USNS Spica (T-AFS 9) served in Military Sealift Command for more than 25 years. It was built at Swan Hunter and Wigham Richardson Ltd, Wallsend-On-Tyne, United Kingdom for the Royal Navy as RFA Tarbatness (A-345). The ship was purchased by the U.S. Navy as a combat stores ship Nov. 1, 1981, and renamed USNS Spica, after the brightest object in the constellation Virgo and one of the 20 brightest stars in the night sky.
Spica’s mission was to provide logistic support of naval forces by providing refrigerated supplies, dry supplies, spare parts, general supplies, fleet freight, mail and replacement of personnel. It participated in several major operations, including; Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Spica was stricken from the Navy Jan. 25, 2008, and laid up at the Naval Sea Systems Inactive Ships Maintenance Facility, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She was sunk as a target during an exercise off the U.S. East Coast May 6, 2009.
Celebrating its 75th anniversary in 2024, MSC exists to support the joint warfighter across the full spectrum of military operations, with a workforce that includes approximately 6,000 Civil Service Mariners and 1,100 contract mariners, supported by 1,500 shore staff and 1,400 active duty and reserve military personnel.