USS Grand Canyon (AD-28) was a built at the tail end of World War II, and named for the Grand Canyon on the Colorado River. Grand Canyon was laid down 16 November 1944 as a Maritime Commission type (C3) hull, under Maritime Commission contract (MC hull 206) at Todd Pacific Shipyards, Inc. out of Tacoma, Washington, launched 27 April 1945, sponsored by Mrs. W. L. Mann, and commissioned 5 April 1946. Service history After brief shakedown off the coast of Southern California, Grand Canyon departed Port Townsend, Washington on 26 June 1946 en route to Newport, Rhode Island via the Panama Canal Zone. She arrived in Newport on 20 July. Assigned the task of keeping United States Navy destroyers in operation, Grand Canyon cleared Newport on 17 September 1946 for her first tour with the 6th Fleet in the Mediterranean Sea. After a visit to Palermo, Sicily, and a 4½-month stay at Naples she returned to the States, arriving back in Norfolk on 1 March 1947. Between 1 November 1947 and 12 November 1954 Grand Canyon continued her support of 6th Fleet destroyers, making six Mediterranean deployments. During this time she participated in some of the largest peacetime service operations ever undertaken. Grand Canyon continued her tender duties in the U.S. until 24 September 1956 when she again departed for the Mediterranean for her eighth tour. By 20 October the Suez Crisis had reached the serious stage and the majority of the 6th Fleet proceeded into the Eastern Mediterranean. During this period the Grand Canyon, as flagship, took part in fleet exercises and visited the ports of Augusta, Messina and Taranto. As the Suez problem subsided she sailed for Cannes, France on 20 December in time for the Christmas holidays. Grand Canyon returned to Fall River, Massachusetts on 13 March 1957. The third of September 1957 found Grand Canyon underway with other units of the Atlantic Fleet, this time to participate in NATO fall exercises. By the 16th she had crossed the Arctic Circle operating west of Norway. After visits to Tromsø, Norway and the Isle of Portland, England Grand Canyon once again returned to Newport, arriving on 21 October. Grand Canyon continued her tender duties out of Fall River until 1 August 1958 when she sailed for Souda Bay on the Island of Crete to support the 6th Fleet in operations off Lebanon. For the next four months she