Kalamazoo was laid down on 1 October 1970 and launched on 1 November 1972 at the shipyard of the General Dynamics Corporation, Quincy, Massachusetts. On 11 August 1973 she was commissioned USS Kalamazoo (AOR-6) and placed into service for the fleet. Her first homeport was Mayport Naval Station, Mayport, Florida.
| width=125 | Date | width=125 | to Date | Deployment or event |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 August 1973 | – | Commissioned | ||
| June 1974 | February 1975 | Mediterranean | ||
| January 1975 | December 1975 | Marjorie Sterrett Battleship Fund Award Atlantic Fleet Winner | ||
| April 1975 | October 1975 | Blue Nose – Arctic Circle | ||
| July 1976 | July 1976 | New York Harbor Tall Ships Celebration | ||
| January 1977 | August 1977 | Mediterranean | ||
| Sept 1978 | May 1979 | Regular overhaul | ||
| April 1980 | October 1980 | Mediterranean-Indian Ocean | ||
| 8 October 1981 | – | Line-crossing ceremony, 0 meridian, Emerald Shellback Initiation – Atlantic Ocean | ||
| October 1981 | April 1982 | Mediterranean-West Africa | ||
| November 1982 | May 1983 | Mediterranean | ||
| December 1983 | June 1984 | Overhaul – Hoboken N.J. | ||
| May 1985 | December 1985 | Mediterranean-Lebanon | ||
| August 1986 | October 1986 | North Atlantic: Blue Nose | ||
| December 1986 | June 1987 | Mediterranean | ||
| December 1988 | June 1989 | Mediterranean: This was called "The Unexpected Cruise". The Kzoo was unexpectedly placed into rotation for deployment after the USS Detroit (AOE-4) was unable to make her scheduled deployment. | ||
| December 1989 | May 1990 | Caribbean (Guantanamo Bay, Puerto Rico and joint anti-smuggling LEO Ops (law enforcement operations) with the US Coast Guard. | ||
| December 1990 | June 1991 | "Operation Desert Storm" | ||
| October 1992 | April 1993 | Mediterranean | ||
| May 1994 | November 1994 | Mediterranean-Indian Ocean-Persian Gulf | ||
| 16 August 1996 | – | Decommissioned |
On 16 August 1996 Kalamazoo was decommissioned and placed in reserve at the National Defense Reserve Fleet, James River, Lee Hall, Virginia. She was struck from the Navy Directory on 29 October 1998 and, on 15 July 2008, she was sold by the U.S. Maritime Administration to Esco Marine, Brownsville, Texas, for $1,465,726. Kalamazoo was towed out of James River Reserve Fleet on Tuesday, 30 September 2008, en route to ESCO Brownsville.[2]
Qualified Kalamazoo personnel were authorized the following: