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USS Pyro (AE 24)

Named after the Greek word for fire, the USS PYRO was the fourth SURIBACHI - class Ammunition Ship and the second ship in the Navy to bear the name. Decommissioned on May 31, 1994, and stricken from the Navy list on April 8, 1997, the PYRO was laid-up with the Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet, Benicia, CA, as part of the National Defense Reserve Fleet for the following years. Finally, PYRO was towed to Mare Island, Calif., for clean-up on January 25, 2012, and subsequently towed to New Orleans, La., for scrapping.

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Crew List:

This section contains the names of sailors who served aboard USS PYRO. It is no official listing but contains the names of sailors who submitted their information.

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• Click here to see which USS PYRO memorabilia are currently for sale on ebay.

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USS PYRO Cruise Books:

• WestPac Cruise Book 1980

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Commanding Officers of USS PYRO:

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USS PYRO History:

USS PYRO was laid down by Bethlehem-Sparrows Point Shipyard, Inc., at Sparrows Point, Maryland, on October 21, 1957, launched on November 5, 1958, sponsored by Mrs. Stuart H. Ingersoll, and commissioned at Norfolk Naval Shipyard, Virginia, on July 24, 1959, with Captain Robert A. Patton in command.

Following commissioning, PYRO completed fitting-out work at Norfolk Naval Shipyard and conducted local operations before proceeding to Earle, New Jersey, to load ammunition. She then sailed to the Caribbean for shakedown training based at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The shakedown period continued through October 30, 1959, and included calls at San Juan, Puerto Rico, and Kingston, Jamaica. Captain Marshall U. Beebe relieved Captain Patton on September 19. After completing shakedown, PYRO transited the Panama Canal to report to Service Force, Pacific Fleet. Continuing by way of Lima, Peru, and Acapulco, Mexico, she arrived at San Diego, California, on December 4. During the latter part of December she underwent final trials in the San Francisco area.

PYRO offloaded her ammunition at Port Chicago, California, and spent January 1960 at Mare Island Naval Shipyard. During February, she returned to Port Chicago to prepare and load for her first western Pacific deployment. She departed late that month, crossed the Pacific and began supporting units of the United States Seventh Fleet. Her documented port calls during the deployment included Pearl Harbor, Hawaii; Sasebo, Yokosuka, Kobe and Iwakuni in Japan; Okinawa; and Hong Kong. Between these visits she conducted underway ammunition replenishments for Seventh Fleet ships. PYRO returned to Concord, California, on August 15, 1960.

Captain Donald S. Cramer relieved Captain Beebe on November 19, 1960. On March 21, 1961, PYRO began a three-month overhaul at the Willamette Iron and Steel Company shipyard at Richmond, California. After completing repairs and preparations, she departed on her second western Pacific deployment on August 9. During this cruise, she again supported Seventh Fleet units with ammunition. A contemporary Navy photograph records PYRO simultaneously replenishing USS MIDWAY (CVA 41) and USS MORTON (DD 948) in the Pacific during 1961. Captain Beecher Snipes relieved Captain Cramer on November 18. PYRO completed the deployment and returned to Concord on March 1, 1962.

During May 1962, PYRO participated in Exercise Pork Barrel, a Service Force exercise intended to test fleet logistics and underway-replenishment capabilities under realistic operating conditions. Captain Vincent P. Healey assumed command on November 27. PYRO had already departed on October 8 for another western Pacific deployment, beginning the pattern of frequent WestPac cruises that would characterize much of the following two decades. As American involvement in Southeast Asia increased, a growing proportion of her time overseas was spent supporting Seventh Fleet forces operating in waters near Vietnam.

Captain James M. O'Brien relieved Captain Healey on October 18, 1963. By then, PYRO had entered San Francisco Naval Shipyard, where a major modernization had begun on September 9. The principal feature of the work was installation of the Fast Automatic Shuttle Transfer system, or FAST, a new weapons-transfer arrangement intended to increase the speed with which heavy ammunition and guided missiles could be moved between the ammunition ship and a receiving warship. The system was particularly important as guided missiles became more prominent in the fleet and aircraft carriers increasingly required rapid replenishment of large quantities of aviation ordnance.

Following completion of the modernization, PYRO departed on her fourth western Pacific deployment on January 12, 1964. The FAST equipment was used operationally during the cruise, which continued until June 17. Captain Howard W. Dawson relieved Captain O'Brien on September 18.

