Combat stores ships, or Storeships were originally a designation given to captured ships in the Age of Sail

Age of Sail

The Age of Sail was the period in which international trade and naval warfare were dominated by sailing ships, lasting from the 16th to the mid 19th century...

 and immediately afterward, used to stow supplies

Materiel

Materiel is a term used in English to refer to the equipment and supplies in military and commercial supply chain management....

 and other goods for naval

Naval warfare

Naval warfare is combat in and on seas, oceans, or any other major bodies of water such as large lakes and wide rivers.-History:Mankind has fought battles on the sea for more than 3,000 years. Land warfare would seem, initially, to be irrelevant and entirely removed from warfare on the open ocean,...

 purposes. Modern combat store ships are operated by the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 Navy. Vessels of two classes, Sirius and Mars, provide supplies, including frozen, chilled and dry provisions, and propulsion and aviation fuel to combatant ships that are at sea for extended periods of time. In other navies, the term for the same type of ship is generally replenishment oiler

Replenishment Oiler

A replenishment oiler or fleet tanker is a naval auxiliary ship with fuel tanks and dry cargo holds, which can replenish other ships while underway in the high seas. Such ships are used by several countries around the world....

, fleet replenisher, or fleet tanker and should not be confused with Fast combat support ship

Fast combat support ship

The fast combat support ship is the United States Navy's largest combat logistics ship, designed as an oiler, ammunition and supply ship. All fast combat support ships currently in service are operated by Military Sealift Command . The AOE has the speed and armament to keep up with carrier battle...

s or tender

Tender

-Transportation:* Tender , a type of railroad car hauled immediately after the locomotive and used to carry fuel and water* Water tender, fire truck tanker-Boats/ships:* Buoy tender, used to maintain Aids to Navigation including buoys...

s.

Storeship

Storeships were used by both the United States and the United Kingdom

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 during the War of 1812

War of 1812

The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...

. Again during the Mexican-American War in the Pacific

Pacific Ocean

The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...

 and in the American Civil War

American Civil War

The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...

 captured enemy prizes that were not considered "war like" enough to be sold for prize money

Prize money

Prize money has a distinct meaning in warfare, especially naval warfare, where it was a monetary reward paid out to the crew of a ship for capturing an enemy vessel...

 often became storeships for a naval force operating where no friendly ports are nearby. USS Fredonia

USS Fredonia (1845)

USS Fredonia was a 800-ton bark that served the U.S. Navy as a transport and as a storeship. After several voyages to California by way of Cape Horn, she became the station warehouse in Arica, Chile, where she was destroyed by an earthquake....

 participated in the Baja California Campaign

Pacific Coast Campaign

The Pacific Coast Campaign refers to United States naval operations against targets along Mexico's Pacific Coast during the Mexican-American War. It excludes engagements of the California Campaign in Alta California. The objective of the campaign was to capture Mazatlan, a major Mexican seaport...

 in the War with Mexico

Mexico

The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...

. During the Spanish-American War

Spanish-American War

The Spanish–American War was a conflict in 1898 between Spain and the United States, effectively the result of American intervention in the ongoing Cuban War of Independence...

 and the Filippino War

Philippine-American War

The Philippine–American War, also known as the Philippine War of Independence or the Philippine Insurrection , was an armed conflict between a group of Filipino revolutionaries and the United States which arose from the struggle of the First Philippine Republic to gain independence following...

 the American navy acquired the storeship USS Celtic

USS Celtic (AF-2)

USS Celtic was an Celtic-class stores ship acquired by the U.S. Navy for use in the Spanish-American War. She served again during World War I in the dangerous North Atlantic Ocean, delivering general goods and ammunition to American Expeditionary Force troops in Europe.- Acquisition for...

 and other similar vessels to serve in the Asiatic Squadron

Asiatic Squadron

The Asiatic Squadron was a squadron of United States Navy warships stationed in East Asia during the latter half of the 19th century, it was created in 1868 when the East India Squadron was disbanded...

.

Combat stores ship

Six combat stores ships operated by Military Sealift Command provide supplies, including frozen, chilled and dry provisions, and propulsion and aviation fuel to United States Navy combatant ships that are at sea for extended periods of time. Combat stores ships do not carry ammunition for resupply.

Combat stores ships provide underway replenishment of all types of supplies, ranging from repair parts to fresh food, clothing and mail via tensioned cargo rigs and CH-46 Sea Knight

CH-46 Sea Knight

The Boeing Vertol CH-46 Sea Knight is a medium-lift tandem rotor transport helicopter, used by the United States Marine Corps to provide all-weather, day-or-night assault transport of combat troops, supplies and equipment. Assault Support is its primary function, and the movement of supplies and...

 helicopter

Helicopter

A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally...

s or their commercial equivalents. Combat stores ships are being replaced by more capable class such as the Lewis and Clark class dry cargo ship

Lewis and Clark class dry cargo ship

The Lewis and Clark class of dry cargo ship is the next class of Combat Logistics Force underway replenishment vessels to be constructed for the United States Navy's Military Sealift Command. Lewis and Clark-class ships will replace the existing fifteen Mars- and Sirius-class combat store ships...

 in the US Navy.

Background

USNS Concord (T-AFS-5)

USNS Concord (T-AFS-5)

USNS Concord became the first of five United States Navy Mars class combat stores ships to be transferred to Military Sealift Command on October 15, 1992. USNS Mars followed on February 1, 1993, USNS San Diego on August 11, 1993, USNS San Jose on November 2, 1993 and USNS Niagara Falls on...

 became the first of five Navy Mars-class

Mars class combat stores ship

The Mars-class combat stores ships are a class of seven auxiliary vessels of the United States Navy. They are designed for underway replenishment, in support of carrier task force groups, carrying miscellaneous stores and munitions. Initially they carried no fuel oil or liquid cargo, but by the...

 ships to be transferred to 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...

on October 15, 1992. Mars followed on February 1, 1993, USNS San Diego on August 11, 1993, USNS San Jose on November 2, 1993, and USNS Niagara Falls on September 23, 1994. San Diego was deactivated on December 10, 1997, and Mars was deactivated on February 12, 1998. USNS Sirius (T-AFS-8) was transferred from the British Royal Fleet Auxiliary to MSC on January 18, 1981; USNS Spica (T-AFS-9) on November 5, 1981; and USNS Saturn (T-AFS-10) on December 13, 1983.