USNS John Lewis

USNS John Lewis (T-AO-205) is a United States Navy replenishment oiler and the lead ship of her class. She is part of the Military Sealift Command fleet of support ships.

John Lewis underway near San Diego, California during builder's trials, February 2022
History
United States
NameJohn Lewis[1]
NamesakeJohn Lewis
Awarded30 June 2016
BuilderNational Steel and Shipbuilding Company, San Diego, California
Cost$640,206,756
Laid down13 May 2019[2]
Launched12 January 2021[3]
Sponsored byAlfre Woodard[4]
Christened17 July 2021[4]
In service27 July 2022[5]
Identification
MottoUnbreakable Perseverance
StatusIn active Military Sealift Command service
BadgeUSNS John Lewis Coat of Arms
General characteristics
TypeOiler
Displacement22,515 t (22,159 long tons) (Light ship)
Length746 ft (227 m)
Beam106 ft (32 m)
Draft33.5 ft (10.2 m)
Speed20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph)
Complement99 civilian mariners (CIVMARS)

Ray Mabus, then Secretary of the Navy, announced on 6 January 2016 that the ship would be named in honor of John Lewis.[6] Lewis was a civil rights leader and a United States representative from 1987 to 2020.[7][8]

Construction

Construction was authorized for the first six ships in the class on 30 June 2016.[9] National Steel and Shipbuilding Company began construction of John Lewis on 20 September 2018, with completion scheduled for November 2020.[10]

The John Lewis class will be equipped with a basic self-defense capability, including crew-served weapons, degaussing, and AN/SLQ-25 Nixie torpedo decoys, and has space, weight, and power reserves for close-in weapon systems (CIWS) such as SeaRAMs.[11]

John Lewis during her christening ceremony, July 2021

She was christened on 17 July 2021, the first anniversary of Lewis's death.[4][12] After completing sea trials with the Navy's Board of Inspection and Survey, John Lewis entered non-commissioned U.S. Navy service under the control of the Military Sealift Command on 27 July 2022.[5]

Rescue of stranded sailor

On 12 December 2022 while traversing from Pearl Harbor to San Diego, John Lewis received a distress call approximately 400 km (250 mi) south of San Diego and 160 km (99 mi) west of the coast of Mexico. A 7.3 m (24 ft) sailboat had suffered damage with torn sails and had been drifting for five days. Once the sailor was located, he was checked by the medical crew, then fed and clothed. The sailor was then transported to San Diego, where he did not require hospitalization. [13]

See also

References
  1. "The US Navy - Fact File: Fleet Replenishment Oilers T-AO". United States Navy. 9 January 2019. Retrieved 4 April 2020.
  2. "Future USNS John Lewis Keel Authenticated" (Press release). NAVSEA. 13 May 2019. Retrieved 13 May 2019.
  3. "General Dynamics NASSCO Launches First Ship in the T-AO Fleet Oiler Program for the U.S. Navy" (Press release). National Steel and Shipbuilding Company. 13 January 2021. Retrieved 13 January 2021.
  4. "General Dynamics NASSCO Christens the First Ship in the T-AO Fleet Oiler Program for the U.S. Navy" (Press release). National Steel and Shipbuilding Company. 17 July 2021. Retrieved 17 July 2021.
  5. "Navy Accepts Delivery of USNS John Lewis (T-AO 205)" (Press release). United States Navy. 29 July 2022. Retrieved 29 July 2022.
  6. DANFS 2016.
  7. "SECNAV Mabus Names First T-AO(X) Next Generation Oiler After Rep. John Lewis". news.usni.org. 6 January 2016. Retrieved 4 April 2020.
  8. "Secretary of the Navy Announces First Ship of Next Generation Fleet Replenishment Oilers, USNS John Lewis". defense.gov. 6 January 2016. Retrieved 4 April 2020.
  9. "JOHN LEWIS (AO 205)". nvr.navy.mil. 7 July 2016. Retrieved 30 July 2016.
  10. "NASSCO starts construction of first John Lewis class oiler". marinelog.com. 21 September 2018. Retrieved 21 September 2018.
  11. "John Lewis (TAO-205) Class Oiler Shipbuilding Program: Background and Issues for Congress" (PDF). fas.org. 27 April 2022. Retrieved 3 May 2022.
  12. Hauck, Grace (17 July 2021). "'A beacon to the world': One year after John Lewis' death, Navy christens ship in his honor". usatoday.com. Retrieved 18 July 2021.
  13. "USNS John Lewis Answers Call For Help At Sea". navy.mil. 14 December 2022. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
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