U.S.S. Holland AS-32 Submarine Tender
"Ghost Ships" - © Amy Heiden
The whipping wind chilled my ears and fingertips as I walked towards the National Defense Reserve Fleet Headquarters. The sun began to burn through the fog, revealing the silhouettes of the stoic ships in the distance. I walked down the dock and boarded the N.D.R.F. boat. As we embarked on the calm bay, the boat passed the colossal yet tranquil ships. As the details emerged from the shadows, I began to explore their history in my mind. Intrigued by their past, I began to imagine how they appeared during their time of operation. I envisioned men stationed at the guns; troops being transferred to and from war; submarines docked alongside the tenders while the weapons were restocked and the Captain sitting on the bridge guiding the ship. It was hard to fathom the thought of standing on the decks of these incredibly historic ships that once served to protect our country.
"Old and New" - © Amy Heiden
We docked at the ‘K Row’ and ascended the steep accommodation ladder of the first ship. Once aboard U.S.S. Comet, I noticed her pristine state - after all, she had been recently decommissioned. As I crossed the gangways between the ships, I noticed that each one sat in a different state of decay. The ships near the middle of the row, U.S.N.S. General Edwin D. Patrick and U.S.N.S. General John Pope, were incredibly rusted and worn. Grass that once rooted in the cracks of the tattered deck had turned brown. Metal chairs coated in rust sat with broken legs and ripped cushions, leaving the stuffing exposed. Layers of paint had peeled off the lifeboats and railings in such a way that flakes had collected in piles around the edges of the deck. I couldn’t help but equate these ships to humans in different stages of life. Some were teenagers, young, fresh and ready to take on the world, while others were elderly, weathered, tired and at the end of their lives.
My thoughts were abduptly interrupted when our group stopped near a hatch. We were going below deck of U.S.S. Holland (AS-32), a former submarine tender.
* * *
Rota, Spain - Courtesy of Bob TrippU.S.S. Holland (AS-32) was the second Hunley class submarine tender and the third Holland named in honor of John P. Holland, who built the first submarine commissioned by the Navy in 1900. Admiral Lawrence R. Daspit commissioned U.S.S. Holland on September 7, 1963 in Charleston, South Carolina.
Built a Fleet Ballistic Missile Submarine Tender, her mission was to service submarines, replenish their supply of food, fuel and weapons, as well as to repair or replace parts. She also acted as a place for the crew to rest before battle. Her first major mission, from 1964-1966, was across the Atlantic Ocean in Rota, Spain where she took over for U.S.S. Proteus, restocking missiles and supplies to the Polaris Submarines.
Sub Battery - Courtesy of ussbatfish.comIn 1968, she received her first overhaul, which was completed in January of 1969. She then returned to Rota, Spain, where she was stationed until 1972.
After a few modifications in the United States, U.S.S. Holland set sail from Charleston, South Carolina (known as Site Four) to Holly Loch, Scotland. This time, there were a few new crew members, including Jose Garcia, who shared with me the ship’s unpublished history, the crew’s stories.
Jose Garcia was a crane operator/deck force/weapons handler on U.S.S. Holland from 1975-1977. A typical day for Jose and the crew started at 0800 with a deck call, where they would be read the ‘Time of the Day’ and receive the day’s assignments.
Though many of the crews’ tasks were strenuous, dangerous and mundane, it paid off to complete the work well and in a timely manner so they remained in good standing with the officer. If they were lucky, they would be assigned a more desirable position, like Jose’s favorite job, crane operator. Other crew duties included preventative maintenance tasks, such as painting the deck. But there were also higher priority duties, including transferring missiles and supplies to the submarines as well as changing their batteries, which was no easy task. Each battery weighed just over 1,600 pounds and had to be stored in acid proof tanks, to prevent damage if a leak occurred. Daily maintenance was required to prevent dangers, such as the effects of batteries coming into contact with salt water.
During Jose’s time aboard U.S.S. Holland, it wasn’t uncommon to see a few submarines docked alongside the ship, especially in the evenings.
