SS Keystone State (T-ACS 1)

Auxiliary Crane Ship

Mission: Auxiliary crane ships are container ships fitted with up to three twin-boom pedestal cranes that lift containerized or other cargo onto and off piers or lighterage. Military crane ships are necessary because the vast majority of commercial container ships are not equipped with cranes and rely on fully developed port facilities to load and off-load cargo. If a contingency arises where the ports are underdeveloped or destroyed, crane ships can load and off-load their cargo and cargo from other ships.

Background: There are ten auxiliary crane ships in the Ready Reserve Force. The RRF is a component of the National Defense Reserve Fleet, maintained to meet military contingency requirements for which the U.S. merchant fleet is not equipped. The NDRF consists of almost 300 merchant-type ships held in reduced-operating status for national emergency by the Maritime Administration, an agency of the Department of Transportation. Except for RRF ships, NDRF ships are stored in deep lay-up and are rarely activated.

The Ready Reserve Force consists of 68 ships at the present time, kept in reduced operating status and ready to activate in four, five, ten or 20 days. RRF ships come under the operational control of Military Sealift Command when activated.

Three RRF ships are currently activated with MSC's Prepositioning Program. Of the other 65 ships, all except 11 are berthed at commercial or government piers where they are near potential loading ports and can be quickly activated in time of emergency. The other 11 ships are RRF-10 or -20 day ships and are located at one of the three NDRF fleet sites -- James River, Va., Reserve Fleet; Beaumont, Texas, Reserve Fleet; Suisun Bay, Calif., Reserve Fleet.

Point of contact:
   Public Affairs Office
   Military Sealift Command
   914 Charles Morris Court SE
   Washington Navy Yard, D.C. 20398-5540
   (202) 685-5055 or www.msc.navy.mil

General Characteristcs: SS Keystone State

Length: 610 feet
Beam: 78 feet
Draft: 33.5 feet
Displacement: 31,500 long tons
Engine: 10,747 horsepower steam turbine
Speed: 17.0 knots
Squadron: Maritime Prepositioning Ship Squadron Three
ROS Status: 5-day
Layberth: Cheatham Annex, Va.

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