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The first ship in the Navy to bear the name, the USS KITTIWAKE was one of the CHANTICLEER - class Submarine Rescue Ships. Both decommissioned and stricken from the Navy list on September 30, 1994, the USS KITTIWAKE spent the following years laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, James River, Fort Eustis, Va., awaiting final disposal. In August 2009, the ship was donated to the Cayman Islands for the purpose of being sunk as an artificial reef and diving location. KITTIWAKE was subsequently towed down the James River to Norfolk, Va., to be cleaned and prepared for sinking. On December 25, 2010, the KITTIWAKE arrived under tow in the Cayman Islands and was sunk on January 5, 2011 at 19 21.714N and 081 24.073W.
General Characteristics: | Awarded: May 11, 1944 |
Keel laid: January 5, 1945 | |
Launched: July 10, 1945 | |
Commissioned: July 18, 1946 | |
Decommissioned: September 30, 1994 | |
Builder: Savannah Machinery and Foundry Co., Savannah, GA | |
Propulsion system: Diesel electric, one shaft, 3,000 SHP | |
Propellers: one | |
Length: 251.6 feet (76.7 meters) | |
Beam: 42 feet (12.8 meters) | |
Draft: 14.8 feet (4.5 meters) | |
Displacement: approx. 2,200 tons | |
Speed: 15 knots | |
Armament: two Mk-68 20mm guns | |
Crew: approx. 100 |
Crew List:
This section contains the names of sailors who served aboard USS KITTIWAKE. It is no official listing but contains the names of sailors who submitted their information.
Accidents aboard USS KITTIWAKE:
Date | Where | Events |
---|---|---|
January 8, 1974 | Norfolk Naval Base, Va. | USS KITTIWAKE receives minor hull damage in a collision with the USS FINBACK (SSN 670) at the destroyer-submarine piers at Norfolk, Va. |
April 23, 1984 | Norfolk Naval Base, Va. | While getting underway from Norfolk, Va., the USS KITTIWAKE backs down on the USS BERGALL (SSN 667), causing damage to the submarine's sonar dome and the KITTIWAKE's propeller. |