USS Kiska (AE-35)

• Namesake: USS Kiska (AE-35) was named after Kiska Island, part of the Aleutian Islands in Alaska, which was the site of significant World War II combat during the Aleutian Islands Campaign. • Class and Type: USS Kiska was a Kilauea-class ammunition ship, designed to carry and transfer ordnance to combat ships at sea, ensuring sustained naval operations. • Construction: USS Kiska was laid down on 8 April 1971 at Ingalls Shipbuilding, Pascagoula, Mississippi, and launched on 11 March 1972. • Commissioning: The ship was commissioned into the U.S. Navy on 16 December 1972, under the command of Captain Charles L. Robertson. • Service Role: USS Kiska played a key role in underway replenishment, providing ammunition, provisions, and other supplies to U.S. Navy vessels, particularly in the Pacific Fleet. • Homeport: The ship was homeported in Concord, California, and operated primarily out of the U.S. West Coast and the Western Pacific. • Gulf War Service: Kiska participated in Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm (1990–1991), supporting U.S. and coalition fleet operations with vital logistics. • Transfer to MSC: In 1996, USS Kiska was decommissioned from active Navy service and transferred to the Military Sealift Command (MSC), where she continued service as USNS Kiska (T-AE-35) with a civilian crew. • Deactivation and Scrapping: USNS Kiska was finally deactivated and struck from the Naval Vessel Register in 2011. She was later scrapped in Brownsville, Texas, in 2013. • Legacy: The ship earned several awards, including the Navy Unit Commendation and the Southwest Asia Service Medal, and is remembered for her vital support role in U.S. naval operations for nearly four decades.