The beginning of 1971 found TRUCKEE still resting from her six month deployment. Ship's personnel continued to visit relatives and renew friendships at home. During January, the major work program was the modification of the engineering plant which converted the boilers to burn Navy Distillate fuel.The conversion was completed on 19 February and TRUCKEE became the first ships able to burn the new "clean" fuel.

Following a brief sea trial in late February, TRUCKEE left for a five week operation under the control of Commander Submarine Force, U.S. Atlantic Fleet. Prior to the start of the operation TRUCKEE made two port calls. The first was at Port Canaveral, Florida. While there all hands had the opportunity to to tour the facilities at the Cape Kennedy Space Center. The next liberty call was at Port Everglades for a long weekend in Fort Lauderdale. Truckee completed the operations and returned to Norfolk on thte 7th of April. She remained there until the 17th of May. Water leakage from the hand hold plates in the economizer header had to be repaired during this time. TRUCKEE was again underway heading to the warm waters of the Carribbean. A port visit to St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands and a refueling of a Task Force were accomplished before returning back to Norfolk.

On the 11th of June, Truckee hosted a Family Day Cruise. More then 130 friends and relatives boarded for teh ten hour cruise. The highlite of the day was a demonstration refueling of the USS INDEPENDENCE in the Virginia Capes area.

Rough Ride, A Nato exercise off the coast of the United Statesd and Canada, kept TRUCKEE occupied from 15-25 June. The Task Force comprised over twenty ships from five countries. After a busy week of formation steaming and repleneshment, TRUCKEE called on Halifax, Nova Scotia for four days of well deserved liberty.

July and August were quiet months for TRUCKEE. Short operations off the Virginia coast kept the ship comming and going most of the summer.

The big event of September was the Change of Command Ceromony. On September 3rd, 1971 Captain W. K. Doty relieved Capt. R. E. Oechslin as Commanding Officer. The middle of September was spent in port and with the local type training exercises in the Virginia Capes area. From 25-29 September, TRUCKEE participated in a NATO Seapower Demonstration in the waters off Norfolk. Ships from five countries participated in the show of fire power and replenishment capabilities for an audience of high ranking U.S. and Allied dignitaries.

By the beginnig of October, preparations were intensifying for the upcomming refresher training period in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. TRUCKEE departed Norfolk on the 18th of October, participated in an ASW exercise in the Atlantic, and had a four day port visit in Bermuda before reporting for training at Guantanamo Bay on the 1st of November. Early reveille and long hours became the routine. Except for one weekend in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, it was all hard work and no play. The efforts of the crew paid off. TRUCKEE was awarded an overall grade of satisfactory, with an excellent in her speciality area of underway replenishment, and an outstanding in engineering.

TRUCKEE returned to Norfolkon the 22nd of November for a reast and leave period to include the Christmas and New Years hollidays. During this period, TRUCKEE began making preparations for her eighth Mediterranean deployment which would commence in early 1972. Special notes: a. TRUCKEE refueled over 110 ships during 1971. b. Amounts of fuel pumped: 7,609,308 gallons of NSFO 437,724 gallons of AVGAS 768,684 gallons of JP-5 1,975,428 gallons of Navy Distillate HOME PAGE