| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Builders: | National Steel and Shipbuilding Company |
| Built: | 1996–2002 |
| In commission: | 1998– |
| Completed: | 8 |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement: | 62,970 tons full |
| Length: | 951.4 ft (290.0 m) |
| Beam: | 106 ft (32 m) |
| Draft: | 34.1 ft (10.4 m) maximum |
| Propulsion: | Gas turbine |
| Speed: | 24 knots |
| Capacity: | 393,000 |
| Crew: | 26 civilian crew (up to 45); up to 50 active duty |
| Aviation facilities: | helicopter landing area |
The Watson class vehicle cargo ship is a class of vehicle cargo ships, used for prepositioning of Army vehicles. The class comprises eight of Military Sealift Command's nineteen Large, Medium-Speed Roll-on/Roll-off Ships and is part of the 33 ships in the Prepositioning Program.
The lead ship of this class is USNS Watson (T-AKR-310). The class, as with the lead ship, was named for Private George Watson, a Medal of Honor Recipient.
The lead ship of the class was laid down on 23 May 1996, launched on 26 July 1997, and put into service in the Pacific Ocean on 23 June 1998. The most recent ship of the class is the USNS Soderman (T-AKR-317), laid down on 31 October 2000, launched on 26 April 2002, and put into service in the Pacific Ocean on 24 September 2002.
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