TS State of Maine

TS State of Maine
History
United States
Name: Tanner
Namesake: Capt Z.L. Tanner, USN, 1833 – 1906
Ordered: 28 June 1985
Builder: Bethlehem Steel Corporation
Laid down: 22 October 1986
Launched: 28 February 1989
Acquired: 31 August 1990
Out of service: 1993
Struck: 1 October 1993
Fate: Delivered to MARAD 11 January 1995
 
Name: State of Maine
Namesake: Maine
Owner: United States Maritime Administration
Operator: Maine Maritime Academy
Acquired: 6 June 1997
General characteristics USNS Tanner (T-AGS-40)
Displacement:
  • 9,319 tons (light)
  • 15,928 tons (full)
Length: 499 ft 10 in (152.35 m)
Beam: 72 ft (22 m)
Draft: 30 ft (9.1 m)
Installed power: 1 × MAK 6M601 Turbo Diesel engine
Propulsion: single shaft, 17,000 hp (13,000 kW)hp
Speed: 20 kn (37 km/h; 23 mph)
General characteristics TS State of Maine
Tonnage:
  • 12,542 GT
  • 3,762 NT
Displacement: 16,258.9 long tons (16,519.8 t)
Length: 449.83 ft (137.11 m)
Draft: 28 ft (8.5 m)
Installed power: MAK 601 C Diesel 8,046 horsepower (6,000 kW)
Propulsion: Single LIPS controllable reversible pitch propeller
Speed: 16 kn (30 km/h; 18 mph)

TS State of Maine is the training ship of the Maine Maritime Academy.

History

Previous Ships

Several ships have borne the name State of Maine since the inception of Maine Maritime Academy. Previous vessels included the former USS Comfort (AH-6),[1] USS Ancon (AGC-4), and USNS Upshur (T-AP-198).[2]

Current TS State of Maine

USNS Tanner (T-AGS-40), was built for the United States Navy as a fast oceanographic research vessel by Bethlehem Steel Corporation at its Sparrows Point Yard in Maryland in 1990. The vessel was the second oceanographic research ship to bear the name of Zera Luther Tanner, a noted oceanographer and inventor of a patented sounding machine. The vessel experienced catastrophic engine failure in 1993 and was laid up by the Navy and eventually transferred ownership to the Maritime Administration (MARAD).

The ship lay idle in the James River Reserve Fleet until 1996 when she began a conversion process, which removed her underwater sonar domes and equipment. The two original engines were removed and a new power plant was installed. The newer engine is significantly less powerful than the old engines. The sister ship, Maury (T-AGS-39), now the third vessel of the name TS Golden Bear, retained the original and more powerful enterprise engines.

Shipbuilder's plate as USNS Tanner 1990

The vessel was modified to increase the accommodations from 108 to 302 persons. New lifesaving equipment and upgrades to existing equipment were accomplished as well as enhancements to the habitability requirements of the vessel. She was delivered to Maine Maritime Academy on 6 June 1997 and sailed her maiden training cruise the following week.

State of Maine was called into active duty by the Maritime Administration (MARAD) following Hurricane Katrina and provided living quarters for oil rig workers, who were working to repair damaged rigs, and for Federal Law Enforcement Officers assisting in New Orleans.

Vessel information

The ship is normally docked at her pier in Castine when not on a training cruise or in drydock. State of Maine is classed with the American Bureau of Shipping, and all inspections of her hull and equipment are undertaken by this classification society. The ship entered drydock for scheduled maintenance and inspections following the summer cruise of 2007. She also entered drydock following the Summer Cruise of 2012, keeping within the inspection schedule required by US Coast Guard Regulations.

Sister ship

State of Maine's sister ship is TS Golden Bear, the training ship of the California Maritime Academy. Golden Bear was formerly USNS Maury.

References

Coordinates: 44°23.17′N 68°47.79′W / 44.38617°N 68.79650°W / 44.38617; -68.79650

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