USS Kalamazoo (AOR-6)

USS Kalamazoo (AOR-6)
USS Kalamazoo in underway replenishment with USS Saratoga.
History
United States
NameUSS Kalamazoo
NamesakeKalamazoo, Michigan and the Kalamazoo River
BuilderGeneral Dynamics Corporation, Quincy, Massachusetts
Laid down1 October 1970
Launched1 November 1972
Commissioned11 August 1973, as USS Kalamazoo (AOR-6)
Decommissioned16 August 1996
Stricken29 October 1998
IdentificationIMO number8644084
MottoKZOO Can Do
Nickname(s)The Zoo
Honors and
awards
Joint Meritorious Unit Award
FateSold for scrap, 15 July 2008, for $1,465,726
General characteristics
Class and typeWichita-class replenishment oiler
Displacement
  • 14,048 long tons (14,273 t) light
  • 39,790 long tons (40,429 t) full
Length659 ft (201 m)
Beam96 ft (29 m)
Draft37 ft (11 m)
Propulsion3 × boilers, 2 × steam turbines, 2 × shafts, 32,000 shp (23,862 kW)
Speed20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph)
Complement34 officers, 463 enlisted
Armament
Aircraft carried2 × CH-46 Sea Knight helicopters
Aviation facilitiesHelo Deck and berthing for 8 Airdet Personnel

USS Kalamazoo (AOR-6) was a Wichita-class replenishment oiler commissioned by the United States Navy in 1973. She continued to support Navy requirements until 1996 when she was placed in the reserve fleet and later struck.