The USS Caloosahatchee (AO-98) was a Cimarron-class fleet oiler constructed for the U.S. Navy's World War II effort, launched in 1945. The ship was commissioned the same year but too late for service in that war. She sailed for her first tour of duty in 1947 with the U.S. 6th Fleet in the Mediterranean, a deployment that became her yearly route until 1960. The oiler played a crucial role in at-sea replenishment to significantly increase the mobility, flexibility, and efficiency of the U.S. 6th Fleet. The vessel provided summer training for future naval officers in midshipman cruises in 1954 and 1956. Between 1966 and 1968, the ship underwent an increasing cargo capacity called "jumboization". She was recommissioned in 1969 and assigned to SERVRON2. The oiler entered Bethlehem Shipyard for a seven-month overhaul in 1974 and was transferred to Service Squadron 4. After two collisions, she underwent an eight-month major extended regular overhaul in 1978 and was deployed to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and the Mediterranean Sea. The USS Caloosahatchee was decommissioned in 1990, struck from the Register in 1994, and sold for scrapping in 2003. Fireproofing Navy ships demanded asbestos insulation, a health hazard for everyone who served on vessels built before the 1980s.
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