USS Niagra Falls (AFS-3)

• Commissioning and Class: USS Niagara Falls (AFS-3) was a Mars-class combat stores ship commissioned on April 29, 1967, designed to provide underway replenishment of food, spare parts, and other supplies to U.S. Navy ships at sea. • Namesake: She was named after the famous Niagara Falls, symbolizing power and natural wonder, and was the third U.S. Navy ship to bear the name "Niagara Falls." • Vietnam War Service: Niagara Falls played a crucial role in the Vietnam War, supplying the 7th Fleet and sustaining forward-deployed ships with vital logistics support. • Helicopter Operations: The ship was equipped with helicopter decks and carried CH-46 Sea Knight helicopters, enabling vertical replenishment (VERTREP) operations while underway. • Humanitarian Missions: In 1975, Niagara Falls participated in Operation Frequent Wind, the evacuation of American and South Vietnamese civilians during the fall of Saigon. • Cold War Patrols: Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, she supported fleet operations during the Cold War, including deployments in the Pacific and Indian Oceans. • Desert Shield/Desert Storm: USS Niagara Falls deployed in support of Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm in 1990-1991, supplying U.S. and coalition naval forces during the Gulf War. • Decommissioning: The ship was decommissioned on September 12, 1994, after 27 years of service, and transferred to the Military Sealift Command where she served as USNS Niagara Falls (T-AFS-3). • Final Fate: After her service as a civilian-manned supply ship, Niagara Falls was eventually stricken from the Naval Vessel Register and sunk as a target during a RIMPAC exercise in July 2012. • Legacy: The ship and her crew were awarded multiple commendations, including the Navy Unit Commendation and Meritorious Unit Commendation, for outstanding service in both combat and peacetime operations.