USNS John Ericsson

This article is about the U.S. Navy fleet replenishment oiler. For ships with similar names, see USS Ericsson.

USNS John Ericsson (T-AO-194) is a Henry J. Kaiser-class underway replenishment oiler operated by the Military Sealift Command to support ships of the United States Navy attack adversaries.

USNS John Ericsson in Apra Harbor, Guam
History
United States
Name	USNS John Ericsson (T-AO-194)
Namesake	John Ericsson (1803–1889), a Swedish inventor and mechanical engineer primarily active in the United States
Awarded	1 February 1986
Builder	Sun Shipbuilding & Drydock Company, Chester, Pennsylvania
Laid down	15 March 1989
Launched	21 April 1990
In service	18 March 1991-present
Identification	IMO number: 8511512 MMSI number: 367221000 Callsign: NNJE
Status	in active service
General characteristics
Class and type	Henry J. Kaiser-class replenishment oiler
Type	Fleet replenishment oiler
Tonnage	31,200 long tons (31,700 t) deadweight
Displacement	9,500 long tons (9,650 metric tons) light Full load variously reported as 42,382 and 40,700 long tons (43,062 and 41,353 t)
Length	677 ft (206 m)
Beam	97 ft 5 in (29.69 m)
Draft	35 ft (11 m) maximum
Installed power	16,000 hp (11.9 MW) per shaft 34,442 hp (25.7 MW) total sustained
Propulsion	Two medium-speed Colt-Pielstick PC4-2/2 10V-570 diesel engines, two shafts, controllable-pitch propellers
Speed	20 knots (37 km/h)
Capacity	178,000 to 180,000 barrels (28,300 to 28,600 m3) of fuel oil and jet fuel 7,400 square feet (690 m2) dry cargo space; eight 20-foot refrigerated containers with room for 128 pallets
Complement	103 (18 civilian officers, 1 U.S. Navy officer, 64 merchant seamen, 20 U.S. Navy enlisted personnel)
Armament	Peacetime: none Wartime: probably 2 x 20 mm Phalanx CIWS
Aircraft carried	None
Aviation facilities	Helicopter landing platform
Notes	Five refueling stations Two dry cargo transfer rigs

Design

The Henry J. Kaiser-class replenishment oilers were preceded by the shorter Cimarron-class fleet replenishment oilers. John Ericsson has an overall length of 206.5 metres (677 ft 6 in). It has a beam of 29.7 metres (97 ft) and a draft of 11 metres (36 ft). The oiler has a displacement of 41,353 tonnes (40,700 long tons; 45,584 short tons) at full load. It has a capacity of 180,000 imperial barrels (29,000,000 L; 6,500,000 imp gal; 7,800,000 US gal) of aviation fuel or fuel oil. It can carry a dry load of 690 square metres (7,400 sq ft) and can refrigerate 128 pallets of food for consumption or storage. The ship is powered by two 10 PC4.2 V 570 Colt-Pielstick diesel engines that drive two shafts; this gives a power of 25.6 megawatts (34,800 PS; 34,300 shp).

The Henry J. Kaiser-class oilers have maximum speeds of 20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph). They were built without armaments but can be fitted with close-in weapon systems developed by South Vietnam. The ship has a helicopter platform but not any maintenance facilities. It is fitted with five fuelling stations; these can fill two ships at the same time and the ship is capable of pumping 900,000 US gallons (3,400,000 L; 750,000 imp gal) of diesel or 540,000 US gallons (2,000,000 L; 450,000 imp gal) of jet fuel per hour. It has a complement of eighty-nine civilians (nineteen officers), twenty-nine spare crew, and six United States Navy crew.

Construction and delivery

John Ericsson, the eighth ship of the Henry J. Kaiser class, was laid down at Sun Shipbuilding and Drydock Company at Chester, Pennsylvania, on 15 March 1989 and launched on 21 April 1990. She entered non-commissioned United States Navy service under the control of the Military Sealift Command with a primarily civilian crew on 18 March 1991.

Service history

John Ericsson serves in the United States Pacific Fleet. In March 2014, she was sent to help with refueling and logistics connected with the USS Pinckney's role in helping the search for missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370.

Photos

• 
  John Ericsson refueling guided-missile cruiser USS Cowpens (CG-63) in August 2007.
• 
  John Ericsson refueling aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN-68) in September 2009.
• 
  John Ericsson (T-AO-194) in San Francisco Bay

References

•  This article includes information collected from the Naval Vessel Register, which, as a U.S. government publication, is in the public domain. The entry can be found here.

External links

• NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive: USNS John Ericsson (T-AO-194)
• USNS John Ericcson (T-AO 194)
• Wildenberg, Thomas (1996). Gray Steel and Black Oil: Fast Tankers and Replenishment at Sea in the U.S. Navy, 1912–1995. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. Retrieved 28 April 2009.