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USS NITRO was the third SURIBACHI - class ammunition ship. Decommissioned after almost exactly 36 years of service on April 28, 1995, the ship was then stricken from the Navy list on August 14, 1995, and spent the following years laid up at the James River Reserve Fleet in Fort Eustis, VA, awaiting final disposal. In July 2008, the NITRO was sold to Esco Marine, Brownsville, Tx., for scrapping.
General Characteristics: | Awarded: August 23, 1956 |
Keel laid: May 20, 1957 | |
Launched: June 25, 1958 | |
Commissioned: May 1, 1959 | |
Decommissioned: April 28, 1995 | |
Builder: Bethlehem Steel, Shipyard Inc., Sparrows Point, Md. | |
Propulsion system: Two boilers, geared turbines, one shaft, 16,000 shaft horsepower | |
Length: 511 feet (155.75 meters) | |
Beam: 72 feet (22 meters) | |
Draft: 29 feet (8.8 meters) | |
Displacement: approx. 17,450 tons full load | |
Speed: 20 knots | |
Aircraft: helo platform only | |
Armament: 4 3-inch/50-caliber guns | |
Crew: 19 Officers and 324 Enlisted |
Crew List:
This section contains the names of sailors who served aboard USS NITRO. It is no official listing but contains the names of sailors who submitted their information.
USS NITRO Cruise Books:
Accidents aboard USS NITRO:
Date | Where | Events |
---|---|---|
June 28, 1972 | 150 nautical miles east of Da Nang, South Vietnam | USS NITRO and USS ORISKANY (CVA 34) are in a minor collision during an underway replenishment. |
June 1, 1981 | 60 nautical miles northeast of Souda Bay, Greece | USS NITRO is badly damaged by a fire in the machinery room while en route to Athens, Greece. NITRO is taken under tow the next day by USNS NEOSHO (T-AO 143) for Souda Bay. |
USS NITRO Patch Gallery:
USS NITRO Image Gallery:
The photos below were contributed by Barry Smith. The first photo shows the NITRO at Curacoa.
The photo below was taken by Michael Martin and shows the NITRO at Esco Marine, Brownsville, Tx., ready to be scrapped. The photo was taken on December 26, 2008.