SS ''Wright'' (T-AVB-3) is one of two Aviation Logistics Support (Roll-on/Roll-off) Container Ships converted for the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

in 1986, along with sister ship

SS Curtiss (T-AVB-4) SS ''Curtiss'' (T-AVB-4) is one of two converted for the Military Sealift Command by Todd Shipyards in 1987. History She was originally laid down on 1 April 1968 at Ingalls Shipbuilding of Pascagoula, Mississippi as SS ''Mormacksky'', ON 521 ...

. The ship honors aviation pioneers the

Wright brothers The Wright brothers, Orville Wright (August 19, 1871 – January 30, 1948) and Wilbur Wright (April 16, 1867 – May 30, 1912), were American aviation List of aviation pioneers, pioneers generally credited with inventing, building, and flyin ...

History

The

lead ship The lead ship, name ship, or class leader is the first of a series or class of ships that are all constructed according to the same general design. The term is applicable to naval ships and large civilian vessels. Large ships are very comple ...

of her class, she was originally laid down 1 June 1968 at Ingalls Shipbuilding of

Pascagoula, Mississippi Pascagoula ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Jackson County, Mississippi, United States. It is the principal city of the Pascagoula metropolitan area, and is part of the Gulfport, Mississippi, Gulfport–Biloxi, Mississippi, Biloxi–Pascag ...

as SS ''Mormacsun'', ON 524416, IMO 6924571, a

Maritime Commission The United States Maritime Commission was an independent executive agency of the U.S. federal government that was created by the Merchant Marine Act of 1936, which was passed by Congress on June 29, 1936, and was abolished on May 24, 1950. The c ...

type (C5-S-78) combination breakbulk, container, Ro-Ro vessel under Maritime Administration contract (MA 224) for

Moore-McCormack Lines The Moore-McCormack Lines was a series of companies operating as shipping lines, operated by the Moore-McCormack Company, Incorporated, later Moore-McCormack Lines, Incorporated, and simply Mooremack, founded in 1913 in New York City. It ceased tr ...

. Launched 1 July 1969, she was delivered to the

Maritime Administration Maritime administrations, or flag state administrations, are the executive arms/state bodies of each government responsible for carrying out the shipping responsibilities of the state, and are tasked to administer national shipping and boating issu ...

(MARAD) 1 February 1970 and subsequently sold and renamed SS ''Young America'' on 19 October 1970 for service with

American Export-Isbrandtsen Lines American Export-Isbrandtsen Lines, New York, was the leading US-flag shipping company between the U.S. east coast and the Mediterranean from 1919 to 1977, offering both cargo ship and passenger ship services, until it declared bankruptcy and was ...

. In 1978 the ship was sold again to

Farrell Lines Farrell Lines, Incorporated is a U.S.-based shipping company specializing in roll-on/roll-off (RO/RO) cargo transportation. Founded in 1925 as the American South African Line by James A. Farrell Jr. and John J. Farrell, the company initially se ...

without name change. In 1981 the ship was turned over to MARAD. Converted and renamed SS ''Wright'' (T-AVB-3) on 14 May 1986, the ship was assigned to MARAD

Ready Reserve Force The National Defense Reserve Fleet (NDRF) consists of ships of the United States, mostly merchant vessels, that have been mothballed but can be activated within 20 to 120 days to provide shipping during national military emergencies, or non-mil ...

(RRF), MSC PM-5 Sealift Program Office, Logistics Prepositioning Force. ''Wright'' provides support for

Marine Corps Marines (or naval infantry) are military personnel generally trained to operate on both land and sea, with a particular focus on amphibious warfare. Historically, the main tasks undertaken by marines have included raiding ashore (often in supp ...

helicopter A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which Lift (force), lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally spinning Helicopter rotor, rotors. This allows the helicopter to VTOL, take off and land vertically, to hover (helicopter), hover, and ...

s. ''Wright'' is outfitted with both a stern ramp and side ports. Their roll-on/roll-off deck runs the complete length of the ship. When outfitted with mobile facilities, the ships can service aircraft while anchored offshore.

