USS Suribachi ( AE - 21 ) USS " Suribachi " ( AE - 21 ) was a of the United States Navy . The ship was laid down on 31 January 1955 at Sparrows Point , Maryland , by Bethlehem Sparrows Point Shipyard , Inc . ; launched on 2 November 1955 ; sponsored by Mrs . Lemuel C . Shepherd ; and commissioned on 17 November 1956 , Captain Brooks J . Harral in command . She was named for the volcano of Iwo Jima , Mount Suribachi . Service history . 1956 – 1960 . Between commissioning and August 1957 , " Suribachi " completed fitting out and conducted shakedown training out of Guantanamo Bay Naval Base , Cuba . In September and October , she participated in three NATO exercises — " Seaspray " , " Strikeback " , and " Pipedown " — as flagship for the Underway Replenishment Group ( URG ) . During the following year , she continued to operate along the east coast and in the Caribbean Sea , undergoing a yard overhaul and training at Guantanamo Bay . In November 1958 , " Suribachi " sailed on an extended tour of duty with the 6th Fleet . She cruised the Mediterranean until May 1960 , taking time in June 1959 to serve as flagship for Service Squadron 2 during Operation " Lantflex " . 1961 – 1972 . " Suribachi " deployed to the Mediterranean two more times , from February to August 1961 and from August 1962 until the spring of 1963 , before entering the yard of the Maryland Shipbuilding and Drydock Co . , at Baltimore , Maryland , for conversion to a Fast Automatic Shuttle Transfer ammunition ship ( AE - FAST ) . At that time , she was placed in commission , in reserve . In addition to the FAST conversion , " Suribachi " received a helicopter platform on her fantail enabling her to conduct vertical replenishments for the fleet . On 15 December 1965 , the ammunition ship was placed back in full commission at Norfolk , Virginia , where she continued fitting out until the beginning of February 1966 . She then got underway for five weeks of shakedown training in the Caribbean area out of Guantanamo Bay . From mid - March to mid - April , she and conducted the operational evaluation of her newly installed FAST system , in the vicinity of Mayport , Florida . In June , she returned to her schedule of 6th Fleet deployments and Atlantic coast - Caribbean operations . Between June 1966 and June 1972 , she made four more Mediterranean cruises , during which she visited many of the interesting ports along the littoral of the " middle sea " . Her mission , as always , was to maintain the logistics support for the fleet at a high level of readiness . When not deployed with the 6th Fleet , she returned to operations along the eastern seaboard and trained in the Caribbean . 1972 – 1975 . On 16 June 1972 , " Suribachi " negotiated the locks of the Panama Canal and joined the Pacific Fleet . Ten days later , she arrived in Pearl Harbor . After an overnight stop , she continued on to the operating area off the coast of South Vietnam . From mid - July 1972 until 8 February 1973 , " Suribachi " rearmed and refueled the combat units of the 7th Fleet . She departed from the combat zone fairly frequently for port period at Subic Bay in the Philippines and for a visit each to Hong Kong and Sattahip , Thailand . Her periods away from the action zone were brief in every instance , three or four days at most . On 8 February 1973 , she entered port at Subic Bay and , on the 16th , sailed for Yokosuka , Japan , en route back to the United States . Following stops there and at Pearl Harbor , " Suribachi " re - transited the Panama Canal in mid - March and rejoined the Atlantic Fleet . After returning to the east coast , " Suribachi " resumed her old schedule of operations in the western Atlantic - Caribbean area alternating with cruises with the 6th Fleet . She made one Mediterranean deployment , from January to June 1974 , and was operating with the 2nd Fleet as of March 1975 . 1975 – 1994 . The " Suribachi " US duty port was changed from Mayport , Florida to Earl New Jersey . The " Suribachi " almost never traveled with the fleet : it was way too risky . It was an ammunition supply ship carrying massive amounts of fuel oil , and extreme munitions ordnance : like nuclear weapons , that can not be confirmed or denied . The ship housed Seamen , Firemen , and Gunners Mates . There were no Marines . The ship was commanded by Captain Lynch , and the fleet commanding officer was Commodore Taylor . A news crew arrived to film an unrep of a few gallons of paint . There was a heavy storm , and the original Flight Crew refused to fly . An alternate Flight Crew was ordered into service , and the helicopter went down with the Reporters , and all hands . The next day Commodore Taylor came across to visit our ship by Bosun ' s chair . The Seamen in charge of tethering the rope dropped him in the drink , and tried to drown him . No charges were ever filed . The " Suribachi ' s sister ship the NITRO was also stationed at Earle NJ . Decommissioning and sale . " Suribachi " was decommissioned in a ceremony at Leonardo , New Jersey on 2 December 1994 , after 38 years of service , and was moored at the James River Reserve Fleet site in Newport News , Virginia . On 8 June 2009 , the ship was sold for scrapping .