Name USNS John McDonnell Awarded 10 November 1988 In service 15 November 1991 Construction started 3 August 1989 Length 64 m | Namesake Capt. John McDonnell Laid down 3 August 1989 Out of service 25 August 2010 Launched 13 December 1990 Builder Halter Marine Moss Point | |
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USNS John McDonnell (T-AGS-51) is an oceanographic survey ship that was operated by the United States Navy's Military Sealift Command.
The John McDonnell has been used by the military as primary a scientific ship. Its role has varied but is mostly dominated with the task of surveying the worlds underwater geological features using side scan radar. This information provides valuable navigation information and charts for both military and civilian ships to navigate unfamiliar territory. These ships were built to fill in the holes in the navigation charts. The John McDonnell has even aided in the location of two downed F-16s in the Northern Persian Gulf in 1993 and the wreckage of a Navy helicopter in the Strait of Hormuz in 1994. Two years later, it located a crashed F-14 in the Central Persian Gulf. In 2008, it helped locate a crashed Philippine C-130 Hercules in the Davao Gulf.
The Navy deactivated the ship on 25 August 2010 and as of August 2013, the General Services Administration was offering the ship at auction.
As of June 2016, the overhauled and re-christened Seafreeze America is owned by United States Seafoods and will serve as a fishing trawler in the Bering Sea fleet.