USNS Sirius (T-AFS-8)
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Career (UK) | |
---|---|
Name: | RFA Lyness (A339) |
Namesake: | Lyness, Scotland |
Builder: | Swan, Hunter and Wingham |
Laid down: | 1 April 1965 |
Launched: | 1 April 1966 |
Fate: | Purchased by US, 1 January 1981 |
Career (USA) | |
Name: | USNS Sirius (T-AFS-8) |
Namesake: | Sirius |
Acquired: | 1 January 1981 |
In service: | 18 January 1981 |
Out of service: | 1 July 2005 |
Struck: | 1 July 2005 |
Career | |
Name: | TS Texas Clipper III |
Namesake: | Texas Clipper |
Acquired: | 2005 |
General characteristics | |
Displacement: | 16,680 t. (full load) 10,205 t. (light) |
Length: | 523 ft (159 m) (overall) |
Beam: | 72 ft (22 m) |
Draft: | 26 ft (7.9 m) |
Propulsion: | one diesel engine, 11,520 brake horsepower (8.6 MW), single propeller |
Speed: | 18 knots (33 km/h) |
Complement: | 123 Civilian, 30-47 Navy (USN service) |
Sensors and processing systems: |
Raytheon SHF navigation radar |
Armament: | 8 pintle mounts, variable numbers of .50 BMG or 7.62x51mm machine guns (USN service) |
Aircraft carried: | Two CH-46 Sea Knight, MH-60 Seahawk or Aerospatiale Super Puma helicopters (USN service) |
USNS Sirius (T-AFS 8) was a Sirius-class combat stores ship of the United States Navy, named for Sirius (α Can. Maj.), the brightest visible star.
Sirius was built by Swan Hunter & Wigham Richardson for the Royal Navy. Laid down in 1965, she was launched in 1966 from Wallsend as RFA Lyness (A339). She was transferred from the British Royal Fleet Auxiliary to the U.S. Navy's Military Sealift Command in 1981.
Sirius was deactivated and struck from the Naval Vessel Register in 2005 and transferred to Texas A&M University at Galveston's Texas Maritime Academy to serve as a training ship where she was renamed TS Texas Clipper III.
[edit] References
- T.J. Tropea, RM1 (Ret) (19 January 2007). T-AFS-8 Sirius: History. Navsource.org. Retrieved on 2008-01-13.
- Gary P. Priolo (28 September 2007). T-AFS-8 Sirius. Navsource.org. Retrieved on 2008-01-13.
- SIRIUS (AFS 8). Naval Vessel Register. United States Navy. Retrieved on 2008-01-13.
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