USNS ''Howard O. Lorenzen'' (T-AGM-25) is a

Missile Range Instrumentation Ship A tracking ship, also called a missile range instrumentation ship or range ship, is a ship equipped with antennas and electronics to support the launching and tracking of missiles and rockets. Since many missile ranges launch over ocean areas for ...

built for the U.S. Navy by

VT Halter Marine VT Halter Marine, Inc. is a shipbuilding company and an American subsidiary of ST Engineering. It is located in Pascagoula, Mississippi. It specializes in ship design and construction and serves both public and private clients, including the Unit ...

Pascagoula, Mississippi Pascagoula ( ) is a city in Jackson County, Mississippi, United States. It is the principal city of the Pascagoula Metropolitan Statistical Area, and is part of the Gulfport–Biloxi–Pascagoula Combined Statistical Area. The population was 22 ...

. The keel was laid during a ceremony on August 13, 2008, and the vessel became operational in 2014. This ship carries a next-generation

active electronically scanned array An active electronically scanned array (AESA) is a type of phased array antenna, which is a computer-controlled array antenna in which the beam of radio waves can be electronically steered to point in different directions without moving the an ...

radar system named Cobra King.

Description

USNS ''Howard O. Lorenzen'' is , in length, and has a beam of . Manned by a combined crew of 88 sailors and civilian mariners, the ship hosts embarked military and civilian technicians from other U.S. government agencies. It is operated by 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 ...

and conducts missions sponsored by the

U.S. Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Sign ...

History

The ship is named for the late

Naval Research Laboratory The United States Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) is the corporate research laboratory for the United States Navy and the United States Marine Corps. It was founded in 1923 and conducts basic scientific research, applied research, technological ...

(NRL) electrical engineer who was instrumental in the creation of the

electronic intelligence Signals intelligence (SIGINT) is intelligence-gathering by interception of ''signals'', whether communications between people (communications intelligence—abbreviated to COMINT) or from electronic signals not directly used in communication ( ...

capabilities of 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 ...

. It was due to be delivered in 2010. In May 2011 it was announced that the ship had failed its

Board of Inspection and Survey The Board of Inspection and Survey (INSURV) is a United States Navy organization whose purpose is to inspect and assess the material condition of U.S. Navy vessels. The Board is currently headquartered at Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek, Virgin ...

(INSURV) inspection and was being sent back for repairs before the Navy would accept the ship. The ship was judged inadequate in the electrical, damage control and aviation inspections and also had problems with her anchor, steering and the temperature in her thrust bearings. The U.S. Navy accepted delivery of ''Howard O. Lorenzen'' on 10 January 2012. Final contract trials were completed on 5 December 2013, with transfer of some responsibilities for the ship to the

US Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...

expected to occur in 2014. On 31 March 2014, the

Cobra Judy The AN/SPQ-11 Cobra Judy was a PESA The Pesa is a river in Tuscany, central Italy. It has a length of 53 km, and, after crossing the provinces of Siena and Florence, flows into the Arno River The Arno is a river in the Tuscany region ...

Replacement (Cobra King) program reached

initial operational capability Initial operating capability or initial operational capability (IOC) is the state achieved when a capability is available in its minimum usefully deployable form. The term is often used in government or military procurement. The United States D ...

(IOC). According to the Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA), the U.S. Air Force also assumed operational and sustainment responsibilities for the ship. The ''Howard O. Lorenzen'' and her Cobra King radar system were declared operational in August 2014. It replaced the , which was inactivated for dismantlement earlier in the year.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Howard O Lorensen (T-Agm-25) Missile range instrumentation ships of the United States Navy 2010 ships Ships built in Pascagoula, Mississippi Maritime vessels related to spaceflight

Description

History

See also

References