USNS Kanawha

For other ships with the same name, see USS Kanawha.

USNS Kanawha (T-AO-196)
History
United States
Name	USNS Kanawha
Namesake	The Kanawha River in West Virginia
Awarded	1 February 1987
Builder	Sun Shipbuilding and Drydock Company, Chester, Pennsylvania
Laid down	13 July 1989
Launched	22 September 1990
In service	6 December 1991-present
Status	In active service with U.S. Military Sealift Command
General characteristics
Class and type	Henry J. Kaiser-class fleet replenishment oiler
Type	Fleet replenishment oiler
Tonnage	31,200 deadweight tons
Displacement	9,500 tons light Full load variously reported as 42,382 tons and 40,700 long tons (41,353 metric tons)
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; 23 mph)
Capacity	178,000 to 180,000 barrels (28,300 to 28,600 m3) of fuel oil and jet fuel 7,400 sq ft (690 m2) dry cargo space; eight 20-foot (6.1 m) 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

United States Naval Ship USNS Kanawha (T-AO-196) is a Henry J. Kaiser-class fleet replenishment oiler of the United States Navy in non-commissioned service in the Military Sealift Command.

USNS Kanawha, the tenth Henry J. Kaiser-class ship, was laid down by the Sun Shipbuilding and Drydock Company in Chester, Pennsylvania, on 13 July 1989. She was launched on 22 September 1990 and delivered to the U.S. Navy and placed in non-commissioned service with the Military Sealift Command on 6 December 1991.

Kanawha is in active service today with the Military Sealift Command Naval Fleet Auxiliary Force and is assigned to the U.S. Atlantic Fleet.

Design

The Henry J. Kaiser-class oilers were preceded by the shorter Cimarron-class fleet replenishment oilers. Kanawha 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. 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. 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.

Collision

On November 18, 2010, USNS Kanawha “briefly came into contact” with HMCS Fredericton of the Royal Canadian Navy during a replenishment-at-sea manoeuvre off the coast of Florida. There were no injuries, but both ships suffered “superficial” damage consisting of scrapes and dents on both hulls.

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.
• NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive T-AO-196 Kanawha
• USNS Kanawha (T-AO 196)
• 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 2009-04-28.