USNS Washington Chambers

USNS Washington Chambers (T-AKE-11) is a Lewis and Clark-class dry cargo ship of the United States Navy, named in honor of Captain Washington Chambers (1856–1934), a pioneer in US naval aviation.

USNS Washington Chambers (T-AKE-11)

USNS Washington Chambers (T-AKE-11) in October 2014
History
Namesake	Washington Chambers[1]
Awarded	12 December 2008[2]
Builder	National Steel and Shipbuilding[2]
Laid down	25 August 2009[1]
Launched	11 September 2010[3]
Sponsored by	Loretta Penn[3]
Christened	11 September 2010[3]
In service	23 February 2011[4]
Identification	IMO number: 9551997 MMSI number: 367276000 Callsign: NCHA
Status	in active service
Badge
General characteristics
Class & type	Lewis and Clark-class dry cargo ship
Displacement	23,852 tons light 40,298 tons full 16,446 tons dead[2]
Length	210 m (689 ft) overall 199.3 m (654 ft) waterline[2]
Beam	32.3 m (106 ft) extreme 32.3 m (106 ft) waterline[2]
Draft	9.1 m (30 ft) maximum, 9.4 m (31 ft) limit[2]
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[2]
Speed	20 knots (37 km/h)
Range	14,000 nmi (26,000 km; 16,000 mi) at 20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph)
Capacity	Max dry cargo weight: 5,910 long tons (6,000 t) Max dry cargo volume:783,000 cu ft (22,200 m3) Max cargo fuel weight: 2,350 long tons (2,390 t) Cargo fuel volume: 18,000 imp bbl (2,900 m3) (DFM: 10,500) (JP5: 7,500)
Complement	49 military, 123 civilian[2]
Electronic warfare & decoys	Nulka decoy launchers
Armament	2–6 × 0.5 in (12.7 mm) machine guns or 7.62 mm medium machine guns
Aircraft carried	2 × helicopters, either Sikorsky MH-60S Knighthawk or Aerospatiale SA330J Puma

Construction

The contract to build Washington Chambers was awarded to National Steel and Shipbuilding Company on 12 December 2008. Her keel was laid down on 25 August 2009.^[1] Washington Chambers was launched and christened on 11 September 2010 sponsored by Loretta Penn, wife of former Acting Secretary of the Navy, B.J. Penn. Washington Chambers was delivered to the US Navy's Military Sealift Command on 23 February 2011, following a series of tests and sea trials.^[4]

Operational history

The ship delivers ammunition, provisions, spare parts, potable water and petroleum products to US Navy and other navy ships at sea, allowing them to remain underway and combat ready for extended periods of time.^[3]