USNS ''Andrew J. Higgins'' (T-AO-190) was a
oiler 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 ...
which saw active service from 1987 to 1996. Sold to
Chile
Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...
in 2009, she was commissioned as ''Almirante Montt'' in the
Chilean Navy in 2010.
Construction
''Andrew J. Higgins'', the fourth ship of the ''Henry J. Kaiser'' class, was laid down at
Avondale Shipyard, 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 21 November 1985 and
launched on 17 January 1987. She was named after
Andrew Higgins, the man credited with developing the
landing craft, vehicle, personnel (LCVP), or "Higgins Boat", of
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
.
Service history
U.S. Navy
''Andrew J. Higgins'' entered non-commissioned U.S. Navy service under
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 ...
control with a primarily civilian crew on 22 October 1987. She was taken out of active service on 6 May 1996 and placed in reserve 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 ...
in
Suisun Bay
Suisun Bay ( ; Wintun for "where the west wind blows") is a shallow tidal estuary (a northeastern extension of the San Francisco Bay) in Northern California. It lies at the confluence of the Sacramento River and San Joaquin River, forming the ent ...
at
Benicia
Benicia ( , ) is a waterside city in Solano County, California, located in the North Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area. It served as the capital of California for nearly thirteen months from 1853 to 1854. The population was 26,997 at the ...
,
California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
, where she remained until September 2009. She was the first ship of her class to be taken out of service.
In 2008, ''Andrew J. Higgins'' was selected for transfer to Chile as a
Foreign Assistance Act
The Foreign Assistance Act (, et seq.) is a United States law governing foreign aid policy. It outlined the political and ideological principles of U.S. foreign aid, significantly overhauled and reorganized the structure U.S. foreign assistance p ...
grant. She was stricken from the
Naval Vessel Register on 6 January 2009 and sold to Chile on 19 May 2009. She was withdrawn from the
Reserve Fleet
A reserve fleet is a collection of naval vessels of all types that are fully equipped for service but are not currently needed; they are partially or fully decommissioned. A reserve fleet is informally said to be "in mothballs" or "mothballed"; a ...
at Suisun Bay on 24 September 2009 and towed to the
Atlantic Marine Alabama shipyard
A shipyard, also called a dockyard or boatyard, is a place where ships are built and repaired. These can be yachts, military vessels, cruise liners or other cargo or passenger ships. Dockyards are sometimes more associated with maintenance a ...
at
Mobile, Alabama
Mobile ( , ) is a city and the county seat of Mobile County, Alabama, United States. The population within the city limits was 187,041 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, down from 195,111 at the 2010 United States census, 2010 cens ...
, to undergo a three-month refit and
overhaul.
Chilean Navy
Renamed ''Almirante Montt'' with the identification number AO-52, the oiler was
commissioned in the
Chilean Navy on 10 February 2010, replacing the oiler ''Araucano''.
In an effort to address the
Royal Canadian Navy
The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN; french: Marine royale canadienne, ''MRC'') is the Navy, naval force of Canada. The RCN is one of three environmental commands within the Canadian Armed Forces. As of 2021, the RCN operates 12 frigates, four attack s ...
's at-sea support services capability gap until the arrival of its new supply ships,
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
signed a Mutual Logistic Support Arrangement with Chile in 2015. As part of that arrangement, the Chilean Navy operated ''Almirante Montt'' for 40 sea days in the
Canadian Pacific region in support of Royal Canadian Navy training requirements in July and August 2015, working with the
frigate
A frigate () is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied somewhat.
The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed and ...
s and .
''Almirante Montt'' returned to Canada in 2016, operating with the Royal Canadian Navy from April to June 2016.
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References
Citations'
References
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External links
"Service Ship Photo Archive: T-AO-190 ''Andrew J. Higgins''"
''NavSource Online''
Henry J. Kaiser-class oilers
Cold War auxiliary ships of the United States
Ships built in New Orleans
1987 ships
Ships transferred from the United States Navy to the Chilean Navy
Auxiliary ships of the Chilean Navy
{{US-mil-ship-stub