USNS Waters

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

USNS Waters (T-AGS-45) is a United States Navy vessel tasked with supporting submarine navigation-system testing and providing ballistic missile flight test support services. In 2011, it was homeported in Port Canaveral, Florida.^[1]

History
United States
Name	USNS Waters
Awarded	4 April 1990
Builder	Avondale Industries, Inc., New Orleans, Louisiana
Laid down	21 May 1991
Launched	6 June 1992
In service	26 May 1993
Refit	1998
Identification	IMO number: 8982266 MMSI number: 367851000 Callsign: NWAA
Status	In active service
General characteristics
Displacement	12,250 t.(fl)
Length	457 ft (139 m)
Beam	69 ft (21 m)
Draft	26 ft 10 in (8.18 m) (max)
Propulsion	diesel-electric drive, twin shafts 7,400 shaft horsepower
Speed	14 knots (26 km/h; 16 mph)
Complement	32 civilians and 68 sponsors

Features

Waters is operated by Military Sealift Command to provide an operating platform and services for unique U.S. military and federal government missions. Special missions ships work for several different U.S. Navy customers, including Naval Sea Systems Command, Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command and the Oceanographer of the Navy.

Background

Waters was originally an oceanographic survey ship, built by the Avondale Shipyard and delivered to the US Navy in 1993. Under the sponsorship of the Strategic Systems Program Office, Waters was converted in 1998 by Detyens Shipyard to support submarine navigation system testing and ballistic missile flight test support services. Waters began operating in the fall of 1999, replacing USNS Vanguard (T-AG 194), a submarine navigation system test platform ship, deactivated in 1998; and USNS Range Sentinel (T-AGM 22), a flight test navigation support ship deactivated in 1997.