Fleet You Won’t Meet 2024

I’ve been outside the sixth boro right for a week now, so I MIGHT not be meeting the fleet, as I have previous years.  In case I don’t get back to the boros in time, I can introduce you to some government boats I know you won’t meet in the sixth boro tomorrow. 

Because of a story that intrigued me–and maybe you–a few weeks ago and related to Gabon, I’ll start with USS Miguel Keith, ESB-5.  The ESB expands to expeditionary sea [or support or mobile] base.  The Gabon story was about the previous vessel in this class,  USS Hershel “Woody“ Williams ran aground while leaving the Gabonese port of Owendo.

 

RV Sally Ride below won’t be coming into the sixth boro, but a few years back, same class and similar namesake RV Neil Armstrong did.  Click on the link  in the previous sentence to see Armstrong‘s 2017 fleet week arrival.  Ride is currently assigned to the Scripps Institute of Oceanography.

USS Michael Monsoor, “graduate” of Bath ME, is the second in the Zumwalt class of destroyers.   Have either of the Zumwalt destroyers visited the sixth boro?  Is DDG 1002 LBJ already operational? 

USNS Harvey Milk 

and USNS Robert F. Kennedy are fleet oilers of the Military Sealift Command, MSC.   I’m not certain the Kennedy has already entered service.

Appearance notwithstanding, Bitt (WYTL 65613) was decommissioned over 40 years ago.  I believe I’ve seen her before as RV Clifford A. Barnes in the Salish Sea, although I can’t locate my photos from there in 2010.  Students of the sixth boro recognize Bitt as sibling to the WYTLs such as Growler, Wire, Swivel, and Line.

GC Alder (WLB-216) is 225′ Juniper class seagoing buoy tender.  Previous WLBs have appeared on this blog include Walnut, Willow, Hollyhock, Sycamore, Bramble, and Elm. 

If you come down to the boro Wednesday, you’ll see WMSL-759 Charles L. Calhoun, but you won’t see earlier-in-class WMSL-750 Bertholf below, recently returning to the Bay area.  One of the class–Hamilton–was in the boro back in 2017 here.

How many Ready Reserve fleet vessels like Adm. W. M. Callaghan will be in the sixth boro’s parade of ships tomorrow?  None.  I’ve forgotten which Cape vessel that is inboard Callaghan.

Following on space travelers Sally Ride and Neil Armstrong as mentioned above, 

John Glenn is unlike any fleet ships you’ll see tomorrow.

As is true of Keith and Williams mentioned above, Glenn is a sea-going expeditionary base, the wooden partitions to separate LCACs

that can land or board when the semi-submersible is ballasted down.  I’m not sure what term is used for an LCAC riding onto the submerged deck.  I’ve read that there’s about 15′ of water over that deck when Glenn is fully ballasted.

Click here to see an ESD semi-submerged and LCACs splashing aboard.

The first six photos here thanks to George Schneider, all others and any errors, WVD.

 

 

Random Ships West Coast 1

I’ve moved inland and eastward and will systematically or not work through the photos I gleaned along the coast.  I’ll start with USS Recruit, a landlocked training “structure” in San Diego.

Read more here. 

Here’s a frontal view of LCS-22, USS Kansas City, and .

stern view of same class LCS-24 Oakland.

T-AO-207 Earl Warren is a John Lewis class underway replenishment oiler.

To move way north to Aptos, this is what remains of another gray ship, SS Palo Alto, a concrete vessel.

HMCS AOPV 432 Max Bernays  was a surprise in San Francisco.  I’d seen some fleetmates/classmates of the  in Halifax last year here. 

California Hornblower is a 1988 replica of vessels long gone.  

Over in Alameda, here’s a close-up of USNS John Glenn, T-ESD-2, a vessel called an expeditionary transfer dock.

Westar Marine Services operates Madison Lynne.  More on her here, but you have to scroll trough some other 2022 newbuilds.

I took these photos over at Alcatraz.

At the Alcatraz dock  the same time was Solitary, an LCM-8.  It appeared she was doing pump-out service at the site.  

And rounding out today’s post, it’s Ocean Titan, with a long history of previous names.  She’d just come out of the Bay Ship drydock in Alameda.  Currently she’s operated by Pacific Survey Group.

All photos, any errors, WVD, who’s now inland at head of navigation on the Missouri River.