Type C8-class ship

Summary

Type C8-class ships are a type of Heavy Lift Barge Carrier. Type C8 ships were the 8th type of ship designed by the United States Maritime Commission (MARCOM) in the late 1960s. As done with the Type C1 ships and Type C2 ships, MARCOM circulated preliminary plans for comment. The design presented was not specific to any service or trade route. Type C8 ships measuring 876 feet (267 m) from stem to stern, and designed to make 16.2 knots (30.0 km/h; 18.6 mph).[1][2][3]

Type C8
SS Cape May (T-AKR-5063) at C8-S-82a type ship
Class overview
BuildersAvondale Shipyard
GD's Fore River Shipyard
Bethlehem Sparrows Point Shipyard
Built1968–1979
Completed26
Lostnone
General characteristics
TypeHeavy Lift Barge Carrier: C8-S-81b, C8-S-81d, C8-S-82a, C8-S-85d
Displacement20,574 to - 29,820 deadweight tons.
Length876 ft (267 m)
Beam106 ft (32 m)
Draft40 ft (12 m)
Installed powersteam turbines 22,109 HP to 32,000 hp
Speed16.2 knots (30.0 km/h; 18.6 mph)
Crew34 when operational
SS Cape Mohican (T-AKR-5065) built as the SS Tillie Lykes a type C8-S-82a
SS Cape Mendocino (T-AKR-5064), a type C8-S-82a

Design edit

The Type C8 ships are a type of Heavy Lighter aboard ship. The lighter aboard ship or LASH is a system for loading barges or (lighters) onto a large vessel for transport. At the destination, the barge are unloaded and the vessel is then free to move on to the next shipment. Barges and lighters are usually unpowered floating platforms for inland waterways that are separated from the open seas. Barge and lighters are typically towed or pushed around harbors, canals or rivers by tugboats. The carrier ships are also known as LASH carriers, barge carriers, kangaroo ships and lighter transport ships. Barges are load into the ship from the rear-stern of the ship. Two barge-lighters weighing up to 1,000 metric tons placed onto an underwater platform. The ship raises the platform up to the deck. On the deck are special rails to move the lighters down the length of the ship to their holding spot. The ship as a loading power to lift with a force of more than 2,000 Mp.[4][5][6]

MARAD Design C8-S-81b edit

In the late 1960s, shipbuilding engineer Jerome L. Goldman designed the first LASH ships the Acadia Forest and the Atlantic Forest. Avondale shipyard start construction in 1969 of the second LASH ships the C8-S-81b. The eleven C8-S-81b LASH ships were of identical design and built from 1970 to 1973. The 11 ships were used by two shipping lines Prudential Grace Line in New York and Pacific Far East Line in San Francisco. The price for each ship was $21.3 million.[7]

Ships in type edit

US Navy Cape M Class Heavy Lift Barge Carrier edit

C8-S-82a were used by the US Navy and called seabee LASH, (Lighter aboard ship).[11]

Lash Lighter Basin edit

In San Francisco, California is Lash Lighter Basin, located by Heron's Head Park in San Francisco Bay. The Lash Lighter Basin at Bayview–Hunters Point, San Francisco is a protected port that is used by C8-class ships for loading and unloading lighter-barges. Barges from the Stockton Deepwater Shipping Channel, Sacramento Deep Water Ship Channel and Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta are taken to Lash Lighter Basin. The Lash Lighter Basin is located at 37°44′19.8″N 122°22′18.9″W / 37.738833°N 122.371917°W / 37.738833; -122.371917.[16][17]

Notable incident edit

  • On May 21, 2001, the SS Cape Mohican (T-AKR 5065) was participating in an exercise at Chilpo Beach, just north of Pohang, South Korea. While in the harbor, heavy winds caused her to drag anchor approximately 150 feet and run aground on rocks, causing damage to her hull and internal tanks. This damage required salvage work and emergency dry-docking along with 1500 tons of steel to make her seaworthy again [18]

Type C9 ships edit

 
SS Delta Mar, now the SS Cape Farewell (AK-5073), a C9-S-81d

In 1980 Avondale Industries built two 41,500 DWT Type C9-S-81f barge carriers: the SS Edward Rutledge (now SS Spirit and the SS Edward Rutledge (Now SS Reliance). In 1974-75 Avondale Industries built nine 41,000 DWT C9-S-81d barge carriers, some used by the US Navy.[19][20] C9-S-81d examples are the SS Delta Norte and the SS Delta Mar built in 1971.[21] In 1980-83 Avondale Industries also built three C9-M-132b, but these are 32,800 DWT container ships built for the American President Line: President Washington (now M/V Manoa), President Lincoln (now M/V Mahimahi) and President Monroe (now M/V Mokihana).[22][23]

