Photo By Hendrick Dickson | Graphic illustration of USNS Sirius (T-AFS 8), a former British Royal Navy that served...... read more read more
USNS Sirius (T-AFS 8) was a British Royal Navy Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) ship built at Swan Hunter and Wigham Richardson at Wallsend-on-Tyne, England, in 1966 as RFA Lyness (A339). It was the first in a class of three stores support ships that served the British Royal Navy for more than a decade.
The U.S. government acquired Lyness in 1981 and renamed the vessel USNS Sirius after the brightest star in the evening sky. Sirius was assigned to Military Sealift Command’s Naval Auxiliary Force.
From 1982-2005 Sirius provided support for the U.S. Navy’s combatant fleet. In 2003, the ship served in the Persian Gulf during Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom. The vessel underwent a major overhaul in 2004 in preparation for continued naval service; however, in early 2005, budget cutbacks forced the Navy to decommission Sirius by the end of that year.
The Maritime Administration (MARAD) obtained the vessel as a prospective replacement training ship for the Texas Maritime Academy at Galveston. The Navy delivered Sirius to MARAD at the Texas Maritime Academy that summer. Within two months, MARAD activated Sirius for emergency relief operations after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita devastated the U.S. Gulf Coast in August and September.
Because of its extended relief effort, Sirius was unable to undergo a refit in 2006 to adapt its new role as a training vessel and comply with U.S. Coast Guard safety standards. Because the Sirius had not undergone a refit, it could not be formally commissioned nor could it be used for summer training cruises. In the winter of 2009 the Coast Guard ruled that the Sirius was unfit for training. Sirius was returned to the MARAD and downgraded to non-retention status. It was moved to Beaumont Reserve Fleet.
On May 5, 2014, Sirius was sold for scrap to ESCO Marine, Inc. The vessel was completely dismantled and all materials were recycled and properly disposed of by Jan. 22, 2015.
| Date Taken: | 06.07.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 06.12.2024 13:38 |
| Story ID: | 473383 |
| Location: | NORFOLK, VIRGINIA, US |
| Web Views: | 131 |
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