Diamond Head-AE-19

Diamond Head

An extinct volcano in Hawaii.

(AE-l9: dp. 15,295 (f.), 1. 459'2", b. 63', dr. 28'3";
s. 16 k.; cpl. 267; a. 1 5", 4 3"; cl. Wrangell)

Diamond Head (AE-19) was launched 3 February 1945 by North Carolina Shipbuilding Co., Wilmington, N.C. under a Maritime Commission contract, sponsored by Mrs. D. Bill; transferred to the Navy 10 March 1945; converted at Bethlehem Key Highway Shipyard, Baltimore, Md.; and commissioned 9 August 1945, Lieutenant Commander F. C. Snow, USNR, in command.

Diamond Head reported at Norfolk to Commander Service Force, Atlantic for duty 20 September 1945 and after training, was used experimentally by the Bureau of Ships to test suitable markings for hospital ships. She departed Norfolk 5 April 1946 for Galveston Tex., arriving 5 days later. Diamond Head was placed out of commission in reserve there 23 August 1946.

Diamond Head was recommissioned on 9 August 1951 as part of the naval expansion brought about by the Korean War. Reassigned to the Atlantic Fleet, the ammunition ship took her place as part of the vital logistics support force that has given the United States Navy outstanding sea-keeping ability and unprecedented mobility. She has since served in various operations along the east coast and in the Caribbean, and through 1960, has made five cruises with the 6th Fleet in the Mediterranean.