View source for USS Fulton (AS-11)

{{short description|Tender of the United States Navy}}
{{other ships|USS Fulton}}

{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image=[[File:USS Fulton (AS-11) at Pearl Harbor, Oahu, Hawaii (USA), on 8 June 1942 (80-G-10120).jpg|300px|USS Fulton in 1942]]
|Ship caption='''USS Fulton''' in 1942
}}
{{Infobox ship career
|Hide header=
|Ship country=United States
|Ship flag={{USN flag|1991}}
|Ship name=USS ''Fulton''
|Ship namesake=[[Robert Fulton]]
|Ship ordered=
|Ship builder=[[Mare Island Navy Yard]]
|Ship laid down=
|Ship launched= 27 December 1940
|Ship acquired=
|Ship commissioned=12 September 1941
|Ship decommissioned=3 April 1947

|Ship notes=
}}
{{Infobox ship career
|Hide header=yes
|Ship recommissioned=10 April 1951
|Ship decommissioned=30 September 1991
|Ship in service=
|Ship out of service=
|Ship struck=20 December 1991
|Ship honors=*1 [[Service star|battle star]] for [[World War II]] service
*2 Navy [[Meritorious Unit Commendation]]s
*2 awards of the Navy "E"
|Ship fate=Sold for scrap 17 November 1995
|Ship notes=
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Hide header=
|Header caption=
|Ship class={{sclass|Fulton|submarine tender}}
|Ship displacement={{convert|9250|LT|t|abbr=on}}
|Ship length={{convert|529|ft|6|in|m|abbr=on}}
|Ship beam={{convert|73|ft|4|in|m|abbr=on}}
|Ship draft={{convert|23|ft|6|in|m|abbr=on}}
|Ship power={{convert|12000|hp|kW|lk=in|abbr=on}}<ref>Ford, Roger (2001) ''The Encyclopedia of Ships'', pg. 377. Amber Books, London. {{ISBN|978-1-905704-43-9}}</ref>
|Ship propulsion=*[[General Motors]] [[diesel engine]]s <!-- The number of engines isn't listed... -->
*2 × screws<ref>Ford, Roger (2001) ''The Encyclopedia of Ships'', pg. 377. Amber Books, London. {{ISBN|978-1-905704-43-9}}</ref>
|Ship speed={{convert|20|kn|mph km/h|lk=in|abbr=on}}<ref>Ford, Roger (2001) ''The Encyclopedia of Ships'', pg. 377. Amber Books, London. {{ISBN|978-1-905704-43-9}}</ref>
|Ship range={{convert|12000|nmi|mi km|lk=in|abbr=on}} at {{convert|16|kn|mph km/h|abbr=on}}<ref>Ford, Roger (2001) ''The Encyclopedia of Ships'', pg. 377. Amber Books, London. {{ISBN|978-1-905704-43-9}}</ref>
|Ship complement=1,303
|Ship sensors=
|Ship armament=4 × [[5"/38 caliber gun|{{convert|5|in|mm|abbr=on|0}}/38 cal]] [[dual purpose gun]]s
|Ship notes=
}}
|}

'''USS ''Fulton'' (AS-11)''' was the leader of [[Fulton-class submarine tender|her class]] of seven [[submarine tender]]s,<ref>Ford, Roger (2001) ''The Encyclopedia of Ships'', pg. 377. Amber Books, London. ISBN 9781905704439</ref> launched on 27 December 1940 by [[Mare Island Navy Yard]] and sponsored by Mrs. A. T. Sutcliffe, great-granddaughter of [[Robert Fulton]]. ''Fulton'' was commissioned on 12 September 1941.

==Service history==

===World War II===
''Fulton'' was underway on her [[shakedown cruise]] out of [[San Diego]] when the Japanese [[Attack on Pearl Harbor|attacked Pearl Harbor]] on 7 December 1941. She was ordered at once to [[Panama]], arriving on 9 December. During the next month, she established advanced seaplane bases in the [[Gulf of Fonseca]], [[Nicaragua]], and in the [[Galapagos Islands]], then returned to San Diego to prepare for Pacific duty. She tended [[United States Pacific Fleet|Pacific Fleet]] submarines at Pearl Harbor from 15 March to 8 July 1942, putting to sea during the [[Battle of Midway]]. She transported many of the survivors of the sunken aircraft carrier {{USS|Yorktown|CV-5|2}} back to Pearl Harbor, arriving on 8 June. She was at Midway until 17 October, and at [[Brisbane]] from 9 November. There she established a submarine base and rest camp, refitted submarines between their war patrols, and acted as tender to other types of ships. [[Milne Bay]], [[New Guinea]] was her station from 29 October 1943 to 17 March 1944, when she sailed for a west coast overhaul.

