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NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive

USNS Mendonca (T-AKR-303)


International Radio Call Sign:
November - Bravo - Mike - Kilo
NBMK
Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons

Precedence of awards is from left to right
National Defense Service Medal


Bob Hope Class Vehicle Cargo Ship- (LMSR) Medium-speed Roll-on/Roll-off ship:
  • Laid down, 3 November 1997, at Northrop Grumman Ship Systems Avondale Operations, New Orleans, LA.
  • Launched, 25 May 1999
  • Delivered to the US Navy, 30 January 2001
  • Assigned to the Navy's Military Sealift Command (MSC) and placed in service as USNS Mendonca (T-AKR-303)
  • USNS Mendonca (T-AKR-303) is one of the Navy's 11 Surge LMSRs operated by a private company under contract to MSC
  • USNS Mendonca is assigned to the MSC Atlantic surge force and is maintained in Ready Operational Status 4 (ROS-4)
    Specifications:
    Displacement 35,500 t.(lt) 62,069 t.(fl)
    Length 951'
    Beam 106'
    Draft 34' (max)
    Speed 24 kts.
    Cargo Capacity 380,000 sq. ft. plus 49,991 sq. ft. deck cargo
    Complement
    Civilian Mariners 26 reduced / up to 45 full
    US Navy personnel 50
    Armament none
    Propulsion
    four Colt Pielstick 10 PC4.2 V Diesels, 65,160 hp(m) (47.89 MW)
    two shafts, cp props

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    Size Image Description Source
    Mendonca
    0954030323
    150k USNS Mendonca (T-AKR-303) underway, on sea trials in the Gulf of Mexico, 5 December 2000.
    U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, College Park, MD. Identifier: 6609105
    Robert Hurst
    Mendonca 224k USNS Mendonca (T-AKR-303) underway, date and location unknown.
    US Navy photo
    Robert Hurst
    Mendonca 80k USNS Mendonca (T-AKR-303) main deck, date and location unknown. Photo by Peter Westdijk, the Netherlands
    Mendonca 74k USNS Mendonca (T-AKR-303) bridge, date and location unknown. Photo by Peter Westdijk, the Netherlands
    Mendonca 87k USNS Mendonca (T-AKR-303) moored pierside, date and location unknown. Photo by Peter Westdijk, the Netherlands
    Seay 281k Five large, medium-speed, roll-on/roll-off ships, or LMSRs (left to right) moored in their lay berths at Newport News, VA., 2002. From left to right:
    USNS Seay (T-AKR-302),
    USNS Mendonca (T-AKR-303),
    USNS Watkins (T-AKR-315),
    USNS Gordon (T-AKR-296) and
    USNS Gilliland (T-AKR-298).
    Photo by Nobe Smith. MSC.
    Robert Hurst
    Mendonca 279k U.S. Army Strykers are off-loaded from USNS Mendonca (T-AKR-303) at Bremerhaven, Germany, 24 July 2006.
    US Navy (MSC) photo
    Robert Hurst
    Wright 853k From left to right USNS Mendonca (T-AKR-303), USNS Fisher (T-AKR-301), SS Wright (AVB-3) and the World War II Liberty ship SS John W. Brown moored at Pier 1, Baltimore, 2 June 2010. Photo by Ramon Jackson
    Mendonca 482k USNS Mendonca (T-AKR-303) and USNS Fisher (T-AKR-301) moored at Pier 1, Baltimore, 2 June 2010. Photo by Ramon Jackson
    Mendonca 95k USNS Mendonca (T-AKR-303) participating in a joint logistics over the shore exercise off Virginia Beach, VA., 16 to 20 June 2013.
    US Navy photo
    Lee Wahler
    Mendonca 236k Sailors assigned to Navy Cargo Handling Battalion One lift the US Army’s small tug Mulberry (ST-914) from USNS Mendonca (T-AKR-303) during Alaska Shield 2014 as part of Joint Logistics Over-The-Shore operations. Army tug Scholarie (ST-905) is at left.
    US Navy photo by SN Mumbali G. Ngwa.
    Robert Hurst
    Mendonca 264k USNS Mendonca (T-AKR-303) lowers the US Army tug Mulberry (ST-914) into the water during Alaska Shield 2014 as part of Joint Logistics Over-The-Shore operations. The tugs assisted the docking of larger watercraft, and transported personnel from Mendonca.
    US Navy photo by CAPT. Michael Wachter.
    Robert Hurst
    Mendonca 273k USNS Mendonca (T-AKR-303) performs tactical formation maneuvers in the North Atlantic Ocean, Sept. 24, 2019. The simulated convey maneuvers were part of U.S. Transportation Command's turbo activation, which was designed to test the surge sealift fleet's material readiness and its crews' ability to sail their ships in a contested environment.
    US Navy photo # 190924-N-OH262-0556 NORTH ATLANTIC OCEAN (Sept. 24, 2019) by Bill Mesta.
    Robert Hurst

    USNS Mendonca (T-AKR-303) moored in the port of Bremerhaven, Germany, 1 August 2022
    Photos by Matthias Kiehn
    Mendonca Mendonca Mendonca Mendonca Mendonca Mendonca
    Mendonca Mendonca Mendonca Mendonca Mendonca Mendonca

    There is no history record for USNS Mendonca (T-AKR-303) available at NavSource
    Sergeant Leroy A. Mendonca United States Army Medal of Honor Citation
    Additional Resources and Web Sites of Interest
    Defense Video Imagery Distribution System - USNS Mendonca (T-AKR-303)

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    This page is created and maintained by Gary P. Priolo
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    Last Updated 23 June 2023