USNS Contender (T-AGOS-2)
 Merchant Marine Academy flagship Kings Pointer, ex-Contender, 1999. | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name: | USNS Contender (T-AGOS-2) |
| Operator: | USNS |
| Ordered: | September 26, 1980 |
| Builder: | Tacoma Boatbuilding, Tacoma, Washington |
| Laid down: | January 10, 1983 |
| Launched: | December 20, 1983 |
| Sponsored by: | Mrs. Sarah Sumner Rowden |
| Acquired: | June 9, 1984 |
| Struck: | December 11, 1992 |
| Fate: | Disposed of by title transfer to MARAD on October 1, 1992 |
| |
| Name: | T/V Kings Pointer |
| Owner: | United States Maritime Administration |
| Operator: | United States Merchant Marine Academy |
| In service: | 1992-2012 |
| Homeport: | Kings Point, New York |
| Status: | Transferred by MARAD to the Texas A&M Maritime Academy |
| |
| Name: | T/V General Rudder |
| Owner: | United States Maritime Administration |
| Operator: | Texas A&M University at Galveston |
| In service: | 2012-Present |
| Homeport: | Galveston, Texas |
| Status: | Active Texas A&M University at Galveston |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Training Ship |
| Displacement: | 2,250 tons |
| Length: | 224 ft (68 m) |
| Beam: | 43 ft (13 m) |
| Draft: | 16.0 ft (4.9 m) |
| Propulsion: | Diesel Electric Drive, twin shafts, inboard turning. |
| Speed: | 11 kt cruise |
| Capacity: | 64 (as of 2013) |
| Crew: | 36 |
USNS Contender (T-AGOS-2) was a Stalwart class Modified Tactical Auxiliary General Ocean Surveillance Ship of the United States Navy.
History
Stalwart class ships were originally designed to collect underwater acoustical data in support of Cold war anti-submarine warfare operations in the 1980s. In 1992, the ex-Contender became the T/V Kings Pointer, the flagship and training vessel of the United States Merchant Marine Academy.[1][2]
In 1999, Kings Pointer was the first vessel to reach the site of the crash of EgyptAir Flight 990.[3] In the spring of 2004 she underwent a major overhaul to upgrade her crew's quarters and training equipment. The aft 'tow' deck was also modified and any vestage of her previous employment as a SURTASS ship was removed and reworked.
She remained the flagship and training ship of the United States Merchant Marine Academy until January 2012. She was then transferred to Texas A&M University at Galveston and renamed the "TS General Rudder" (after General James Earl Rudder), where she will be the primary training vessel for cadets of the Texas A&M Maritime Academy. In 2013 the vessel had another major overhaul, with the aft fantail's bulwark lowered, aft main deck leveled and hull cleaned and repainted. The vessel was also fitted with additional berthing for 64 personnel.[3]
Gallery
USMMA with Kings Pointer.
References
- ↑ "Sail Baltimore '05". 2005. Archived from the original on 2012-04-13.
- ↑ "MV Kingspointer". USMMA. 30 Jul 2003. Archived from the original on 2013-02-22.
- 1 2 "Training Ship GENERAL RUDDER". TAMUG. Retrieved 2015-06-17.
External links
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