“They were always there,” Jose explained. “There wasn’t a day we didn’t have one. One would come in and one would leave and some of them would come in smashed up like they ran into someone. One came in with a sail yanked; they came across an underwater cable. Another one had a front smashed in. There were speculations and rumors, but nobody would know for sure.”
Holy Loch, Scotland - Courtesy USS Holland AS-32 on FacebookMost of these accidents went unpublicized, even those that happened aboard the ship. According to Jose, there were many incidents, including a few fires and nuclear spills. There were no fatalities, but there was always the potential for a large tragedy, especially when dealing with missiles.
The Poseidon missiles weighed 64,000 pounds, had a range of 2,860 miles and a speed of 8,000 miles per hour; each one had the ability to carry 14 independently targetable warheads. The missiles were restocked on-board U.S.S. Holland by the supply ships when they docked alongside to replenish the stock of food and weapons approximately once a month. Jose explained why the crew enjoyed this experience.
“I mean, it was fun. When the ships came alongside, sometimes we’d hide stuff and we’d barter and trade with another department; we mostly traded food.”
Downtime was a privilege for the ship’s crew. When they finished their tasks for the day, they would hang out with their friends in various parts of the ship. “We called it ‘skate loafin,’ off at a friend’s shop until someone was looking for you.”
While they were relaxing, the crew often participated in less than acceptable activities, during which they were forced to be cautious in order to avoid getting caught while "secretly making moonshine in the engine room," or “smoking hash like crazy” in the Aft Engine room.
Crew - Courtesy of USS Holland AS-32 on FacebookDespite the fact that the crew enjoyed moments of laughter aboard the ship, moments of hardship did occur. Being confined to such tight ship quarters caused tempers to flare, which occasionally presented issues between crewmembers.
Jose explains, “Somebody dirtied their rack and the guy went and told the first class petty officer, chief. They wanted to know who did it and nobody said nothing. They grabbed the whole first class division and took us by the anchor cranes. They locked us in there. It was against the law. They weren’t going to let us out until someone said they did it. There was this guy, a total redneck, who would mock me, call me names like “Wetback,” and I would ignore him. My other Chicano friends asked why I didn’t stand up for myself. The guy was pretty big; I’m not stupid. They jumped him and broke his cheekbone, one of his ribs and his nose. They did it [when they were locked up] in there. I watched in horror. They opened the hatch and saw what happened and told them [everyone] not to say anything about it. They transferred him back to the states.”
If the crew were on duty while the ship was in port, they would remain aboard the ship and spend the night in a bunk. However, at the end of many days a handful of crew members, including Jose, were given liberty, a chance to rest their ‘sea legs.’ In Jose’s case, he was able to return to his own apartment in Scotland.
Rota, Spain - Courtesy of www.ussholland.org
In 1977, Jose left the Navy, but U.S.S. Holland remained stationed in Scotland for a few years, where she received five consecutive Battle Efficiency “E” Awards, an award based on “overall readiness of the command to carry out its assigned wartime tasks and is based on a year-long evaluation.” In 1978, U.S.S. Holland was awarded a Battenberg Cup, honored as the only Submarine Tender, to date, to receive this award. She returned to Site Four in 1983, where she spent the next eight years performing retrofit repairs and services. She made history in 1989, when she performed the “first open-ocean mooring of a Ballistic Missile Submarine.”
In early 1992, U.S.S. Holland underwent a conversion overhaul, outfitting her for the necessities to support Fast Attack Submarines. Later that same year, in July, U.S.S. Holland assumed full duties in Guam. Unlike many years prior, her last four years in service were spent at sea. She was decommissioned on April 13, 1996 in Apra Harbor, Guam, after which, she was transported to Washington for two years, where she was stripped down and checked for contaminants. In May of 2000, she was sent to the National Defense Reserve Fleet in Suisun Bay, California.
