USS Samuel Gompers (AD 37)

- decommissioned -
- sunk as a target -

USS SAMUEL GOMPERS was the lead ship of the SAMUEL GOMPERS - class of destroyer tenders and the first ship in the Navy to bear the name. Initially equipped with one single 5"/38 dual purpose gun mount, this gun was later removed from the ship.

Decommissioned on October 27, 1995, and stricken from the Navy list on April 7, 1999, the SAMUEL GOMPERS was eventually sunk as a target on July 22, 2003, at 3117N2 07351W6.

General Characteristics:	Awarded: October 31, 1963
	Keel laid: July 9, 1964
	Launched: May 14, 1966
	Commissioned: July 1, 1967
	Decommissioned: October 27, 1995
	Builder: Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Bremerton, Wash.
	Propulsion system: Two boilers, steam turbines, one shaft, 20,000 shaft horsepower
	Propellers: one
	Length: 643 feet (196 meters)
	Beam: 85 feet (25.9 meters)
	Draft: 27 feet (8.2 meters)
	Displacement: approx. 20,500 tons full load
	Speed: 20 knots
	Aircraft: Flight Deck only
	Armament: none
	Crew: 106 officers and 1,314 enlisted

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Crew List:

This section contains the names of sailors who served aboard USS SAMUEL GOMPERS. It is no official listing but contains the names of sailors who submitted their information.

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USS SAMUEL GOMPERS Cruise Books:

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About the Ship's Name:

USS SAMUEL GOMPERS is the first US Navy ship named for a Samuel Gompers who devoted his life to the labor movement and American ideals.

Samuel Gompers was born in London on 27 January 1850 and was apprenticed to a cigar maker in 1863. The following year, at the age of 14, Gompers became associated with the labor movement. He helped organize and became the president of the Cigarmakers International Union, which was a model for other unions to follow.

In 1881, Gompers served as chairman of an organization that evolved into the Federation of Organized Trades and Labor Unions of the United States and Canada. It was reorganized and renamed the American Federation of Labor (AFL) in 1886. Gompers was elected president of the AFL and served in that capacity for more than four decades as the official head of the American labor movement.

Before the AFL was founded, the labor movement was fragmented into small individual unions throughout the country, all working without much cooperation with each other. Upon formation of the AFL, Gompers took the helm as its president and welded the labor movement into a single unit that became a power in the commercial, industrial and political life of the United States.

Gompers believed in the ideals of America and taught patriotism to all his followers. He kept the labor movement on a conservative footing and free from radicalism. A fearless advocate of right and a great humanitarian, he was also a great fighter. Gompers strove for peace in American industry, setting an example for others to follow. His work for nearly half a century was dedicated to advancing the lot of laborers, both men and women. His firm conviction that labor could never displace management made it possible for him to successfully negotiate with industry.

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USS SAMUEL GOMPERS History:

USS SAMUEL GOMPERS was the lead ship of the SAMUEL GOMPERS-class of destroyer tenders. The ship was designed as a large mobile industrial and logistics facility capable of accompanying deployed naval forces and carrying out extensive repairs without requiring supported warships to return to major naval shipyards in the continental United States. Her keel was laid at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton, Washington, on July 9, 1964. She was launched on May 14, 1966, sponsored by Mrs. Joseph Holmes, and commissioned at Bremerton on July 1, 1967, with Captain Harry Risch Jr. in command.

Following commissioning, SAMUEL GOMPERS remained in the Puget Sound area for fitting-out and testing. Acceptance trials were conducted from August 28 through September 1, 1967. On October 3, 1967, SAMUEL GOMPERS departed the Pacific Northwest for her assigned homeport of San Diego, California. Final preparations followed there. She departed San Diego on November 10 for her first Western Pacific deployment and proceeded to Pearl Harbor. During the Hawaiian stop, she received weapons and material transferred from the older destroyer tender USS PRAIRIE (AD 15), helping prepare the new ship to assume a substantial share of forward repair duties in the Pacific. SAMUEL GOMPERS departed Pearl Harbor on November 20 and reached Yokosuka, Japan, on November 30.

