page_title: USS Waccamaw (AO-109)
section_title: Decommissioning, civilian service and disposal
hierarchical_section_title: USS Waccamaw (AO-109) / Decommissioning, civilian service and disposal
caption_attribution_description: English: Aerial view of Unit 7 of the Reserve Fleet moored on the James River near Fort Eustis, Virginia (USA), on 28 January 1996. From bottom to top: an unidentified cargo ship (AK) Santa Cruz USS Vulcan (AR-5), USNS Redstone (T-AGM-20), two unidentified troop ships (AP), USNS Gen. N.M. Walter (T-AP-125), barracks ship Gen. Wm. O. Darby (IX-510), fleet oiler USNS Waccamaw (T-AO-109), USS Canisteo (AO-99), USS Caloosahatchee (AO-98), USNS Mississinewa (T-AO-144), USNS Pawcatuck (T-AO-108), USNS Truckee (T-AO-147), USNS Neosho (T-AO-143), USNS Benjamin Isherwood (T-AO-191) and Henry Eckford (T-AO-192). These two last oilers were both laid up incomplete.
context_page_description: USS Waccamaw (AO-109) was a Cimarron-class replenishment oiler in the United States Navy. She was named after Waccamaw River. The original capacity was 146,000 barrels.
  Waccamaw was laid down on 28 April 1945 by the Sun Shipbuilding and Drydock Co., Chester, Pennsylvania; launched on 30 March 1946; sponsored by Miss Irene F. Long; and commissioned on 25 June 1946, Capt. Guy W. Stringer in command.
context_section_description: On 6 December 1974, Waccamaw returned to Norfolk, Virginia, where she prepared for decommissioning. The ship was decommissioned by the Navy on 24 February 1975. Waccamaw transferred to the Military Sealift Command, where she continued in non-commissioned U.S. Navy service with a civilian crew as United States Naval Ship USNS Waccamaw (T-AO-108).
  On 3 April 1978, USS Fort Snelling and Waccamaw received structural damage in a collision north of Corsica when Waccamaw lost steering control during refueling. Both proceeded under their own power to Naples, Italy, for repairs.
  On 21 November 1978, Waccamaw collided with USS Saratoga which was operating with the 6th Fleet, during a refueling operation 50 miles (80 km) south of Crete, suffering minor damage and no injuries.
  On 24 September 1981 USS Guadalcanal and Waccamaw collided during underway replenishment south of Sardinia, Italy, causing minor damage but no injuries.Waccamaw was retired from service and returned to the Navy in 1989.  She was then transferred to the custody of MARAD and assigned to the National Defense Reserve Fleet at Fort Eustis, James River, Virginia, where she remained berthed until sold for scrapping at Brownsville, Texas in 2005.
caption: Waccamaw (ninth ship from the top) laid up with a "nest" of other oilers in Unit 7 of the Reserve Fleet moored near Fort Eustis, 28 January 1996.
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