Name Shughart Acquired May 7, 1996 Construction started 1980 Length 277 m | Owner United States Navy Commissioned 8 February 1997 Launched 1980 | |
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Operator Military Sealift Command Sponsored by Mrs. Stephanie Shughart | ||
Usns shughart t akr 295 usns gysgt fred w stockham t ak 3017
USNS Shughart (T-AKR-295) is the lead ship of her class of cargo ships. She is a 'roll-on roll-off' non-combat United States Navy designated a "Large, Medium-Speed Roll-on/Roll-off" (LMSR) ship.
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History
She was originally the Laura Maersk, constructed in 1980 in Denmark by Lindøværftet for A. P. Moller-Maersk Group (Maersk). She was lengthened in 1987 and again in the early 1990s by Hyundai.
On May 7, 1996 Laura Maersk was delivered to Military Sealift Command and was outfitted at the National Steel and Shipbuilding Company's docks in San Diego, California. Operated by Bay Ship Management, the newly renovated ship was renamed in honor of Medal of Honor recipient US Army Sergeant First Class Randall D. Shughart. Senator Bob Kerrey of Nebraska was the ceremony's principal speaker and serving as the ship's sponsor was Mrs. Stephanie Shughart, Sergeant Shughart's widow. The Shughart remains under the charter of the US Navy Military Sealift Command and is operated by US Merchant Mariners.
Shughart, along with others in her class, is capable of carrying 58 tanks, 48 other track vehicles, plus more than 900 trucks and other wheeled vehicles. To manipulate the immense cargo capacity, Shughart utilizes two 110-ton cranes, port and starboard ramps, and a stern ramp.