The value of the new tender became apparent almost immediately. During her first month at Yokosuka, her repair department completed work for 54 ships and shore activities. The jobs ranged from routine maintenance to technically demanding work requiring specialized machinery and skilled technicians. A forward tender could save a combatant days or weeks of transit time by allowing repairs to be completed in theater rather than at Pearl Harbor or a continental shipyard.

SAMUEL GOMPERS departed Yokosuka on January 13, 1968, and proceeded to Sasebo, Japan. Only ten days later, on January 23, North Korean forces captured the intelligence-collection ship USS PUEBLO (AGER 2) in international waters off the Korean coast. The seizure produced a major United States military reaction and a rapid concentration of naval forces in and around the Sea of Japan. Carrier operations increased sharply while Washington considered military and diplomatic responses to the crisis. The sudden concentration of ships placed heavy demands on forward maintenance resources. SAMUEL GOMPERS remained at Sasebo and provided repair support to vessels associated with the enlarged American naval force. By the time this phase of the deployment ended, her repair department had serviced 71 ships. The work allowed escorts and other combatants to receive necessary maintenance without withdrawing from the area during a period of heightened tension with North Korea.

SAMUEL GOMPERS departed the Japanese operating area on March 18, 1968, and sailed to Kaohsiung, Taiwan. She remained there for approximately three weeks, anchored in the harbor, and provided maintenance and repair services to 17 ships. Taiwan was then an important United States naval support and liberty location and was strategically significant because of the Cold War confrontation with the People's Republic of China.

After completing the Kaohsiung period, SAMUEL GOMPERS continued to Hong Kong and then to Subic Bay in the Philippines. Subic Bay became one of the most important locations in her subsequent career. Its protected anchorage, ship-repair facilities, ammunition infrastructure and proximity to the South China Sea made it a principal Seventh Fleet support base during the Vietnam War. SAMUEL GOMPERS eventually began the homeward transit and returned to San Diego on May 8, 1968, completing her first deployment.

Only about a month after returning, the tender proceeded to Puget Sound Naval Shipyard for additional work. More than 200 dependents were embarked for the voyage north, taking advantage of the accommodation capacity of the large support ship. After completing the availability, SAMUEL GOMPERS departed Bremerton on July 27 with dependents embarked and returned to San Diego. From July 30 through November 15, 1968, SAMUEL GOMPERS remained at San Diego carrying out tender duties for Pacific Fleet ships. This period demonstrated that her industrial facilities were useful not only overseas but also at major American bases, where she could supplement shore maintenance organizations and help reduce waiting times for combatants requiring repairs.

On November 15, 1968, SAMUEL GOMPERS departed San Diego for her second Western Pacific deployment. She sailed in company with USS LYMAN K. SWENSON (DD 729), USS COONTZ (DLG 9), USS DUNCAN (DD 874) and USS HOPEWELL (DD 681). The formation stopped at Pearl Harbor for approximately three days and later made a brief refueling stop at Guam before reaching Subic Bay on December 8. Subic Bay became SAMUEL GOMPERS' principal operating location for most of this deployment. From December 8, 1968, through May 13, 1969, she carried out extensive fleet-repair duties there, interrupted by a five-day visit to Hong Kong. The volume of work reflected the intensive operational tempo of the Vietnam War. Destroyers and other surface combatants repeatedly cycled between operational stations off Vietnam and maintenance periods at Subic Bay, and the tender allowed many repairs to be completed rapidly without sending ships back to the United States.

A photograph from May 1969 illustrates the scale of this work. At Subic Bay, USS HIGBEE (DD 806), USS DOUGLAS H. FOX (DD 779), USS ROBISON (DDG 12) and USS LEARY (DD 879) were nested alongside SAMUEL GOMPERS while receiving services. Such multiple-ship nests were typical of destroyer-tender operations. SAMUEL GOMPERS supplied electrical power, fresh water, communications, workshops, technical specialists and repair material while several ships underwent simultaneous work.

