MV Cape Hudson
 MV Cape Hudson on 19 July 1991
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | Cape Hudson |
| Namesake | Cape Hudson |
| Owner | United States Department of Transportation United States Maritime Administration |
| Builder | Tangen Verft |
| Launched | 20 September 1978 |
| Completed | 1979 |
| Acquired | December 1986 |
| Commissioned | 15 August 1990 |
| Renamed | from Barber Taif |
| Identification |
|
| Fate | Still in Govt. Service under MARAD as of 2024 |
| Status | Laid in San Francisco, in ROS-5 status |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Cape H-class roll-on/roll-off |
| Tonnage | 39,889 GT |
| Displacement | 51,007 long tons |
| Length | 749 feet |
| Beam | 105 feet inches |
| Draft | 35 feet |
| Propulsion | Diesel, single propeller |
| Speed | 17.4 knots |
| Range | Not Disclosed |
| Complement | 27 civilian mariners |
| Armament | none |
| Armor | none |
| Aircraft carried | none |
MV Cape Hudson (T-AKR-5066) was originally built as a commercial ship in 1979 and sold to the Wilhelmsen Line with the name Barber Taif. She has two sister ships named MV Cape Henry and MV Cape Horn.
Construction and career
It served as a merchant ship until it was purchased by the US Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration in December 1986.
On 15 August 1990, she was reactivated for Operation Desert Storm and Operation Desert Shield until 20 May 1992.
She conducted anchor tests south of Angel Island, San Francisco Bay on 28 July 2007.
From there it was later transferred to the Maritime Administrations Ready reserve fleet and assigned to San Francisco.
As of 2024 the vessel is still in service under the United States Maritime Administration (MARAD)
Further reading
- MARAD registry entry for the Cape Hudson: https://vesselhistory.marad.dot.gov/ShipHistory/Detail/750
- (https://web.archive.org/web/20120616101648/http://www.msc.navy.mil/inventory/ships.asp?ship=37) Military Sealift Command Ship Inventory
- (http://www.navsource.org/archives/09/54/545066.htm) NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive
This article includes information collected from the Naval Vessel Register, which, as a U.S. government publication, is in the public domain. The entry can be found here.
References
- ^ "The Military Sealift Command-chartered vehicle cargo ship CAPE HUDSON (T-AKR-5066) lies tied up at the pier during unloading operations. The CAPE HUDSON transported the tanks and other equipment back from the Persian Gulf region, where they were used in Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm". The U.S. National Archives. 19 July 1991. Retrieved 15 April 2021.