The following deployment placed PYRO directly into the rapidly escalating Vietnam War. United States naval aviation activity in Southeast Asia expanded substantially during late 1964 and 1965 as American involvement changed from primarily advisory support to sustained combat operations. PYRO supplied aircraft carriers and surface combatants operating off Vietnam with bombs, missiles, projectiles, propellant and other ammunition. Between December 5, 1964, and October 23, 1965, she conducted 227 ammunition underway replenishments. Her performance during this period resulted in the award of the Navy Unit Commendation. The award was formally presented at Mare Island on December 10, 1965.

PYRO's officially credited Vietnam service during 1965 included February 12 through March 9; April 4 through April 25; May 13 through May 25; June 4 through June 8; June 16 through June 21; June 29 through July 3; July 4 and July 10 through July 15; July 27 through August 7; August 17 through August 27; September 5 through September 14; and September 23 through September 30. These periods coincided with the rapid growth of carrier operations from Yankee Station and the expansion of the Rolling Thunder air campaign against North Vietnam.

During 1965, PYRO was photographed rearming USS MIDWAY off Vietnam. Her operations increasingly took place at night as well as during daylight in order to keep carriers and other combatants supplied without unnecessarily interrupting their operational schedules. Between May 1965 and August 1966, PYRO repeatedly improved both her own and broader fleet ammunition-transfer rates, raising the documented transfer rate from 141.8 tons per hour to more than 312 tons per hour.

Captain Isper J. Gersuk relieved Captain Dawson on February 16, 1966. PYRO's credited Vietnam service during 1966 included March 24 through April 4; April 18 through April 27; May 5 through May 12; May 18 and May 19; June 3 through June 13; June 25 through June 30; July 1 through July 8; July 27 through August 11; and August 26 through September 7. One particularly well-documented replenishment occurred on May 11, 1966, when PYRO worked alongside USS KITTY HAWK (CVA 63) off Vietnam. The two ships established a Pacific Fleet ordnance-transfer rate of 237.66 standard tons per hour while KITTY HAWK was engaged in intensive carrier operations associated with the air war over North Vietnam.

Captain John David Johnson Jr. assumed command on July 12, 1967. PYRO returned to the Vietnam combat-support cycle that summer, receiving campaign credit for July 11 through July 25; August 7 through August 22; September 8 through September 26; October 5 through October 24; and November 5 through November 18. By this stage, underway ammunition replenishment had become essential to maintaining aircraft carriers on Yankee Station and cruisers and destroyers on naval gunfire assignments without requiring frequent withdrawals to distant supply bases.

Captain Kenneth C. Holm relieved Captain Johnson on August 21, 1968. PYRO continued Pacific Fleet operations, and her next documented qualifying Vietnam periods began during late 1969. Captain Jack R. Evans assumed command on December 14. PYRO received Vietnam service credit from November 4 through November 17, 1969, and November 25 through December 17, followed by January 2 through January 17, January 24 through February 14, March 10 through March 29, April 5 and April 6, April 14 through April 30, May 1 and May 2, and May 11 through May 16, 1970.

The photographic and operational record for 1970 provides unusually detailed evidence of PYRO's work. In February and March, she repeatedly replenished USS RANGER (CVA 61) in the South China Sea. Documented cargo included 500-pound bombs, components for 1,000-pound bombs and containers associated with Mark 43 torpedoes. In March, PYRO highlined pallets of five-inch gun powder canisters to USS TURNER JOY (DD 951) while the two ships steamed alongside one another in the South China Sea. USS HENDERSON (DD 785) also received ammunition support from PYRO during this period. HENDERSON's command records document replenishments from PYRO on March 11 and March 16, 1970, while the destroyer was engaged in western Pacific operations. These evolutions illustrate the range of ordnance carried by PYRO: aviation ammunition for aircraft carriers, guided weapons for missile-equipped ships, and gun ammunition and propellant for destroyers operating on the naval gunfire line.

Captain Donald B. Wikeen relieved Captain Evans on January 16, 1971. PYRO was photographed at Subic Bay on January 30. Her qualifying Vietnam service associated with Vietnamese Counteroffensive Phase VII included December 11 through December 22, 1970; January 3 through January 17, 1971; February 1 through February 18; March 15 through March 21; March 29 through April 8; April 12 through April 14; and April 23 through May 1. The operating pattern remained one of loading ammunition, steaming to the fleet, conducting connected or other replenishment evolutions, and returning to a logistics base to reload.

