The Supply-class fast combat support ships are a class of four United States Navy supply ships used to refuel, rearm, and restock ships in the United States Navy in both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.[1]
USNS Supply in 2006
| |
Class overview | |
---|---|
Builders | National Steel and Shipbuilding Company, San Diego, California |
Operators | United States Navy |
Preceded by | Sacramento class |
Completed | 4 |
Active | 2 |
Laid up | 2 |
Retired | 0 |
General characteristics | |
Type | Fast combat support ship |
Displacement | 48,800 long tons (49,600 t) |
Length | 754 ft (229.8 m) (overall) |
Beam | 107 ft (32.6 m) (extreme beam) |
Draft | 39 ft (11.9 m) |
Installed power | 105,000 hp (78 MW) |
Propulsion | four General Electric LM 2500 gas turbine engines, Two Propellers |
Speed | 25 knots (46 km/h) |
Armament |
|
Aircraft carried | Two CH-46E Sea Knight or MH-60S Seahawk helicopters |
These are the only US Navy resupply ships able to keep up with the strike groups, but due to their cost to operate the Navy intends to retire them starting in 2014.[2] The Supply-class ships are built to military combatant standards and are shock hardened.[3]
Ship | Hull No. |
Builder | Commissioning– Decommissioning |
NVR Page |
Status |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Supply | T-AOE-6 | National Steel and Shipbuilding Company, San Diego, CA | 1994–2001 (Transferred to MSC) | T-AOE-6 | active |
Rainier | T-AOE-7 | National Steel and Shipbuilding Company, San Diego, CA | 1995–2003 (Transferred to MSC) | T-AOE-7 | reserve |
Arctic | T-AOE-8 | National Steel and Shipbuilding Company, San Diego, CA | 1995–2002 (Transferred to MSC) | T-AOE-8 | active |
Bridge | T-AOE-10 | National Steel and Shipbuilding Company, San Diego, CA | 1998–2004 (Transferred to MSC) | T-AOE-10 | reserve |
Cargo capacity
The AOE 6 class ships, which are built to a MIL-SPEC combatant standards design, and have survivability features (i.e., shock, blast, etc.) equivalent to other ships in the CVBG, significantly extends the endurance of the CVBG for combat operations.