SS ''Altair'' (T-AKR 291) is an ''Algol'' class vehicle cargo ship that is currently maintained by the

United States Maritime Administration The United States Maritime Administration (MARAD) is an agency of the United States Department of Transportation. MARAD administers financial programs to develop, promote, and operate the U.S. Maritime Service and the U.S. Merchant Marine. Det ...

as part of the Military Sealift Command's

Ready Reserve Force The National Defense Reserve Fleet (NDRF) consists of ships of the United States of America, mostly merchant vessels, that have been "mothballed" but can be activated within 20 to 120 days to provide shipping during national military emergencies ...

(RRF). She was built as a high speed

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 intermodal ...

by Rheinstahl Nordseewerke in

Emden Emden () is an independent city and seaport in Lower Saxony in the northwest of Germany, on the river Ems. It is the main city of the region of East Frisia and, in 2011, had a total population of 51,528. History The exact founding date of E ...

West Germany West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...

, hull no. 431, for Sea-Land Service, Inc. and named SS ''Sea-Land Finance'', USCG ON 550722, IMO 7315571.Cudahay 206 p. 266 Due to her high operating cost, she was sold to the United States Navy on 5 January 1982 as USNS ''Altair'' (T-AK-291). In keeping with the pattern of the naming the Algol-class ships after bright stars, the ''Altair'' was named after

Altair Altair is the brightest star in the constellation of Aquila and the twelfth-brightest star in the night sky. It has the Bayer designation Alpha Aquilae, which is Latinised from α Aquilae and abbreviated Alpha Aql ...

, the brightest star in the constellation Aquila and the twelfth brightest star in the night sky.

Conversion

Conversion began on 28 July 1984 at

Avondale Shipyard Avondale Shipyard was an independent shipbuilding company, acquired by Litton Industries, in turn acquired by Northrop Grumman Corporation. In 2011, along with the former Ingalls Shipbuilding, the yard was part of Huntington Ingalls Industries. It ...

s in

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...

. Her cargo hold was redesigned into a series of decks connected by ramps so vehicles can be driven into and out of the cargo hold for fast loading and unloading. She was also fitted with two sets of two cranes; one set located at midship capable of lifting 35 tons, and another set located aft capable of lifting 50 tons. She was delivered to the Military Sealift Command on 13 November 1985 as USNS ''Altair'' (T-AKR 291).

Service

When not active, ''Altair'' is kept in reduced operating status due to her high operating cost. If needed, she can be activated and ready to sail in 96 hours. ''Altair'' took part in the

Persian Gulf War The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Iraq were carried out in two key phases: ...

in 1990. Along with the other seven ''Algol'' class cargo ships, she transported 14 percent of all cargo delivered between the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

and

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the A ...

during and after the war. On 1 October 2007, ''Altair'' was transferred to the

. On 1 October 2008, she was transferred to the Ready Reserve Force, losing her USNS designation. If activated, ''Altair'' will report to the Military Sealift Command.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Altair Ships built in Emden Cargo ships of the United States Navy Algol-class vehicle cargo ships 1973 ships Cold War auxiliary ships of the United States Gulf War ships of the United States