PYRO returned to Vietnam-related operations early in 1972. During the Consolidation II campaign, she received qualifying service credit from February 4 through February 15, February 26 through March 6, and March 21 through March 27. On March 30 North Vietnam launched the Easter Offensive, a major conventional invasion of South Vietnam. The United States responded by sharply increasing carrier air operations and naval gunfire missions, initially under Operation Freedom Train and subsequently under Operation Linebacker. This expansion placed heavy demands on the ammunition ships supporting the Seventh Fleet.

PYRO was already positioned to support the resulting increase in ammunition expenditure. Early on April 17, 1972, USS BENJAMIN STODDERT (DDG 22) rearmed from PYRO and USS HALEAKALA (AE 25). BENJAMIN STODDERT then joined USS OKLAHOMA CITY (CLG 5) for an attack against military targets near Vinh, North Vietnam. During the operation the American ships came under fire from North Vietnamese coastal defenses.

PYRO's credited Vietnam Ceasefire campaign periods included April 2 through April 11 and April 16 through April 24; May 2 through May 19; May 26 through June 12; June 22 through July 7; July 28 through August 14; August 23 through August 31; September 16 through September 30; October 7 through October 17; and October 29 through October 31, 1972. On July 27, USS HANCOCK (CVA 19) recorded rearming from PYRO during the carrier's combat deployment.

Commander William R. Swan relieved Captain Wikeen on August 18, 1972. PYRO continued intensive ammunition support through the remainder of her Vietnam deployment. By the end of the war, she had qualified for the Vietnam Service Medal for eight separate campaigns, in addition to Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal credit associated with Vietnam.

After the decline of direct American combat operations in Vietnam, PYRO remained heavily employed with the Pacific Fleet. Commander George L. McMichael relieved Commander Swan on March 8, 1974. During the 1974 deployment, PYRO expanded her normal mission by transferring fuel as well as ammunition to Seventh Fleet ships. Contemporary Navy reporting noted that she established fleet refueling records for a vessel that was not an oiler. This additional role reflected efforts to make the existing combat-logistics force more flexible after the Vietnam War.

Commander Edward T. Walker Jr. assumed command on March 10, 1976. During the 1976 western Pacific deployment, PYRO was assigned a specialized logistics task involving the redistribution of pre-positioned war reserve ammunition. Ordnance stored at Ekego and Yokosuka in Japan was moved to Sasebo and to Subic Bay in the Philippines. The assignment formed part of the broader post-Vietnam adjustment of American ammunition stocks and contingency reserves in the western Pacific.

Commander Roland B. Bessey Jr. relieved Commander Walker on March 14, 1978. PYRO continued alternating Pacific Fleet operations, maintenance and overseas deployments. During late 1978 or early 1979, she suffered a propulsion casualty while conducting an underway replenishment with USS KITTY HAWK off Southern California. PYRO went dead in the water and USS SOUTHERLAND (DD 743) came to her assistance.

Commander Sidney E. Manning relieved Commander Bessey on March 12, 1980. PYRO was photographed underway on March 18 and completed another western Pacific deployment during June. On September 1, 1980, PYRO was transferred from the active fleet to the Naval Reserve Force. She remained commissioned, but her mission now included training Selected Reservists during weekend and annual active-duty periods while continuing to support Pacific Fleet requirements. The Naval Reserve Force arrangement combined a regular Navy nucleus crew with reservists assigned to permanent mobilization billets aboard the ship. During a reserve-training cruise in 1981, PYRO visited Seattle in connection with Armed Forces Day activities and subsequently proceeded through Puget Sound and the Strait of Juan de Fuca toward Alaska. The cruise included PYRO's first documented visit to Kodiak, followed by operations and a visit to Anchorage. Forty-eight Selected Reservists served alongside approximately 200 regular Navy personnel during the cruise, providing practical underway experience in addition to the ship's normal training program.

PYRO subsequently entered an extended overhaul that continued into 1982. She returned to full active-duty status on June 1, 1982. Commander John B. Godley relieved Commander Manning on August 31 as PYRO entered another period of regular Pacific Fleet operations.

PYRO deployed again to the western Pacific in 1983. Her assignments during the early and middle 1980s continued to center on ammunition loading, underway replenishment, fleet exercises and support of deploying carrier and surface groups. Although newer multipurpose combat-logistics ships were increasingly entering service, PYRO's large ammunition capacity and specialized transfer equipment continued to provide a useful dedicated capability.

