USS Arcturus ( AF - 52 ) USS " Arcturus " ( AF - 52 ) was an " Alstede " - class stores ship acquired by the U . S . Navy . Her task was to carry stores , refrigerated items , and equipment to ships in the fleet , and to remote stations and staging areas . The fifth Navy vessel to be named " Arcturus " , " AF - 52 " was laid down on 8 December 1941 at Oakland , California , by the Moore Dry Dock Co . under a Maritime Commission contract ( MC hull 184 ) as " Golden Eagle " ; launched on 15 March 1942 ; sponsored by Mrs . John B . McKee ; and delivered to the War Shipping Administration ( WSA ) on 23 April 1943 . She was operated under WSA charter by the United Fruit Co . until 1946 and , thereafter by the Sword Line and the United States Lines . Assigned to the Army Transportation Corps . Between October 1948 and early 1950 , she served the Army Transportation Corps as " USAT Golden Eagle " . Assigned to the Military Sea Transportation Service . In March 1950 , " Golden Eagle " was transferred from the Maritime Commission to the Navy and was assigned to the Military Sea Transportation Service ( MSTS ) as " USNS Golden Eagle " ( T - AF - 52 ) . Return to the Navy as AF - 52 with a civilian crew . Designated AF - 52 and run by a Navy crew , " Golden Eagle " operated out of New York carrying supplies to American bases in the North Atlantic Ocean , Europe , and the Mediterranean . During November and December 1950 , she was deployed to the Mediterranean for provisioning operations and , through the first six months of 1951 , carried cargo to Bremerhaven and Liverpool . Following a second stint of service in the Mediterranean , she departed New York on 3 August for logistics duty off Thule , Greenland . Returning to New York on 13 September , she resumed transatlantic service on the 19th . Between 1952 and 1961 , " Golden Eagle " made regular runs to ports in western Europe . Operating out of New York , Boston , Baltimore , and Norfolk , she steamed to Bremerhaven , Liverpool , and Rotterdam . During August and September 1952 and 1953 , she supplied ships participating in Operation Blue Jay at Thule . Cargo missions in the North Atlantic sent her to Newfoundland , Iceland , and Baffin Island . Commissioned with a Navy crew . Following her return from European waters to New York in the summer of 1961 , " Golden Eagle " entered the New York Naval Shipyard to begin modifications to prepare her to become a commissioned ship . She was renamed " Arcturus " on 13 October 1961 and placed in commission at New York on 18 November 1961 , Capt . Maxie B . Davis in command . Shakedown training in the West Indies and post - shakedown repairs at the Maryland Shipbuilding & Drydock Co . in Baltimore , Maryland , occupied her until the summer of 1962 . In June 1962 , " Arcturus " stood out of Norfolk , Virginia , on her first deployment to the Mediterranean as a unit of the U . S . 6th Fleet . Over the next decade , the ship provided logistics support for Navy forces operating in the Mediterranean Sea and in the West Indies . During most years , she served three tours of duty resupplying ships of the U . S . 6th Fleet . In between those assignments , " Arcturus " made logistics support voyages to the West Indies , conducted type training , and participated in multiship exercises . Regular overhauls periodically interrupted that schedule and , when they occurred , usually limited her to one or two deployments to the Mediterranean for the year in question . LTJG Dorsey served as Supply Officer from 1964 - 1966 . LTJG Curry served as Deck Officer , then Navigator from 1965 - 1968 . Decommissioning . Late in 1972 , as she prepared for the 24th Mediterranean deployment of her Navy career , her refrigeration compressor system broke down completely . Early in October , the Navy decided to inactivate her . On 2 November , " Arcturus " began preparations for decommissioning . She was placed out of commission at the Naval Amphibious Base , Little Creek , Virginia , on 16 March 1973 . On 18 October 1973 , " Arcturus " was transferred to the Maritime Administration and berthed with the National Defense Reserve Fleet ' s contingent in Virginia ' s James River . Her name was struck from the Navy list on 1 October 1976 . In December 1985 , she was authorized for use as a target to destruction . Final Disposition : sunk as a target , 24 July 1997 . Sunk by Naval Gunfire from the USS Cole ( DDG - 67 ) at . Military awards and honors . Her crew was eligible for the following medal :