United States Naval Ship (USNS) is the
prefix designation given to non-
commissioned ships that are property of the
United States Navy (USN).
Definition
United States Naval Ships are unarmed
auxiliary support vessels owned by the U.S. Navy and operated in non-commissioned service by
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 ...
with a civilian crew. Some ships include a small military complement to carry out communication and special mission functions, or for force protection.
In comparison, U.S. Navy ships commissioned into service have the designation "
USS" and are
armed, crewed by U.S. Navy personnel, and held in property by the
United States Government.
Additionally, the United States Naval Ships
hull classification symbol begins with "T-" to denote its civilian crew. The USNS prefix can be assigned only while the ship is owned by the U.S. Navy. If, after being taken out of service, the ship is transferred to the
Maritime Administration the prefix reverts to a civilian
ship prefix
A ship prefix is a combination of letters, usually abbreviations, used in front of the name of a civilian or naval ship that has historically served numerous purposes, such as identifying the vessel's mode of propulsion, purpose, or ownership/n ...
such as the case of
SS ''Comet''.
See also
*
War Shipping Administration
*
United States Merchant Marine
*
List of Military Sealift Command ships
*
List of United States Navy ships
*
Royal Fleet Auxiliary
References
{{US Navy navbox
Ship prefixes
United States Navy