Posted:
August 28, 2009
Photo: courtesy of Capt. Konstantinos Malihoutsakis |
| Between December 1958 and the first at-sea launch of a Polaris missile August 27, 1959, the first complete Fleet Ballistic Missile Weapons System was installed onboard the Observation Island. The vessel has since been utilized to test and monitor a number of new types of missiles. The Observation Island served as an active commissioned ship until 1972, when she was transferred to the Military Sealift Command and manned by a civilian crew. The USNS Observation Island is operated for Military Sealift Command by Maersk Line Limited and is manned in all licensed positions by American Maritime Officers. |