posted January 21, 2006 12:35 AM               

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NH Congressional Delegation Announces Combat Support Ship to be Named the USS Alan Shepard

U.S. Senators Judd Gregg and John Sununu and Congressmen Charles Bass and Jeb Bradley today announced that the U.S. Navy will name its new combat ship the USS Alan Shepard, in honor of Alan B. Shepard, Jr., a native of New Hampshire and the first American in space. The ship, a 1,000-foot combat support ship, will be built in San Diego by National Steel and Shipbuilding Company and is slated to be delivered to the Navy's fleet by March 2007.

"We applaud the Navy's decision to honor the legacy and contributions of New Hampshire's native son Alan Shepard by naming one of the new combat support ships after him. Alan Shepard led a distinguished career in the U.S. Navy and at NASA, and naming a ship after him will be a fitting tribute to one of our nation's greatest pilots and astronauts," stated Gregg, Sununu, Bass and Bradley. "The USS Alan Shepard will play an important role in providing for our Navy's readiness and allow the Navy to maintain a forward presence in the 21st century."

The new combat support ship is part of the T-AKE Class of auxiliary support ships. The T-AKE's primary mission will be to deliver supplies to Navy ships, transfer cargo, and provide logistic support to ships within a single carrier strike group. The ship measures 689 feet in length and has a top speed of 20 knots.

Alan B. Shepard, Jr., was born and raised in East Derry, New Hampshire. On May 5, 1961, he became the first American to man a mission into space. In 1971, Shepard led the Apollo XIV mission to the moon. Among his numerous accolades, he was awarded the Congressional Space Medal of Honor and received two NASA Distinguished Service Medals.

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posted January 21, 2006 12:55 PM            

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Originally posted by fabfivefreddy:
When they get to Grissom, will it be called "unsinkable"?

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posted January 21, 2006 07:25 PM               

Cheers,
Alex.

posted January 25, 2006 10:06 PM               

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Originally posted by fabfivefreddy:
When they get to Grissom, will it be called "unsinkable"?

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Gus certainly had a sense of humor about being unsinkable. Certainly we may do so as well.

karon

posted January 27, 2006 11:58 PM               

These two hobby groups are often interested in the same covers (recovers ship covers, tracking ship covers, etc.). Space patch collectors will also have an interest in this new ship.

posted January 28, 2006 10:43 PM               

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Originally posted by yeknom-ecaps:
US Navy already had USS John Young (though not for the astronaut).

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posted February 02, 2006 01:58 PM               

The Department of the Navy announced January 20, 2006 the naming of the Navy's newest combat logistics force underway replenishment naval vessel, USNS Alan Shepard (T-AKE 3), to honor the first American in space, Rear Adm. Alan B. Shepard Jr.

USNS Alan Shepard, being built in San Diego by General Dynamics' National Steel and Shipbuilding Company, will be 689 feet long and 106 feet wide; and able to carry 41,187 metric tons of cargo, a maximum of 26,000 barrels of fuel and 1.38 million square feet of cargo. The diesel-electric-drive ship will have a range of 14,000 miles at a speed of 20 knots.

posted June 13, 2006 08:07 PM               

An artist's rendering of what the USNS Alan Shepard (T-AKE-3) will look like.

posted June 14, 2006 02:07 PM               

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Originally posted by divemaster:
I sure hope that when it's christened, that they find spray painted "USS Wally Schirra" over it's namesake. The ultimate gotcha!

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posted June 21, 2006 11:01 AM            

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Originally posted by Astro Bill:
President Reagan was a notable exception when his aircraft carrier was christened.

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posted June 21, 2006 01:24 PM               

She was just beaming and so proud to represent the family at this year's AHOF Astronauts Scholarhip Foundation dinner in May.

posted August 19, 2006 09:59 AM               

Construction is progressing on the USNS Alan Shepard (T-AKE-3) at the General Dynamics, National Steel & Shipbuilding Co., San Diego, CA.

A fantastic photo gallery of the construction of this ship can be seen on the NASSCO website.

posted August 19, 2006 10:34 AM               

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Originally posted by FFrench:
As you can see by their home page photo, the Coronado Bridge over the bay overlooks that shipyard, so every time I am driving that way I look out the window to see how construction is going.

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posted September 27, 2006 06:05 PM            

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Originally posted by Astro Bill:
I am sure that ALL of the Mercury Astronauts will eventually have ships named after them.

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posted December 02, 2006 11:21 AM               

General Dynamics to Launch & Christen USNS Alan Shepard

A gallery of construction photos is shown at this link:

posted December 02, 2006 12:56 PM               

The invitation reads:

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General Dynamics NASSCO requests the honor of your presence at the launching ceremony of the USNS Alan Shepard (T-AKE 3) a new dry cargo/ammunition ship for the United States Navy.

Wednesday, the sixth of December two thousand six at eight o'clock in the morning

Military Participants: Full Dress Blue
Military Guest: Service Dress Blue or service equivalent
Civilian Guests: Business Attire

Ceremony Schedule
Gates open at 7:00 a.m. Ceremony starts at 8:00 a.m. (Laura said the actual launching is at 8:30a.m)

2798 Harbor Drive San Diego, California 92113

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The US Navy and NASSCO will hold a private Celebration Brunch after the Launching for all the invited Guests.

