USS Mispillion (AO-105)

• Commissioning and Construction: USS Mispillion (AO-105) was laid down on March 2, 1945, at Sun Shipbuilding & Drydock Company in Chester, Pennsylvania, and commissioned on February 29, 1946. • Class and Role: She was a Cimarron-class fleet oiler, designed to refuel ships at sea, playing a critical logistics role for the U.S. Navy. • Named After: The ship was named for the Mispillion River, located in Delaware, continuing the tradition of naming oilers after rivers. • Service in the Korean War: USS Mispillion provided essential fueling services to U.S. and allied ships during the Korean War, supporting combat operations from 1950 to 1953. • Vietnam War Operations: She served extensively in the Vietnam War, enabling sustained naval operations by conducting underway replenishments for Seventh Fleet vessels. • Operation Crossroads: In 1946, Mispillion took part in the atomic bomb tests at Bikini Atoll, supporting the historic Operation Crossroads as a logistics vessel. • Longest Serving Fleet Oiler: By the time of her decommissioning, Mispillion was among the longest-serving Cimarron-class oilers, with over 40 years of active service. • Multiple Overhauls: To extend her service life, Mispillion underwent several overhauls and modernizations, including a "jumboization" in the mid-1960s that lengthened the hull and increased cargo capacity. • Transfer to Military Sealift Command: In 1974, she was transferred to the Military Sealift Command and redesignated USNS Mispillion (T-AO-105), continuing her mission with a civilian crew. • Decommissioning and Fate: Mispillion was finally decommissioned in 1994, struck from the Naval Vessel Register, and sold for scrapping, ending nearly five decades of distinguished service.