One of the Ready Reserve Fleet (RRF) Ship used by the Military Sealift Command in delivering ammunition, fuel, tanks, food, and other supplies to the US Navy in 1990-91 Persian Gulf war was the C5 class breakbulk ship SS CAPE NOME AK 1014
She was laid down on 26th September 1969, as SS MORMACSTAR, a Maritime Administration type (C5-S-78a) hull (Roll-on/Roll-off Container Ship) under Maritime Administration contract (MA 223) at Ingalls Shipbuilding Co., Pascagoula, MS and delivered to Moore-McCormack Lines, New York. She changed hands 4 times before she was chartered to the US Navy Military Sealift Command (MSC), on 9th April 1982. She was sold while under charter to MSC.
On 6th March 1987 she was assigned to the Ready Reserve Fleet (RRF) and renamed SS CAPE NOME on 12th February 1988. Her base was the James River National Defense Reserve Fleet at Fort Eustis, VA. as part of the Maritime Administration Ready Reserve Fleet and assigned to the MSC as CAPE NOME AK 1014
On Wednesday 23rd October 1991, part of Operation Desert Storm SS CAPE NOME AK-1014 entered Marsaxlokk Harbour, Malta and shifted to Grand Harbour on Saturday 16th November 1991 bound to Malta Drydocks (MDD) Dock 4 and left during January 1992.
During April 2002 she was removed from the MARAD RRF and laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, James River Group, Lee Hall, VA.
On Tuesday 5th December, 2023 she completed her final journey to SMS Brownsville – All Star Metals, LLC (ASM) a subsidiary of Scrap Metal Services (SMS) located in Brownsville, Texas has been operating as a licensed ship recycling, metal processing, and environmental remediation contractor since 2003.
