USS PUGET SOUND

• Namesake: USS Puget Sound (AD-38) was named after Puget Sound, a prominent body of water in the state of Washington, USA. • Commissioning: The ship was commissioned on 27 April 1968 at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton, Washington. • Class and Type: Puget Sound was a Samuel Gompers-class destroyer tender, designed to provide maintenance and logistical support to destroyers and other small warships. • Homeports: Over her service life, Puget Sound was homeported in Newport, Rhode Island; Naples, Italy; and Norfolk, Virginia. • Service in the Mediterranean: From 1979 to 1985, USS Puget Sound served as the flagship for the Commander, Sixth Fleet (C6F) in the Mediterranean, playing a vital role in Cold War naval operations. • Lebanon Crisis: During the Lebanon Crisis in the 1980s, Puget Sound supported U.S. Navy ships involved in peacekeeping and evacuation operations off the coast of Beirut. • Support during the Gulf War: In 1991, Puget Sound provided vital maintenance and logistical support to U.S. and coalition naval forces during Operation Desert Storm. • Onboard Facilities: The ship was equipped with extensive machine shops, repair facilities, supply departments, and even medical and dental clinics, making her a floating maintenance base. • Women at Sea: USS Puget Sound was among the early naval ships to integrate women into the crew, reflecting changing policies in the U.S. Navy during the 1980s and 1990s. • Decommissioning: USS Puget Sound was decommissioned on 27 January 1996 after nearly 28 years of service, and was later scrapped in 2008.