| "The Elegant Lady" U.S.S. Estes AGC-12 |
| She was born out of urgent necessity to meet the needs of the country and the navy during WWII as a unique and special ship to conduct the island hopping campaigns necessary to carry the war into its conclusioin. Estes was seventh in the U.S.S. Mount Mckinley amphibious force class designed to command, coordinate and conduct all elements, air surface bombardment, under water demolition, mine warfare and troop landing operation required to dig the enemy from their strongholds. She operated in the Pacific and Far East from Nov. 1944 to Oct. 1969. Her service was twenty-five years during WWII, Cold War, Korea and Vietnam conducting many nuclear test and amphibious operations, as well as evacuation of refugees from North Vietnam and Chinese troops from off-shore islands. She has the distinction of conducting the first hydrogen bomb test. Her final deployment was to Vietnam in 1969, upon returning from San Diego, CA she was decommissioned and place in the reserve fleet. Finally in late 1977 her aged and depleted hull was sold and towed away for salvage. For those that served aboard she had given them safe haven and voyage home always. REUNION 2003: (U.S.S. Estes AGC-12) The seventeenth annual national reunion will be held in Norfolk, VA, Sheraton Waterside Hotel, Sept. 25-28. Contact Noah Joyner, E-Mail: n_joyner@charter.net. All years are invited U.S.S. Estes Association (AGC-12) was formed in the fall of 1986 in a mountain cabin at Pigion Forge Tennessee. Noah Joyner and Dick Steenbergen, former signalmen along with wives Jane and Marge; formulated the plans to establish an organization for the pleasure of all crew members of their ship to include WWII, Cold War, Korea and Vietnam. The process is ongoing |