USNS John Glenn

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USNS John Glenn
USNS John Glenn (T-MLP-2) underway in January 2014.jpg
USNS John Glenn underway in January 2014
History
Flag of the United States.svgUnited States
Namesake John Glenn
Owner Military Sealift Command
Ordered27 May 2011 [1]
Builder NASSCO
Laid down17 April 2012
Launched15 September 2013 [2]
In service12 March 2014 [2]
Identification
StatusIn service
General characteristics
Class and type Montford Point-class expeditionary transfer dock
Displacement34,500 tonnes [1]
Length765 ft (233 m)
Speed20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph) [1]
Range9,000  nmi (17,000 km; 10,000 mi) [1]

USNS John Glenn (T-ESD-2), (formerly MLP-2) [3] is a United States Navy Expeditionary Transfer Dock ship named in honor of John Glenn, a Naval Aviator, retired United States Marine Corps colonel, veteran of World War II and the Korean War, astronaut, and United States senator. [4]

Contents

Design

A US Navy Landing Craft Air Cushion (LCAC) LCAC 19970620.jpg
A US Navy Landing Craft Air Cushion (LCAC)

The Expeditionary Transfer Dock is a new concept, part of the Maritime Prepositioning Force of the future. To control costs, the ships will not be built to combat vessel standards and are designed primarily to support three military hovercraft (such as the Landing Craft Air Cushion (LCAC)), vehicle staging with a sideport ramp and large mooring fenders. A decision was made to eliminate helicopter capability and ship-to-ship transfer of heavy equipment. [1]

The propulsion motors are of British design and build. Power conversion company Converteam was selected as the supplier of Integrated Power Systems with the award of an additional contract to design and supply the electric power, propulsion and vessel automation system. [5]

As an auxiliary support ship, her role would be a seagoing pier for friendly forces in case accessibility to onshore bases is denied. Such flexibility would be useful following natural disasters and for supporting US Marines once they are ashore. [1] [4]

Construction

Sean Stackley and John Glenn at the christening ceremony in February 2014 JohnGlennSeanStackleyMLP2ChristeningFeb2014.jpg
Sean Stackley and John Glenn at the christening ceremony in February 2014

The ship's keel was laid down on 17 April 2012 at the National Steel and Shipbuilding Company (NASSCO) shipyard in San Diego, California. [6] She was christened on 2 February 2014 and was attended by John Glenn and his family. Other Navy and Marine guest speakers that attended the ceremony include Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Research, Development and Acquisitions) Sean Stackley, Chief of Naval Operations Jonathan Greenert, and Lieutenant General John A. Toolan. [7]

John Glenn was delivered in 2014 to the Military Sealift Command's Maritime Prepositioning Force. [6] [8] [9] As an ESD, the ship is under the command of the United States Navy's Military Sealift Command, and thus will not be commissioned into the US Navy (hence her designation prefix, "USNS"). [1] The ship will undergo further construction additions at the Vigor Shipyard in Portland, Oregon. [9]

Ship re-designation

Effective 4 September 2015, U.S. Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus officially announced the creation of a new ship designation, "E" for expeditionary support. Joint High Speed Vessel (JHSV) will be called Expeditionary Fast Transport, or EPF; the Mobile Landing Platform (MLP) will be called Expeditionary Transfer Dock, or ESD; and the Afloat Forward Staging Base (AFSB) variant of the MLP will be called Expeditionary Mobile Base, or ESB. The new designation was pursuant to a memorandum sent to Secretary Mabus from Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Jonathan Greenert dated 31 August 2015. [3]

USNS John Glenn in Oakland Seaport, July 2024 USNS John Glenn in Oakland seaport July 2024.jpg
USNS John Glenn in Oakland Seaport, July 2024

Related Research Articles

The United States Navy, United States Coast Guard, and United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) use a hull classification symbol to identify their ships by type and by individual ship within a type. The system is analogous to the pennant number system that the Royal Navy and other European and Commonwealth navies use.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Military Sealift Command</span> United States Navy command for logistics

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USNS <i>GySgt. Fred W. Stockham</i> Cargo ship of the United States Navy

USNS GySgt Fred W. Stockham (T-AK-3017) is a Shughart-class container & roll-on roll-off support vessel in the United States Navy's Military Sealift Command (MSC). The vessel is the second Navy ship named after Marine Gunnery Sergeant Fred W. Stockham (1881–1918), who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor during World War I.

USNS <i>Soderman</i> (T-AKR-317) Cargo ship of the United States Navy

USNS Soderman (T-AKR-317) is a Large, Medium-Speed Roll-on/Roll-off Ship (LMSR) and is part of the Military Sealift Command. The USNS Soderman is in the Preposition Program which stations ships across the world with military equipment. The Soderman is Watson-class vehicle cargo ship built by National Steel and Shipbuilding Company. The ship was launched on April 26, 2002 and put into service on the 24 of September 2002. The ship was named after Private First Class William A. Soderman, a Medal of Honor Recipient for World War II.

<i>Spearhead</i>-class expeditionary fast transport US navy catamaran

The Spearhead-class expeditionary fast transport (EPF) is a United States Navy–led shipbuilding program to provide a high-speed, shallow draft vessel intended for rapid intra-theater transport of medium-sized cargo payloads. The EPFs can reach speeds of 35–45 knots, and allow the rapid transit and deployment of conventional or special forces, equipment and supplies.

