USNS ''Maumee'' (T-AO-149), later T-AOT-149, was a

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 ...

''Maumee''-class oiler, later

transport oiler Transport (in British English), or transportation (in American English), is the intentional movement of humans, animals, and goods from one location to another. Modes of transport include air, land (rail and road), water, cable, pipeline, and ...

, in non-commissioned service with the

Military Sea Transportation Service 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 ...

(MSTS), later

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 ...

, from 1956 until probably the mid-1980s. ''Maumee'', the fourth U.S. Navy ship to bear the name, was laid down at

Sun Shipbuilding and Drydock Company Sun Shipbuilding & Drydock Company (1917–1989) was a major shipbuilding company in Chester, Pennsylvania on the Delaware River. Its primary product was tankers, but the company built many types of ships over its 70-year history. During World W ...

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 Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

, on 18 March 1955 and launched on 15 November 1955, sponsored by Mrs. Lloyd Harrison. She entered non-commissioned U.S. Navy service under the control of the

, later the

, with a primarily civilian crew on 17 December 1956. ''Maumee'' was the lead unit of her new "supertanker" class and the first vessel in naval history to be launched as a

United States Naval Ship 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 ...

(USNS), intended for non-commissioned U.S. Navy service with a

civilian Civilians under international humanitarian law are "persons who are not members of the armed forces" and they are not "combatants if they carry arms openly and respect the laws and customs of war". It is slightly different from a non-combatant, b ...

crew. Built along commercial tanker lines specifically for MSTS duty, ''Maumee'', following her completion, was turned over to Marine Transport Lines to operate for MSTS as a civilian-crewed ship under a long‑term consecutive‑voyage charter. By 1958 she had begun her first prolonged duty in the

Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...

. Her role was point‑to‑point delivery of bulk

petroleum Petroleum, also known as crude oil, or simply oil, is a naturally occurring yellowish-black liquid mixture of mainly hydrocarbons, and is found in geological formations. The name ''petroleum'' covers both naturally occurring unprocessed crud ...

in support of the U.S.

armed forces A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...

in the Pacific area. From 1968 to 1971, the ship was also used in the Navy's ''Operation Deep Freeze II'', where it was used to transport fuel supplies to McMurdo Sound (South Pole). It was the largest ship to visit Antarctica, and was led into the ice pack by ice breakers. She eventually was reclassified as a "transport oiler", resulting her redesignation from "T-AO-149" (as an oiler) to "T-AOT-149" (as a transport oiler). ''Maumee'' was placed out of service at an unrecorded date, probably in the mid-1980s. She was struck from the

Naval Vessel Register The ''Naval Vessel Register'' (NVR) is the official inventory of ships and service craft in custody of or titled by the United States Navy. It contains information on ships and service craft that make up the official inventory of the Navy from t ...

, also at an unrecorded date, and was transferred to the

Maritime Administration Maritime administrations, or flag state administrations, are the executive arms/state bodies of each government responsible for carrying out the shipping responsibilities of the state, and are tasked to administer national shipping and boating issue ...

on 23 December 1994 to be laid up in the

National Defense Reserve Fleet 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 ...

Beaumont Beaumont may refer to: Places Canada * Beaumont, Alberta * Beaumont, Quebec England * Beaumont, Cumbria * Beaumont, Essex ** Beaumont Cut, a canal closed in the 1930s * Beaumont Street, Oxford France (communes) * Beaumont, Ardèche * ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

. She was sold for scrapping on 9 November 2006 to ESCO Marine of Brownsville, Texas. and departed the National Defense Reserve Fleet, Beaumont Group, on 23 January 2007 for scrapping by ESCO Marine.

References

*
NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive: USNS Maumee (T-AO-149)
Maumee-class oilers Cold War auxiliary ships of the United States Ships built by the Sun Shipbuilding & Drydock Company 1955 ships {{US-mil-ship-stub