USNS Matthew Perry Delivers Early

Navy NewsStand

Story Number: NNS100225-14
Release Date: 2/25/2010 2:56:00 PM

From Naval Sea Systems Command Public Affairs

WASHINGTON (NNS) -- The Navy officially accepted USNS Matthew Perry (T-AKE 9) Feb. 24 during a ceremony at the General Dynamics-NASSCO shipyard in San Diego.

The ship delivered more than a month ahead of the contract delivery date.

"Matthew Perry is an incredibly well-built ship, so it's no surprise that delivery occurred well ahead of schedule," said Frank McCarthey, the Auxiliary Ships, Small Boats and Craft program manager for the Navy's Program Executive Office (PEO) Ships. "The early delivery can be attributed to our continued focus on affordability and production control."

Matthew Perry completed acceptance trials Jan. 29, departing from and returning to the shipyard following a two-day underway period. During trials, the ship successfully demonstrated a variety of systems including main propulsion, engineering, ship control systems and crew support.

NASSCO is currently under contract for the construction of the T-AKE class. A total of 14 T-AKEs are expected to be procured, 12 of which are under construction contracts. The program, managed by PEO Ships, has delivered nine ships of the class to Military Sealift Command (MSC).

As an auxiliary support ship operated by the MSC, T-AKEs directly contribute to the ability of the Navy to maintain a forward presence. In its primary mission role, T-AKEs provides logistic lift to deliver cargo, ammunition, food, fuel, repair parts, ship store items, and other materials to U.S. and allied Navy ships at sea. The ship is designed to operate independently for extended periods at sea and can carry and support two helicopters to conduct vertical replenishment. The class is providing effective fleet underway replenishment capability at a low life cycle cost compared to the auxiliary ships they are replacing.

PEO Ships is responsible for the development and acquisition of U.S. Navy surface ships and works in conjunction with its industry partners to achieve steady production for all programs to increase production efficiencies and leverage cost savings. Delivering high-quality warfighting assets while balancing affordability and capability is key to supporting the Navy's Maritime Strategy and attaining the Navy's 313-ship force structure. PEO Ships is committed to delivering quality ships at an affordable price.