USNS Loyal (T-AGOS-22) is a Victorious-class ocean surveillance ship acquired by the U.S. Navy in 1993 and assigned to the Navy’s Special Missions Program.

Built in Louisiana

Loyal was built by Mc Dermott Shipyards, Morgan City, Louisiana

Morgan City, Louisiana

Morgan City is a city in St. Martin and St. Mary parishes in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The population was 12,404 at the 2010 census....

. She was laid down on 7 October 1991 and launched 19 September 1992 and was delivered to the Navy on 1 July 1993 which assigned her to 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...

 (MSC) Special Missions Program.

Mission

The mission of Loyal is to directly support the Navy by using passive sonar

Sonar

Sonar is a technique that uses sound propagation to navigate, communicate with or detect other vessels...

 arrays to detect and track undersea threats.

Honors and awards

Loyal personnel are qualified for the following medals:

• National Defense Service Medal
  National Defense Service Medal
  The National Defense Service Medal is a military service medal of the United States military originally commissioned by President Dwight D. Eisenhower...