USTS ''Kennedy'' ''(T-AK-5059)'',

callsign In broadcasting and radio communications, a call sign (also known as a call name or call letters—and historically as a call signal—or abbreviated as a call) is a unique identifier for a transmitter station. A call sign can be formally assi ...

KVMU, IMO number 6621662, is a former commercial freighter and a current training vessel of the

United States Maritime Service The United States Maritime Service (USMS) was established in 1938 under the provisions of the Merchant Marine Act of 1936 as voluntary training organization to train individuals to become officers and crewmembers on merchant ships that form the ...

Construction and Early Years

United States Training Ship ''Kennedy'' was laid down in 1964 as ''Velma Lykes'', a

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)

break bulk cargo In shipping, break-bulk, breakbulk, or break bulk cargo, also called general cargo, are goods that are stowed on board ships in individually counted units. Traditionally, the large numbers of items are recorded on distinct bill of lading, bil ...

freighter type (C4-S-66a) hull under Maritime Administration contract (MA 182) at

Avondale Industries Avondale Shipyard was an independent shipbuilding company, acquired by Litton Industries, in turn acquired by Northrop Grumman Corporation. In 2011, along with the former Ingalls Shipbuilding, the yard was part of Huntington Ingalls Industries. It ...

New Orleans, LA New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

. She was delivered to

Lykes Brothers Steamship Company Lykes Bros. Steamship Co., also called Lykes Lines, was a cargo shipping company acting from the beginning of the 20th century to 2005 having its main business in the trade to and from the United States. History In 1898, the sons of Dr. Howell ...

in 1966. She was known as ''Velma Lykes'' until the vessel was reacquired by MARAD and she was renamed ''Cape Bon''.

Government Service

The SS Cape Bon was acquired by the Maritime Administration on 26 June 1985, and was placed in reserve at Suisun Bay, Benicia, CA, as part of the National Defense Reserve Fleet. In September 1985, she was renamed SS Cape Bon (AK-5059). She served the US Government for over 20 years including several tours to the

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as part of the

First Gulf War The Gulf War (1990–1991) was an armed conflict between Iraq and a multinational military coalition led by the United States, triggered by the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in August 1990. Persian Gulf War may also refer to: * Shatt al-Arab conflict ...

. In 2001, ''Cape Bon'' was moved to

Buzzards Bay, MA Buzzards Bay is a census-designated place (CDP) in the town of Bourne in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 3,859 at the 2010 census. It is the most populous of the five CDPs in Bourne. Geography Buzzards Bay i ...

for preparation to replace ''Patriot State'' as the

Training Ship A training ship is a ship used to train students as sailors. The term is mostly used to describe ships employed by navies to train future officers. Essentially there are two types: those used for training at sea and old hulks used to house class ...

for the Massachusetts Maritime Academy. She was converted to be a training ship at Bender Ship Repair in

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, being delivered and christened ''Enterprise'', after the school's original training ship USS ''Enterprise'', on

National Maritime Day Maritime Days are holidays typically established to recognize accomplishments in the sailor, maritime field. Maritime Days include: * China National Maritime Day * European Maritime Day * Indian Maritime Day (5 April) * Mexican National M ...

2003. She was renamed ''Kennedy'' in January 2009 in honor of the

Kennedy Family The Kennedy family () is an American political family that has long been prominent in American politics, public service, entertainment, and business. In 1884, 35 years after the family's arrival from County Wexford, Ireland, Patrick Joseph "P ...

. The TS Kennedy made 23 training cruises with the Massachusetts Maritime Academy. The ship carried thousands of cadets during her service, calling in many Caribbean Island ports as well as making multiple Panama Canal transits. TS Kennedy was transferred to the Texas A&M Maritime Academy on the Galveston Campus of

Texas A&M University Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, TA&M, or TAMU) is a public university, public, Land-grant university, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas, United States. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of ...

in 2023 and departed

Galveston Galveston ( ) is a Gulf Coast of the United States, coastal resort town, resort city and port off the Southeast Texas coast on Galveston Island and Pelican Island (Texas), Pelican Island in the U.S. state of Texas. The community of , with a pop ...

for a 70-day cadet training at sea semester on June 7, 2023. She has served as the academy's training ship since and is expected to remain with Texas A&M until 2025, when the new MARAD training ship MV Lone Star State is scheduled to replace her. Kennedy Anchored in Mayaguez Bay

Relief Work

''Kennedy'' was deployed to New York Harbor in support of

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 ...

relief efforts in 2012 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 ...

Puerto Rico ; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...

in 2017. Its mission was to house first responders and FEMA SCF personnel

References

External links

* http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/facility/buzzards-bay.htm * http://www.maritime.edu/index.cfm?pg=405 * http://wikimapia.org/16879888/USTS-Kennedy * * https://www.tamug.edu/sst/Kennedy.html {{DEFAULTSORT:Kennedy, TS Transports of the United States Navy Merchant ships of the United States Ships of the Massachusetts Maritime Academy Training ships of the United States Ships built in Bridge City, Louisiana 1967 ships