* * *
When the hatch opened, I was overwhelmed by the stench of oil, steel and stale air -- an obvious sign that U.S.S. Holland had rarely been exposed to fresh air since her arrival at Suisun Bay nine years prior.
As we descended down a ladder, I reached up to turn on my headlamp, only to discover that we were immersed inside the mess, surrounded by plastic blue tables and yellow seats. Our flashlights blinded our eyes as the beams reflected off the metal cabinets covering the walls. Across the room, I noticed an old soda fountain, complete with drink labels that appeared to have been typed by a typewriter.
We continued our journey down the long, dark passageway, passing the Battle Dressing Station and the Post Office before we wound up in the Aft Machine Shop. During U.S.S. Holland’s operation, crews would work diligently inside this machine shop to fabricate broken or damaged parts for the submarines or the even U.S.S. Holland itself.
My flashlight beam lit up various large pieces of machinery as I scoured the room for things to investigate. I continued to browse the dark corners of the machine shop, enamored by what I was discovering; a valve shop door covered with a painted cartoon of a dog, drawers that had been labeled by hand, symbols inlayed into the floor and desks full of papers and documents dating back to the early 1980’s.
"Valve Shop" - © Amy Heiden
I cautiously approached the equipment, careful not to slip on the oil-slick floor. With the exception of the oily floor and a thick layer of dust covering everything in sight, the shop was in impeccable condition, as was the machinery. In fact, I was told with a little grease, oil and the replacement of a few parts, most of these grinders, lathes and saws could run again.
"Corrosives" - © Amy Heiden
Towards the end of the day, after dismantling some machinery, our team leader, Tom, gave us a tour of the ship. We descended a few decks and stopped at an enormous hatch, adorned with the letters “WTD” (watertight door). We received a stern warning not to enter the space after the hatch was opened. After breaking the watertight seal, I was again overwhelmed by a new set of fumes, stronger and more pungent than before. Stale, rusty, dry air was billowing out of the open hatch as Tom grabbed his light and shone it fifty feet down, straight to the ship’s hull. We then understood Tom’s warning.
"Vertigo" - © Amy Heiden
There was no access to the hull from there, so we sealed the hatch and continued down a few more ladders until we were standing at the bottom of the giant alien landscape we had looked down into moments before.
It was evident this part of the ship was a modification, but at the time, we were unclear about its purpose. On the other hand, we were certain the strategically placed numbered squares covering the walls were evidence of the testing done before she was transferred to Suisun Bay.
"Cubed" - © Amy Heiden
I later discovered, after my conversations with Jose Garcia, that this was modification was known as the ‘Nuclear Facilities’ and was completed in Bremerton, Washington between 1968-1969 after the ship left the shipyard in Charleston, South Carolina. This gaping space lies in between the two cargo cranes, spanning from the hull of the ship to the 02 level. The tender would collect the contaminated water from the submarines she was tendering and recycle it here in this large space. The metal configuration at the bottom of this space would have supported a deck, however, during the radiation testing process, it’s likely contamination was found, causing it to be removed.
Standing inside this vast metal jail, it was impossible not to feel small. The encompassing bulkhead was overwhelming as I glanced up towards the watertight door we had opened moments before. Once all conversations between the crew stopped, I heard water lapping against a surface. It wasn’t until that moment, that I realized I was actually standing on the hull of the ship. As I looked around in an attempt to discover other intriguing elements of the space, I noticed a small hole that had been cut in the bulkhead adjacent to this space. I crawled through it anxious of what I was about to discover.
"Metal Maze" - © Amy Heiden
I entered a similar space where steel had been removed. This particular find was intriguing because as I was standing there, I felt myself lean with the curve of the ship’s hull. Though I was unable to find any research in regards to why the steel had been cut out of a large portion of the hull in this section, it’s suggested that contaminants were found, which led to a requirement that the steel to be removed.
Once we emerged from the hull, we continued upward towards the main deck to find access down to the magazine. A few minutes later we found ourselves standing inside the Poseidon magazine storage.
