USNS ''Spica'' (T-AFS-9), was a

combat stores ship Combat stores ships, or storeships, were originally a designation given to ships in the Age of Sail and immediately afterward that navies used to stow supplies and other goods for naval purposes. Today, the United States Navy and the Royal Navy ...

acquired by the

U.S. 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 o ...

from the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

in 1981. She participated in

Operation Fiery Vigil Operation Fiery Vigil was the Noncombatant Evacuation Operation (NEO) emergency evacuation of all non-essential military and U.S. Department of Defense civilian personnel and their dependents from Clark Air Base and U.S. Naval Base Subic Bay ...

to evacuate Clark Air Base personnel following the

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Eruption in 1991. She served as part of the Military Sealift Command until she was deactivated in 2008. Before her U.S. Navy career, ''Spica'' served the

Royal Fleet Auxiliary The Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) is a naval auxiliary fleet owned by the UK's Ministry of Defence. It provides logistical and operational support to the Royal Navy and Royal Marines. The RFA ensures the Royal Navy is supplied and supported by ...

as RFA ''Tarbatness'' (A345).

Built in England

RFA ''Tarbatness'' (A345) was built at Swan Hunter & Wigham Richardson Ltd., Wallsend-On-Tyne,

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, for the

. She was laid down on 1 April 1965 and was launched on 1 February 1967.

Purchased by the U.S. Navy

''Spica'' was purchased by the U.S. Navy and placed into non-commissioned service as a

on 1 November 1981 as the USNS ''Spica'' (T-AFS-9), a unit of the Military Sealift Command (MSC) Naval Auxiliary Force Atlantic.

Mission

''Spica’s'' mission was to provide

underway replenishment Replenishment at sea (RAS) ( North Atlantic Treaty Organization/Commonwealth of Nations) or underway replenishment (UNREP) ( U.S. Navy) is a method of transferring fuel, munitions, and stores from one ship to another while under way. First devel ...

in support of naval forces by providing refrigerated supplies, dry supplies, spare parts, general supplies, fleet freight, mail, and replacement personnel by alongside or by vertical replenishment processes.

Honors and awards

''Spica '' was authorized the following awards:"U.S. Navy Awards Website"
/ref>

Disposal

''Spica'' was inactivated on 26 January 2008 and turned over to the

Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility A Naval Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility (NISMF) is a facility owned by the United States Navy as a holding facility for Ship commissioning#Ship decommissioning, decommissioned naval vessels, pending determination of their final fate. All ships ...

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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, ...

, for disposal.navsource.org USNS Spica (T-AFS-9) ex RFA Tarbatness (A-345) (1967 - 1981)
/ref> She was sunk as a target on 6 May 2009.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Spica Cold War auxiliary ships of the United States Ships built on the River Tyne 1967 ships Sirius-class combat stores ships Ships sunk as targets