.jpg) USNS Watson, the lead ship of the class.
| |
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name | Watson |
| Builders | National Steel and Shipbuilding Company |
| Built | 1996–2002 |
| In commission | 1998– |
| Completed | 8 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Large, Medium-Speed Roll-on/Roll-off Vehicle cargo ship |
| Displacement | 62,970 tons full |
| Length | 951.4 ft (290.0 m) |
| Beam | 106 ft (32.3 m) |
| Draft | 34.1 ft (10.4 m) maximum |
| Propulsion | Gas turbine |
| Speed | 24 knots (44 km/h) |
| Capacity | 393,000 sq ft (36,511 m2) |
| Crew | 26 civilian crew (up to 45); up to 50 active duty |
| Aviation facilities | helicopter landing area |
The Watson-class vehicle cargo ship is a series of vehicle cargo ships, used by the United States for prepositioning of ground vehicles. The class comprises eight of Military Sealift Command's nineteen Large, Medium-Speed Roll-on/Roll-off ships and is one part of the 33 ships involved in the Prepositioning Program.
The lead ship of this class is USNS Watson. The class, as with the lead ship, was named for Private George Watson, a Medal of Honor Recipient.
Watson was laid down on 23 May 1996, launched on 26 July 1997, and put into service in the Pacific Ocean on 23 June 1998.[1] The most recent ship of the class is USNS Soderman, laid down on 31 October 2000, launched on 26 April 2002, and put into service in the Pacific Ocean on 24 September 2002.