The vessel docked at the Helski I Quay overnight, and the purpose of the visit is to pick up military equipment from the 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, Devil Brigade (1st ABCT), 3rd Infantry Division, U.S. Army, from Fort Stewart, Georgia, which was delivered during its first visit to Poland on December 28, 2024.
Photo: Michał Szafran, MILMAG
USNS Red Cloud (T-AKR 313) is one of eight transport ships (vehicle cargo ships) of the LMSR (Large, Medium-Speed Roll-on/Roll-off) class built by NASSCO (National Steel and Shipbuilding Company, a subsidiary of General Dynamics) between 1996 and 2002, operated by the auxiliary forces of the NFAF (Naval Fleet Auxiliary Force) of the U.S. Navy’s Military Sealift Command (MSC).
The ship is 290 meters long, 32.3 meters wide, with a draft of 10.4 meters and a full displacement of 62,970 tons. Its propulsion consists of two GE LM2500-30 gas turbines, providing a total power output of 47,072 kW (64,000 horsepower), allowing a maximum speed of 24 knots and a range of 13,800 nautical miles (at the time, these were the largest ships with this type of propulsion). The civilian crew consists of 26 members (with the capacity to increase to 45), as well as 50 officers and sailors from the U.S. Navy (with the ability to accommodate up to 300 soldiers if needed).
The ship’s internal deck capacity is 36,511 square meters, allowing the transport of 13,260 tons of cargo, including 58 tanks, 48 other tracked vehicles, and 900 trucks/off-road vehicles. The ship has a helicopter deck and two double Hägglunds cranes with a maximum lifting capacity of 55 tons.
The keel of the ship was laid on June 29, 1998, it was launched on August 7, 1999, and entered service on January 18, 2000. It is the fourth ship of its type. Its namesake is Sergeant Mitchell Red Cloud Jr. (1924–1950), a Native American, U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Army soldier, a participant in World War II and the Korean War, who was killed in action near Ch’ŏngch’ŏn-gang and posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.
Other ships of this type include: USNS Watson (T-AKR-310), Sisler (T-AKR-311), Dahl (T-AKR-312), Charlton (T-AKR-314), Watkins (T-AKR-315), Pomeroy (T-AKR-316), and Sodermon (T-AKR-317). They were named in honor of distinguished U.S. military personnel who were killed in action in the 20th century and posthumously received the Medal of Honor.
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