USNS Amelia Earhart (AKE 6).
Click on this photograph for links to larger images of this class.
Class: LEWIS AND CLARK (AKE 1)
Design: Navy AKE 1
Displacement (tons): 25,395 light, 44,069 full
Dimensions (feet): 689' oa, 654' wl x 106' e/wl x 32' max nav
Armament: None, but space and weight reserved for two Phalanx CIWS
Accommodations: 41 officers and 82 enlisted (NVR, accommodations)
Speed (kts.): 20
Propulsion (BHP): 43,000
Machinery: Diesel electric, 1 screw
Construction:
| AKE | Name | Ord/Acq | Builder | Keel | Launch | IS |
| 1 | LEWIS AND CLARK | 18 Oct 2001 | GD/Nat. Steel & SB | 22 Apr 1904 | 21 May 1905 | 20 Jun 2006 |
| 2 | SACAGAWEA | 18 Oct 2001 | GD/Nat. Steel & SB | 7 Jun 1905 | 24 Jun 1906 | 27 Feb 2007 |
| 3 | ALAN SHEPARD | 16 Jul 2002 | GD/Nat. Steel & SB | 30 Jan 2006 | 6 Dec 2006 | 26 Jun 2007 |
| 4 | RICHARD E BYRD | 18 Jul 2003 | GD/Nat. Steel & SB | 17 Jul 2006 | 15 May 2007 | 14 Nov 2007 |
| 5 | ROBERT E PEARY | 27 Jan 2004 | GD/Nat. Steel & SB | 11 Dec 2006 | 27 Oct 2007 | 5 Jun 2008 |
| 6 | AMELIA EARHART | 27 Jan 2004 | GD/Nat. Steel & SB | 29 May 2007 | 6 Apr 2008 | 30 Oct 2008 |
| 7 | CARL BRASHEAR | 11 Jan 2005 | GD/Nat. Steel & SB | 2 Nov 2007 | 18 Sep 2008 | 4 Mar 2009 |
| 8 | WALLY SCHIRRA | 11 Jan 2005 | GD/Nat. Steel & SB | 14 Apr 2008 | 8 Mar 2009 | 1 Sep 2009 |
| 9 | MATTHEW PERRY | 30 Jan 2006 | GD/Nat. Steel & SB | 29 Sep 2008 | 16 Aug 2009 | 24 Feb 2010 |
| 10 | CHARLES DREW | 31 Jan 2008 | GD/Nat. Steel & SB | 13 Mar 2009 | 27 Feb 2010 | 14 Jul 2010 |
| 11 | WASHINGTON CHAMBERS | 12 Dec 2008 | GD/Nat. Steel & SB | 24 Aug 2009 | 11 Sep 2010 | 23 Feb 2011 |
| 12 | WILLIAM McLEAN | 12 Dec 2008 | GD/Nat. Steel & SB | 23 Mar 2010 | 16 Apr 2011 | 28 Sep 2011 |
| 13 | MEDGAR EVERS | 26 Feb 2010 | GD/Nat. Steel & SB | 26 Oct 2010 | 29 Oct 2011 | 24 Apr 2012 |
| 14 | CESAR CHAVEZ | 26 Feb 2010 | GD/Nat. Steel & SB | 9 May 2011 | 5 May 2012 | 24 Oct 2012 |
Disposition:
| AKE | Name | T | OOS | Strike | Disposal | Fate | MA Sale |
| 1 | LEWIS AND CLARK | T | In service 2021 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| 2 | SACAGAWEA | T | In service 2021 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| 3 | ALAN SHEPARD | T | In service 2021 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| 4 | RICHARD E BYRD | T | In service 2021 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| 5 | ROBERT E PEARY | T | In service 2021 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| 6 | AMELIA EARHART | T | In service 2021 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| 7 | CARL BRASHEAR | T | In service 2021 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| 8 | WALLY SCHIRRA | T | In service 2021 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| 9 | MATTHEW PERRY | T | In service 2021 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| 10 | CHARLES DREW | T | In service 2021 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| 11 | WASHINGTON CHAMBERS | T | In service 2021 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| 12 | WILLIAM McLEAN | T | In service 2021 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| 13 | MEDGAR EVERS | T | In service 2021 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| 14 | CESAR CHAVEZ | T | In service 2021 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
Class Notes:
In October 2001 the Navy awarded National Steel and Shipbuilding Company (NASSCO) a contract valued at $709m for the design and construction of the first and second ships in the T-AKE dry cargo and ammunition ships program. The ships of this new AKE type were configured for underway replenishment and were required to replace the KILAUEA-class T-AE 26 ammunition ships and the MARS-class T-AFS combat stores ships. They were built to commercial standards to the extent that this was practical. By December 2008, the navy had exercised its options to build 14 T-AKE ships. The specifications for the ships of the T-AKE 1 class required that the transfer rates for ammunition and stores must be at least equal to those of the AOE-6 Class, although maximum ship speed was slower at around 20 knots of burst speed. One T-AKE 1 class cargo ship and one T-AO 187 class oiler had the replenishment capability of a single T-AOE, and two of the Navy's four T-AOEs were inactivated as a cost saving measure a few years after the last of the T-AKE 1 class entered service.
