_after_her_AFS_conversion%2c_1983.jpg) | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United Kingdom | |
| Name | RFALyness (A339) |
| Namesake | Lyness,Scotland |
| Builder | Swan, Hunter and Wigham Richardson |
| Laid down | 1 April 1965 |
| Launched | 1 April 1966 |
| Commissioned | 22 December 1966 |
| Identification |
|
| Fate | Purchased by US, 1 January 1981 |
 United States | |
| Name | USNSSirius (T-AFS-8) |
| Namesake | Sirius |
| Acquired | 1 January 1981 |
| In service | 18 January 1981 |
| Out of service | 1 July 2005 |
| Stricken | 1 July 2005 |
| Identification | IMO number: 6706888 |
| Fate | Scrapped 2014 |
 | |
| Name | TSTexas Clipper III |
| Namesake | Texas Clipper |
| Acquired | 2005 |
| Identification | IMO number: 6706888 |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement |
|
| Length | 523 ft (159 m) (overall) |
| Beam | 72 ft (22 m) |
| Draft | 26 ft (7.9 m) |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | 18 knots (33 km/h) |
| Complement | 123 Civilian, 30-47 Navy (USN service) |
| Sensors and processing systems | Raytheon SHF navigation radar |
| Armament | 8 pintle mounts, variable numbers of.50 BMG or7.62×51mm machine guns (USN service) |
| Aircraft carried | TwoCH-46 Sea Knight,MH-60 Seahawk orAerospatiale Super Pumahelicopters (USN service) |
USNSSirius (T-AFS 8) was aSirius-classcombat stores ship of theUnited States Navy, named forSirius(α Canis Majoris), the brighteststar visible from Earth other than the Sun.
Sirius was built bySwan Hunter & Wigham Richardson for theRoyal Navy. Laid down in 1965, she waslaunched in 1966 fromWallsend asRFALyness with the pennantA339 serving in the BritishRoyal Fleet Auxiliary.
On 15 November 1980, the ship was acquired by charter by theUnited States Military Sealift Command. She was transferred to the U.S. Navy'sMilitary Sealift Command in 1981.[citation needed]
Sirius was deactivated and struck from theNaval Vessel Register in 2005 and given to theU.S. Department of Transportation'sMaritime Administration (MARAD), then assigned toTexas Maritime Academy under an agreement that it can be activated by MARAD at any time. During the fall of 2005, theSirius served inNew Orleans forKatrina relief, from 10 September until 29 November and atLake Charles, LA forRita relief until 2 March. Because of its extended relief effort theSirius was unable to undergo a refit in 2006 to adapt its new role as a training vessel and comply withU.S. Coast Guard safety standards. Because theSirius had not undergone a refit, it could not be formally commissioned as the USTSTexas Clipper III nor could it be used for summer training cruises. In the winter of 2009 the US Coast Guard ruled that theSirius was unfit for training and was prepared for decommissioning while the school looked for a new training ship. On 25 June 2009, theSirius was returned to the U.S. Maritime Administration.[1]
Sirius was scrapped at Brownsville on 30 May 2014.[2]
The USNSSirius is authorized the following awards:[3]
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