SAMUEL GOMPERS departed Subic Bay on May 13, 1969, and proceeded to Yokosuka for additional fleet support and upkeep. She later began the return across the Pacific and reached the United States West Coast on June 4. During the remainder of 1969 and early 1970, SAMUEL GOMPERS supported Pacific Fleet ships from the United States and prepared for another overseas deployment. She departed San Diego on March 13, 1970, for the western Pacific. Subic Bay again served as the principal operating base during this deployment, reflecting the continuing requirements of the Vietnam War. SAMUEL GOMPERS eventually returned across the Pacific and arrived at San Diego on September 13, 1970.

The following deployment began on November 2, 1971, when SAMUEL GOMPERS departed San Diego. She proceeded through Pearl Harbor and Yokosuka and arrived at Subic Bay on November 24. The deployment coincided with the period immediately preceding the major escalation of the Vietnam War in 1972. American ground-force levels were declining, but the United States Navy still maintained carriers, cruisers, destroyers and support ships throughout the western Pacific. SAMUEL GOMPERS spent the beginning of 1972 at Rivera Point in Subic Bay. On January 17, she departed for Hong Kong carrying dependents associated with the naval community and arrived there on January 19. An unusual harbor incident occurred on January 21 when the tender broke away from her mooring buoy and drifted into USS MORTON (DD 948). Damage to the destroyer was minor. SAMUEL GOMPERS dropped her stern and port anchors to check her movement, and harbor tugs subsequently moved the large tender into the outer harbor. She returned to her assigned buoy on January 22 and departed Hong Kong on January 24, again carrying dependents, reaching Subic Bay on January 26.

On March 18, 1972, SAMUEL GOMPERS departed Subic Bay for Kaohsiung. She remained there through April 6. In addition to supporting United States Navy ships, the visit included technical assistance and practical maintenance instruction for personnel of the Republic of China Navy. The tender's own machinery and boilers were also inspected during the stay. SAMUEL GOMPERS departed Kaohsiung on April 6 with Yokosuka as her intended destination. The strategic situation in Vietnam changed before she could complete that movement. North Vietnam had begun the large conventional Easter Offensive on March 30, and United States naval forces were rapidly increasing their activity in response. On April 7 SAMUEL GOMPERS was redirected toward Da Nang, South Vietnam.

She anchored in Da Nang Harbor on April 9. The assignment placed the tender much closer to active combat operations than during her normal Subic Bay support periods. Because of the security situation, SAMUEL GOMPERS did not remain continuously at anchor. She left the harbor during the night and returned during daylight hours, reducing her vulnerability while still making her repair capabilities available to ships operating on the gun line. One of the principal maintenance requirements during this period was support for destroyers conducting naval gunfire missions. Sustained firing caused heavy wear on 5-inch gun barrels and other weapons components, and SAMUEL GOMPERS performed gun-barrel replacements as well as mechanical, electrical and weapons repairs. Carrying out this work at Da Nang instead of requiring ships to return to Subic Bay reduced the amount of time they were unavailable for operations.

SAMUEL GOMPERS completed this first Da Nang period on April 16 and departed for Subic Bay. USS LLOYD THOMAS (DD 764) subsequently expressed appreciation for repair assistance received during the period. SAMUEL GOMPERS reached Subic Bay on April 18 but remained there for only two days. Operational demand off Vietnam remained high, and she departed again on April 20 for Da Nang. She arrived for her second Da Nang tender period on April 22. USS BADGER (DE 1071), among the ships supported during the intensive spring operations, later recorded appreciation for weapons transfers and repairs performed by SAMUEL GOMPERS personnel. The tender again balanced forward support requirements with the security risks associated with remaining in the harbor.

