About this Unit
USS Mount Baker (AE-34) was a Kilauea-class ammunition ship commissioned by the United States Navy on July 22, 1972. Designed to carry and deliver munitions and supplies to combat ships at sea, she played a key logistical role during the Cold War, supporting fleet operations in the Atlantic and Mediterranean. Mount Baker participated in numerous exercises and missions, including deployments with carrier battle groups and NATO forces. After over two decades of service, she was decommissioned on December 2, 1996, and eventually struck from the Naval Vessel Register.
Historical Facts
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Namesake: USS Mount Baker (AE-34) was named after Mount Baker, a prominent peak in Washington State, continuing the tradition of naming ammunition ships after volcanoes.
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Class and Role: She was a Kilauea-class ammunition ship, designed to carry and deliver munitions, explosives, and other cargo to ships at sea, supporting sustained naval operations.
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Commissioning: USS Mount Baker was commissioned on July 22, 1972, at the Charleston Naval Shipyard in South Carolina.
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Vietnam War Service: Although commissioned after the major combat phase, she supported U.S. naval forces during the final years of the Vietnam War by supplying ammunition.
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Cold War Operations: Throughout the late 1970s and 1980s, she was an integral part of the U.S. Navy’s logistics network, performing underway replenishments in both the Atlantic and Mediterranean during the Cold War.
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Support in Lebanon: The Mount Baker supplied naval vessels off the coast of Lebanon during the 1983 Multinational Force operations in Beirut, assisting ships tasked with peacekeeping and crisis response.
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Role in Exercises: She frequently participated in large-scale NATO exercises, including "Ocean Safari" and "Teamwork," demonstrating her capability to operate with allied navies.
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Women at Sea: USS Mount Baker was among the early U.S. Navy ships to integrate female sailors as part of the crew in the 1980s, reflecting changing Navy policies.
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Decommissioning: She was decommissioned on December 2, 1996, after 24 years of service, and later struck from the Naval Vessel Register.
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Final Fate: After being laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, the ship was eventually scrapped in 2012, ending her four-decade connection to the U.S. Navy.
