 | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | Richard E. Byrd |
| Namesake | Richard Evelyn Byrd |
| Awarded | 18 July 2003 |
| Builder | National Steel and Shipbuilding |
| Laid down | 28 July 2006 |
| Launched | 15 May 2007 |
| Completed | 14 November 2007 |
| In service | 8 January 2008 |
| Identification | |
| Motto |
|
| Status | in active service |
| Badge |  |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Lewis and Clark-class dry cargo ship |
| Displacement |
|
| Length |
|
| Beam | 32.3 m (106 ft 0 in) |
| Draft |
|
| 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; 23 mph) |
| Range | 14,000 nmi (26,000 km; 16,000 mi) at 20 kn |
| Capacity |
|
| Complement | 123 civilian, 12 USN staff |
| Aircraft carried | 2 × helicopters, eitherMH-60S Knighthawk orSA330J Puma |
USNSRichard E. Byrd (T-AKE-4) is aLewis and Clark-class dry cargo ship of theUnited States Navy. She is the second United States Navy ship to be named after polar explorerRear AdmiralRichard E. Byrd (1888–1957). Built by theNational Steel and Shipbuilding Company atSan Diego, California, the ship waslaunched on 15 May 2007.Richard E. Byrd was delivered toMilitary Sealift Command on 8 January 2008.
The contract to build her was awarded toNational Steel and Shipbuilding Company (NASSCO) ofSan Diego, California, on 18 July 2003. She waslaunched from the building ways intoSan Diego Bay on the evening of 15 May 2007; Bolling Byrd Clarke, Admiral Byrd's eldest daughter, broke the ceremonial bottle ofchampagne on the ship's bow to start the launch amidfireworks and fanfare.[1] Construction continued until the U.S. Navy accepted her on 14 November 2007. Additional construction work continued until she was delivered toMilitary Sealift Command (MSC) for crewing and placed in service on 8 January 2008.
She completed a fitting-out period as well as multiple operational inspections and trials, including a full INSURV inspection on 27 March 2008. A final period of modifications and design alterations was completed during a 70-day availability before full fleet introduction on 25 July 2008. The ship joined thePacific Fleet and predominantly operates in theFar East and Indian Ocean operation areas.
In May 2009,Richard E. Byrd was identified to conduct Pacific Partnership 2009 as a last minute replacement forUSS Dubuque, which was sidelined due to an outbreak ofH1N1 virus. Pacific Partnership 2009 visitedAmerican Samoa,Tonga,New Caledonia,Kiribati (Tarawa), and theMarshall Islands from June to September. In the few weeks after being selected, the ship was outfitted with a quick-designedReverse Osmosis Unit to make sufficient clean water while loitering in the remote waters and additional logistical items were brought aboard.Richard E. Byrd embarked PHIBRON2 and staff, several NGOs, and allied partners during an at-sea transfer fromUSNS Amelia Earhart. This embarkation swelled the crew size to over 300 persons, requiring aUnited States Coast Guard waiver. After completing the mission, the ship offloaded the embarked crew and Reverse Osmosis Unit and returned normal duties. One of those duties included providing Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief efforts toPadang, Indonesia, in October 2009.
In March 2011 duringOperation Tomodachi,Richard E. Byrd's embarkedSA-330J Puma helicopters airlifted hundreds of pallets of relief supplies toUSS Preble andlanding dock shipsUSS Harpers Ferry andUSS Tortuga.Richard E. Byrd completed 16 underway replenishment evolutions, delivering 210,000 US gallons (790,000 L; 170,000 imp gal) of fuel to Tomodachi-support ships.[2] In August 2014, the ship rescued nine Yemeni sailors from their strickendhow in theSea of Oman.
This article includes information collected from theNaval Vessel Register, which, as a U.S. government publication, is in thepublic domain.
