MV ''Ascension'' is an American-flagged general cargo and

container ship A container ship (also called boxship or spelled containership) is a cargo ship that carries all of its load in truck-size intermodal containers, in a technique called containerization. Container ships are a common means of commercial intermoda ...

with a capacity of . Built in 1993, the ship was originally a Russian timber carrier. She was bought by

Sealift Incorporated Sealift Incorporated is an American Ship transport, shipping company based in Oyster Bay (town), New York, Oyster Bay, New York.Sealift Inc 2008, ''Home Page''. The privately held corporation was founded in 1975 by the four owners who remain the ...

in 1998 and was providing a cargo liner service between Cape Canaveral,

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

and Ascension Island unti
2012

History

The ship was built in

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula in ...

as the MV ''Chekov'' and originally used by

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

n operators to carry timber.

bought the ship specifically for the Ascension Island liner service. The first American crew embarked November 25, 1998 and the ship started its maiden voyage under the U.S.-flag on December 2, 1998. Departing from

Port Canaveral Port Canaveral is a cruise, cargo, and naval port in Brevard County, Florida, United States. It is one of the busiest cruise ports in the world with 4.5 million cruise passengers passing through during 2016. Over 5.4 million tonnes of bulk car ...

, the voyage took 15 days at an average speed of and covered 4,426 nautical miles. The voyage ended when the ship dropped anchor in Clarence Bay, Ascension on December 17, 1998.Haff 1998, ''M.V. Ascension''. The original contract was for a period of three years. On December 7, 1999 the ''Ascension'' rendered assistance to the French

sailboat A sailboat or sailing boat is a boat propelled partly or entirely by sails and is smaller than a sailing ship. Distinctions in what constitutes a sailing boat and ship vary by region and maritime culture. Types Although sailboat terminolo ...

''Seneca''.American Maritime Officers 2000, ''Ascension Assists Boaters In Distress ''. The sailboat was en route to Guadeloupe from

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

had been becalmed for three days. In addition to providing 300 liters of fuel, the ''Ascension'' topped off the sailboat's water tank and provided cigarettes and soft drinks.

Ship's complement

The ship's complement is the captain and members of the deck,

engine An engine or motor is a machine designed to convert one or more forms of energy into mechanical energy. Available energy sources include potential energy (e.g. energy of the Earth's gravitational field as exploited in hydroelectric power ...

, and steward's departments. As of 1998, the deck department consisted of the

chief mate A chief mate (C/M) or chief officer, usually also synonymous with the first mate or first officer, is a licensed mariner and head of the deck department of a merchant ship. The chief mate is customarily a watchstander and is in charge of the s ...

, the second mate, four

able seamen An able seaman (AB) is a Sailor, seaman and member of the deck department of a merchant ship with more than two years' experience at sea and considered "well acquainted with his duty". An AB may work as a watchstander, a day worker, or a combi ...

, and two ordinary seamen The engine department consisted of the

chief engineer A chief engineer, commonly referred to as "ChEng" or "Chief", is the most senior engine officer of an engine department on a ship, typically a merchant ship, and holds overall leadership and the responsibility of that department..Chief engineer ...

, a

first assistant engineer A second engineer or first assistant engineer is a licensed member of the engineering department on a merchant vessel. This title is used for the person on a ship responsible for supervising the daily maintenance and operation of the engine depa ...

, a second assistant engineer, and 3

oilers Oiler may refer to: Ships * Replenishment oiler * Tanker (ship) Sports * Cape Breton Oilers, a former American Hockey League team * City Oilers, Ugandan basketball team * Edmonton Oilers, a National Hockey League team based in Edmonton, Alberta, ...

. The steward's department consisted solely of one chief steward.

Route and cargo

The ship travels a dedicated liner route between Cape Canaveral,

and Ascension Island so as to arrive at the island at 60-day intervals. Ascension Island lies in the South Atlantic Ocean, east from

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

and around from the coast of

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

. It is part of the British overseas territory of

Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha is a British Overseas Territory located in the South Atlantic and consisting of the island of Saint Helena, Ascension Island and the archipelago of Tristan da Cunha including Gough Island. Its name wa ...

, the main island of which is to the south east. The Island is named after the day of its recorded discovery, Ascension Day. The cargo consists mainly of

intermodal container An intermodal container, often called a shipping container, is a large standardized shipping container, designed and built for intermodal freight transport, meaning these containers can be used across different modes of transport – from ship ...

s, refrigerated shipping containers, as well as

break bulk cargo In shipping, break-bulk, breakbulk, or break bulk cargo, also called general cargo, refers to goods that are stowed on board ship in individually counted units. Traditionally, the large numbers of items are recorded on distinct bills of lading ...

.Martin September 19, 1999, ''News from Ascension Auxiliary Airfield (AAF)''. The ship also carries cargo for non-US, civilian customersHuxley 1999, ''From the Administrator's desk''. The unloading process can consist of over 100 separate lifts and take several daysMartin December 23, 1999, ''News from Ascension Auxiliary Airfield (AAF)''. In addition to carrying cargo, the crew of the ''Ascension'' has assisted in green sea turtle research, delivering tagged animals about off the coast.Broderick ''et al.'' 2002, p. 3. Ascension is the most notable nesting ground for ''Chelonia mydas'' in the Southern Atlantic Ocean. On Ascension, annual nesting occurs in the volume of around 6,000 to 13,000 individual turtle nests.

Notes

References

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External links