SAMUEL GOMPERS departed Vietnamese territorial waters shortly before midnight on April 30 and reached Subic Bay on May 2. The repair work performed during the deployment generated numerous commendations from supported ships. USS BENJAMIN STODDERT (DDG 22) was among the vessels whose commanding officers formally recognized assistance from SAMUEL GOMPERS. After additional work at Subic Bay, SAMUEL GOMPERS began the homeward voyage on July 12, 1972. She left Seventh Fleet operational control on July 19, reached Pearl Harbor on July 24 and departed the following day. She arrived at San Diego on July 31.

Captain Aloysius J. Pickert Jr. relieved Captain Daniel L. Banks Jr. as commanding officer on September 8, 1972. During the remainder of the year, SAMUEL GOMPERS resumed tender duties at San Diego. On September 28, she carried out repair work for USS PERRY (DD 844). During November, the ship was also selected for a personnel study examining the numbers and specialties required to man a destroyer tender efficiently.

SAMUEL GOMPERS remained at San Diego into 1973, supporting Pacific Fleet ships. In mid-July, she moved north to Portland, Oregon, where she entered an extended maintenance and yard period. She remained in the Portland area until early December before returning to operational service.

In January 1974, SAMUEL GOMPERS departed on another Western Pacific deployment. Although direct United States combat operations in Vietnam had ended, Seventh Fleet forces remained heavily committed throughout East and Southeast Asia. The tender again supported ships moving between Japan, the Philippines and other operating areas. One well-documented repair period involved the nuclear-powered guided missile cruiser USS BAINBRIDGE (DLGN 25). From March 8 through March 18, 1974, BAINBRIDGE underwent repairs alongside SAMUEL GOMPERS at Subic Bay. The ability to support a nuclear-powered surface combatant illustrated the broad technical capability built into the newer tender class.

After returning to the United States, SAMUEL GOMPERS continued fleet-maintenance duties through the middle of the decade. The end of the Vietnam War in April 1975 altered the geographic focus of Pacific Fleet operations but did not eliminate the need for mobile repair support. Soviet naval forces were operating increasingly far from home waters, and United States surface forces were spending longer periods in the western Pacific and Indian Ocean. During the first half of 1976, SAMUEL GOMPERS was documented at Naval Air Station North Island in San Diego together with USS DULUTH (LPD 6) while the ships prepared for major maintenance periods. Additional overhaul and modernization work enabled the tender to continue supporting newer cruisers, destroyers and frigates.

SAMUEL GOMPERS returned to the Western Pacific during a 1976-77 deployment. The ship continued the established pattern of servicing deployed naval units at forward bases and anchorages before returning to the United States. By 1978, SAMUEL GOMPERS was again active at Subic Bay. USS CLEVELAND (LPD 7), for example, remained there from August 17 through September 4 and received upkeep from both the Naval Ship Repair Facility and SAMUEL GOMPERS. Such combined maintenance arrangements allowed shore facilities and the tender to divide extensive work packages and return deployed ships to operational status more efficiently.

The late 1970s also brought an important change in the composition of the ship's company. In 1978, two female officers reported aboard SAMUEL GOMPERS, serving in legal and supply billets. The ship was among the early Pacific Fleet units selected as the Navy expanded permanent sea-duty assignments for women. During 1979, additional female officers joined the crew, including personnel in medical and operations assignments. In June 1979, the first female enlisted sailors reported aboard SAMUEL GOMPERS. The ship later identified itself as the first United States Pacific Fleet vessel to have enlisted women serving as permanent members of its crew. Approximately 100 enlisted billets were ultimately designated for women, with most of those billets filled during the following year. The integration occurred aboard a ship well suited to the Navy's early Women at Sea program because of its extensive accommodation and support spaces, large crew and noncombatant fleet-maintenance mission.

During 1980, SAMUEL GOMPERS continued Pacific Fleet support operations and was documented at Naval Air Station Alameda in August. The beginning of the new decade coincided with a major shift in American naval priorities. The Iranian Revolution, the seizure of the United States embassy hostages in Tehran in November 1979, the Soviet intervention in Afghanistan and the outbreak of the Iran-Iraq War in September 1980 greatly increased the strategic importance of the Indian Ocean and Arabian Sea.