''Fulton'' returned to Pearl Harbor on 13 June 1944 and gave her services to submarines there for a month, then at Midway from 18 July to 8 September, and then at [[Saipan]] until 25 April 1945. She returned to duty at Pearl Harbor from 7 May to 9 June, and then sailed for [[Guam]], where she refitted submarines for the last patrols of the war.

===Post-war service===

====1946-1947====
After a west coast overhaul, ''Fulton'' served as tender at Pearl Harbor from February–May 1946, then sailed for [[Bikini Atoll]] to participate in [[Operation Crossroads]]—[[nuclear testing|atomic weapons tests]] in the [[Marshall Islands|Marshalls]]—that summer. In addition to caring for the six submarines assigned to the project, she acted as repair ship for other vessels in the task force. On 18 September 1946, she arrived at [[Mare Island Navy Yard]], where she was decommissioned and placed in reserve on 3 April 1947.

====1951-1960====
[[File:USS Fulton AS-11 with SSNs New London 1962.jpg|thumb|right|{{USS|Skipjack|SSN-585|2}}, {{USS|Nautilus|SSN-571|2}}, {{USS|Triton|SSRN-586|2}}, and ''Fulton'' at State Pier in [[New London, Connecticut|New London]], Connecticut (1962).]]

Recommissioned on 10 April 1951, ''Fulton'' sailed three weeks later for [[New London, CT|New London]], her home port for the next forty years until she was decommissioned in 1991. Her primary assignment was as tender for [[Submarine Squadron 10]] (SubRon&nbsp;10) at New London, but she occasionally relieved fellow tender {{USS|Orion|AS-18|2}} at [[Norfolk, Virginia]], and also left New London for exercises from [[Newfoundland and Labrador|Newfoundland]] and [[Iceland]] to the [[Caribbean]]. She first crossed the Atlantic in the fall of 1957 for [[Operation Natoflex]], visiting [[Rothesay, Argyll and Bute|Rothesay]], [[Scotland]], and [[Isle of Portland|Portland]], [[England]], before returning to New London. A heightening of her responsibility came on 1 April 1958, when three nuclear submarines were assigned to her squadron. In August, she sailed to [[New York City]] for the celebration of the arrival of {{USS|Nautilus|SSN-571|2}} from her historic submerged passage under the [[North Pole]]. From August 1959-January 1960, the tender underwent a modernization overhaul at the [[Philadelphia Naval Shipyard]] in order to be able to service both nuclear and conventional submarines, whether at home or overseas, making her the world's first nuclear support tender.

She continued to serve as flagship and tender to Submarine Squadron 10 when it became the first all nuclear submarine squadron.  Among the historic and innovative submarines assigned to Submarine Squadron 10 during ''Fulton'''s service were the ''Nautilus'', ''Seawolf'', ''Skate'', ''Triton'' and ''Skipjack''.

====1972-1991====
From July to December 1972, ''Fulton'' made a five-month deployment to the [[Mediterranean Sea|Mediterranean]]. Her mission was to prepare for full-time use as an advance refit site for nuclear-powered [[fast attack submarine]]s. This was the first deployment of a [[World War II]]-vintage submarine tender to the Mediterranean since World War II.

After a shipyard overhaul in 1976, ''Fulton'' returned to New London to continue to support Atlantic Fleet Submarines. She was modernized in 1983-1984 during an extensive overhaul conducted at [[Electric Boat]] in [[Groton, Connecticut|Groton]], Connecticut and [[General Dynamics]], [[Quincy, Massachusetts|Quincy]], Massachusetts. In January 1985, she made a four-month deployment to the Mediterranean where she provided maintenance for the [[United States Sixth Fleet|6th Fleet]] submarines in [[La Maddalena]], [[Italy]].
[[File:USS Fulton AS-11 1984.jpg|thumb|''Fulton'' in 1984.]]

