Photo By LaShawn Sykes | NORFOLK, Va. (Apr. 11, 2022) Military Sealift Command in March chartered tugboat...... read more read more
Norfolk, Va. (Apr. 11, 2022) Military Sealift Command in March chartered tugboat Signet Warhorse I to tow Large, Medium-Speed, Roll-on/Roll-off (LMSR) ship USNS Shughart (T-AKR 295) from Newport News Marine Terminal to Maritime Administration Reserve Fleet in Beaumont, Texas, where the vessel will permanently join MARAD’s Ready Reserve Force (RRF).
Steaming 1700 nautical miles, powered by two EMD 20-710G7B turbo diesels that produce a total of 10,000 horsepower, Signet Warhorse I completed a 16-day tow, moving 53,688 tons of deadweight at about 5.5 knots, said MSCLANT's Marine Transportation Specialist (MTS) Sean Blanco.
Blanco went on to say that the Shughart tow was executed to perfection. “Being able to be a part of the tow’s execution process and seeing firsthand how a dead ship is towed was an invaluable learning experience for me.”
Shughart met the U.S. Coast Guard requirements for a dead ship tow because her weight was greater than 100 gross tons; she was unable to operate under her own command, and she was unable to use her own propelling machinery.
Shughart’s 26-person contract mariner (CONMAR) crew disembarked the ship before the tow began. They each have been given the opportunity to serve either onboard other MSC ships or commercial ships.
As part of its Strategic Sealift operations, MARAD manages and maintains a fleet of inactive, Government-owned vessels known as the National Defense Reserve Fleet (NDRF), which provides a reserve of approximately 100 vessels – mostly military-useful cargo and tanker ships – ready to support national defense and emergencies. The NDRF also includes the military-focused RRF.
Signet Warhorse I is a tugboat built in 2002 by Patti Shipyard in Pensacola, Fla.
Shughart is the lead ship of her class of cargo ships operated by the United States Navy.
MSC operates approximately 120 non-combatant civilian-crewed ships that replenish U.S. Navy ships, conduct specialized missions, and strategically preposition combat cargo at sea around the world while moving military cargo and supplies used by deployed U.S. forces and coalition partners.
MSCLANT's mission is to exercise operational control over Military Sealift Command afloat forces that provide ocean transportation of equipment, fuel, supplies and ammunition in the Eastern Atlantic to sustain US forces worldwide. MSCLANT also provides logistics support to the US Navy's Second Fleet.
| Date Taken: | 04.11.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 04.11.2022 13:00 |
| Story ID: | 418258 |
| Location: | NORFOLK, VA, US |
| Web Views: | 275 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, MSC Charters Tugboat for Dead Ship Tow to Texas, by LaShawn Sykes, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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