SAMUEL GOMPERS deployed into the Indian Ocean during 1981. Her own cruise material documents the activation of her communications arrangements during the transit toward Diego Garcia in April, and by May she was operating there as a principal fleet-repair tender. USS DIXON (AS 37), a submarine tender that had temporarily provided surface-fleet repair support in the region, turned over the Indian Ocean repair mission to SAMUEL GOMPERS. Diego Garcia had developed rapidly from a relatively austere anchorage into one of the most important United States naval support locations in the Indian Ocean. SAMUEL GOMPERS' presence substantially increased the level of industrial maintenance that could be performed there. Deployed surface combatants could come alongside the tender for machinery, electrical, weapons and structural repairs without undertaking the long voyage through the Strait of Malacca to Subic Bay.

SAMUEL GOMPERS continued Indian Ocean operations during 1982. In November she was present at Mombasa, Kenya, when USS ENTERPRISE (CVN 65) visited the port from November 24 through November 28. In March 1983, SAMUEL GOMPERS participated in humanitarian assistance following cyclone damage on Viti Levu in Fiji. Her service during the disaster-relief period from March 9 through March 26 qualified the ship for the Humanitarian Service Medal. Personnel from the tender assisted with repair and restoration work ashore, while medical personnel supported affected communities, including people on Malolo Island. The tender's machine shops, electricians, medical facilities, boats and large stores of material made her particularly useful for disaster-relief work.

By 1984, SAMUEL GOMPERS was again supporting fleet units in the Indian Ocean and Arabian Sea during the Iran-Iraq War. Continued fighting between Iran and Iraq, Soviet military operations in Afghanistan and the strategic importance of Gulf oil routes required a sustained United States naval presence. SAMUEL GOMPERS operated near Masirah Island and other anchorages off Oman. From September 29 through October 4, 1984, USS MAHLON S. TISDALE (FFG 27) lay alongside SAMUEL GOMPERS near Masirah Island for a Fleet Repair Availability. SAMUEL GOMPERS provided broader forward maintenance support to other ships during the deployment as well, including major machinery and propulsion work.

Following the deployment, SAMUEL GOMPERS returned to the United States. By the middle of the 1980s she was operating from Alameda, California, and continued to support ships preparing for or returning from Pacific and Indian Ocean deployments.

Another Western Pacific and Indian Ocean deployment followed during 1986-87. Early in 1987, SAMUEL GOMPERS was documented at Diego Garcia with major surface combatants including USS JOUETT (CG 29), USS LEAHY (CG 16) and USS VINCENNES (CG 49) alongside or nearby in connection with operations and maintenance. The Iran-Iraq War produced an even more demanding forward-support requirement in 1988. The conflict's Tanker War had led to repeated attacks on commercial shipping in the Persian Gulf, and the United States had begun Operation Earnest Will in July 1987 to escort reflagged Kuwaiti tankers. Mines, Iranian small craft and missile threats required United States warships to remain in the region for prolonged periods. SAMUEL GOMPERS and USS CAPE COD (AD 43) were positioned at different times near Masirah, Oman, to provide maintenance support to carrier and surface forces.

On March 29, 1988, SAMUEL GOMPERS became involved in an unusual intelligence-related task. USS JOHN RODGERS (DD 983) had seized a small Iranian craft in the Persian Gulf. A material-exploitation team was flown from ENTERPRISE to SAMUEL GOMPERS to inspect the captured vessel. The examination formed part of the effort to understand equipment and operating methods associated with Iranian Revolutionary Guard maritime forces. Tensions culminated on April 18, 1988, in Operation Praying Mantis, when United States naval forces attacked Iranian offshore installations and engaged Iranian surface ships following the mining of USS SAMUEL B. ROBERTS (FFG 58).

The tender remained part of the Gulf of Oman support network into the summer. USS SPRUANCE (DD 963) anchored at Ras Al Hadd, Oman, from June 11 through June 16 and went alongside SAMUEL GOMPERS for a tender availability.

