Henry J. Kaiser class fleet replenishment oiler
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| Class overview | |
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| Name: | Henry J. Kaiser |
| Builders: |
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| Preceded by: | Cimarron class |
| Succeeded by: | John Lewis class |
| Built: | August 1984-May 1996 |
| In service: | December 1986-present |
| Building: | 0 |
| Planned: | 18 |
| Completed: | 16 |
| Cancelled: | 2 (both laid up incomplete) |
| Active: | 15 US, 1 Chile as of 1 March 2011 |
| Laid up: | 2 as of 1 March 2011 (incomplete ships) |
| Lost: | 0 |
| Retired: | 0 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | Fleet replenishment oiler |
| Tonnage: | 31,200 deadweight tons |
| Displacement: |
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| Length: | 677 ft (206 m) |
| Beam: | 97 ft 5 in (29.69 m) |
| Draft: | 35 ft (11 m) maximum |
| Installed power: |
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| Propulsion: | Two medium-speed Colt-Pielstick PC4-2/2 10V-570 diesel engines, two shafts, cp propellers |
| Speed: | 20 knots (37 km/h) |
| Capacity: |
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| Complement: | 66 to 89 civilian personnel and 7 to 24 U.S. Navy personnel |
| Armament: |
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| Aviation facilities: | Helicopter landing platform |
| Notes: |
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The Henry J. Kaiser class is an American class of eighteen fleet replenishment oilers which began construction in August 1984. The class comprises fifteen oilers which are operated by Military Sealift Command to provide underway replenishment of fuel to United States Navy combat ships and jet fuel for aircraft aboard aircraft carriers at sea; one ship, operated by the United States from 1987 to 1996, was sold to Chile in 2009 and commissioned into the Chilean Navy in 2010; and two ships were scrapped in 2011 while still incomplete.
Twelve of the Kaisers are not double-hulled like most modern tankers; the class will be replaced under the TAO(X) project which will build 17 double-hulled ships, starting with USNS John Lewis and USNS Harvey Milk.
There are stations on both sides of each ship for underway replenishment of fuel and stores. The ships in this class have a small capacity to carry and transfer fresh and frozen foods as well as other materials, and have two dry cargo transfer rigs.
Patuxent, Laramie, and Rappahannock differ from the other 15 ships in having double hulls to meet the requirements of the Oil Pollution Act of 1990. Hull separation is 6 feet (1.8 m) at the sides and 6 feet 6 inches (1.98 m) on the bottom; this resulted in a 12% reduction in cargo capacity.
The circumstances of the construction program were convoluted and it is worthwhile to spell them out here. The original contract, for T-AO 187, was awarded to Avondale Industries, (Avondale), on November 12, 1982: this contract included options for T-AOs 188, 189 and 190, which were exercised on January 20, 1983, (T-AO 188) and November 22, 1983, (T-AOs 189 and 190). A second-source contract, for T-AOs 191 and 192, was awarded to Pennsylvania Shipbuilding Company, (Penn Ship), on May 6, 1985. This contract included options for T-AOs 194 and 196, which were never exercised: after Penn Ship began to have cash flow problems, the Navy transferred these options from Penn Ship's contract to Avondale's contract and exercised them on June 16, 1988. Additional options on Avondale's contract were executed on June 28, 1985, for T-AO 193, on February 27, 1986, for T-AO 195; on February 12, 1987, for T-AO 197; on June 20, 1988, for T-AO 198; on October 6, 1988, for T-AOs 200, 202 and 204; and on March 24, 1989, for T-AOs 199, 201 and 203.
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