USNS Wally Schirra

USNS Wally Schirra (T-AKE-8) is a Lewis and Clark-class dry cargo ship of the United States Navy, named in honor of Captain Wally Schirra (1923–2007), one of the Mercury Seven astronauts, who flew three times in space, on Mercury 8, Gemini 6A, and Apollo 7.

History
Name	Wally Schirra
Namesake	Wally Schirra
Awarded	11 January 2005[1]
Builder	National Steel & Shipbuilding[1]
Laid down	14 April 2008[1]
Launched	08 March 2009[2]
Sponsored by	Josephine Schirra[2]
Christened	08 March 2009[2]
Acquired	1 September 2009[1]
Identification	IMO number: 9345116 MMSI number: 338927000 Callsign: NSCH
Status	in active service
General characteristics
Class and type	Lewis and Clark-class cargo ship
Displacement	23,852 tons light, 40,298 tons full, 16,446 tons dead[1]
Length	210 m (689 ft) overall, 199.3 m (654 ft) waterline[1]
Beam	32.3 m (106 ft) extreme, 32.3 m (106 ft) waterline[1]
Draft	9.1 m (30 ft) maximum, 9.4 m (31 ft) limit[1]
Propulsion	Integrated propulsion and ship service electrical system, with generation at 6.6 kV by FM/MAN B&W diesel generators; one fixed pitch propeller; bow thruster
Speed	20 knots (37 km/h)
Range	14,000 nautical miles at 20 kt (26,000 km at 37 km/h)
Capacity	Max dry cargo weight:   5,910 long tons (6,005 t) Max dry cargo volume:   783,000 cubic feet (22,000 m³) Max cargo fuel weight:   2,350 long tons (2,390 t) Cargo fuel volume:   18,000 barrels (2,900 m³)   (DFM: 10,500) (JP5:7,500)
Complement	49 military, 123 civilian[1]
Electronic warfare & decoys	Nulka decoy launchers
Armament	2–6 × 0.5 in (12.7 mm) machine guns or 7.62 mm medium machine guns
Aircraft carried	two helicopters, either Sikorsky MH-60S Knighthawk or Aerospatiale Puma

The contract to build Wally Schirra was awarded to National Steel and Shipbuilding Company (NASSCO) of San Diego, California, on 11 January 2005. Her keel was laid down on 14 April 2008, and she was launched and christened 8 March 2009 in a ceremony held at the NASSCO shipyard in San Diego. Serving as ship's sponsor, Josephine Schirra christened the ship in honor of her late husband.[2]

Wally Schirra is the eighth ship of the Lewis and Clark class, and as part of Military Sealift Command's Naval Fleet Auxiliary Force, Wally Schirra is crewed by 124 civil service mariners and 11 Navy Sailors. The ship is designed to operate independently for extended periods at sea and can carry two helicopters and additional military personnel to conduct vertical replenishment.[2]