Moosbrugger DD-980, USS Clifton Sprague FFG-16 steaming into position during the night of 24/25 Oct 83 for what was to become "Operation Urgent Fury" off the coast of the small Caribbean island of Grenada. This Operation would continue until 15 Dec 83. The USS Suribachi AE-21 departed after several weeks for Gitmo to return to her original orders which were ironically for "Refresher Training". The 'Bachi was the only ammunition ship involved in "OUF". The ship was awarded the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal. In September 1992, a U.S. Navy Boeing-Vertol UH-46D Sea Knight experienced a mechanical failure during an ammunition offload and crashed on the fantail of the Suribachi. The helicopter had launched from the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower off the coast of Virginia. Fortunately, only one crewman was injured. Decommissioning and sale Suribachi was decommissioned in a ceremony at Leonardo, New Jersey on 2 December 1994, after 38 years of service, and was moored at the James River, Reserve Fleet site in Newport News, Virginia. On 8 June 2009, the ship was sold for scrapping. References External links Suribachi.org is a site for former crewmembers. Suribachi-class ammunition ships Cold War auxiliary ships of the United States Vietnam War auxiliary ships of the United States Ships built in Sparrows Point, Maryland 1955 ships