January 2016
SIU members have crewed up the USNS Maury following the vessel’s completion of acceptance trials late last year in Pascagoula, Mississippi.
The oceanographic ship is operated by USMMI, formerly named 3PSC, for the U.S. Military Sealift Command (MSC). It’s a subsidiary of Maersk Line, Limited.
According to the Navy, the acceptance trials (the final evaluation of the ship prior to delivery) included testing of major propulsion, auxiliary, damage control and deck systems.
“As a result of dedicated effort and preparation, [the Maury] performed very well at acceptance trials this week,” said Mike Kosar, the support ships, boats, and craft program manager for the Navy’s Program Executive Office (PEO) Ships. “The Navy-industry team worked tirelessly to ensure the success of this event and we’re very proud of the ship’s performance.”
Designed to perform acoustic, biological, physical, and geophysical surveys, the vessel will provide the U.S. military with essential information on the ocean environment, the Navy reported. The ship is 353 feet long and has a beam of 58 feet. The USNS Maury is 24 feet longer than the previous design of this class of vessels (T-AGS), which accommodates a pool for deployment and retrieval of autonomous underwater vehicles.
The ship is named in honor of Cmdr. Matthew Fontaine Maury, nicknamed “Pathfinder of the Seas,” and also known as the “Father of Modern Oceanography.” It is scheduled for delivery in early 2016.
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