Navy cargo vessel named in honor of pioneering astronaut

Navy cargo vessel named in honor of pioneering astronaut General Dynamic's San Diego-based National Steel and Shipbuilding Company delivered the military's newest dry cargo-ammunition ship to the Navy's Military Sealift Command on Tuesday.
   The USNS Alan Shepard is the third of 11 ships of a new class of military cargo vessels being built by NASSCO under six U.S. Navy design and construction contracts valued at about $2.8 billion. The vessel, named for the late Gemini and Mercury astronaut, will remain in San Diego for about three months to conduct crew familiarization and final outfitting.
   'As demonstrated on its recent integrated sea trials, the Alan Shepard has exceeded expectations in its superior material condition and readiness for service,' said Frederick J. Harris, president of General Dynamics NASSCO. 'Like its namesake, we are confident that the ship has the right stuff to execute its mission for many years to come.'
   Vessels of the new Combat Logistics Force class are designed to deliver ammunition, provisions, stores, spare parts, potable water and petroleum products to the Navy's carrier and expeditionary strike groups and other naval forces. The CLF-class vessels will replace aging, single-mission ships such as Kilauea-class ammunition ships and Mars- and Sirius-class combat stores ships that are nearing the end of their service lives. Able to carry more than 10,000 tons of cargo, the nearly 700-foot-long vessels have a projected service life of 40 years.
   Specifically designed to support forward-area Navy deployments, the Alan Shepard can operate independently for extended periods at sea while providing underway replenishment services.
   Military Sealift Command operates about 110 noncombatant, civilian-crewed ships that replenish U.S. Navy ships, chart ocean bottoms, conduct undersea surveillance, strategically preposition combat cargo at sea around the world and move military equipment and supplies used by deployed U.S. forces.