USS Willamette (AO-180) was a Cimarron-class fleet replenishment oiler constructed for the United States Navy, serving from 1981 until her decommissioning in 1999. As the fourth ship of her class, she was built at Avondale Shipyards in New Orleans, with her contract awarded on 11 April 1978. Launched in a distinctive sideways manner into the Mississippi River on 18 July 1981, she was commissioned at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, making her the first U.S. Navy ship to be commissioned there since 1917. Her primary mission was to transport and deliver bulk petroleum products, along with limited supplies of fleet freight, mail, and personnel, supporting combatant and support ships underway in the Pacific and beyond. Willamette was notable for being the first of her class equipped with two MK 15 Phalanx Weapon Systems, providing her with advanced anti-aircraft defense, complemented by extensive damage control systems for rapid emergency response. Named after the Willamette River in Oregon, her crest symbolized her fueling capabilities and her namesake river, with imagery including a dolphin and an eagle’s wing, and the motto "Fuel for Freedom." During her service, Willamette encountered several notable incidents. She was involved in a collision with USS Jason in 1986 during formation steaming southwest of Pearl Harbor, which resulted in significant damage, including her bow being smashed and a subsequent repair that involved replacing her bow section. The collision earned her the nickname "We'll Ram It." In 1987, she undertook a global circumnavigation, operating under all four U.S. Fleet commanders and visiting multiple ports worldwide. She was also the subject of the "jumboization" process in 1991, where a 108-foot mid-body section was added, increasing her fuel capacity and cargo capabilities. Throughout her career, USS Willamette completed over 1,300 underway replenishments, transferred more than 300 million gallons of fuel, and operated with numerous allied navies. She earned several awards, including the Navy "E" Ribbon. Decommissioned at Pearl Harbor on 30 April 1999, she was the last steam-powered auxiliary oiler homeported there and was later transferred to the Maritime Administration before being scrapped in 2014. Her operational history underscores her maritime significance as a key logistical support vessel during the late Cold War and post-Cold War periods.

This description has been generated using GPT-4.1-NANO based on the Vessel's wikidata information and then modified by ShipIndex.org staff.