The Cape Ducato (or Cape–D) class are five roll-on/roll-off vehicle cargo ship

Vehicle cargo ship

Vehicle cargo ship is a kind of United States Navy ship used for prepositioning of Army vehicles. An example is USNS Bob Hope , the lead ship of her class....

s of the United States Navy

United States Navy

The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...

 used to rapidly transport US military unit equipment such as tanks, helicopters, wheeled vehicles and other heavy equipment, to support deployed forces worldwide.

Built by Eriksbergs MV AB

Eriksbergs Mekaniska Verkstads AB

Eriksbergs Mekaniska Verkstads AB was a Swedish shipbuilding company based in Gothenburg. It was founded in 1850 by Christian Barchman under the name Ericsbergs metall och tackjerns-gjuteri. It delivered its last ship in 1979.-Introduction:...

 of Sweden

Sweden

Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....

 and the Ateliers et Chantiers de France between 1971 and 1973, the ships served commercially before being purchased by the United States Maritime Administration (MARAD) in late 1985 from the Barber Steamship Company.

All five ships are currently berthed at Charleston, South Carolina

Charleston, South Carolina

Charleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...

 as part of the Ready Reserve Force

National Defense Reserve Fleet

The National Defense Reserve Fleet consists of "mothballed" ships, mostly merchant vessels, that can be activated within 20 to 120 days to provide shipping for the United States of America during national emergencies, either military or non-military, such as commercial shipping crises.The NDRF is...

 (RRF) in Reduced Operational Status "ROS-5", which allows for a transition to full operating status within five days under the Military Sealift Command

Military Sealift Command

The Military Sealift Command is a United States Navy organization that controls most of the replenishment and military transport ships of the Navy. It first came into existence on 9 July 1949 when the Military Sea Transportation Service became solely responsible for the Department of Defense's...

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Ships

. Laid down in 1972 as MV Tombarra at Eriksbergs MV AB, Sweden. Purchased from Barber Steamship Co. by MARAD, 10 October 1985.. Laid down in 1972 as MV Tricolor by Ateliers et Chantiers de France. Purchased from Barber Steamship Co. by MARAD, 16 October 1985.. Laid down in 1971-72, as MV Tarago by Ateliers et Chantiers de France. Purchased from Barber Steamship Co. by MARAD, 28 October 1985.. Laid down, c. 1972-1973, as MV Lalandia by Eriksbergs, Sweden. Purchased from Barber Steamship Co. by MARAD, 11 November 1985.. Laid down in 1972, as MV Barranduna by Eriksbergs MV, Sweden. Acquired by MARAD, date unknown.

Service history

In 1998, after Hurricane Mitch

Hurricane Mitch

Hurricane Mitch was the most powerful hurricane and the most destructive of the 1998 Atlantic hurricane season, with maximum sustained winds of 180 mph . The storm was the thirteenth tropical storm, ninth hurricane, and third major hurricane of the season. Along with Hurricane Georges, Mitch...

, Cape Ducato was one of several ships that transported construction materials to Nicaragua

Nicaragua

Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...

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In March 2003 Cape Ducato and Cape Douglas were part of a six ship force ferrying part of the 4th Infantry Division to join the Iraq War.

All five ships of the class were activated in support of "Operation Enduring Freedom".