Commander Paul A. Romanski relieved Commander Godley on July 10, 1984. PYRO returned to the western Pacific in 1985. The deployment lasted approximately three months and concluded in December. During the cruise, she steamed more than 10,000 nautical miles while continuing to support Pacific Fleet forces with ammunition.

Commander James H. McPheeters Jr. relieved Commander Romanski on September 3, 1986. PYRO continued major carrier ammunition evolutions. On April 6, 1987, USS ENTERPRISE (CVN 65) received 312 pallets of ammunition from PYRO during an underway replenishment.

During 1988, PYRO deployed to the Indian Ocean in association with Battle Group Foxtrot at a time of serious tension in and around the Persian Gulf. The deployment coincided with Operation Earnest Will, the United States effort to protect reflagged Kuwaiti tankers and maintain freedom of navigation while the Iran-Iraq War continued. The regional situation escalated sharply on April 14, 1988, when USS SAMUEL B. ROBERTS (FFG 58) struck an Iranian mine in the Persian Gulf and suffered major damage. Four days later, United States forces carried out Operation Praying Mantis against Iranian naval and offshore military targets. PYRO was operating within the broader logistics structure supporting American naval forces in the region during this crisis.

Commander Thomas M. Smith relieved Commander McPheeters on December 19, 1988. PYRO continued active fleet operations in 1989. On April 19, USS ENTERPRISE conducted an ammunition onload from PYRO involving approximately 805 pallets. Another replenishment followed on April 20, when a further 148 pallets were transferred.

PYRO underwent a short maintenance period during the summer of 1989. During that year, women began serving as permanent members of her crew, reflecting the broader expansion of assignments available to women aboard non-combatant auxiliary ships in the United States Navy. Commander John J. Schuler relieved Commander Smith on November 2, 1990.

The Iraqi invasion of Kuwait on August 2, 1990, and the subsequent Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm created another major naval logistics requirement. PYRO's service record for the period qualified her for the Southwest Asia Service Medal and the Kuwait Liberation Medal. Following the Gulf War, PYRO remained in Pacific Fleet service, supporting ammunition loading and redistribution, training requirements and deploying naval forces. Commander Robert J. McDonough relieved Commander Schuler on November 16, 1992.

Commander Richard T. Egan became PYRO's final commanding officer on April 4, 1994. After almost 35 years of commissioned service, USS PYRO was decommissioned at Naval Station Treasure Island, California, on May 31, 1994. Following decommissioning, she was assigned to the Pacific Reserve Fleet at the Naval Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility in Bremerton, Washington. During the transfer north, USS SAFEGUARD (ARS 50) towed the former ammunition ship to Bremerton.

PYRO remained in Navy reserve status for several more years. Her name was struck from the Naval Vessel Register on April 8, 1997. On August 17, 2000, the former PYRO entered the Maritime Administration's National Defense Reserve Fleet at Suisun Bay, California, while initially remaining a Navy-owned asset. Formal title passed to the Maritime Administration on February 24, 2001. The former PYRO subsequently entered the disposal process. On June 21, 2005, historic-preservation review requirements were cleared. She was temporarily removed from the reserve fleet on January 25, 2006, for work connected with preparations for possible use in a sinking exercise. She returned to the fleet on March 3 and ultimately was not expended as a target.

After later being sold for dismantlement, PYRO was formally removed from the Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet on January 24, 2012. On January 25, she was moved to Mare Island for cleaning and preparation for her final tow. At approximately 11:45 a.m. on February 10, the former ammunition ship passed beneath the Golden Gate Bridge for the last time under tow by the commercial tugs MARINE RETRIEVER and MARSHALL FOSS. She was taken south through the Pacific, through the Panama Canal and onward to Southern Recycling at New Orleans, Louisiana, for dismantling.

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USS PYRO Image Gallery:

The photos below were taken by me and show the PYRO laid-up at Suisun Bay, Calif., on March 27, 2010.

The photo below was taken by me and shows the PYRO laid-up at Suisun Bay, Calif., on October 12, 2011. She has already been taken out of her row in preparation for her removal from the ghost fleet. PYRO was towed to Mare Island for clean-up on January 25, 2012, and subsequently towed to New Orleans, La., for scrapping.

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