Navy to Christen First John Lewis-Class Oiler
The Navy will christen its first-in-class John Lewis-class replenishment oiler, the future USNS John Lewis (T-AO 205), during a 9 a.m. PDT ceremony Saturday, July 17, in San Diego, California.
Speaker of the House of Representatives, Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi, will deliver the ceremonial principal address. Remarks will also be provided by Mr. James Geurts, performing the duties of Under Secretary of the Navy; Vice Adm. Ross Myers, commander, Fleet Cyber Command and commander, U.S. Tenth Fleet; Rear Adm. Michael Wettlaufer, commander, Military Sealift Command; and Mr. Marcus Tyner, nephew of the ship’s namesake. In a time-honored Navy tradition, the ship’s sponsor, Ms. Alfre Woodard Spencer, will christen the ship by breaking a bottle of sparkling wine across the bow.
“Tomorrow we christen the first John Lewis-class replenishment oiler,” said acting Secretary of the Navy Thomas Harker. “Leaders like Representative Lewis taught us that diversity of backgrounds and experiences help contribute to the strength of our nation. There is no doubt that the future Sailors aboard this ship will be galvanized by Lewis’ legacy.”
The future USNS John Lewis is the first ship in its class and will be operated by the Navy’s Military Sealift Command. The ship is named in honor of the late politician and civil rights leader. John Lewis-class oilers will be named for other prominent civil rights leaders and activists.
The John Lewis-class ships are based on commercial design standards and will recapitalize the current T-AO 187-class fleet replenishment oilers to provide underway replenishment of fuel to U.S. Navy ships at sea. These ships are part of the Navy’s Combat Logistics Force.
The Navy plans to procure 20 ships of the new class.
Lewis passed July 17, 2020; the christening marks the one-year anniversary of his death.
| Description Fifteen fleet replenishment oilers are operated by Military Sealift Command (MSC) and provide underway replenishment of fuel to U.S. Navy ships at sea and jet fuel for aircraft assigned to aircraft carriers. Three of the newest MSC underway replenishment oilers have double hulls. |
| Features Kaiser-class ships carry jet fuel, diesel fuel and lubricating oil, and small quantities of fresh and frozen provisions, stores, potable water and other items. Fleet replenishment oilers normally operate with five underway replenishment station capability when deployed. However, fleet oilers assigned to the Southern California and middle Pacific operating areas, as well as two of the four oilers operating in the western Atlantic Ocean, are crewed to operate with up to three underway replenishment stations capability to reduce costs. |
| Background Three ships within the class Rappahannock, Laramie and Patuxent were built with double hulls in compliance with the Oil Pollution Act of 1990, although government-owned ships currently are exempt from the act. |
| Program Status In June 2016, the Navy awarded a $3.2 billion contract to General Dynamics NASSCO in San Diego for the design and construction of the first six ships of the Future Fleet Replenishment Ship, the John Lewis class (T-AO 205), formerly T-AO(X), with construction commencing in September 2018 and planned Christening in spring 2021. The Navy plans to procure 20 ships of the new class in three different contract awards. |
| General Characteristics, Henry J. Kaiser Class |
| Builder: Avondale Shipyards |
| Propulsion: Two fully automatic diesel engines, twin shafts, controllable-pitch propellers, 32,540 horsepower |
| Length: 677.5 feet (206.5 meters) |
| Beam: 97.5 feet (29.7 meters) |
| Displacement: 41,225 tons full load (double hull), 40,900 tons full load (single hull) |
| Speed: 20 knots (23 mph) |
| Crew: 74-89 civilian mariners (CIVMARS) |
| Load: 180,000 barrels of aviation and diesel fuel |
| Aircraft: None (landing platform for vertical replenishment provided) |
| Homeport: No homeports assigned. |
| Ships: |
| USNS Henry J. Kaiser (T-AO 187) – Operates in the area of Pacific/Arabian Gulf |
| USNS Joshua Humphreys (T-AO 188) – Operates in the area of Persian Gulf |
| USNS John Lenthall (T-AO 189) – Operates in the area of Atlantic/Mediterranean/Arabian Gulf |
| USNS Walter S. Diehl (T-AO 193) – Operates in the area of Pacific/Arabian Gulf |
| USNS John Ericsson (T-AO 194) – Operates in the area of Pacific/Arabian Gulf |
| USNS Leroy Grumman (T-AO 195) – Operates in the area of Atlantic/Mediterranean/Arabian Gulf |
| USNS Kanawha (T-AO 196) – Operates in the area of Atlantic/Mediterranean/Arabian Gulf |
| USNS Pecos (T-AO 197) – Operates in the area of Pacific/Arabian Gulf |
| USNS Big Horn (T-AO 198) – Operates in the area of Atlantic/Mediterranean |
| USNS Tippecanoe (T-AO 199) – Operates in the area of Pacific/Arabian Gulf |
| USNS Guadalupe (T-AO 200) – Operates in the area of Pacific/Arabian Gulf |
| USNS Patuxent (T-AO 201) – Operates in the area of Atlantic/Mediterranean/Arabian Gulf |
| USNS Yukon (T-AO 202) – Operates in the area of Pacific/Arabian Gulf |
| USNS Laramie (T-AO 203) – Operates in the area of Atlantic/Mediterranean/Arabian Gulf |
| USNS Rappahannock (T-AO 204) – Operates in the area of Pacific/Arabian Gulf |
| General Characteristics, John Lewis Class |
| Builder: NASSCO |
| Propulsion: Twin shaft, geared medium speed diesels with PTO generators/PTI |
| Length: 227.3 meters |
| Beam: 32.2 meters |
| Displacement: 22,173 metric tons (lightship) |
| Speed: 20 knots |
| Crew: 99 civilian mariners (CIVMARS) |
| Load: Dry Stores Capacity: 1,576 m3 Freeze/Chill Capacity: 1,362 m3 |
| Aircraft: None (landing platform for vertical replenishment can accommodate H-1, H-53, H-60, MV-22, and MSC’s commercial logistics helicopters.) |
| Ships: |
| T-AO-205 John Lewis – Under construction |
| T-AO-206 Harvey Milk – Under construction |
| T-AO 207 Earl Warren – Under construction |
| T-AO 208 Robert F. Kennedy – Under contract |
| T-AO 209 Lucy Stone – Under contract |
| T-AO 210 Sojouner Truth – Under contract |