After returning to the Pacific, SAMUEL GOMPERS continued fleet-support duties through 1989. On September 18, she was photographed underway from San Diego while proceeding to participate in Pacific Exercise 89. The exercise was one of the largest Pacific Fleet training events of the closing Cold War period and involved carrier, surface, submarine and logistics forces operating across broad areas of the North Pacific.

SAMUEL GOMPERS began another major Western Pacific deployment on January 12, 1990, departing Naval Air Station Alameda. The cruise lasted six months and took her through several of the principal naval bases and ports of the western Pacific, including Yokosuka and Sasebo in Japan, Subic Bay in the Philippines, Pusan in South Korea and Hong Kong. The transit west was not entirely routine. During the early part of the deployment, the ship suffered a low-pressure turbine casualty and diverted to Yokosuka. For a ship whose mission was to repair other vessels, a significant casualty in her own propulsion system presented a major operational difficulty, but repairs allowed SAMUEL GOMPERS to continue the deployment and resume her tender mission.

During the cruise she provided maintenance to a large number of deployed ships. Documented customers included USS BLUE RIDGE (LCC 19), USS BUNKER HILL (CG 52), USS CARL VINSON (CVN 70), USS CURTS (FFG 38), USS DUBUQUE (LPD 8), USS ELLIOT (DD 967), USS OLDENDORF (DD 972), USS STERETT (CG 31), USS TRUXTUN (CGN 35), VINCENNES and USS WABASH (AOR 5), among many others.

A significant harbor incident occurred on May 31, 1990, when strong winds struck the tender while she was moored. Winds of approximately 40 knots, with gusts exceeding 55 knots, caused five mooring lines to part. One boat boom was destroyed and another damaged, while brows and associated structures also sustained lesser damage.

The cruise also included Hong Kong and further work at Subic Bay before the return across the Pacific. SAMUEL GOMPERS arrived back at Alameda on July 12, 1990. Her return occurred only three weeks before Iraq invaded Kuwait on August 2, beginning a major new United States military commitment in the Middle East. Operation Desert Shield and the subsequent Operation Desert Storm produced a large concentration of United States and allied ships in the Persian Gulf, Arabian Sea and Red Sea. Although SAMUEL GOMPERS was not present during the principal combat phase of Desert Storm in January and February 1991, the end of major fighting left an extensive maintenance burden among ships that had operated at high tempo for months and had often deferred nonessential repairs.

SAMUEL GOMPERS arrived in the Persian Gulf in May 1991 as CAPE COD completed its own support period and returned toward the United States. SAMUEL GOMPERS remained in the region through August and helped reduce accumulated maintenance requirements throughout the deployed force during the postwar period. The United States continued to maintain substantial naval forces in the region while enforcing postwar security arrangements and supporting operations connected with Iraq and Kuwait. Several documented repair periods illustrate this work. USS CHANCELLORSVILLE (CG 62) arrived at Jebel Ali in the United Arab Emirates on July 2, 1991, for a tender availability with SAMUEL GOMPERS and departed on July 7. USS GERMANTOWN (LSD 42) was also associated with tender support in the Gulf during July.

SAMUEL GOMPERS additionally provided important assistance to the Royal Australian Navy. HMAS DARWIN (FFG 04) suffered a fire involving its number two gas turbine on July 20, 1991. The Australian frigate proceeded to Mina Salman, Bahrain, where SAMUEL GOMPERS assisted with the removal and repair or replacement process associated with the damaged propulsion equipment. USS UNDERWOOD (FFG 36) was also documented alongside SAMUEL GOMPERS at Mina Salman during this period. During 1991, SAMUEL GOMPERS accumulated 72 underway days over the course of the full calendar year.

After completing the postwar Gulf mission, SAMUEL GOMPERS returned to the United States and resumed West Coast repair duties. On January 6, 1992, USS KANSAS CITY (AOR 3) began a three-month planned maintenance period at Southwest Marine in San Francisco, with work shared among the civilian shipyard, the Navy maintenance organization and SAMUEL GOMPERS.

