USNS John Lenthall (T-AO-189)

USNS John Lenthall (T-AO-189) is a Henry J. Kaiser-class fleet replenishment oiler of the United States Navy. Her motto is "Shaft of the Spear."

USNS John Lenthall (T-AO-189)
History
United States
Namesake:	John Lenthall (1807-1882), an American naval architect and shipbuilder
Ordered:	22 November 1983
Builder:	Avondale Shipyard, Inc., New Orleans, Louisiana
Laid down:	15 July 1985
Launched:	9 August 1986
In service:	25 July 1987 – 11 November 1996 and 7 December 1998 – present
Out of service:	11 November 1996 – 7 December 1998
Identification:	IMO number: 8325547 MMSI number: 367932000 Callsign: NJLN
Status:	Active service in Military Sealift Command
General characteristics
Class and type:	Henry J. Kaiser-class fleet replenishment oiler
Type:	Fleet replenishment oiler
Tonnage:	31,200 deadweight tons
Displacement:	9,500 tons light Full load variously reported as 42,382 tons and 40,700 long tons (41,353 metric tons)
Length:	677 ft (206 m)
Beam:	97 ft 5 in (29.69 m)
Draft:	35 ft (11 m) maximum
Installed power:	16,000 hp (11.9 MW) per shaft 34,442 hp (25.7 MW) total sustained
Propulsion:	Two medium-speed Colt-Pielstick PC4-2/2 10V-570 diesel engines, two shafts, controllable-pitch propellers
Speed:	20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph)
Capacity:	178,000 to 180,000 barrels (28,300 to 28,600 m^3) of fuel oil and jet fuel 7,400 sq ft (690 m^2) dry cargo space; eight 20-foot (6.1 m) refrigerated containers with room for 128 pallets
Complement:	103 (18 civilian officers, 1 U.S. Navy officer, 64 merchant seamen, 20 U.S. Navy enlisted personnel)
Armament:	Peacetime: none, although does have numerous mounts and arms for .50cal weapons. Wartime: probably 2 x 20-mm Phalanx CIWS,
Aircraft carried:	None
Aviation facilities:	Helicopter landing platform
Notes:	Five refueling stations Two dry cargo transfer rigs

Construction and delivery

John Lenthall, the third ship of the Henry J. Kaiser class, was laid down at Avondale Shipyard, Inc., at New Orleans, Louisiana, on 15 July 1985 and launched on 9 August 1986. After entering non-commissioned U.S. Navy service with a primarily civilian crew on 25 July 1987.

Service history

1987-1996

John Lenthall served in the United States Atlantic Fleet under MSC control until taken out of active service on 11 November 1996 and placed in reserve.

1998-Present

John Lenthall was reactivated on 7 December 1998, and is in active service in the Atlantic Fleet.

On 17 April 2004, a merchant ship lost steering control while departing Valletta, Malta, and collided with another ship before striking John Lenthall broadside while she was pierside undergoing maintenance. No one aboard John Lenthall suffered injuries, and she sustained only limited damage to outside structures and equipment.[1]

On 23 September 2008 John Lenthall was shadowed by suspected pirates. They fled after she fired several warning shots in their vicinity.

References

• This article includes information collected from the Naval Vessel Register, which, as a U.S. government publication, is in the public domain. The entry can be found here.
• http://rgroland.blogspot.com/2008/09/fleet-oiler-usns-john-lenthall-repels.html

1. Chudy, Jason, "Merchant Ship Hits Oiler John Lenthall," Stars and Stripes, April 18, 2004.

External links

• NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive: USNS John Lenthall (T-AO-189)
• USNS John Lenthall (T-AO 189)
• Wildenberg, Thomas (1996). Gray Steel and Black Oil: Fast Tankers and Replenishment at Sea in the U.S. Navy, 1912-1995. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. Retrieved 28 April 2009.

USNS John Lenthall (T-AO-189), right foreground, prepares to refuel the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75), left, in the Mediterranean Sea. The United States Coast Guard Cutter USCGC Dallas (WHEC-716) is in the left background.

The aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75) comes alongside USNS John Lenthall (T-AO-189) for refueling on 3 April 2003.