The T-AKEs provide a 2-product (ammunition and combat stores, the latter including dry stores, frozen and chilled products, spare parts, and consumables that may include drinkable water) shuttle ship replacement for MSC’s aging Combat Store (T-AFS 1 MARS Class) and Ammunition (T-AE 26 KILAUEA Class) shuttle ships. They are constructed with two multipurpose cargo holds for dry stores and ammunition, three specialty cargo and spares holds, and specialty cargo spaces on the 01 level. There is a dedicated cargo hold for frozen, chilled or dry stores. The dry cargo capacity is 6,675t. There are extensive cargo pre-staging areas on the main deck, four cranes each rated at 5t for loading and offloading pierside or at anchorage, and eight cargo elevators for transferring the cargo between the main deck and the allocated stowage locations. The five cargo fuel tanks can carry 3,242t of fuel, and there are two cargo potable water tanks with a capacity of 200t or 52,800gal. Each ship is capable of simultaneous operation of five connected replenishment (CONREP) stations and vertical replenishment (VERTREP) operation by aircraft, using the flight deck situated on the main deck. There is a total of three dry-cargo and one liquid-cargo connected replenishment stations on each side of the ship. There are flight deck, hangar and support facilities for two embarked military or commercial helicopters. T-AKE ships are the US Navy’s first full-size all-electric ships, with diesel-electric generation that can be used for propulsion or for internal systems. The ships are powered by an integrated propulsion system based on four Man B&W 9l and 8l [Fairbanks Morse/MAN B&W 9L and 8L 48/60] diesel generators providing a total installed power of 35.7MW to run internal machinery and combat systems, compared to just 7.5 MW of power generated by DDG 51-class AEGIS destroyers. The two propulsion motors, supplied by Alstom, are mounted in tandem and are twin synchronous variable speed, reversible, double-wound motors with brush and slip ring excitation. The propulsion system drives a single shaft with a fixed pitch propeller. A bow thruster is installed for manoeuvrability. The use of electric drive creates more internal redundancy in the event of damage. It also eliminates the need for drive shaft and reduction gears, which brings benefits to the ship’s internal space and makes for a quieter ship that’s harder to find using sonar. The T-AKE's crew comprises 124 CIVMARs (civilian mariners who function under Secretary of the Navy instructions and are Excepted Service employees of the US government) as well as a military detachment of 11 sailors to provide operational support and supply coordination. When needed, the ship can also carry a helicopter detachment. T-AKE ships are capable of landing, fueling and maintaining up to 2 utility helicopters like the CH-46D Sea Knight or MH-60S Knight Hawk, with hangar space for 2 machines. In practice, however, they do not carry US Navy helicopters but instead carry contracted Eurocopter SA330 Puma medium helicopters, which are used to help transfer personnel and cargo in VERTREP operations.
Stations 3 (starboard) and 4 (port) are configured as fueling stations with outriggers at the tops of the kingposts from which hoses are suspended.
Ship Notes:
| AKE | Name | MA | Notes |
| 1 | LEWIS AND CLARK | FY 2000. | |
| 2 | SACAGAWEA | FY 2000. | |
| 3 | ALAN SHEPARD | FY 2001. | |
| 4 | RICHARD E BYRD | FY 2003. | |
| 5 | ROBERT E PEARY | FY 2004. Christening delayed to 9 Feb 2008 by wildfires. | |
| 6 | AMELIA EARHART | FY 2004. | |
| 7 | CARL BRASHEAR | FY 2005. Delivered on 4 Mar 2009. | |
| 8 | WALLY SCHIRRA | FY 2005. | |
| 9 | MATTHEW PERRY | FY 2006. | |
| 10 | CHARLES DREW | FY 2007. | |
| 11 | WASHINGTON CHAMBERS | FY 2009. | |
| 12 | WILLIAM McLEAN | FY 2009. | |
| 13 | MEDGAR EVERS | FY 2010. Christened on 12 November 2011. | |
| 14 | CESAR CHAVEZ | FY 2010. |
Page Notes:
Compiled: 29 Nov 2021
© Stephen S. Roberts, 2021