Vessel joins Military Sealift Command

Vessel joins Military Sealift Command    The U.S. Military Sealift Command christened the Navy's newest vessel in the Lewis and Clark-class of dry cargo/ammunition ships on Sept. 11 at the General Dynamics NASSCO shipyard in San Diego.
   USNS Washington Chambers is expected to be delivered to the Military Sealift Command next year following a series of tests and sea trials. The ship and its crew of 129 civil service mariners and 11 Navy sailors will deliver ammunition, provisions, spare parts, potable water and petroleum products to Navy ships at sea, allowing them to remain underway and combat ready for extended periods of time.
   The ship honors Navy Capt. Washington Irving Chambers, a pioneer in Navy aviation who arranged the world’s first airplane flight from a warship, confirming the potential for carrier-based naval aviation. The flight — flown by aviator Eugene Ely — was from light cruiser USS Birmingham Nov. 14, 1910.
   Washington Chambers is the 11th of 14 ships in the class. The first 11 will serve as combat logistics force ships, and the last three are expected to be attached to maritime prepositioning squadrons.
   The Military Sealift Command operates about 110 non-combatant, civilian-crewed ships that replenish U.S. Navy ships, conduct specialized missions, strategically preposition combat cargo at sea around the world.