Neosho was the first of a class of U.S. Navy fleet oilers designed to combine speed and large cargo capacity for underway replenishment.

[citation needed] In the fall of 1962 she provided logistical support to the ships during the Cuban Missile Crisis enforcing the Naval Quarantine of Cuba.

[citation needed] After routine support operations with the Second and Sixth Fleets, Neosho entered a brief overhaul at Portsmouth Navy Shipyard, Virginia.

[citation needed] Neosho was transferred to the United States Maritime Administration (MARAD) on 1 May 1999 for lay up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, James River, Fort Eustis, Virginia.

[citation needed] To honor all auxiliary fleet oilers having indigenous (Native American River) names, Veterans of Foreign Wars Linden-Tripkos Post #6654 in De Soto, Kansas installed the AO-143 ship's bell next to its gateway memorial.