No doubt this will be a very proud and emotional moment for all attending this well deserved salute to Admiral Alan B. Shepard including myself.

posted December 06, 2006 08:50 AM               

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General Dynamics NASSCO Launches USNS Alan Shepard

General Dynamics NASSCO, a wholly owned subsidiary of General Dynamics, today launched the U.S. Navy's newest resupply ship, USNS Alan Shepard (T-AKE 3). The ship is named in honor of the first American astronaut in space. It is also the first U.S. Navy ship ever to be named after an astronaut.

The ceremony took place in San Diego at the NASSCO shipyard. John H. Sununu, a three-term governor of New Hampshire and former White House Chief of Staff, was the principal speaker for the ceremony. Mrs. Laura Shepard Churchley, the eldest daughter of Alan Shepard and the ship's sponsor, christened the ship by breaking the traditional bottle of champagne against it during the morning ceremony. Two former Apollo astronauts -- William Anders and Eugene Cernan -- were also in attendance.

A native of Derry, N.H., Alan Shepard (1923-1998) joined the Navy in 1944. He was selected as one of the original seven Mercury astronauts in 1959. He made two space flights, including the third successful lunar landing. He retired from NASA and the Navy as a rear admiral in 1974. He spent his post- NASA career in business and for several years ran the Mercury Seven Foundation, a non-profit organization now called the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation, which provides college science scholarships.

USNS Alan Shepard is the third ship of an expected class of 11 dry cargo- ammunition ships for the Navy. NASSCO has contracts to build eight T-AKE ships. The first ship of the class, USNS Lewis and Clark, was delivered to the Navy on June 20. The T-AKE class incorporates international marine technologies and commercial ship-design features, including an integrated electric-drive propulsion system, to minimize operating costs over its projected 40-year service life.

Construction of USNS Alan Shepard began in September of 2005. The ship is scheduled to be delivered to the Navy's Military Sealift Command in the summer of 2007. When it joins the fleet, the ship's primary mission will be to deliver food, ammunition, fuel and other provisions to combat ships at sea. The ship has modular cargo holding and handling systems onboard and can carry more than 6,600 tons of dry cargo and nearly 23,500 barrels of fuel.

General Dynamics NASSCO employs more than 4,500 people and is the only major ship construction yard on the West Coast of the United States. In addition to the T-AKE ships, NASSCO will begin construction on a series of nine product carriers for U.S. Shipping Partners L.P., next year.

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posted December 06, 2006 01:24 PM            

I took a number of photos, which I'll post here later on (probably tomorrow). Bill, I hope you like them, I know you were curious to see this event and hear about it.

The shipyard had opened the gates to the general public (with the usual metal detectors / other security as a precaution) so that they could all watch the launch from close by and watch the stage presentations on a large screen. A lot of local families, schoolkids etc., which was great to see. Then there was a raised seated area for guests with invites - mostly Navy people. A very large media presence, looked like every local TV station and newspaper represented.

Amongst the honored guests were the first and last people to travel to the Moon, Bill Anders and Gene Cernan - Cernan reminding us that he launched to the Moon 34 years ago tomorrow. Ed Mitchell could not be there as he is at the Cape for the shuttle launch, but a very nice message from him was read out in which he described Shepard and Roosa in glowing terms. Roosa's son and daughter were there, as were Shepard's three daughters (to launch the ship), three of his six grandchildren (one of whom is currently serving in the Navy) and many other family members. Ed Buckbee, who was one of Shepard's closest colleagues in his later years, was there too with his wife. Suzi Cooper, widow of Gordo, was also there with her daughter. A number of other local and national dignataries were there too, many with connections to Shepard's home state, who gave glowing speeches about him.

In true astronaut style they had a countdown clock running until the moment the daughters smashed the bottle on the bow of the ship, gave it a playful push, and the ship gently glided into the bay with red, white and blue streamers flying. Just beautiful.

posted December 07, 2006 12:38 PM            

• Ship launches with Shepard's name
  
• Navy commissions supply ship named for astronaut Alan Shepard
  
• USNS Alan Shepard Slide Show

posted June 27, 2007 12:05 AM               

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General Dynamics NASSCO Delivers USNS Alan Shepard

General Dynamics NASSCO, a wholly owned subsidiary of General Dynamics (NYSE: GD) , today delivered USNS Alan Shepard (T-AKE 3) to the U.S. Navy. The ship is named in honor of the late Mercury and Apollo astronaut.

"As demonstrated on its recent Integrated Sea Trials, the Alan Shepard has exceeded expectations in its superior material condition and readiness for service," said Frederick J. Harris, president of General Dynamics NASSCO. "Like its namesake, we are confident that the ship has the right stuff to execute its mission for many years to come."

USNS Alan Shepard will remain in San Diego for about three months to conduct crew familiarization and final outfitting. The ship will be part of the Navy's Military Sealift Command fleet and will operate in support of the Navy's Pacific Fleet. With a cargo capacity of more than 10,000 tons, Alan Shepard's primary mission will be to deliver food, ammunition, fuel and other provisions from shore stations to combat ships at sea.

The Alan Shepard is the third in an expected class of 11 dry cargo- ammunition ships for the Navy. Construction of the 689-foot-long ship began in September 2005. NASSCO has incorporated international marine technologies and commercial ship-design features into the T-AKE class ships, including an integrated electric-drive propulsion system, to minimize operating costs during their projected 40-year service life. The San Diego shipyard has contracts to build the first nine ships. USNS Lewis and Clark and USNS Sacagawea have already been delivered to the Navy. The fourth through seventh ships of the class are currently under construction.

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