Lewis and Clark class dry cargo ship
Encyclopedia
The Lewis and Clark class of dry cargo ship is the next class of Combat Logistics Force (CLF) underway replenishment
Underway replenishment
Underway replenishment or replenishment at sea is a method of transferring fuel, munitions, and stores from one ship to another while under way.-History:...
vessels to be constructed for 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...
's 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...
. Lewis and Clark-class ships will replace the existing fifteen Mars-
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...
and Sirius-class combat store ships and the s. When operating in concert with a the Lewis and Clarks will also replace s. The first of the planned fourteen ships, , was placed in service with the MSC in June 2006, and is being designed for a forty-year service life. The ships in the class are named after famous American explorers and pioneers.
As part of 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...
’s (MSC) Naval Fleet Auxiliary Force
Naval Fleet Auxiliary Force
The 42 ships of the Military Sealift Command's Naval Fleet Auxiliary Force are the supply lines to U.S. Navy ships at sea. These ships provide virtually everything that Navy ships need, including fuel, food, ordnance, spare parts, mail and other supplies. NFAF ships enable the Navy fleet to remain...
(NFAF), the mission of T-AKEs 1–14 is to deliver ammunition, provisions, stores, spare parts, potable water and petroleum products to deployed naval forces at sea worldwide. The 689 feet (210 m) T-AKE has the largest cargo-carrying capacity and the largest flight deck of any combat logistics ship afloat. T-AKEs 12, 13 and 14 will each be assigned to one of the three active Maritime Prepositioning Ship squadrons, which are permanently forward deployed to the Eastern Atlantic Ocean/Mediterranean Sea, Western Pacific Ocean and Indian Ocean. While identical in configuration to T-AKEs 1–11, the mission of the last three ships in the class will be to provide selective offload of cargo for resupply and sustainment of U.S. Marine Corps forces ashore.
The primary goal of the T-AKE program is to provide effective fleet underway replenishment capability at the lowest life cycle cost. Built to commercial standards, T-AKEs take advantage of industry best practices and can be cost-effectively maintained using commercial, off-the-shelf technology. T-AKEs have built-in environmental protections such as industry-leading “green” waste-management facilities that decrease pollutants by 95 percent. Built in San Diego by General Dynamics National Steel and Shipbuilding Company (NASSCO), a total of 14 T-AKEs will be procured, all of which are currently under contract.
NASSCO was awarded a detailed design and construction contract in October 2001. The first twelve ships of the class have been delivered and two additional ships are under construction. The most recent ship to deliver is USNS William McLean (T-AKE-12), which was delivered on September 29, 2011. As this class has entered serial production, NASSCO has increased learning and production efficiencies to make substantial reductions in labor hours, from hull to hull. For example, T-AKE-7 was produced with fewer than 50 percent of the man-hours it took to produce T-AKE-1, and had a 37 percent reduction in total construction time.
Ships
| Ship | Hull. No. | Launched | In Service | Status | NVR Page | MSC Page |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lewis and Clark USNS Lewis and Clark (T-AKE-1) USNS Lewis and Clark is an American dry cargo ship, the lead ship of her namesake class. It was the second ship of the United States Navy to be named for the explorers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark... |
2005-05-21 | 2006-06-20 | In Service | http://www.nvr.navy.mil/nvrships/details/AKE1.htm | http://www.msc.navy.mil/inventory/ships.asp?ship=116 | |
| Sacagawea USNS Sacagawea (T-AKE-2) USNS Sacagawea , a Lewis and Clark-class dry cargo ship, was the third ship operated by the United States Navy to be named for Sacagawea, the Shoshone woman who acted as guide and interpreter for the Lewis and Clark Expedition, and one of the few United States Navy ships named for women.The... |
2006-06-24 | 2007-02-27 | In Service | http://www.nvr.navy.mil/nvrships/details/AKE2.htm | http://www.msc.navy.mil/inventory/ships.asp?ship=177 | |
| Alan Shepard USNS Alan Shepard (T-AKE-3) USNS Alan Shepard is a Lewis and Clark-class dry cargo ship in the United States Navy. She is named for astronaut Rear Admiral Alan Shepard.... |
2006-12-06 | 2007-06-26 | In Service | http://www.nvr.navy.mil/nvrships/details/AKE3.htm | http://www.msc.navy.mil/inventory/ships.asp?ship=184 | |
| Richard E. Byrd USNS Richard E. Byrd (T-AKE-4) USNS Richard E. Byrd is a Lewis and Clark-class dry cargo ship in the United States Navy. She is the second United States Navy ship to be named after polar explorer Rear Admiral Richard E. Byrd .... |
2007-05-15 | 2008-01-08 | In Service | http://www.nvr.navy.mil/nvrships/details/AKE4.htm | http://www.msc.navy.mil/inventory/ships.asp?ship=190 | |
