USS Santa Barbara ( AE - 28 ) USS " Santa Barbara " ( AE - 28 ) was an in the United States Navy . Santa Barbara is both the name of Santa Barbara , California and a historically active volcano on Terceira Island in the Azores . In addition , Saint Barbara is the patron saint of those who work with cannons and explosives . " Santa Barbara " was laid down on 30 December 1966 at the Bethlehem Sparrows Point Shipyard in Sparrows Point , Maryland ; launched on 23 January 1968 ; sponsored by Mrs . Graeme C . Bannerman , the wife of the Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Installations and Logistics ; and commissioned on 11 July 1970 , with Captain Charles A . Whitmore in command . Service history . Following fitting out at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard , " Santa Barbara " arrived at her selected home port , Davisville , Rhode Island , on 18 September 1970 . On 6 October , the ammunition ship conducted her first underway replenishment . " Santa Barbara " departed from Davisville on 15 October for the Caribbean and six weeks of shakedown training at Guantánamo Bay , Cuba . Her shakedown completed on 25 November , the " Santa Barbara " returned to her home port of Davisville on 5 December . Underway again on 11 January 1971 , " Santa Barbara " arrived at the Naval Ammunition Depot , Earle , New Jersey , for her first regular loadout , which was completed four days later at the Naval Weapons Station , Yorktown , Virginia After a short period in Davisville , " Santa Barbara " got underway on 1 February for her first regularly scheduled fleet exercises . With units of Task Force 27 participating in Operation Springboard , the ammunition ship operated out of Roosevelt Roads , Puerto Rico , until 25 February , rearming 17 ships and successfully transferring over 400 tons of missiles , bombs , and projectiles . On 15 March , the " Santa Barbara " began a two - month availability at the Boston Naval Shipyard . Departing on 25 June , she arrived the next day at Davisville . In July , she sailed to Guantánamo Bay , Cuba , for refresher training , and next returned to Davisville in August . In September , " Santa Barbara " was deployed to the Mediterranean Sea , returning to the United States on 17 March 1972 . She departed from the New England coast in April , bound for a short cruise in the Caribbean . Returning to Rhode Island in late May , she departed again on 5 June ; this time ordered to the western Pacific on an extended deployment . After seven months in Asian waters , " Santa Barbara " entered Pearl Harbor , Hawaii , on 5 February 1973 . Next , she proceeded to Quonset Point , Rhode Island , via the Panama Canal , arriving on the 22nd . She operated along the East Coast and in the Caribbean for the remainder of 1973 and for three months into 1974 . In April 1974 , " Santa Barbara " embarked upon another Mediterranean Sea mission . Originally home - ported in Davisville , Rhode Island , her home port was moved to Charleston , South Carolina , one of America ' s oldest and most historic cities , for a period of time before the Charleston Naval Base was closed . Decommissioned on 30 September 1998 , " Santa Barbara " was transferred to the Military Sealift Command ( MSC ) , Naval Fleet Auxiliary Force the same day and her hull number was changed to T - AE - 28 . She remained in service with MSC until she was finally retired on 5 August 2005 . She was sold for scrap in 2007 . Awards . " Santa Barbara " s awards include Battle Efficiency " E " Awards won in 1979 , 1980 , 1989 , and 1993 for exceptional performance from all departments . She was awarded the Meritorious Unit Commendation in 1973 for numerous records set replenishing at sea during the Vietnam War , and again in 1988 for her performance during her March 1988 Mediterranean Sea deployment . In 1989 , she earned the Golden Anchor Award for the best sailor retention in her class of ships , and she was the parent ship for the 1989 Surface Forces Atlantic Sailor of the Year . Her latest awards are the Maritime Warfare Excellence Award , the Engineering / Survivability Excellence Award , the Command and Control Excellence Award , the Logistics Management Excellence Award , and the Meritorious Unit Commendation for her performance during her 1992 - 1993 Mediterranean deployment . The ship also earned one campaign star for Vietnam War service .