"Magazine" - © Amy Heiden
U.S.S. Holland was outfitted with two different types of missiles, the Polaris and the Poseidon. In the 1960's, she received a modification removing the Polaris missile magazine, replacing it with a prefabricated, 250-ton Poseidon Magazine. She had sixteen main deck hatches allowing access to the magazine storage, which I had passed earlier in the day. One of the twin 30-ton cranes located above the hatches would pull the missiles from the magazine storage to the main deck for transfer to the submarines. U.S.S. Holland supported Poseidon missiles until she was decommissioned.
"Magazine Hatches" - © Amy Heiden
At 1545 we started our ascent. Once I saw the beam of light in the passageway, I knew we only had one more ladder before we hit the main deck. At 1600, we boarded the Headquarters boat once again. While the sun was setting, we took the ten-minute boat ride back to the pier. As I got in my car to drive home, I recalled how I once wondered what could be discovered if I had the opportunity to explore these ships. It was incomprehensible to imagine that I had just been there and the whole drive home my mind continued to swirl with memories from the visceral experience.
"Kansas City" - © Amy Heiden
In recent years, the ships of the Mothball Fleet have caused a fair amount of controversy. Environmentalists want the ships cleaned and hauled out of the bay in order to prevent more toxins from entering the waters. However, this is not a simple feat. It will cost millions of dollars to clean each ship of bay marine life and tow the ship to Texas for scrapping. For now, U.S.S. Holland and the other “ghost ships,” lie patiently awaiting their fate, but in the very near future, many of these ships may be leaving Suisun Bay. In the last few months, five ships have been removed from the fleet, a direct effect of the Government deeming the removal an environmental priority. It's only a matter of time before these ships are gone forever.
(For more photos of the Mothball Fleet, visit the gallery on my website or check out my Flickr set.)
Sources:
- Guttery, Randy & Sherry. “Tendertale USS Holland AS 32”
<http://tendertale.com/> Dec 2009 - January 2010
- Garcia, Jose. “USS Holland AS-32 Association”
<www.ussholland.org/>. Dec 2009.
- Wikipedia. “UGM-73 Poseidon”
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UGM-73_Poseidon>
- Garcia, Jose. Telephone Interview. 6 July 2009.
Amy Heiden
Reader Comments (9)
Awesome job, Amy!!!
Both the writing and the Photography are top notch, great job!
A friend of my Dad's read this story and passed it along to his friend who was a Captain in the Navy. His reply was sent to me by email.
"Many, many thanks! Great stuff and well done - my compliments to Amy Heiden. Brought back a flood of memories as I have been on the USS HOLLAND when she was in Groton, Conn. I have also seen her in Holy Loch, Scotland. I also enjoyed some of the "sea stories" from members of her crew. It is remarkable to me how a ship so alive with her crew embarked and all the day to day challenges, ends up in the NDRF and only ocassionally has visitors enter her spaces. IF only the bulkheads could speak!" (Terry Sheffield)
I am very impressed by your story scop. I just happened to come across this URL by accident, doing some web searches of our ship. I will surely post this link in our website. Thanks Amy. There are some errors in the photos. The photo that states that was taken in Guam, actually was taken in Holy Lock,Scotland. The one next to it; a SSBN fired that missile and there was no one there to record the launch and for a photo ops.
I'm glad you enjoyed it Jose! You were an integral part of the story and everyone loves what you contributed.
I made the appropriate changes. Thanks for catching those!
Take care and thanks again!
Great item. A real walk back in time. I was a MA/DP aboard Holland in Rota from 1964-1966
Hi again Amy: I will treasure your photo's forever!! Are copies available? art smith, brooklet, ga.
PS: I was on Holland during 1965 and 1966 in Rota. Went from e2 to Dm2 during that time!! art smith in Ga.
As I served on board the "World's Greatest Tender" for four in Scotland, its a sad end to a faithful ship. I hope that she is used as a target to give her a fitting end.
wow what memories i served onboard the "worlds greatest tender" from 79-81 and seeing your photos really brings back memories of my time on her thank you