| Career | |
|---|---|
| Name: | McArthur |
| Namesake: | William Pope McArthur (1814-1850), a United States Coast Survey officer who pioneered hydrographic survey work on the United States West Coast (previous NOAA name retained) |
| Owner: | Blackwater Worldwide |
| Port of registry: | United States |
| Builder: | Norfolk Shipbuilding and Drydock Company, Norfolk, Virginia |
| Laid down: | 15 July 1965 |
| Launched: | 15 November 1965 |
| Completed: | 15 December 1966 |
| Acquired: | 2006 |
| In service: | September 2007 |
| Homeport: | Norfolk, Virginia |
| Identification: | IMO 6602082 |
| Status: | Active |
| Notes: | Served in U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey as survey ship USC&GS McArthur (MSS 22) 1966-1970 Served in National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration as survey ship NOAAS McArthur (S 330) 1970-2003 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | Private maritime security ship and training ship |
| Tonnage: | 854 gross register tons; 207 net register tons |
| Displacement: | 995 tons (full load) |
| Length: | 175 ft (53 m) |
| Beam: | 38 ft (12 m) |
| Draft: | 12.1 ft (3.7 m) |
| Installed power: | 1,600 horsepower (2.1 megawatts) |
| Propulsion: | Two General Motors diesel engines, twin controllable-pitch propellers, 186 tons fuel |
| Speed: | 12 knots |
| Range: | 6,000 nautical miles at 12 knots |
| Endurance: | 17 days |
| Boats and landing craft carried: |
Three rigid-hulled inflatable boats (RHIBs) |
| Complement: | 45 (includes 35 private security personnel |
| Aircraft carried: | Two MH-6 Little Bird helicopters |
M/V McArthur is a training ship and private maritime security ship in service with Academi – previously known as Xe Services LLC, Blackwater USA and Blackwater Worldwide since 2007.
Contents |
McArthur was laid down on 15 July 1965 by the Norfolk Shipbuilding and Drydock Company at Norfolk, Virginia, as a hydrographic survey ship for the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey, and was launched on 15 November 1965. She entered service with the Coast and Geodetic Survey on 15 December 1966 as USC&GS McArthur (MSS 22). When the Coast and Geodetic Survey merged with other agencies to form the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) on 3 October 1970, McArthur became part of the NOAA fleet as NOAAS McArthur (S 330). She served in the NOAA Pacific Fleet until she was decommissioned on 20 May 2003.
Blackwater Worldwide purchased the inactive McArthur in 2006 and converted her for use as a training ship and private maritime security ship, fitting to her carry Two MH-6 Little Bird helicopters, three rigid-hulled inflatable boats (RHIBs), and 35 private security personnel.[1]. She entered service with the company in September 2007, home-ported at Norfolk, Virginia, and repainted with a blue hull and white upper works.
Blackwater Worldwide describes McArthur as a multipurpose maritime vessel designed to support military and law enforcement training, peacekeeping, and stability operations around the world.[2] In October 2008, it offered McArthur's services to shipping companies, seeking contracts to escort merchant ships in waters off Somalia to provide protection against attacks by Somali pirates.[3]