USNS Bob Hope (T-AKR-300), the lead ship of its class of vehicle cargo ships for United States Army vehicle prepositioning, was a naval ship of the United States named after Bob Hope, the entertainer. Very few ships of the United States Navy have been named after a person who was alive at the time of the christening.
The Military Sealift Command (MSC) is an organization that controls the replenishment and military transport ships of the United States Navy. Military Sealift Command has the responsibility for providing sealift and ocean transportation for all US military services as well as for other government agencies. It first came into existence on 9 July 1949 when the Military Sea Transportation Service (MSTS) became solely responsible for the Department of Defense's ocean transport needs. The MSTS was renamed the Military Sealift Command in 1970.
A joint support ship (JSS) is a multi-role naval vessel capable of launching and supporting joint amphibious and airlift operations. It can also provide command and control, sealift and seabasing, underway replenishment, disaster relief and logistics capabilities for combined land and sea operations.
SS Mission San Carlos was a Type T2-SE-A2 tanker built for the United States Maritime Commission during World War II. After the war she was acquired by the United States Navy as USS Mission San Carlos (AO-120). Later the tanker transferred to the Military Sea Transportation Service as USNS Mission San Carlos (T-AO-120). She was a Mission Buenaventura-class oiler and was one of two U.S. Navy vessels named for Mission San Carlos Borroméo de Carmelo, located in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, the other being Mission Carmel.
The Algol-class vehicle cargo ships, also known as Fast Sealift Ships (FSS) or SL-7s, are currently the fastest conventional steam powered cargo ships in the world that are still (intermittently) operating, capable of speeds in excess of 33 knots (61 km/h). The Maersk Line B-Class Container ships are faster at 37 knots (69 km/h), like the MV Mærsk Boston. Although in reality both are laid up due to their high operating costs and less than green credentials in terms of fuel burned in transporting one unit of cargo per nautical miles traveled. Originally built in 1972 and 1973 as high-speed container ships known as SL-7s for SeaLand, the ships' high operating costs limited their profitability. All eight ships were acquired by the United States Navy in 1981 and 1982, with the last ship converted, delivered to and placed in service with Military Sealift Command in 1986. The conversion entailed the installation of four cranes, addition of roll on/roll off capability and a redesign of the cargo hold to better facilitate storage of vehicles. Due largely to their high cost of operation, all fast sealift ships are kept in Reduced Operating Status, but can be activated and ready to sail in 96 hours. All ships are named after bright stars in the night sky.
A tracking ship, also called a missile range instrumentation ship or range ship, is a ship equipped with antennas and electronics to support the launching and tracking of missiles and rockets. Since many missile ranges launch over ocean areas for safety reasons, range ships are used to extend the range of shore-based tracking facilities.
USNS Bowditch is a Pathfinder-class survey ship. She is the third ship in the class. Bowditch is a part of a 29 ship Special Mission Ship program and operates in the South China Sea. She is named after mathematician Nathaniel Bowditch.
MV Shughart (T-AKR-295) is the lead ship of her class of cargo ships operated by the United States Navy. She is a 'roll-on roll-off' non-combat vessel designated as a "Large, Medium-Speed Roll-on/Roll-off" (LMSR) ship.
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 Dahl (T-AKR-312) is one of Military Sealift Command's nineteen Large, Medium-Speed Roll-on/Roll-off Ships and is part of the 33 ships in the Prepositioning Program. She is a Watson-class vehicle cargo ship named for Specialist Larry G. Dahl, a Medal of Honor recipient.
USNS Watkins (T-AKR-315) is one of Military Sealift Command's nineteen Large, Medium-Speed Roll-on/Roll-off Ships and is part of the 33 ships in the Prepositioning Program. She is a Watson-class vehicle cargo ship.
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.
The Hydra class are a group of four frigates in service with the Hellenic Navy. They were designed in Germany and are part of the MEKO group of modular warships, in this case the MEKO 200 design. The programme was authorised in 1988 and partially paid for with FMS aid and provisioned for the commission of six vessels. The first ship was built in Germany and commissioned in 1992 but suffered a serious fire while working up near Portland, England. Repairs were completed in 1993. The Greek built warships were delayed due to financial problems on the part of the Hellenic Shipyards completing in the late 1990s which also led to limiting the total number of vessels to four mainly after the acquisition of eight Kortenaer-class frigates from the Netherlands in the late 1990s.
The Watson-class vehicle cargo ship is a series of vehicle cargo ships, used by the United States for prepositioning of ground vehicles. The class comprises eight of Military Sealift Command's nineteen Large, Medium-Speed Roll-on/Roll-off ships and is one part of the 33 ships involved in the Prepositioning Program.
USNS Guam (T-HST-1), formerly Hawaii Superferry's Huakai, is a United States Navy high-speed transport vessel. The ship was completed in September 2008 and was intended to start Hawaiian service in May 2009, though delivery postponements saw that planned service canceled. In the Hawaiian language, huakaʻi means "journey".
MV Leroy A. Mendonca, formerly USNS Mendonca (T-AKR-303), was a Bob Hope-class roll on roll off vehicle cargo ship of the United States Navy. She was built by Northrop Grumman Ship Systems, New Orleans and delivered to the Navy on 30 January 2001. They assigned her to the United States Department of Defense's Military Sealift Command. Mendonca is named for Medal of Honor recipient Sergeant Leroy A. Mendonca, and is one of 11 Surge LMSRs operated by a private company under contract to the Military Sealift Command. She was assigned to the MSC Atlantic surge force and is maintained in Ready Operational Status 4. On 26 September 2022, Mendonca left service and was stricken from the Naval Vessel Register.
MV Charles L. Gilliland, formerly USNS Gilliland (T-AKR-298), is a Gordon-class roll on roll off vehicle cargo ship of the United States Navy. She was originally built as a merchant vessel but later acquired and converted by the Navy, and assigned to the United States Department of Defense's Military Sealift Command. Gilliland was built in 1972 as MV Selandia. After some time spent in commercial service she was lengthened by Hyundai Heavy Industries in 1984, and later went on to be acquired by the US Navy under a long term charter. She was converted to a US Navy Vehicle Roll-on/Roll-off Ship at Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company in Newport News, Virginia, in a contract dated 23 May 1997 and on completion was assigned to the Military Sealift Command under the name USNS Gilliland, after Medal of Honor recipient Corporal Charles L. Gilliland. Gilliland is one of 28 Strategic Sealift Ships operated by the Military Sealift Command. She was assigned to the MSC Atlantic surge force, and is maintained in Ready Operational Status 4.
USNS Benavidez (T-AKR-306) was a Bob Hope-class roll on roll off vehicle cargo ship of the United States Navy. She was built by Northrop Grumman Ship Systems, New Orleans and delivered to the Navy on 10 September 2003. They assigned her to the United States Department of Defense's Military Sealift Command. Benavidez is named for Medal of Honor recipient Master Sergeant Roy P. Benavidez, and is one of 11 Surge LMSRs operated by a private company under contract to the Military Sealift Command. She was assigned to the MSC Atlantic surge force and is maintained in Ready Operational Status 4. On 21 September 2022, Benavidez left service and was stricken from the Naval Vessel Register.
Large, Medium-Speed Roll-on/Roll-off (LMSR) refers to several classes of the United States' Military Sealift Command (MSC) roll-on/roll-off type cargo ships. Some are purpose-built for military cargo, while others were converted.
United States
