Page 48: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (May 2024)

MILESTONE in the exo-atmosphere to charting the bottom of the ocean; and tion Service in 1947, which then became part of MSTS. After 14 “service support” ships serve as hospital ships, salvage ships, being laid up at the Maritime Reserve Fleet at James River, Vir- ocean-going tugs, command-and-control ? agships, submarine ginia, she came back into naval service and was lengthened and tenders and other ? eet support roles. MSC also has 16 high- converted missile-range instrumentation ship to support space speed “expeditionary fast transports” to move people, vehicles ? ight tracking, including the Apollo and Skylab programs. She and cargo quickly around a theater of operations. brie? y carried the name Muscle Shoals (T-AGM-19) before be-

Looking back, MSC has operated a wide variety of vessels coming USNS Vanguard (T-AGM-19). In 1966. In 1980 she to meet its many demanding mission requirements. Here are changed missions to become a test ship for submarine naviga- just a few examples: tion systems, serving in this role for two decades.

USNS Taluga (T-AO 62) was the ? rst Navy oiler converted USNS Observation Island has a similar pedigree. She started to operate under MSC with a civil service mariner crew. She life in 1954 as a merchant ship, the SS Empire State Mariner, exempli? es the spirit of support and dedication exhibited by and was transferred to the Navy in 1956. She was converted

CIVMAR crews over the decade, on deck in all weather, day into a ballistic missile tracking ship and classi? ed as a miscel- or night, handling the rigs that refuel the Navy’s warships. laneous auxiliary as EAG 154 and later as AG 154. She sup-

USNS Vanguard started life as a tanker built for the U.S. Mar- ported both the Polaris and Poseidon missile programs. After a itime Commission during World War II to deliver fuel in the Pa- period of inactivity, she returned to service with MSC in 1979, ci? c theater of operations. After the war she was acquired by the becoming the range instrumentation ship USNS Observation

Navy and commissioned as USS Mission San Fernando (AO Island (T-AGM 23). She supported the U.S. Air Force missile 122). She was placed into service with the Naval Transporta- tracking operations until decommissioning in 2014, a role now performed by USNS Howard O. Lorenzen (T-AGM 25).

Tugboat Jane McAllister pulls alongside MV Roy

The 894-foot, 70,000-ton USNS Comfort (T-AH 19) and

Benavidez (T-AKR 306) to the ship safely pull away from the pier March 15, 2024.

USNS Mercy (T-AH 20) were built as tankers in the mid-sev- enties and converted to hospital ships a decade later. Today, the

Military Sealift Command operates the two hospital ships with a

CIVMAR crew and a Navy medical team. The ships are main- tained in a reserve status and can be activated in ? ve days to respond to contingencies. When active they have a civilian crew of 71 and a medical of up to 1,200, and have 1,000 patient beds.

MSC’s hospital ships played a big role in humanitarian as- sistance and disaster response contingencies, such as the 2004

Indonesian earthquake that precipitated the one of the most de- structive tsunamis in recorded history, the 2010 Haitian earth- quake, and Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico in 2017. Both hos- pital ships were mobilized and staged to Los Angeles and New

York City to provide medical services during the Coronavirus

U.S. Navy photo by Ryan Carter pandemic. Hospital ships and expeditionary fast transports have

Capt. Emigdia “Amy” Esqueda assumes duties as master of USNS

MSC provides sealift for

Effective (T-AGOS 21), becoming

Operations Desert Shield/

MSC’s ? rst female master. She

Desert Storm. On just serves until her retirement in 2018. U.S. one day (Dec. 31, 1990), 217

Transportation Command established. ship were in support--132

MSC becomes a component command enroute, 57 returning, and of TRANSCOM.

28 loading or unloading. 1986 1990 1993 1995 2004

The 1,000-bed ? oat During ? scal year 1993, a During ? scal year 2004, hospital ship USNS Mercy total 561,000 tons of cargo, the MSC team delivered (T-AH 19) joins the MSC including 8,757 vehicles more than 6 billion gallons ? eet. Mercy and sister and 2.4 million square feet of fuel for U.S. ground ships USNS Comfort (T-AH of other equipment, were and air forces in Iraq and 20) have CIVMAR crews deployed to Somalia aboard Afghanistan. During the and an active duty and MSC ships, in support of same period, the MSC team reservist medical staff. Operation Restore Hope. delivered more than 3 million short tons of cargo to the ground forces in Iraq and Afghanistan.

48 Maritime Reporter & Engineering News • May 2024

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