Laid down 2 August 1980 Decommissioned 3 September 1996 Fate for disposal Launched 6 February 1982 Weight 20,590 tons | Commissioned 15 August 1983 Struck 28 July 2001 Construction started 2 August 1980 Length 196 m Displacement 18.38 million kg | |
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Status National Defense Reserve Fleet | ||
USS Shenandoah (AD-44) was the fourth and final ship of the Yellowstone-class of destroyer tenders. AD-44 was the fifth ship to bear the name, USS Shenandoah as named for the Shenandoah Valley. She was commissioned in 1983, only three years after the decommissioning of the previous USS Shenandoah (AD-26), also a destroyer tender.
In 1991, USS Shenandoah was diverted to the Red Sea to tend ships of the U.S. Seventh Fleet's USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) Battle Group. The Shenandoah and her crew members were awarded the Southwest Asia Service Medal with one campaign star and the Kuwait Liberation Medal (Kuwait).
Following her decommissioning in 1996, at only 13 years old, the USS Shenandoah was re-located at the James River Reserve Fleet in Fort Eustis, Va., awaiting final disposal. In FY15, the ex-Shenandoah was sold for dismantlement, departed the JRRF and was withdrawn from MARAD inventory.
Awards and decorations
The USS Shenandoah received the following unit awards in its history: