Watson class vehicle cargo ship
Encyclopedia
The Watson class vehicle cargo ship is a class of vehicle cargo ships, used for prepositioning
Maritime Prepositioning ship
The 31 Maritime Prepositioning Ships are part of the United States Military Sealift Command's Prepositioning Program. They are strategically positioned around the globe to support the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and Defense Logistics Agency...
of Army vehicles. The class comprises eight of Military Sealift Command
Military Sealift Command
The Military Sealift Command is a United States Navy organization that controls most of the replenishment and military transport ships of the Navy. It first came into existence on 9 July 1949 when the Military Sea Transportation Service became solely responsible for the Department of Defense's...
'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)
USNS Watson (T-AKR-310)
USNS Watson is one 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 class, as with the lead ship, was named for Private George Watson
George Watson (U.S. Army)
George Watson was a private in the United States Army who was killed in action during World War II. He was one of seven African American soldiers to receive the Medal of Honor for their actions during World War II, and the only one of the seven to earn his medal while serving in the Pacific...
, a Medal of Honor
Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed by the President, in the name of Congress, upon members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguish themselves through "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her...
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
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
on 23 June 1998. The most recent ship of the class is the USNS Soderman (T-AKR-317)
USNS Soderman (T-AKR-317)
USNS Soderman is one 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. She is a Watson-class vehicle cargo ship....
, laid down on 31 October 2000, launched on 26 April 2002, and put into service in the Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
on 24 September 2002.