USNS William McLean (T-AKE 12) in October 2013
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History | |
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Name | William McLean |
Namesake | William McLean[1] |
Awarded | 12 December 2008[2] |
Builder | National Steel and Shipbuilding[2] |
Laid down | 23 March 2010[2] |
Launched | 16 April 2011[3] |
Sponsored by | Margaret Taylor[3] |
In service | 28 September 2011 |
Homeport | Naval Weapons Station Earle, Colts Neck, NJ |
Identification |
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Motto | Si Vis Pacem • Para Bellum |
Status | In service U.S. Atlantic Fleet |
Badge | |
General characteristics | |
Class and type | Lewis and Clark-class cargo ship |
Displacement |
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Length |
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Beam |
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Draft |
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Propulsion | Integrated propulsion and ship service electrical system, with generation at 6.6 kV by FM/MAN B&W diesel generators; one fixed pitch propeller; bow thruster[2] |
Speed | 20 knots (37 km/h) |
Range |
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Capacity |
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Complement | 0 military, 130 civilian[2] |
Electronic warfare & decoys | Nulka decoy launchers (space allocated but not installed) |
Armament |
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Aircraft carried | two helicopters, either Sikorsky MH-60S Knighthawk or Aerospatiale Puma |
USNS William McLean (T-AKE 12) is a Lewis and Clark-class dry cargo ship of the United States Navy, named in honor of William McLean, a United States Navy physicist, who conceived and developed the heat-seeking Sidewinder missile. The contract to build William McLean was awarded to National Steel and Shipbuilding Company on 12 December 2008.[2] William McLean was launched on 16 April 2011, sponsored by Dr. McLean's niece, Margaret Taylor.[3] The ship was delivered to the Military Sealift Command (MSC) on 28 September 2011.[4]