USNS ''Laramie'' (T-AO-203) is a
underway replenishment oiler
A replenishment oiler or replenishment tanker is a naval auxiliary ship with fuel tanks and dry cargo holds which can supply both fuel and dry stores during underway replenishment (UNREP) at sea. Many countries have used replenishment oilers.
The ...
operated by the
Military Sealift Command to support ships of the
United States Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
.
''Laramie'', the seventeenth ship of the ''Henry J. Kaiser'' class, was laid down 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 ...
, Inc., at
,
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 ...
, on 10 January 1994 and launched on 6 May 1995. She was one of only three of the eighteen ''Henry J. Kaiser''-class ships—the other two being
USNS ''Patuxent'' (T-AO-201) and
USNS ''Rappahannock'' (T-AO-204)—to be built with a double bottom in order to meet the requirements of the
Oil Pollution Act of 1990
The Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA) (101 H.R.1465, P.L. 101-380) was passed by the 101st United States Congress and signed by President George H. W. Bush. It works to avoid oil spills from vessels and facilities by enforcing removal of spilled ...
. Hull separation is at the sides and on the bottom, reducing her liquid cargo capacity by about from that of the 15 ships of her class without a double bottom.
''Laramie'' entered non-commissioned U.S. Navy service under the control of the
Military Sealift Command with a primarily civilian crew on 7 May 1996, the last of the eighteen ''Henry J. Kaiser''-class ships to enter service. She serves in the
United States Atlantic Fleet
United may refer to:
Places
* United, Pennsylvania, an unincorporated community
* United, West Virginia, an unincorporated community
Arts and entertainment Films
* ''United'' (2003 film), a Norwegian film
* ''United'' (2011 film), a BBC Two f ...
.
Design
The
''Henry J. Kaiser''-class replenishment oilers were preceded by the shorter
''Cimarron'' class. ''Laramie'' has an overall length of . It has a
beam of and a
draft
Draft, The Draft, or Draught may refer to:
Watercraft dimensions
* Draft (hull), the distance from waterline to keel of a vessel
* Draft (sail), degree of curvature in a sail
* Air draft, distance from waterline to the highest point on a vesse ...
of . The oiler has a displacement of at full load. It has a capacity of of aviation fuel or fuel oil. It can carry a dry load of and can refrigerate 128 pallets of food. The ship is powered by two 10 PC4.2 V 570 Colt-Pielstick diesel engines that drive two shafts; this gives a power of .
The ''Henry J. Kaiser''-class oilers have maximum speeds of . They were built without armaments but can be fitted with
close-in weapon system
A close-in weapon system (CIWS ) is a point-defense weapon system for detecting and destroying short-range incoming missiles and enemy aircraft which have penetrated the outer defenses, typically mounted on a naval ship. Nearly all classes of ...
s. The ship has a helicopter platform but not any maintenance facilities. It is fitted with five fuelling stations; these can fill two ships at the same time and the ship is capable of pumping of diesel or of jet fuel per hour. It has a complement of eighty-nine civilians (nineteen officers), twenty-nine spare crew, and six United States Navy crew.
References
Bibliography
*
*
External links
NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive: USNS ''Laramie'' (T-AO-203)*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Laramie (T-AO-203)
Henry J. Kaiser-class oilers
Ships built in Bridge City, Louisiana
1995 ships