Special Mission

Click here to view the Special Mission Program Video.

Military Sealift Command's Special Mission Program has 25 ships that provide operating platforms and services for a wide variety of U.S. military and other U.S. government missions.

Oceanographic and hydrographic surveys, underwater surveillance, missile tracking, acoustic surveys, command and control, and submarine and special warfare support are just a few of the specialized services provided to:

• U.S. Fleet Forces Command
• The Oceanographer of the Navy
• Commander, Undersea Surveillance
• The U.S. Air Force
• Naval Sea Systems Command
• Navy's Strategic Systems Programs Office
• Naval Special Warfare Command
• Commander, Navy Installations Command
• The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
• Commander, Submarine Force

Most special mission ships are operated by civilian mariners who work for private companies under contract to MSC. Only three ships, USS Emory S. Land, USS Mount Whitney and USNS Zeus, are crewed by MSC's civil service mariners.

The MSC-chartered MV HOS Greystone, measuring 240 feet in length, escorts a U.S. Navy submarine returning from deployment.

One more submarine tender is transferring to MSC for civil service crewing in 2009. Technical work and communication support are conducted by embarked military personnel, as well as civilian technicians from other military commands and U.S. government agencies.

Submarine And Special Warfare Support Ships

MSC operates seven chartered submarine and special warfare support ships for the Navy. Two ships provide deep submergence/salvage support and submarine/escort rescue assistance for the Navy's submarine forces. Two ships support the Naval Special Warfare Command. Four other ships were chartered in 2007 to support the Navy's submarine escort requirements while entering and leaving ports.

MSC oceanographic survey ship USNS Sumner’s crew members prepare an apparatus that the ship uses to track ocean currents.

Oceanographic Survey Ships

MSC operates seven oceanographic survey ships. Six of these ships are multipurpose and perform acoustic, biological, physical and geophysical surveys, providing much of the U.S. military's information on the ocean environment. These ships use multi-beam, wide-angle, precision sonar systems that make it possible to continuously chart a broad section of ocean floor. Another oceanographic survey ship, USNS John Mcdonnell, collects data in coastal regions around the world. The data collected helps improve technology in undersea warfare, enemy ship detection and charting the world's coastlines.

USNS Loyal is one of MSC’s five ocean surveillance ships that work directly with the Navy's fleets, listening for undersea threats.

Ocean Surveillance Ships

Five ocean surveillance ships directly support the Navy by using both passive and active low frequency sonar arrays to detect and track undersea threats.

Missile Range Instrumentation Ships

MSC missile range instrumentation ship USNS Observation Island conducts missions sponsored by the U.S. Air Force.

MSC's two missile range instrumentation ships provide platforms for monitoring missile launches and collecting data that can be used to improve missile efficiency and accuracy. USNS Invincible and USNS Observation Island monitor foreign missile and weapons tests that may pose potential threats to air or surface navigation. These ships also monitor domestic weapons systems tests to provide valuable feedback to U.S. weapons systems designers.

Submarine Tenders

Submarine tender USS Frank Cable is scheduled to transfer to MSC in 2009. Sub tenders, like command ships, are unique in that they have both uniformed Navy personnel and civil service mariners serving under the leadership of a U.S. Navy captain, which allows the ships to retain their commissioned status.

Navigation Test Support Ship

Navigation test support ship USNS Waters supports the Navy's Strategic Systems Programs Office by assisting with submarine weapons and navigation system testing. The ship tracks missile test launches from Navy submarines to collect important performance data. The ship also conducts operational tests of upgrades to submarine navigation systems.

MSC’s USNS Zeus is the only active cable laying/repair ship in the U.S. Navy.

Cable Laying/Repair Ship

MSC operates one cable laying/repair ship that transports, deploys, retrieves and repairs undersea cables. Built specifically for the Navy, USNS Zeus can lay up to 1,000 miles of cable in depths up to 9,000 feet during a single deployment before having to restock its cable supply.

MSC’s USS Mount Whitney, the command ship for the U.S. Navy’s 6th Fleet, has a hybrid crew of civil service mariners and active-duty Navy personnel under the leadership of a U.S. Navy captain.

Command Ship

The Special Mission Program operates command ship USS Mount Whitney, which transferred to MSC in 2004 and deployed to the Mediterranean Sea as the U.S. Navy's 6th Fleet command ship. Civil service mariners perform navigation, deck, engineering, laundry and galley service operations while military personnel aboard support communications, weapons systems and security.

Harbor Tug And Port Services

The Special Mission Program manages harbor tug and port services contracts on behalf of Commander, Navy Installations Command to support Navy ships worldwide. The contracts cover operations at most Navy locations, including:

San Diego; Kings Bay, Ga.; Mayport, Fla.; Pearl Harbor; Norfolk, Va.; New London, Conn.; Guam and others. MSC also contracts for other port services in Pensacola, Fla.; Key West, Fla.; Guantanamo Bay, Cuba; Panama City, Fla., and Pearl Harbor.

MSC's operation of these commercial contracts frees up military personnel for their war-fighting missions.

Special Mission Support: An Enduring Mission

Military Sealift Command first began operating special mission ships in 1958 with four vessels that collected marine science data for the Navy and other U.S. government agencies.

For half a century, the unique blend of MSC ships working side by side with scientists and technicians from various U.S. government agencies has greatly increased the world's knowledge of Earth's hydrosphere. MSC's special mission ships continue to make it possible to better understand, manage and interact with undersea land masses, global waterways and the creatures that inhabit them, including man.

When it comes to ocean-going platforms for unique U.S. government missions, MSC delivers.

 Go to the Special Mission Program ship inventory