The tender made cruises to [[Puerto Rico]] in January 1986 and [[Bermuda]] in March 1987. From 13 January-12 March 1988, she completed a Drydocking Selected Restricted Availability at [[Norfolk Shipbuilding Company]], [[Norfolk, Virginia|Norfolk]], Virginia. She returned to State Pier and continued to support SubRon 10 submarines until her decommissioning in 1991.

In 1988, Submarine Squadron 10 (SubRon&nbsp;10) — of which ''Fulton'' was the [[flagship]]—included {{USS|Jack|SSN-605|2}}, {{USS|Tinosa|SSN-606|2}}, {{USS|Dace|SSN-607|2}}, {{USS|Whale|SSN-638|2}}, {{USS|Greenling|SSN-614|2}}, {{USS|Gato|SSN-615|2}}, {{USS|Pargo|SSN-650|2}}, {{USS|Trepang|SSN-674|2}}, {{USS|Billfish|SSN-676|2}} and the torpedo retriever ''Labrador'' (TWR-681).

On 30 September 1991, SubRon&nbsp;10 was disbanded and ''Fulton'' was decommissioned at her berth in New London, Connecticut. At this time, she was the fourth oldest commissioned ship in the Navy exceeded only by the [[USS Vulcan (AR-5)|USS ''Vulcan'' (AR-5)]] USS Jason AR-8 and the {{USS|Constitution}}.<ref>Jane's Fighting Ships. 1991-92.</ref>  ''Vulcan'' was decommissioned on the same day as ''Fulton''.

==Awards==
During her career the USS ''Fulton'' earned the following awards -

{| style="margin:1em auto; text-align:center;"
|colspan="4"|{{ribbon devices|number=1|type=service-star|ribbon=Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation ribbon.svg|width=108}} {{ribbon devices|number=0|type=service-star|ribbon=Battle Effectiveness Award ribbon, 2nd award.svg|width=108}}
|-
|{{ribbon devices|number=1|type=service-star|ribbon=American Defense Service Medal ribbon.svg|width=106}}
|{{ribbon devices|number=1|type=service-star|ribbon=Asiatic-Pacific Campaign ribbon.svg|width=106}}
|{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=service-star|ribbon=World War II Victory Medal ribbon.svg|width=106}}
|-
|{{ribbon devices|number=2|type=service-star|ribbon=National Defense Service Medal ribbon.svg|width=106}}
|{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=service-star|ribbon=Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal ribbon.svg|width=106}}
|{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=service-star|ribbon=Sea Service Deployment Ribbon.svg|width=106}}
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="margin:1em auto; text-align:center;"
|colspan="2"|[[Meritorious Unit Commendation]]<br>(2 awards)
|colspan="2"|[[Navy E Ribbon]]<br>(2 awards)
|-
|[[American Defense Service Medal]] <br>with "FLEET" clasp
|[[Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal]]<br>(1 [[battle star]])
|[[World War II Victory Medal (United States)|World War II Victory Medal]]
|-
|[[National Defense Service Medal]]<br>(2 stars)
|[[Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal]]
|[[Sea Service Deployment Ribbon]]
|}

==Citations==
{{Reflist}}

==References==
*{{cite book|author1=Ford, Roger |author2=Gibbons, Tony |author3=Hewson, Rob |author4=Jackson, Bob |author5=Ross, David |year=2001| title=The Encyclopedia of Ships|publisher=Amber Books, Ltd.|location=London|isbn= 978-1-905704-43-9}}
*{{DANFS|http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/f5/fulton-iv.htm}}

==External links==
*[http://ussfulton.org/history.html USS Fulton.org]

{{Fulton class submarine tender}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fulton (AS-11)}}
[[Category:Fulton-class submarine tenders]]
[[Category:Submarine tenders of the United States Navy]]
[[Category:Tenders of the United States Navy|Submarine tenders]]
[[Category:Submarine tenders|United States Navy]]
[[Category:Ships built in Vallejo, California]]
[[Category:1940 ships]]