USS Howard W. Gilmore (AS-16)

• Namesake: USS Howard W. Gilmore (AS-16) was named in honor of Commander Howard W. Gilmore, a submarine commander and Medal of Honor recipient, famous for the command "Take her down!" that cost him his life but saved his crew and submarine in WWII. • Launch & Commission: The ship was launched on September 16, 1943, by the Moore Dry Dock Company in Oakland, California, and commissioned on May 24, 1944. • Purpose: USS Howard W. Gilmore was a Fulton-class submarine tender, designed to provide maintenance, supplies, and support for submarine squadrons at sea. • WWII Service: During World War II, she served at Pearl Harbor, Midway, and in the Mariana Islands, providing vital services to submarines engaged in the Pacific campaign. • Postwar Activity: After WWII, the ship continued its support mission, operating out of Pearl Harbor and later Charleston, South Carolina, during the Cold War era. • Cuban Missile Crisis: USS Howard W. Gilmore was stationed at Key West, Florida, during the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962, providing support to submarines on heightened alert. • Longest-Serving Tender: At the time of her decommissioning in 1980, she was one of the longest-serving submarine tenders in the U.S. Navy, with over 35 years in service. • Homeport Changes: Her homeports included Pearl Harbor, Key West, Charleston, and La Maddalena, Sardinia (Italy), reflecting her global operational reach. • International Service: In the late 1970s, she served as the flagship of the U.S. submarine force in the Mediterranean, supporting NATO operations. • Final Fate: USS Howard W. Gilmore was decommissioned on September 30, 1980, struck from the Naval Register, and later sold for scrap in 2006, ending her long and distinguished career.