Wednesday, September 21, 2005

Norway Mans Fast Sealift


Strategypage says Norway is manning America's newest fast attack transports, the T-AKR class:

The Maersk Line, a Norfolk, Virginia ship management firm (owned by the Norwegian equivalent of the Social Security Administration), has won the contract to staff and run the U.S. Navy’s eight T-AKR class fast transports (Algol , Altair, , Antares, Bellatrix, Capella, Denebola, Pollux and Regulus). Maersk Line will get $3.25 million a year to provide a crew (42 sailors) for each ship, as well as maintenance and repairs.

Hopefully Norway won't protest our next war. This is from the Navy Fact File:

The Fast Sealift Ships are the fastest cargo ships in the world. The ships can travel at speed of up to 33 knots and are capable of sailing from the U.S. East Coast to Europe in just six days, and to the Persian Gulf via the Suez Canal in 18 days, thus ensuring rapid delivery of military equipment in a crisis. Combined, all eight Fast Sealift Ships can carry nearly all the equipment needed to outfit a full Army mechanized division.