-Safeguard Program
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| May 6, 1971 | Polaris A2 Launch-Safeguard Program
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| July 27, 1971 | Awarded Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation
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| July, 1971 | Captain Thomas Goddard Assumed Command
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| 1971 | Port Visit: Lahaina, Maui
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| July, 1971 | Port Visit: San Francisco, Ca.
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| ??? | Transit to Bremerton, Washington
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| September 25, 1972 | Decommissioned
The Observation Island made a total of 28 Launches
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| 1974 | Shifted to Charleston, South Carolina in custody of the Maritime Administration
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| August 18, 1977 | Placed in Service as Range Instrumentation Ship, Redesignated T-AGM23 and transferred
to Military Sealift Command, funded by the US Air Force
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| April 1979 | Cobra Judy radar system became operational
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| June 1985 | X-Band dish radar became operational
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| August 1993 | In Guam during an earthquake
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| 1994 | Participated in the Israeli Arrow program
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| December 2013 | Final Mission
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| January 2014 | OI departed Japan, crossed the Pacific for deactivation in Mobile, Al.
Cobra Judy completed over 558 missions
The OI averaged 260 days at sea over her 31 years with Military Sealift Command
She did one world cruise, going from Kwajalein to the East Coast to support the
Patriot and Navy Leap System off the coast of Norfolk, Va
Then went south of Africa to Australia, Singapore, then Kwajalein
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| March 25, 2014 | Towed by USS Grapple, transferred to Fleet Reserve, Maritime Administration- Beaumont, Texas
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| March 31, 2014 | Ship deactivated and struck from rolls
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| August, 2016 | Maritime Administration seeking bids for scrapping of Observation Island
This page is created and maintained by Gary P. Priolo
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