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 MILITARY SEALIFT COMMAND (MSC)
SEALIFT SHIPS INDEX

NavSource Online: Auxiliary Ships Photo Archive

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MSC's Sealift Program provides ocean transportation for the Department of Defense and other U.S. government agencies. The program is divided into three project offices: Tankers, Dry Cargo, and Surge.

MSC works closely with the Defense Fuel Supply Center to transport petroleum products to DOD storage and distribution facilities around the world, as well as to deliver fuel to MSC oilers and other U.S. Navy fleet oilers at sea. MSC operates zero long-term-chartered tankers to provide 90 percent of all fuel needed by DOD

DOD's dry cargo is shipped via U.S.-flagged commercial ships. Approximately 80 percent of this cargo is transported aboard regularly scheduled U.S. commercial ocean liners; the other 20 percent is carried cargo ships under charter to MSC.

Surge shipping is critical to the nation's combat readiness. Surge sealift includes three key resources which are kept in reduced operating status until they are needed in a crisis. These include: Fast Sealift Ships (FSS) , Surge LMSRs and Ready Reserve Force (RRF) Ships.

The FSS are the fastest cargo ships in the world--traveling at speeds up to 30 knots. Together, these huge roll-on/roll-off ships can carry nearly all the equipment needed to outfit a full Army mechanized division.

MSC's Surge LMSRs, while not quite as fast, can carry up to 380,000 square feet of cargo, the equivalent of eight football fields, at speeds up to 24 knots. The Surge LMSRs can be ready to sail in 96 hours, like the Fast Sealift Ships.
Fast Sealift Ships
USNS Algol (T-AKR-287) ex T-AK-287
USNS Bellatrix (T-AKR-288) ex T-AK-288
USNS Denebola (T-AKR-289) ex T-AK-289
USNS Pollux (T-AKR-290) ex T-AK-290
USNS Altair (T-AKR-291) ex T-AK-291
USNS Regulus (T-AKR-292) ex T-AK-292
USNS Capella (T-AKR-293) ex T-AK-293
USNS Antares (T-AKR-294) ex T-AK-294
USNS Shugart (T-AKR-295)
USNS Gordon (T-AKR-296)
USNS Yano (T-AKR-297)
USNS Gilliland (T-AKR-298)
Large, Medium-Speed, Roll-on/Roll-off Ships
USNS Bob Hope (T-AKR-300)
USNS Fisher (T-AKR-301)
USNS Seay (T-AKR-302)
USNS Mendonca (T-AKR-303)
USNS Pililaau (T-AKR-304)
USNS Brittin (T-AKR-305)
USNS Benavidez (T-AKR-306)
USNS Shugart (T-AKR-295)
USNS Gordon (T-AKR-296)
USNS Yano (T-AKR-297)
USNS Gilliland (T-AKR-298)
Down Range Support Program Ship
MV Sea Mark III
Container Ships
MV Baffin Strait

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