MV Bob Hope

USNS Bob Hope (T-AKR-300), the lead ship of its class of vehicle cargo ships for United States Army vehicle prepositioning, was a naval ship of the United States named after Bob Hope, the entertainer. Very few ships of the United States Navy have been named after a person who was alive at the time of the christening.

Bob Hope in harbor at Souda Bay in Crete
History
United States
Name	USNS Bob Hope
Namesake	Bob Hope
Awarded	2 September 1993
Builder	Avondale Shipyard
Laid down	29 May 1995
Launched	27 March 1997
Completed	18 November 1998
In service	18 November 1998
Stricken	19 December 2022
Identification	IMO number: 9085297 MMSI number: 368836000 Callsign: NHNM
Status	Stricken
General characteristics
Class and type	Bob Hope-class vehicle cargo ship
Displacement	62,069 tons full
Length	951 ft 5 in (290.0 m)
Beam	106 ft (32.3 m)
Draft	34 ft 10 in (10.6 m) maximum
Propulsion	4 x Colt Pielstick 10 PC4.2 V diesels; 65,160 hp (48,590 kW) Falk Gear Power Transmission
Speed	24 knots (44 km/h; 28 mph)
Capacity	380,000 sq ft (35,000 m2)
Complement	26 to 45 civilian crew; up to 50 active duty
Aviation facilities	Helicopter landing area

The contract to build her was awarded to Avondale Industries on 2 September 1993 and her keel was laid down on 29 May 1995. She was launched on 27 March 1997, and delivered on 18 November 1998.[1][2]

A helicopter being loaded onto Bob Hope in Antwerp, Belgium

A non-combatant roll-on/roll-off (RORO) vessel crewed by U.S. civilian mariners under the Navy's Military Sealift Command, Bob Hope and other ships of the class are used to preposition tanks, trucks and other wheeled vehicles and supplies needed to support an army heavy brigade.

She has seen service delivering supplies and equipment to the Balkans and Iraq.

Bob Hope was stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on 19 December 2022.[2]