The Beaumont Reserve Fleet, was established by act of Congress in 1946, as a component of the National Defense Reserve Fleet (NDRF). The fleet is located in Beaumont, Texas. [1]
The Beaumont Reserve Fleet, was established by act of Congress in 1946, as a component of the National Defense Reserve Fleet (NDRF). The fleet is located in Beaumont, Texas. [1]
In 1946, the US Government excavated 24 million cubic yards of soil from the Neches River, southeast of Beaumont, to create the McFadden Bend Cutoff. This is the location of the fleet. The Neches River connects to Sabine Lake and then the Gulf of Mexico. [2]
The Beaumont Reserve Fleet is one of only three remaining National Defense Reserve Fleets, of the original eight NDRFs, and the only anchorage on the Gulf Coast. The fleet is maintained by the Maritime Administration (MARAD), an agency of the Department of Transportation (DOT). [3] [4]
As of December 2022 [update] , there were 22 ships in the Beaumont Reserve Fleet. [5] The other Reserve Fleets are the Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet inland from San Francisco Bay and the James River Reserve Fleet in Virginia.
As of 30 April 2024 [update] :
| Name | Division | Hull No. | Year Built | Design | Home Port | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RRF - Roll-On/Roll-Off | ||||||
| Cape Taylor | Gulf | AKR 113 | 1977 | Dsl/Japan | Port of Beaumont, TX | RRF |
| Cape Texas | Gulf | AKR 112 | 1977 | Dsl/Germany | Port of Beaumont, TX | RRF |
| Cape Trinity | Gulf | AKR 9711 | 1977 | Dsl/Germany | Port of Beaumont, TX | RRF |
| Cape Victory | Gulf | AKR 9701 | 1984 | Dsl/Italy | BRF East Dock, Beaumont, TX | RRF |
| Cape Vincent | Gulf | AKR 9666 | 1984 | Dsl/Italy | BRF East Dock, Beaumont, TX | RRF |
| Pollux | Gulf | T-AKR 290 | 1973 | Navy Cargo | BRF East Dock, Beaumont, TX | RRF |
| Regulus | Gulf | T-AKR 292 | 1972 | Navy Cargo | BRF East Dock, Beaumont, TX | RRF |
| Retention - Barge Ship | ||||||
| Cape May | Gulf | AKR 5063 | 1973 | C8-S-82a | BRF, Beaumont, TX | Militarily Useful |
| Cape Mohican | Gulf | AKR 5065 | 1973 | C8-S-82a | BRF, Beaumont, TX | Militarily Useful |
| Retention - Passenger Ship | ||||||
| General Rudder | Atlantic | T-AGOS 2 | 1984 | AGOS-1 | BRF, Beaumont, TX | School Ship |
| Non-retention - Crane Ship | ||||||
| Diamond State | Gulf | T-ACS 7 | 1960 | C6-S-MA1xb | BRF, Beaumont, TX | Disposal |
| Non-retention - Roll-On/Roll-Off | ||||||
| Shughart | Gulf | T-AKR 295 | 1996 | LMSR | BRF, Beaumont, TX | Disposal |
| Yano | Gulf | T-AKR 297 | 1996 | LMSR | BRF, Beaumont, TX | Disposal |
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The National Defense Reserve Fleet (NDRF) consists of ships of the United States, mostly merchant vessels, that have been mothballed but can be activated within 20 to 120 days to provide shipping during national military emergencies, or non-military emergencies such as commercial shipping crises.
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USNS Courier was a cargo ship of the National Defense Reserve Fleet. The cargo ship was built by Sun Shipbuilding and Drydock Company, Chester, Pennsylvania, at the request of the US Maritime Administration in 1962. The ship was 470 ft in length and has a breath of 73 and weighs 11420 tons, empty. The ship was originally administered by American Export Lines under the civilian name SS Export Courier and eventually became part of the James River Reserve Fleet. The company ran into financial trouble in 1977. Before 1981, Farrell Lines, which took over parts of the dissolved American Export Lines, transferred administration of the Courier to the Military Sealift Command, which renamed the ship USNS Courier. The ship was officially accepted as part of the Maritime Administration in February 1983. From 1981 it was stationed with the Beaumont Reserve Fleet or docked at Port Neches, Beaumont Texas. Service records indicate repairs after Operation Desert Storm. In 2001 the ship was transferred to the National Defense Reserve Fleet and remained in this status until July 2008 when it was sold to Southern Scrap Metal Corporation of New Orleans, Louisiana and subsequently transferred to New Orleans' Industrial Canal on 13 August, a little more than two weeks before Hurricane Gustav reached Louisiana's southeastern coast.
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