Design C8-S-81b ships edit

MARAD Design C8-S-81b
Name IMO-Nr. shipping company construction number completion Later names and fate
Lash Italia 7026912 Prudential Grace Line 1184 1970 Scrapped 1987
Lash Turkiye 7034335 Prudential Grace Line 1185 1971 1978 Delta Caribe, 1987 Cape Florida (T-AK-5071)
Lash Espana 7050248 Prudential Grace Line 1186 1971 1976 Austral Lightning, 1985 Cape Fear (T-AK 5061), July 2006 National Defense Reserve Fleet in Suisun Bay
Thomas E. Cuffe 7105471 Pacific Far East Line 1187 1971 978 conversion to C8-S-F81e container ship, 1979 President Hoover, 1993 Lihue
Golden Bear 7114185 Pacific Far East Line 1188 1971 1977 conversion to C8-S-F81e container ship, 1979 President Grant, 1996 Chief Gadao, 2006 Chief, demolition in Chittagong from May 31, 2006
Pacific Bear ? Pacific Far East Line 1189 1971 1977 1977 conversion to C8-S-F81e container ship American Trader, 1986 President Harrison, scrapped 1996
Japan Bear 7125316 Pacific Far East Line 1190 1972 1978 Conversion to the C8-S-F81e container ship President Tyler, 1996 Ewa, demolition 2006
China Bear 7207645 Pacific Far East Line 1191 1972 1975 Austral Rainbow, 2000 Ustral, scrapped in Alang from August 16, 2000
Lash Atlantico 7207633 Prudential Grace Line 1192 1973 Scrapped 1996
Lash Pacifico 7216995 Prudential Grace Line 1193 1973 1989 American Kestrel, Scrapped 1995
Philippine Bear 7225714 Pacific Far East Line 1194 1973 1975 Austral Moon, 1984 American Veteran, Scrapped 1995

Design C8-S-82a ships edit

MARAD Design C8-S-82a for Lykes Brothers Steamship Company
Name IMO-Nr. construction number completion Later names and fate
Doctor Lykes 7223314 18 1972 1986 RRF Cape Mendocino (AKR-5064)
Almeria Lykes 7205958 19 1972 1986 RRF Cape May (TAKR 5063)
Tillie Lykes 7223314 20 1973 1986 RRF Cape Mohican (T-AKR 5065)

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ Sawyer, L.A.; Mitchell, W.H. (1981). From America to United States: The History of the Long-range Merchant Shipbuilding Programme of the United States Maritime Commission. London: World Ship Society.
  2. ^ Barge Carriers Built in U.S. Shipyards shipbuildinghistory.com
  3. ^ Marad SB 1 to 354 - United States Maritime Commission appendix.usmaritimecommission.de
  4. ^ maritimephoto.com, ships list Archived 2013-07-26 at the Wayback Machine www.maritimephoto.com
  5. ^ MARAD-Supported Shipbuilding shipbuildinghistory.com
  6. ^ S Cape Mendocino vesselhistory.marad.dot.gov
  7. ^ Hans Jürgen Witthöft: Piggyback over the sea. The barge carrier family. Koehler's publishing company, Hamburg 1987, ISBN 3-7822-0275-9
  8. ^ Avondale Shipyard shipbuildinghistory.com
  9. ^ Austral Pioneer vesselhistory.marad.dot.gov
  10. ^ Austral Puritan vesselhistory.marad.dot.gov
  11. ^ Class M ships globalsecurity.org
  12. ^ SS Cape May (AKR-5063) navsource.org
  13. ^ SS Cape Mohican (T-AKR-5065) navsource.org
  14. ^ SS Cape Mendocino (AKR-5064) navsource.org
  15. ^ SS Cape Mendocino shipspotting.com
  16. ^ Lash Lighter Basin fishbrain.com
  17. ^ Lash Lighter Basin, Local business Facebook.com
  18. ^ American Society of Naval Engineers, 2004
  19. ^ T-AK-2049 Green Valley navsource.org
  20. ^ SS Green Harbour (AK-2064) navsource.org
  21. ^ SS Cape Farewell (AK-5073) navsource.org
  22. ^ SS Cape Farewell (AK-5073), C9 navsource.org
  23. ^ SS Cape Fear (AK-5061) C9 navsource.org