USNS Lewis and Clark (T-AKE-1)
 The Lewis and Clark off Crete |
|
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Order | October 18, 2001 |
| Keel laying | March 23, 2004 |
| Launch | May 21, 2005 |
| Commissioning | June 20, 2006 |
| Technical specifications | |
| displacement |
40,298 ts |
| length |
210 m |
| width |
32.2 m |
| Draft |
9.1 m |
| crew |
13–39 military, 124 civilian |
| drive |
Diesel drive, a propeller |
| speed |
20 knots |
The USNS Lewis and Clark (T-AKE-1) is a general cargo carrier for the Military Sealift Command . She is the lead ship of the Lewis and Clark class named after her . It was named after Meriwether Lewis and William Clark and their expedition .
history
T-AKE-1 was commissioned in 2001 and keeled at National Steel and Shipbuilding Company in 2004 . The ship was launched in 2005 and entered service in 2006.
In 2007 and 2008 the freighter moved to the Persian Gulf. In early 2009 he drove off the Somali coast. A cargo hold was set up as a prison for this trip. In February, the cruiser USS Vella Gulf (CG-72) handed over 16 Somali pirates to the Lewis and Clark for the first time , which brought them to Kenya. In April, the Lewis and Clark itself was the target of a pirate attack, but was able to escape the attackers.
In 2011 the freighter took part in the international coalition's military operation against Libya in the Mediterranean .
