USS Shenandoah (AD-44)

USS Shenandoah (AD-44) was the fourth and final ship of the Yellowstone-class of destroyer tenders. AD-44 was the fifth ship to bear the name, USS Shenandoah as named for the Shenandoah Valley. She was commissioned in 1983, only three years after the decommissioning of the previous USS Shenandoah (AD-26), also a destroyer tender.

For other ships with the same name, see USS Shenandoah.
History
United States
Builder: National Steel and Shipbuilding Company
Laid down: 2 August 1980
Launched: 6 February 1982
Commissioned: 15 August 1983
Decommissioned: 3 September 1996
Stricken: 28 July 2001
Fate: for disposal
Status: National Defense Reserve Fleet
General characteristics
Class and type: Yellowstone-class destroyer tender
Displacement: 20263 tons
Length: 642 ft (196 m)
Beam: 85 ft (26 m)
Draft: 27 ft (8.2 m)
Propulsion: steam turbines, 20,000 shaft horsepower
Speed: 20 knots
Complement: 87 Officers 1508 Enlisted
Armament: 2 20mm cannon, 4 .50 caliber machine guns

In 1991,[1] USS Shenandoah was diverted to the Red Sea to tend ships of the U.S. Seventh Fleet's USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) Battle Group. The Shenandoah and her crew members were awarded the Southwest Asia Service Medal with one campaign star and the Kuwait Liberation Medal (Kuwait).

Following her decommissioning in 1996, at only 13 years old, the USS Shenandoah was re-located at the James River Reserve Fleet in Fort Eustis, Va., awaiting final disposal. In FY15, the ex-Shenandoah was sold for dismantlement, departed the JRRF and was withdrawn from MARAD inventory.

Awards and decorations

The USS Shenandoah received the following unit awards in its history:[2]
Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation w/ 4 service stars Navy E Ribbon w/ 3 Battle E devices National Defense Service Medal
Southwest Asia Service Medal w/ 1 campaign star Navy Sea Service Deployment Ribbon w/ 7 service stars Kuwait Liberation Medal (Kuwait)

References
  1. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_pnav/is_199308/ai_2328464742 US Navy Press Release: USS Shenandoah Changes Course, Steams to Persian Gulf
  2. "Unit Awards Query, Search = Shenandoah". Chief of Naval Operations : U.S. Navy Awards. Archived from the original on 2015-05-15. Retrieved 10 March 2013.
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