Historical Narrative

---

USS Wabash is a Wichita-class replenishment oiler that served in the U.S. Navy from 1970 to 1994. The ship was named for the Wabash River, which runs through the states of Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois. 

Wabash was laid down on January 21, 1970 by General Dynamics Quincy Shipbuilding Division at Quincy, Massachusetts, and launched on February 6, 1971. The ship was commissioned on November 20, 1971 at the Boston Naval Shipyard. 

Wabash had a long and distinguished career serving in number of locations, two of which included the Philippines and Vietnam.  The ship conducted 46 underway replenishments during its first tour on the "line" off the Vietnamese coast. 

Wabash was decommissioned on September 30, 1994 and stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on April 8, 1997.  It entered the Maritime Administration’s Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet in Benicia, California on December 23, 1997.  The vessel was transferred to the Maritime Administration in December 1999.

Vancouver was withdrawn from Suisun Bay on November 14, 2012 after being sold for dismantlement.

Naval History and Heritage Command Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships entry for USS Wabash.

Vessel Name History

WABASH (AOR-5)