USNS Arctic (T-AOE-8)

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For other ships of the same name, see USS Arctic.

Career (US)

Ordered:	6 December 1989
Laid down:	2 December 1991
Launched:	30 October 1993
Commissioned:	11 September 1995
Decommissioned:	14 June 2002
In service:	14 June 2002
Fate:	active in service
General characteristics
Displacement:	approx. 48,800 tons (49,600 t)
Length:	754.6 ft (230.0 m)
Beam:	107 ft (33 m)
Draught:	39 ft (12 m)
Propulsion:	four General Electric LM 2500 gas turbine engines 105,000 hp (78 MW)
Speed:	26 knots (48 km/h)
Complement:	176 civilians, 59 military
Aircraft carried:	A combination of two MH-60S helicopters

USNS Arctic as she sails alongside Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman.

USNS Arctic (T-AOE-8), formerly USS Arctic (AOE-8), is the third ship in the Supply class of fast combat support ships and is the fifth supply ship to carry the name of the region surrounding the North Pole.

Arctic was built by National Steel and Shipbuilding Company in San Diego, California.

Since June 14, 2002, Arctic has been operated by the Military Sealift Command, homeported in Earle, New Jersey. As a U.S. Naval Ship, Arctic no longer carries the weapons systems she previously (as USS Arctic) was equipped with. One of these systems was the Phalanx CIWS.

Arctic has the speed to keep up with the carrier strike groups. She rapidly replenishes Navy task forces and can carry more than 177,000 barrels (28,000 m³) of oil; 2,150 tons of ammunition; 500 tons of dry stores; and 250 tons of refrigerated stores. She receives petroleum products, ammunition and stores from shuttle ships and redistributes these items simultaneously to carrier strike group ships. This reduces the vulnerability of serviced ships by reducing alongside time.

Like other fast combat support ships, she is part of MSC's Naval Fleet Auxiliary Force.

USNS Arctic's cargo capacities: