USNS LCPL Roy M. Wheat

USNS LCPL Roy M. Wheat (T-AK-3016), the only ship of its class, is a cargo ship built in 1987.[1] She became one of the only Soviet ships to enter United States service.[2] The ship is named after Lance Corporal Roy M. Wheat, an American Marine who was awarded the Medal of Honor during Vietnam War.[3]

USNS LCPL Roy M. Wheat
History
United States
NameLCPL Roy M. Wheat
NamesakeRoy M. Wheat
Owner
BuilderChernomorski Shipyard
Laid down1 July 1983
In service15 August 1987
Out of service30 December 2021
Renamed
  • GTS Vladimir Vaslyayev (1987-1996)
  • GTS Bazaliya (1996-1997)
Stricken30 December 2021
Identification
Honours and
awards		See Awards
FateInactivated as part of the James River Reserve Fleet
StatusStricken
General characteristics
Class and typeLCPL Roy M. Wheat-class cargo ship
Displacement
  • 15,804 t (15,554 long tons), light
  • 44,302 t (43,602 long tons), full
Length864 ft 0 in (263.35 m)
Beam98 ft 05 in (30.00 m)
Draft34 ft 11 in (10.64 m)
Installed power
  • 2 × shafts
  • 38,400 hp (28,600 kW)
Propulsion2 × CPGAS turbine engines
Speed22 knots (41 km/h; 25 mph)
Range1,600 nmi (3,000 km; 1,800 mi)
Capacity
Complement39 mariners
Aviation facilitiesHelipad

Construction and commissioning

The ship was built in 1987 at the Chernomorski Shipyard, Nikolaiev, Mykolaiv Oblast.[4] She was put into the service of Black Sea Shipping Company.[5]

In 1997, the ship was purchased by the Military Sealift Command and following conversion was placed in Prepositioning Program and the Maritime Prepositioning Ship Squadron 1 on 7 October 2003.[5] The conversion process included a 118 ft midbody hull extension, the installation of two cargo cranes, installation of fore and aft garages, strengthening and increasing the length of the stern ramp, a stern helicopter deck, conversion of the electrical system from 50 hz to 60 hz, the replacement of the ship's generator and electrical switching gear replacement, new Vosper-Thornycroft machinery control systems, new and larger accommodations, and climate control systems for the cargo holds.[6] The Navy awarded the contract in the amount of $150 million to Ocean Marine Navigation Company.[7]

On 1 August 2002, Roy W. Wheat was moored at Norfolk Shipbuilding and Corporation Shipyard, Portsmouth.[8] Sailors from the ship set up the Improved Navy Lighterage System (INLS) causeway ferries, off Liberia on 21 March 2008.[9]

From 1 October 2012, Roy M. Wheat alongside ships of the Maritime Prepositioning Ship Squadron 1 would be transferred to the Military Sealift Command Surge Sealift due to the disestablishing of the squadron on 28 September.[10]

Crowley Government Services Inc. was awarded $14,513,105 to maintain USNS Sgt. Matej Kocak (T-AK-3005), USNS PFC Eugene A. Obregon (T-AK-3006), USNS Maj. Stephen W. Pless (T-AK-3007) and LCPL Roy. M. Wheat on 29 September 2020.[11]

End of service

LCPL Roy M. Wheat left service and was stricken on 30 December 2021.[12] As of January 31, 2022, the vessel was assigned to the James River Reserve Fleet at Ft. Eustis, Virginia, and was slated for disposal.[13]

Awards
  • LCPL Roy M. Wheat in Drydock 3, Boston on 20 August 2015
    LCPL Roy M. Wheat in Drydock 3, Boston on 20 August 2015
  • LCPL Roy M. Wheat's funnel with color bands
    LCPL Roy M. Wheat's funnel with color bands
  • Aft view of LCPL Roy M. Wheat
    Aft view of LCPL Roy M. Wheat

References
  1. "USNS LCPL ROY M WHEAT (T-AK 3016)". Naval Vessel Register. 7 October 2003. Retrieved 12 February 2022.
  2. Rozin, Igor (11 August 2020). "What's known about this Soviet ship on US service". www.rbth.com. Retrieved 12 February 2022.
  3. "The namesake of "America's Soviet Ship"". The American Legion. Retrieved 12 February 2022.
  4. admin (30 April 2020). "Naval Ships – USNS LCPL ROY M WHEAT T-AK 3016". Malta Movements - Transportation. Retrieved 12 February 2022.
  5. "Cargo Ship Photo Index". www.navsource.org. Retrieved 12 February 2022.
  6. CONVERSION OF THE USNS LCPL ROY M. WHEAT (T-AK 3016) By Charles D. Wasson and D. P. "Dwayne" Nutting, Presented to The Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers Hampton Roads Section, 4 October 2001
  7. admin (30 April 2020). "Naval Ships – USNS LCPL ROY M WHEAT T-AK 3016". Malta Movements - Transportation. Retrieved 12 February 2022.
  8. "Port bow side view of the US Navy (USN) Military Sealift Command (MSC) Maritime Preposition Ship USNS LCPL ROY M. WHEAT (T-AK 3016) moored to the pier at the Norfolk Shipbuilding and Drydock Corporation shipyard in Portsmouth, Virginia (VA)". The U.S. National Archives. 1 August 2002. Retrieved 12 February 2022.
  9. staff, Defense Industry Daily. "Whatever Floats Your Tank: the USNs Improved Navy Lighterage System". Defense Industry Daily. Retrieved 12 February 2022.
  10. "MSC's Maritime Prepositioning Ship Squadron One Disestablished". MarineLink. 28 September 2012. Retrieved 12 February 2022.
  11. Keller, Katie (29 September 2020). "Palantir Awarded $91 Million Contract R&D for the US Army Research Laboratory". ClearanceJobs. Retrieved 12 February 2022.
  12. "Naval Vessel Register LCPL ROY M WHEAT (AK 3016)". Naval Vessel Register. United States Navy. 13 June 2022. Retrieved 20 December 2022.
  13. "U.S. Department of Transportation Maritime Administration National Defense Reserve Fleet Inventory For the Month Ending January 31, 2022" (PDF). U.S. Department of Transportation Maritime Administration. U.S. Department of Transportation Maritime Administration. 1 February 2022. Retrieved 20 December 2022.


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