Built as a cargo transport vessel under yard No 473 by National Steel and Shipbuilding (NASSCO), San Diego, California for the USA Navy.
30 January 2006 laid down.
06 December 2006 launched as the USNS ALAN SHEPARD (T-AKE-3).
Displacement 23,852 light, 40,298 full load, dim. 210 x 32.3 x 9.1ft. (draught), length bpp.199.3m.
Propulsion: Integrated electric propulsion, with generation at 6.6kV by FM/MAN B&W diesel generators; single fixed pitch propeller; speed 20 knots, bow thruster.
Range by a speed of 20 knots, 14.000 mile.
Cargo capacity: 6,675 tons dry cargo, 1,716 tons refrigerated stores, 18,000 bbls cargo fuel; Designed to carry 63 percent more cargo than previous AE and AFS classes.
Armament: 2 -6 X0.5 inch machine guns or 7.62mm medium MG.
Carried two helicopters either Sikorsky MH-605 or Knighthawk or Aerospatiale Puma.
Crew 49 military and 123 civilians.
26 June 2007 in service.
USNS ALAN SHEPARD (T-AKE-3) is a Lewis and Clark-class dry cargo ship in the United States Navy. She is named for astronaut Rear Admiral Alan Shepard (1923–1998).
The contract to build her was awarded to National Steel and Shipbuilding Company (NASSCO) of San Diego, on 16 July 2002. Construction began on 13 September 2005. She was launched on 6 December 2006, sponsored by Laura Churchley, daughter of Rear Adm. Shepard. She is part of the Pacific Fleet.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USNS_Alan ... _(T-AKE-3)
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