The MV ''Cape Orlando'' is an inactive

roll-on/roll-off Roll-on/roll-off (RORO or ro-ro) ships are cargo ships designed to carry wheeled cargo, such as cars, motorcycles, trucks, semi-trailer trucks, buses, trailers, and railroad cars, that are driven on and off the ship on their own wheels or using ...

ship that is part of the US Ready Reserve Fleet. The ship

keel The keel is the bottom-most longitudinal structural element on a vessel. On some sailboats, it may have a hydrodynamic and counterbalancing purpose, as well. As the laying down of the keel is the initial step in the construction of a ship, in Br ...

was

laid down Laying the keel or laying down is the formal recognition of the start of a ship's construction. It is often marked with a ceremony attended by dignitaries from the shipbuilding company and the ultimate owners of the ship. Keel laying is one o ...

on 20 February 1980 under the name MV ''Finneagle'' at

Kockums Naval Solutions Saab Kockums AB is a shipyard headquartered in Malmö, Sweden, owned by the Swedish defence company Saab Group. Saab Kockums AB is further operational in Muskö, Docksta, and Karlskrona. While having a history of civil vessel construction, Kock ...

under contract with

Finnlines Finnlines Plc ( fi, Finnlines Oyj, sv, Finnlines Abp) is a shipping operator of ro-ro and passenger services in the Baltic Sea and the North Sea. It is a subsidiary of the Grimaldi Group. Finnlines’ sea transports are concentrated in the Bal ...

. The ''Finneagle'' was delivered to Finnlines on 18 February 1981. On 28 June 1983, Finnlines sold the Finneagle to Zenit Dry Good Corporation, which renamed it the MV ''Zenit Eagle''. Later in 1983, Zenit sold the MV ''Zenit Eagle'' to AutoMar II Corporation, which renamed it the ''American Eagle''. At some point, ''American Eagle'' was renamed MV ''Cape Orlando''. On 14 September 1994, the MV Cape Orlando was chartered under long-term contract to

US Department of Transportation The United States Department of Transportation (USDOT or DOT) is one of the executive departments of the U.S. federal government. It is headed by the secretary of transportation, who reports directly to the President of the United States and ...

and added to the Ready Reserve Fleet on. The ship was used during the

Iraq War {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Iraq War {{Nobold, {{lang, ar, حرب العراق (Arabic) {{Nobold, {{lang, ku, شەڕی عێراق (Kurdish languages, Kurdish) , partof = the Iraq conflict (2003–present), I ...

and the

Afghanistan war War in Afghanistan, Afghan war, or Afghan civil war may refer to: *Conquest of Afghanistan by Alexander the Great (330 BC – 327 BC) *Muslim conquests of Afghanistan (637–709) *Conquest of Afghanistan by the Mongol Empire (13th century), see als ...

. The MV ''Cape Orlando'' is currently inactive at the

Ready Reserve Fleet Alameda docked in former Atlantic Reserve Fleet, Alameda Pacific Reserve Fleet, Alameda was a part of the United States Navy reserve fleets, also called a ''mothball fleet'', that was used to store the many surplus ships after World War II. The Pacific ...

References

*
NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo ArchiveOfficial site for the ship

External links

Cape Orlando in dock
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cape Orlando (T-AKR-2044) Ships built in Malmö 1981 ships Cargo ships of the United States Navy