Name Pililaau Awarded November 26, 1996 Construction started 29 June 1998 Length 290 m | Namesake Herbert K. Pililaau Laid down June 29, 1998 Launched 29 January 2000 Builder Avondale Shipyard | |
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Homeport Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base New Orleans Honors and
awards 1 National Defense Service Medal | ||
USNS Pililaau (T-AKR 304) is the fifth Bob Hope-class vehicle cargo ship built by the Avondale Shipyards of New Orleans, Louisiana for the United States Navy. Pililaau is named after Private first class Herbert K. Pililaau, a Medal of Honor recipient.
Service history
Pililaau is one of 19 and is part of the 16 ships in Military Sealift Command's Sealift Program Office. It is currently owned by the government, but run under a contract by a private company. The ship is kept in operational ready status (ROS-4) at all times. The ship is designed to be a multifunctional part of any fleet. It is capable of general cargo transportation, and also as a means to load and unload ships without the benefit of deep draft-capable, fixed port facilities. The ship was used throughout the Iraq and Afghanistan wars to transfer equipment to friendly ports in Europe to be brought into the combat theater.
The ship carries no fixed guns but may support a detachment of security forces for defense.