USNS <i>Fall River</i>

USNS Fall River (JHSV-4/T-EPF-4) is the fourth Spearhead-class expeditionary fast transport, which is operated by the United States Navy's Military Sealift Command (MSC). Fall River was built by Austal USA in Mobile, Alabama.

Expeditionary Transfer Dock Class of cargo ship

An Expeditionary Transfer Dock (ESD), formerly the Mobile Landing Platform (MLP), is designed to be a semi-submersible, flexible, modular platform providing the US Navy with the capability to perform large-scale logistics movements such as the transfer of vehicles and equipment from sea to shore. These ships significantly reduce the dependency on foreign ports and provide support in the absence of port availability. The class also houses a sub-class variant called the Expeditionary Mobile Base (ESB), formerly the Afloat Forward Staging Base (AFSB).

USNS <i>Montford Point</i> Ship built in 2013

USNS Montford Point (T-ESD-1),, the lead ship of her class of Expeditionary Transfer Docks (ESD), is a ship named in honor of African American Marine Corps recruits who trained at Montford Point Camp, North Carolina, from 1942 to 1949. After $115 million was allocated for long-lead time material and advanced design efforts, in late 2010 General Dynamics's National Steel and Shipbuilding Company was awarded the contract, worth approximately $500 million, to build the first of three planned vessels.

USNS <i>Millinocket</i>

USNS Millinocket (JHSV-3/T-EPF-3)(ex-Fortitude) is the third Spearhead-class expeditionary fast transport, which is operated by the United States Navy's Military Sealift Command and was built in Mobile, Alabama.

USS <i>Lewis B. Puller</i> (ESB-3) US Navy expeditionary mobile base vessel

USS Lewis B. Puller (ESB-3), is the first purpose-built expeditionary mobile base vessel for the United States Navy, and the second ship to be named in honor of Chesty Puller. The lead ship in her class of expeditionary mobile bases, she is also a sub-variant of the Montford Point-class expeditionary transfer docks. Lewis B. Puller replaced USS Ponce with the U.S. Fifth Fleet in the Persian Gulf in late 2017.

USNS <i>Choctaw County</i> Spearhead-class expeditionary fast transport

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USS <i>Hershel "Woody" Williams</i> US Navy expeditionary mobile base vessel

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<i>John Lewis</i>-class replenishment oiler Class of ship

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USNS <i>Earl Warren</i> John Lewis-class oiler of the United States Navy

USNS Earl Warren (T-AO-207) is the third of the John Lewis-class of underway replenishment oilers, operated by the Military Sealift Command (MSC) to support ships of the United States Navy.

USS <i>Miguel Keith</i> US Navy expeditionary mobile base vessel

USS Miguel Keith (ESB-5) is a Lewis B. Puller-class expeditionary mobile base, one of three such ships in service with the United States Navy (USN) as of late 2021.

USS <i>John L. Canley</i> US Navy expeditionary mobile base vessel

USS John L. Canley (ESB-6) is the fourth Lewis B. Puller-class expeditionary mobile base (ESB) of the United States Navy, and the first ship to be named for Medal of Honor recipient John L. Canley. John L. Canley was constructed in San Diego, California by the National Steel and Shipbuilding Company (NASSCO). Like her sister ships, she is also a sub-variant of the Montford Point-class expeditionary transfer dock (ESD). The ESDs are operated by the Navy's Military Sealift Command with predominantly civilian crews, while the ESBs, owing to the nature of their operations, have been commissioned and are operated directly by the Navy with military personnel.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "The US Navy's Mobile Landing Platform Ships (MLP)". Defenseindustrydaily.com. Watershed Publishing. 26 January 2012. Retrieved 5 February 2012.
  2. 1 2 "John Glenn (T-ESD-2)". Naval Vessel Register . Retrieved 29 January 2017.
  3. 1 2 "Navy Renames Three Ship Classes, Creates 'Expeditionary' Designator in Naming System". USNI News Blog. United States Naval Institute. 4 September 2015. Retrieved 4 September 2015.
  4. 1 2 Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (4 January 2012). "Navy Names First Three Mobile Landing Platform Ships". Defense.gov. U.S. Department of Defense. Retrieved 5 February 2012.
  5. ↑ "Conversion to Supply Propulsion Systems for US Navy's Mobile Landing Platform Program". Converteam.com. 3 August 2011. Archived from the original on 15 April 2012. Retrieved 7 February 2012.
  6. 1 2 "General Dynamics NASSCO Begins Construction of the Future USNS John Glenn" (Press release). NASSCO. 17 April 2012. Retrieved 16 May 2012.
  7. ↑ "USNS John Glenn christened: Navy names ship in honor of the former astronaut and Ohio senator". The Plain Dealer . Associated Press. 2 February 2014. Retrieved 3 May 2014.
  8. ↑ Scott, Richard (30 September 2010). "Floating world: US Navy eyes Mobile Landing Platform as sea base pontoon". International Defence Review. Jane's Information Group.
  9. 1 2 "NASSCO Delivers Second Mobile Landing Platform". United States Naval Institute News. 13 March 2014. Retrieved 3 May 2014.
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