Principals at the Antares naming ceremony were (L to R): Gen. Wallace H. Nutting, USA, principal speaker and Commander-in-
Chief of the U.S. Readiness Command; Mrs. Nutting, the ship's sponsor; Mrs. Paul D. Hurst; Mrs. Albert Bossier; Col. Eugene
C. Schoults, USMC, Commander of the Naval System Command, Department of the Navy, Washington. At rear are Capt. Paul D.
Hurst, USN, Supervisor of Shipbuilding-New Orleans; and Albert Bossier, president of Avondale. Flower girl is Miss Elizabeth
Carriere.
AVONDALE DELIVERS FAST SEALIFT
SHIP USNS ANTARES TO MSC
The Fast Sealift Ship (FSS) USNS Antares
(T-AKR-294) was dedicated in ceremonies
held recently at Avondale Shipyards, Inc.
near New Orleans, and delivered to the Mili-
tary Sealift Command about two weeks later.
This is the first of three SL-7 containerships
that Avondale is converting for the MSC. The
FSS ships will provide for the rapid deploy-
ment of heavy mechanized Army combat and
support equipment and supplies, as well as
providing sealift capability for the Marine
Corps, Air Force, and Navy.
The Antares has an overall length of 944
feet, a beam of 105.6 feet, and displacement of
55,372 long tons. She was built as the Sea-
Land Galloway at the A.G. Weser yard in Bre-
men, West Germany, in 1972. Her 120,000-
shp, twin-screw propulsion plant comprises
General Electric steam turbines and gears,
and two Foster Wheeler boilers.
The capabilities of the Antares and other
Fast Sealift Ships include: 33-knot transit
speed, roll-on/roll-off handling of cargo, and
self-sUstaining lift-on/lift-off, by means of twin
35-ton and 50-ton cranes, of vehicles and hel-
icopters. The vessels are able to land helicop-
ters, and load a mixture of tanks, helicopters,
wheeled vehicles, and containerized or palle-
tized cargo.
The conversion of the Antares included, in
part, the modification of existing container
storage areas to accommodate various new
decks including a helicopter flight deck, the
installation of the 35-ton and 50-ton twin
cranes, the fitting of two sideports and various
platforms and ramps to support RO/RO
operations.
Avondale utilized state-of-the-art tech-
niques for zone outfitting in the conversion ef-
fort. Structural modules were outfitted with
piping, ductwork, electrical wireways, and
equipment prior to being erected at the build-
ing site.
The Navy names special amphibious sup-
port cargo ships such as the Antares after ce-
lestial bodies. The Fast Sealift Ships of the T-
AKR Class are named after brilliant stars,
and the Antares (T-AKR-294) is named after
the brightest star in the southern sky, in the
constellation Scorpius.
Fast Sealift Ship USNS Antares has been delivered to MSC by
Avondale. She is first of three former SL-7 containerships
being converted by the New Orleans shipyard.
SPUD, DECK & HOPPER BARGES
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Circle 109 on Reader Service Card
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Complete services
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• Surveys
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On Complete Services Available Contact: seacon
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DEL GAVIO
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SERVICE • CONSULTING • PARTS
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Telephone: (201) 843-4700
August 1,1984 Circle 105 on Reader Service Card 53
Digital Wave Publishing