The end of the Cold War was beginning to reshape the Navy substantially. The Soviet Union had dissolved in December 1991, overall force levels were being reduced and many older support ships and combatants were selected for retirement. SAMUEL GOMPERS nevertheless remained heavily employed because deployed ships still required mobile repair capability and reductions in overseas shore infrastructure increased the usefulness of forward tenders. In 1993, SAMUEL GOMPERS undertook another Western Pacific deployment. Her cruise book documents operating periods and port visits involving Hawaii, Yokosuka, Sasebo, Hong Kong and Guam. The deployment again placed the tender at the center of the Seventh Fleet maintenance network during a period when the Navy was reducing permanent infrastructure but maintaining substantial commitments in Northeast Asia and the western Pacific. The list of ships supported during the deployment was extensive. It included USS BELLEAU WOOD (LHA 3), BLUE RIDGE, BUNKER HILL, CURTS, USS RODNEY M. DAVIS (FFG 60), DUBUQUE, USS FIFE (DD 991), USS FORD (FFG 54), GERMANTOWN, USS INDEPENDENCE (CV 62), USS MOBILE BAY (CG 53), O'BRIEN, USS THACH (FFG 43), USS WHITE PLAINS (AFS 4) and numerous additional surface combatants, amphibious ships and support vessels.

SAMUEL GOMPERS received a Secretary of the Navy Letter of Commendation covering the period from April 25 through September 20, 1993. A homecoming celebration was held at Alameda on October 7, with KANSAS CITY serving as the host ship.

SAMUEL GOMPERS remained operational during 1994 and prepared for what became her final major overseas deployment. The cruise began late in 1994 and continued into 1995, again taking the tender across the Pacific and into the Arabian Sea and Persian Gulf region. The deployment occurred in the post-Desert Storm security environment, when United States naval forces continued to enforce sanctions against Iraq, conduct maritime interception operations and maintain carrier forces in and around the Gulf. By December 16, 1994, USS GERMANTOWN had begun a tender availability with SAMUEL GOMPERS during which more than 800 repair jobs were completed. By February and March 1995, SAMUEL GOMPERS was operating at Jebel Ali, one of the principal United States Navy support and liberty ports in the United Arab Emirates. Among the firmly documented customers was USS LAKE CHAMPLAIN (CG 57), which arrived on March 14 for a technical availability with SAMUEL GOMPERS and departed on March 18.

After completing the Persian Gulf portion of the deployment, SAMUEL GOMPERS began the long return across the Indian and Pacific Oceans. Her route included Phuket, Thailand; Singapore; Benoa on Bali, Indonesia; Guam; and Pearl Harbor. These stops provided logistics, maintenance and crew-rest opportunities during the return from the Middle East. The deployment lasted longer than originally expected. SAMUEL GOMPERS finally returned to Alameda on June 23, 1995. The arrival ended nearly three decades of recurring Western Pacific and Indian Ocean deployments.

The tender's remaining active service was brief. As part of the post-Cold War reduction of the support fleet, SAMUEL GOMPERS was selected for deactivation. She departed the Pacific and transited through the Panama Canal to the East Coast, reaching the Norfolk area on October 2, 1995. USS SAMUEL GOMPERS was decommissioned on October 27, 1995, at Norfolk Naval Shipyard in Portsmouth, Virginia, after more than 28 years of commissioned service. Rear Admiral James F. Amerault, himself a former commanding officer of the ship, was the principal speaker at the decommissioning ceremony. SAMUEL GOMPERS subsequently entered inactive status and was later placed in the James River Reserve Fleet.

SAMUEL GOMPERS was formally struck from the Naval Vessel Register on April 7, 1999. She remained in reserve status for several more years while final disposal arrangements were considered. The former tender was ultimately selected as a target for a fleet weapons exercise off the United States East Coast. During a SINKEX conducted on the night of July 21-22, 2003, ex-SAMUEL GOMPERS was subjected to live-fire attacks in deep Atlantic waters off the Virginia Capes. She finally sank shortly after midnight on July 22.

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