Government service

On 27 August 1990, MALS-14 FWD deployed aboard ''Wright'' to the Persian Gulf for Operation Desert Shield. The deployment's complement of Marines included aircraft maintenance and supply specialists from several Marine Corps bases located on the east coast of the United States. After debarking the rotary wing support package in Saudi Arabia, ''Wright'' berthed at the port in Manama, Bahrain where the balance of MALS-14 FWD provided support to Marine Corps squadrons stationed in that country. MALS-14 FWD debarked from ''Wright'' in December 1990 at the port of Al Jubayl to continue operations ashore. MALS-29 (Reinforced) boarded ''Wright Jan 3, 1991. She'' was to remain in port to provide support for other operations in support of Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. From January 2003 to July 2003, approximately 330 Marines, Sailors and civilians comprising Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron (MALS) 14 (-)(Reinforced) Forward, from 12 Marine Corps units and four major bases or air stations were deployed aboard ''Wright'' to provide intermediate level maintenance support – including airframes, avionics, ordnance, aviation life support systems, and aviation supply to Marine Aircraft Group 11 Forward ashore, and to other Marine Corps aviation forces afloat during the Operation Iraqi Freedom. There were approximately 20 to 40 civilian contractors crewing the ship. In December 2002, ''Wright'' departed from Baltimore, Maryland and in January ported in Morehead City, North Carolina. Marines and contractors loaded the ship and departed in January for the Persian Gulf. In November 2012 ''Wright'' was mobilized to support relief operations after

Hurricane Sandy Hurricane Sandy (unofficially referred to as Superstorm Sandy) was an extremely large and devastating tropical cyclone which ravaged the Caribbean and the coastal Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States in late ...

caused damage to the New York/New Jersey region. The ship served as lodging for

American Red Cross The American National Red Cross is a Nonprofit organization, nonprofit Humanitarianism, humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief, and disaster preparedness education in the United States. Clara Barton founded ...

volunteers, Americorps, FEMA corps, Montana Conservation Corps, Washington Conservation Corps and Virginia Military Institute all who were deployed to support the organizations

response. The ship shared a dock near the St George ferry on Staten Island, NY with the USTS ''Kennedy'' which served as lodging for FEMA staff and contractors. In September 2017, ''Wright'' was mobilized to support relief operations with 1.1 million

MRE The Meal, Ready-to-Eat (MRE) is a self-contained individual United States military ration used by the United States Armed Forces and Department of Defense. It is intended for use by American service members in combat or field conditions wher ...

s for the

United States Virgin Islands The United States Virgin Islands, officially the Virgin Islands of the United States, are a group of Caribbean islands and a territory of the United States. The islands are geographically part of the Virgin Islands archipelago and are located ...

after

Hurricane Irma Hurricane Irma was an extremely powerful and devastating tropical cyclone that was the first Category 5 hurricane to strike the Leeward Islands on record, followed by Hurricane Maria, Maria two weeks later. At the time, it was considered ...

and

Hurricane Maria Hurricane Maria was an extremely powerful and devastating tropical cyclone that affected the northeastern Caribbean in September 2017, particularly in the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico, which accounted for 2,975 of the 3,059 deaths. It is the ...

destroyed much of the islands' infrastructure.viconsortium.com
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Awards

Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal The Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal (GWOT-EM) is a United States Armed Forces award created by George W. Bush on 12 March 2003, through Executive Order 13289. The medal recognizes those military service members who have deployed over ...

with star *

Global War on Terrorism Service Medal The Global War on Terrorism Service Medal (GWOT-SM) is a military award of the United States Armed Forces which was created through Executive Order 13289 on 12 March 2003, by President George W. Bush. The medal recognizes those military service ...

Humanitarian Service Medal The Humanitarian Service Medal (HSM) is a military service medal of the United States Armed Forces which was created on January 19, 1977 by President Gerald Ford under . The medal may be awarded to members of the United States military (incl ...

Kuwait Liberation Medal Kuwait Liberation Medal may refer to: *Kuwait Liberation Medal (Kuwait) *Kuwait Liberation Medal (Saudi Arabia) *Medal for the Liberation of Kuwait (Bahrain), see Gulf War military awards#Medal for the Liberation of Kuwait (Bahrain) *Kuwait Libera ...

(Saudi Arabia) *

(Kuwait) *

National Defense Service Medal The National Defense Service Medal (NDSM) is a service award of the United States Armed Forces established by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1953. It was awarded to every member of the U.S. Armed Forces who served during any one of four s ...

with star * Presidential Unit Citation (Operation Iraqi Freedom) *

Southwest Asia Service Medal The Southwest Asia Service Medal (SASM or SWASM) was a military award of the United States Armed Forces which was created by order of President George H.W. Bush on March 12, 1991. The award is intended to recognize those military service member ...

References

External links

fas.org
*
defense.gov
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wright (T-AVB-3) Wright-class aviation logistics support ships Ships built in Pascagoula, Mississippi 1969 ships

History

Government service

Awards

See also

References

External links