USNS Matthew Perry
Cargo ship of the United States Navy
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
USNS Matthew Perry (T-AKE-9) is a Lewis and Clark-class dry cargo ship of the United States Navy, named in honor of Commodore Matthew C. Perry (1794–1858), who led the effort to open Japan to trade with the West.[2]
USNS Matthew Perry | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Awarded | 30 January 2006 |
| Builder | National Steel and Shipbuilding |
| Laid down | 3 October 2008 |
| Launched | 16 August 2009 |
| Sponsored by | Hester G. Evans |
| Christened | 16 August 2009 |
| Acquired | 24 February 2010[1] |
| Identification |
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| Status | in active service |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Lewis and Clark-class dry cargo ship |
| Displacement |
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| Length |
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| Beam |
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| Draft |
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| Propulsion | Integrated propulsion and ship service electrical system, with generation at 6.6 kV by FM/MAN B&W diesel generators; one fixed pitch propeller; bow thruster |
| Speed | 20 knots (37 km/h) |
| Range | 14,000 nmi (26,000 km; 16,000 mi) at 20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph) |
| Capacity |
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| Complement | 49 military, 123 civilian |
| Electronic warfare & decoys | Nulka decoy launchers |
| Armament |
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| Aircraft carried | two helicopters, either Sikorsky MH-60S Knighthawk or Aerospatiale SA330J Puma |
The contract to build Matthew Perry was awarded to National Steel and Shipbuilding Company (NASSCO) of San Diego, California, on 30 January 2006. Her keel was laid down on 3 October 2008. She was launched and christened on 16 August 2009, sponsored by Hester Evans, a great-great-great-granddaughter of Commodore Perry.
Service
Matthew Perry was one of several participating in disaster relief after the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami.[3] During the 21 days of operations, Matthew Perry completed 17 separate replenishment events, delivering more than 1.5 million US gallons (5,700 m3) of fuel and transporting relief supplies.[4]
USNS Matthew Perry underwent repair and upgrades from 11 to 27 March 2023 at Kattupalli Shipyard of Larsen & Toubro in India. After the refit, the ship returned to the Indo-Pacific theatre for operations. This was a result of the U.S.–India 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue in April 2022, where US was represented by Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken.[5][6][7]
See also
- USS Perry, for other ships named after Commodore Perry