| Robert E. Peary USNS Robert E. Peary (T-AKE-5) USNS Robert E. Peary is a Lewis and Clark-class dry cargo ship in the United States Navy. She is the fourth Navy ship named for Arctic explorer, RAdm. Robert E. Peary .The contract to build Robert E... |
2007-10-27 | 2008-06-05 | In Service | http://www.nvr.navy.mil/nvrships/details/AKE5.htm | http://www.msc.navy.mil/inventory/ships.asp?ship=199 | |
| Amelia Earhart USNS Amelia Earhart (T-AKE-6) USNS Amelia Earhart , a Lewis and Clark-class dry cargo ship is the only ship of the United States Navy to be named for noted American aviation pioneer and women's rights advocate Amelia Earhart . The contract to build the ship was awarded to National Steel and Shipbuilding Company of San Diego,... |
2008-04-06 | 2008-10-30 | In Service | http://www.nvr.navy.mil/nvrships/details/AKE6.htm | http://www.msc.navy.mil/inventory/ships.asp?ship=198 | |
| Carl Brashear USNS Carl Brashear (T-AKE-7) USNS Carl Brashear is a Lewis and Clark-class dry cargo ship of the United States Navy, named in honor of Master Chief Boatswain’s Mate Carl Brashear , the first African-American to become a U.S... |
2008-09-18 | 2009-03-04 | In Service | http://www.nvr.navy.mil/nvrships/details/AKE7.htm | http://www.msc.navy.mil/inventory/ships.asp?ship=200 | |
| Wally Schirra USNS Wally Schirra (T-AKE-8) USNS Wally Schirra is a Lewis and Clark-class dry cargo ship of the United States Navy, named in honor of Captain Wally Schirra , one of the Mercury Seven astronauts, who flew three times in space, on Mercury 8, Gemini 6A, and Apollo 7.The contract to build Wally Schirra was awarded to National... |
2009-03-08 | 2009-09-01 | In Service | http://www.nvr.navy.mil/nvrships/details/AKE8.htm | http://www.msc.navy.mil/inventory/ships.asp?ship=201 | |
| Matthew Perry USNS Matthew Perry (T-AKE-9) USNS Matthew Perry is a Lewis and Clark-class dry cargo ship of the United States Navy, named in honor of Commodore Matthew C... |
2009-08-16 | 2010-02-24 | In Service | http://www.nvr.navy.mil/nvrships/details/AKE9.htm | http://www.msc.navy.mil/inventory/ships.asp?ship=203 | |
| Charles Drew USNS Charles Drew (T-AKE-10) USNS Charles Drew is a Lewis and Clark-class dry cargo ship of the United States Navy, named in honor of Dr. Charles R. Drew , who developed improved techniques for blood storage, and applied his expert knowledge in developing large-scale blood banks early in World War II, saving thousands of... |
2010-02-27 | 2010-07-14 | In Service | http://www.nvr.navy.mil/nvrships/details/AKE10.htm | http://www.msc.navy.mil/inventory/ships.asp?ship=206 | |
| Washington Chambers USNS Washington Chambers (T-AKE-11) USNS Washington Chambers is a of the United States Navy, named in honor of Captain Washington Chambers , a pioneer in US naval aviation. The contract to build Washington Chambers was awarded to National Steel and Shipbuilding Company on 12 December 2008... |
2010-09-11 | 2011-02-23 | In Service | http://www.nvr.navy.mil/nvrships/details/AKE11.htm | http://www.msc.navy.mil/inventory/ships.asp?ship=210 | |
| William McLean USNS William McLean (T-AKE-12) USNS William McLean is a of the United States Navy, named in honor of William McLean. The contract to build William McLean was awarded to National Steel and Shipbuilding Company on 12 December 2008. William McLean was launched on 16 April 2011, sponsored by Dr... |
2011-04-16 | 2011-09-29 | In Service | http://www.nvr.navy.mil/nvrships/details/AKE12.htm | http://www.msc.navy.mil/inventory/ships.asp?ship=211 | |
| Medgar Evers USNS Medgar Evers (T-AKE-13) USNS Medgar Evers is a of the United States Navy, named in honor of World War II veteran and civil rights activist Medgar Evers . The Navy announced the naming on 9 October 2009. National Steel and Shipbuilding Company started construction on 15 April 2010, and laid her keel on... |
2011-10-29 | — | Building | http://www.nvr.navy.mil/nvrships/details/AKE13.htm | — | |
| Cesar Chavez USNS Cesar Chavez (T-AKE-14) USNS Cesar Chavez , a Lewis and Clark-class dry cargo ship, will be the first ship operated by the United States Navy to be named for César Chávez , labor leader and civil rights activist, who served in the Navy during World War II.... |
— | — | Ordered | http://www.nvr.navy.mil/nvrships/details/AKE14.htm | — |
Missions
On 8 February 2008, dry cargo/ammunition ship USNS Lewis and Clark — the first ship in Military Sealift Command's newest class of ships — returned to Naval Station Norfolk, Va., after its first deployment.The ship successfully completed a six-month tour to the U.S. Central Command area of operations to resupply U.S. Navy ships — providing logistics support in the Persian Gulf, around the Horn of Africa, along the length of Somalia and beyond the equator.
USNS Sacagawea (T-AKE-2) got underway for its first deployment 11 December 2008 in the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet area of operations.
USNS Richard E. Byrd (T-AKE-4) entered the U.S. Navy's 7th Fleet area of operations July 24, 2008, marking the arrival of the first Lewis and Clark-class combat logistics support ship in service to the 52000000 square miles (134,679,381.7 km²) region.