USNS John Lewis to return to active service following PSA
Built by General Dynamics NASSCO, USNS John Lewis was launched in January 2021 and commissioned in July 2022. (Photo: General Dynamics NASSCO/US Navy)
First-in-class Military Sealift Command (MSC) vessel set for return to service following a PSA carried out by Vigor at Swan Island.
US Navy replenishment oiler USNS John Lewis (TAO-205), part of the MSC fleet of support ships and the lead ship of her class, will return to active service following the completion of a Post-Shakedown Availability (PSA) by Pacific Northwest-base shipyard operator Vigor.
The work was carried out over an eight-month period at Swan Island in Oregon and began in the second half of 2023. The availability focused on systems improvements and post-delivery upgrades to improve the vessel’s operability. More than 200 skilled workers supported work on the oiler.
According to Shephard Defence Insight, the US Navy has planned to replace 15 legacy TAO-187-class navy fleet-replenishment oilers with 20 TAO-205 vessels. USNS John Lewis, namesake of its class, was commissioned in July 2022 and was equipped with a NIXIE Torpedo Countermeasure System and Advanced Degaussing System (Anti-Mine) to protect against magnetically fused sea mines.
Adam Beck, EVP of ship repair for Vigor, remarked: “Completing John Lewis represents a milestone as we head into a new class of vessel. These availabilities not only ensure we maintain a strong fleet, they support hundreds of family wage jobs in Portland and all around the Pacific Northwest.”
USNS Henry J. Kaiser, namesake of the previous generation of replenishment oilers, has also been undergoing an availability at Vigor’s Swan Island shipyard. Vigor has also been carrying out work to two more oilers, USNS Mercy and USNS Washington Chambers.
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