SS ''Capella'' (T-AKR 293) 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 Military Sealift Command (MSC) is an organization that controls the replenishment and military transport ships of the United States Navy. Military Sealift Command has the responsibility for providing sealift and ocean transportation for all US m ...

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 Rotterdamsche D.D.Mij N.V. in

Rotterdam Rotterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Rotte'') is the second largest city and municipality in the Netherlands. It is in the province of South Holland, part of the North Sea mouth of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta, via the ''"N ...

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

, hull no. 330, for

Sea-Land Service, Inc. SeaLand, a division of the Maersk Group, is an American intra-regional container shipping company headquartered in Miramar, Florida with representation in 29 countries across the Americas. The company offers ocean and intermodal services using ...

and named SS ''Sea-Land McLean'', USCG ON 540413, IMO 7223508, after Sea-Land's founder

Malcom McLean Malcolm Purcell McLean (November 14, 1913 – May 25, 2001; later known as Malcom McLean) was an American businessman. He was a transport entrepreneur who invented the modern intermodal shipping container, which revolutionized transport and inte ...

.Cudahay 206 p. 265 Due to her high operating cost, she was sold to the United States Navy on 16 April 1982 as USNS ''Capella'' (T-AK-293). In keeping with the pattern of the naming the Algol-class ships after bright stars, the ''Capella'' was named after

Capella Capella is the brightest star in the northern constellation of Auriga. It has the Bayer designation α Aurigae, which is Latinised to Alpha Aurigae and abbreviated Alpha Aur or α Aur. Capella is the sixth-brightest star i ...

, the brightest star in the constellation Auriga, the sixth brightest in the night sky.

Conversion

Conversion began on 23 October 1982 at Pennsylvania Shipbuilding in

Chester Chester is a cathedral city and the county town of Cheshire, England. It is located on the River Dee, close to the English–Welsh border. With a population of 79,645 in 2011,"2011 Census results: People and Population Profile: Chester Loca ...

, Pennsylvania. 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 1 July 1984 as USNS ''Capella'' (T-AKR 293).

Service

When not active, ''Capella'' 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. ''Capella'' 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 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. In 1994, ''Capella'', along with USNS ''Denebola'' (T-AKR-289), worked with

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...

forces on convoy exercises in the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the e ...

. On 1 October 2007, ''Capella'' was transferred to the

. On 1 October 2008, she was transferred to the Ready Reserve Force at

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 ...

, losing her USNS designation. If activated, ''Capella'' will report to the

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Capella Ships built in Rotterdam Cargo ships of the United States Navy Algol-class vehicle cargo ships 1972 ships Cold War auxiliary ships of the United States Gulf War ships of the United States