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'USNS Charlton' Delivered
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| New Jobs For AMO Aboard Latest LMSR To Join Sealift Fleet | |||
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The USNS Charlton has been delivered to the Navy's Military Sealift Command. The ship, built at National Steel and Shipbuilding Co. in San Diego, was completed five months ahead of schedule and below projected cost. The USNS Charlton--a large, medium-speed roll-on/roll-off ship--will be operated for MSC by Maersk Line Ltd. and manned in all licensed positions by AMO. The 950-foot ship will carry U.S. Army materiel, including tanks, armored personnel carriers, tractor trailers, and other rolling stock and unit equipment in 390,000 square feet of cargo space. The USNS Charlton will be used for surge sealift in wartime and for prepositioning abroad near potential war zones. The USNS Charlton is the sixth newly built LMSR to come under AMO contract through MSC charter to Maersk Line, of Norfolk, Va. The others are the USNS Bob Hope, USNS George Watson, USNS Sisler, USNS Dahl and USNS Red Cloud. The LMSRs USNS Watkins and USNS Pomeroy will join the Maersk Line fleet in October 2000 and May 2001, respectively. AMO currently represents the licensed officers on four converted LMSRs operated for MSC by Bay Ship Mgmt., of Englewood Cliffs, N.J. Those ships are the USNS Gilliland, USNS Gordon, USNS Shughart and USNS Yano. A fifth converted LMSR, the USNS Soderman, will be reassigned to MSC's Maritime Prepositioning Force (Enhanced), or MPF(E), following conversion at NASSCO. MSC has not yet selected an operator for the ship. With the exception of the USNS Bob Hope, all of the new and converted LMSRs are named for U.S. Army recipients of the Medal of Honor. The USNS Charlton salutes Sgt. Cornelius Charlton, who was awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously for heroism in the Korean War. | |||
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