United States Naval Ship
United States Naval Ship , abbreviation USNS , is the ship name prefix for US naval ships that are not in direct military service and owned by the US Navy .
United States Naval Ships are unarmed support ships that belong to the US Navy, are not directly in military service and are operated with a civilian crew on behalf of the Military Sealift Command . Examples are hospital , survey and supply ships or oil tankers . Some ships have a small division of military personnel for communication tasks or for performing tasks for special missions. At times, a small military unit may be on board certain ships for your protection.
US Navy warships in direct military service are designated " United States Ship (USS) ". These ships are armed and manned by the US Navy. They are owned by the United States government.
On United States Naval Ships , the hull classification symbol also begins with a T- to identify their civilian crew. The USNS prefix can only be assigned if the ship is owned by the US Navy. When the ship is handed over to the United States Maritime Administration after its decommissioning , it is given the prefix of a civilian ship, as happened for example with the USNS Comet (T-AK-269) , which became Comet .
See also
- Designation system for ships in the United States Armed Forces
- List of support ships of the United States Navy
- Was Shipping Administration
Footnotes
- ↑ Military Ship Prefixes for the United States Navy. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
- ↑ Military Sealift Command. Retrieved May 24, 2020
- ↑ Ship Naming in the United States Navy. Retrieved May 24, 2020
