Kilauea was laid down 10 March 1966 by General Dynamics Quincy Shipbuilding Division, Quincy, Massachusetts; launched 9 August 1967; sponsored by Mrs. Michael J. Kirwan, wife of Representative Michael J. Kirwan of Ohio.

Kilauea was deployed to the Persian Gulf on August 23, 1990 as part of International Naval task force for Operation Desert Shield from 2 September 1990 to 20 January 1991 when she was assigned to the 3rd Marine Amphibious Group, The USS Theodore Roosevelt and USS Midway battlegroups for Operation Desert Storm from 20 January 1991 to April 17, 1991.

Kilauea was deployed to East Timor as part of the Australian-led INTERFET peacekeeping task force from 20 September to 2 October 1999.

[2] It was sunk by a Mark 48 torpedo fired from the Australian submarine HMAS Farncomb on 24 July 2012.

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