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| Science & Technology |
| USS General Hoyt S. Vandenberg Being Laid To Rest |
| 2009-05-24 |
| A decade in the works. More than $8 million spent to get it done. A last-minute save by a local bank when a federal judge ordered it sold at public auction. And Wednesday morning, it could all be over in less than four minutes. That's when the USS Gen. Hoyt S. Vandenberg is scheduled to be scuttled seven miles off Key West -- and that's how long it's estimated for the 522-foot former military vessel to sink and settle in as an artificial reef. Previously known as the USS General Harry Taylor (AP-145) a General G. O. Squier-class transport ship in the United States Navy in World War II named in honor of U.S. Army Chief of Engineers Harry Taylor. She served for a time as army transport USAT General Harry Taylor, and was reacquired by the navy in 1950 as USNS General Harry Taylor (T-AP-145). Placed in reserve in 1958, she was transferred to the U.S. Air Force in 1961 and renamed USAFS General Hoyt S. Vandenberg in 1963 in honor of the former Air Force Chief of Staff. She was reacquired by the navy in 1964 as USNS General Hoyt S. Vandenberg (T-AGM-10). On 1 July 1964, General Hoyt S. Vandenberg was acquired by the Navy and designated T-AGM-10, as a Missile Range Instrumentation Ship, one of ten such ships transferred from the Commander, Air Force Eastern Test Range, to MSTS. "Equipped with extremely accurate and discriminating radar and telemetry equipment," she tracked and analyzed "re-entry bodies in the terminal phase of ballistic missile test flights," carrying out those missile and spacecraft tracking duties in both Atlantic and Pacific waters until her retirement in 1983. She was ultimately stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on 29 April 1993. http://www.wrecksite.eu/img/wrecks/general_vandenber_usafs.jpg A picture of her as a Missile Range Instrumentation Ship. |
| Posted by:Anonymoose |
| #1 ...I saw the Vandenberg in Norfolk last summer, she did not look good at the time. Mike |
| Posted by: Mike Kozlowski 2009-05-24 09:09 |