USS Diamond Head

History
US
Name	USS Diamond Head
Launched	3 February 1945
Acquired	10 March 1945
Commissioned	9 August 1945 9 August 1951
Decommissioned	23 August 1946
Stricken	1 March 1973
Fate	scrapped
General characteristics
Length	459 ft 2 in (140 m)
Beam	63 ft (19.2 m)
Draft	28 ft 3 in (8.6 m)
Propulsion	Geared turbine 1 × shaft 6,000 shp (4.5 MW)
Speed	16 knots (30 km/h)
Capacity	7,700 long tons (7,800 t) deadweight
Complement	267 officers and enlisted

The USS Diamond Head (AE-19) was a U.S. ammunition ship. The ship launched on February 3, 1945, by North Carolina Shipbuilding Co., Wilmington, N.C. under a Maritime Commission contract. The ship's sponsor was Mrs. D. Bill; transferred to the U.S. Navy on March 10, 1945, converted at Bethlehem Key Highway Shipyard, Baltimore, Md. the ship was commissioned on August 9, 1945, under the command of Lieutenant Commander F. C. Snow, USNR.

On September 20, 1945, Diamond Head reported for duty to Norfolk Commander, Service Force, Atlantic. After training the Bureau of Ships used the Diamond Head experimentally to test suitable exterior markings for hospital ships. She departed Norfolk on April 5, 1946, for Galveston, Texas, arriving five days later. Diamond Head was placed out of commission and into Naval Reserves on 23 August 1946.

Diamond Head was recommissioned on 9 August 1951 as part of the naval expansion brought about by the Korean War. Reassigned to the Atlantic Fleet, the ammunition ship took her place as part of the vital logistics support force that has given the United States Navy outstanding sea-keeping ability and unprecedented mobility. She has since served in various operations along the east coast and in the Caribbean, and through 1960, has made five cruises with the 6th Fleet in the Mediterranean.

On 16 March, 1967, Diamond Head left Norfolk, VA, for a 9-month deployment in Vietnam. She transited the Panama Canal on 22 March arriving at Pearl Harbor on 5 April. She arrived Subic Bay, Philippines on 22 April. From May through October, the crew rearmed almost 200 ships transferring almost 12,000 tonnes (26,000,000 lb) of ammunition. The ship also visited ports in Manila, Hong Kong, Sasebo Japan, Pearl Harbor, San Diego, and Panama City for much appreciated R & R. Diamond Head arrived in Norfolk on 19 December 1967 reuniting with loved ones.

The ship was struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 1 March 1973 and sold for scrapping in 1974.

References

•  This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.

External links

• Photo gallery of Diamond Head at NavSource Naval History
• AE-19 Internet Links