SS ''Curtiss'' (T-AVB-4) is one of two converted for the Military Sealift Command by

Todd Shipyards Todd or Todds may refer to: Places ;Australia: * Todd River, an ephemeral river ;United States: * Todd Valley, California, also known as Todd, an unincorporated community * Todd, Missouri, a ghost town * Todd, North Carolina, an unincorporated ...

in 1987.

History

She was originally laid down on 1 April 1968 at Ingalls Shipbuilding of

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 2 ...

as SS ''Mormacksky'', ON 521302, IMO 6901830, a

Maritime Commission The United States Maritime Commission (MARCOM) was an independent executive agency of the U.S. federal government that was created by the Merchant Marine Act of 1936, which was passed by Congress on June 29, 1936, and was abolished on May 24, 195 ...

type (C5-S-78a) combination breakbulk, container, Ro-Ro vessel under Maritime Administration contract (MA 222) for Moore-McCormack Lines. Launched 1 December 1968, she was delivered 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 ...

(MARAD) on 25 July 1969 and entered service with Moore-McCormack. After working for that line for only a short time the ship was sold to

American Export-Isbrandtsen Lines American Export-Isbrandtsen Lines, New York, was the leading US-flag shipping company between the U.S. east coast and the Mediterranean from 1919 to 1977, offering both cargo ship and passenger ship services, until it declared bankruptcy and was ...

and renamed SS ''Great Republic'' on 19 October 1970. In 1978 she was sold again to

Farrell Lines Farrell Lines Incorporated was a boat company named in 1948 after James A. Farrell, Jr., and John J. Farrell, sons of James Augustine Farrell, president of US Steel. The company was previously known as American South African Lines (ASAL). It was ...

without name change. The ship was turned over to MARAD in 1981. Converted and renamed SS ''Curtiss'' (T-AVB-4) on 14 May 1986, she was assigned to MARAD

Ready Reserve Force 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 ...

, (RRF), MSC PM-5 Sealift Program Office, Logistics Prepositioning Force. On 20 August 1990, Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron 16 deployed aboard ''Curtiss''. This was the first time a MALS deployed aboard a T-AVB. In 2001, the activation exercise with ''Curtis'' named ''Pacific Provider 21'' was held. This exercise was planned and executed by MALS-16 and was the largest activation of the ship since the

Gulf War The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a Coalition of the Gulf War, 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Ba'athist Iraq, ...

. ''Curtiss'' is outfitted with both a stern ramp and side ports. The roll-on/roll-off deck runs the complete length of the ship. When outfitted with mobile facilities, the ships can service aircraft while anchored offshore. ''Curtiss'' provides intermediate maintenance support for

Marine Corps Marines, or naval infantry, are typically a military force trained to operate in littoral zones in support of naval operations. Historically, tasks undertaken by marines have included helping maintain discipline and order aboard the ship (refl ...

helicopter A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally spinning rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forward, backward and laterally. These attributes ...

s and fixed wing aircraft. She is maintained in reduced operating status (ROS), with a five-day reactivation requirement, at Pier 9,

Naval Station San Diego Naval Base San Diego, also known as 32nd Street Naval Station, is the second largest surface ship base of the United States Navy and is located in San Diego, California. Naval Base San Diego is the principal homeport of the Pacific Fleet, cons ...

. ''Curtiss'' deploys for biennial training exercises, most recently (2013 and 2015) participating in Exercise Dawn Blitz.

References

Notes

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Curtiss (T-Avb-4) Wright-class aviation logistics support ships Ships built in Pascagoula, Mississippi 1968 ships Type C5 ships

History

See also

References

Notes