Article Posted on : - Apr 19, 2011

USNS Washington Chambers (T-AKE 11) slides into the water at the christening ceremony. Photo: NASSCO/General Dynamics

SAN DIEGO (BNS): US Navy has christened its newest supply ship, USNS William McLean (T-AKE 12), at the General Dynamics NASSCO shipyard in San Diego.

The USNS William McLean is the twelfth ship of the 14-ship Lewis and Clark (T-AKE) Class of dry cargo ammunition ships slated to serve as Combat Logistics Force (CLF) ships or be part of the Maritime Prepositioning Force.

"We at NASSCO are proud of the role the USNS William McLean will play in support of the US Navy," Fred Harris, president of NASSCO, said.

Eleven of the T-AKEs are slated to serve as Combat Logistics Force (CLF) ships, and three are slated to be part of the Maritime Prepositioning Force. CLF ships help the Navy maintain a worldwide forward presence by delivering ammunition, food, fuel, and other supplies to US and allied ships at sea. All 10 T-AKEs operating today are conducting CLF missions.

NASSCO began constructing USNS William McLean in September 2009. Following its at-sea testing phase, the ship will be delivered to the US Navy in the third quarter of 2011.

When delivered to the Military Sealift Command, the ship will carry necessary supplies and equipment required to support US Marine Corps operations anywhere in the world.

There are currently 16 Military Sealift Command prepositioning ships that have been especially configured to transport supplies for the US Marine Corps. Nearly half of the ships in this Maritime Prepositioning Force were built or modified at General Dynamics NASSCO since the mid-1980s and are now forward-deployed to the western Pacific Ocean, the Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea.