United States Department of Transportation
METEOR (T-AKR-9)
Historical Narrative
The former USNS Sea Lift, a Roll On/Roll Off (Ro/Ro)
cargo ship, was built by the Lockheed Shipbuilding and Construction Co.,
Seattle, Washington and delivered to the Navy's Military Sea
Transportation Service (MSTS), now the Military Sealift Command (MSC),
on May 19, 1967.
The vessel is a somewhat enlarged and improved version
of the prototype Ro/Ro, USNS Comet. Sea Lift was
assigned to MSTS Pacific, and was engaged in the transportation of
military vehicles throughout the East Asia operating area, including
deliveries to Vietnam.
In 1975, Sea Lift was one of seven ships that formed the first pre-positioning squadron in Diego Garcia, an island in the Indian Ocean; the ship was renamed Meteor to bring its nomenclature into alignment with that of the Comet, and the chartered Ro/Ro vessels Mercury and Jupiter.
Meteor was among a number of MSC cargo vessels
assigned to the Ready Reserve Force (RRF) in fiscal year 1984, with
administrative control transferred to the Maritime Administration. Full
title transfer came in the early 1990s.
Meteor was stationed in
the San Francisco Bay area and participated in numerous RRF exercises,
and in the major deployment for Operations DESERT SHIELD/DESERT STORM.
Meteor was moved from Alameda, California to the Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet in 2003 while still assigned to the RRF in 10-day retention status; however, in 2006 it was downgraded from the RRF program. Initially held in retention status as a "military useful" vessel, it was downgraded to non-retention status in January, 2008.
On July 29, 2015, Meteor was withdrawn from Suisun Bay, destined to be recycled under a scrap services contract by All Star Metals of Brownsville, Texas. Vessel was fully dismantled on April 4, 2016.
The Maritime Administration's National Register Eligibility Assessment for Meteor, available in the Documents section, contains a detailed history of the vessel.
Vessel Name History
1967 - 1975: Sealift (LSV-9)
1975 - present: Meteor (T-AKR-9)
Vessel Name History
No Mission for this vessel
| Name | Expand | Download |
|---|---|---|
| METEOR Profile.pdf |
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| METEOR Decks.pdf |
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Milestones
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Event:
Completed
Date: 4/25/1967 Completed by Lockheed Shipbuilding |
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Event:
Ship Name Change
Date: 9/12/1975 Ship SEA LIFT changes name to METEOR |
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Event:
Acquisition
Date: 8/1/1985 MARAD took title from US Navy |
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Event:
Entered RRF
Date: 10/2/1985 Vessel entered the Ready Reserve Force |
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Event:
Interim Movement
Date: 5/2/1997 Completed bay trial |
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Event:
Interim Movement
Date: 7/15/1997 ENRTE: New outport at Alameda Point |
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Event:
Interim Movement
Date: 7/15/1997 At new permanent outporthomeport |
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Event:
Interim Movement
Date: 3/19/1998 Conducting activation sea trial |
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Event:
Interim Movement
Date: 3/20/1998 Completed activation sea trial |
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Event:
Interim Movement
Date: 9/23/1999 Conducting sea trial |
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Event:
Interim Movement
Date: 9/24/1999 Completed sea trial |
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Event:
Interim Movement
Date: 2/29/2000 Under tow to SBRF |
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Event:
Interim Movement
Date: 2/29/2000 New homeport is SBRF |
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Event:
Interim Movement
Date: 8/9/2001 Tow to San Francisco Drydock for repairs |
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Event:
Interim Movement
Date: 8/9/2001 At San Francisco Drydock |
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Event:
Interim Movement
Date: 10/22/2001 Conducting sea trial |
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Event:
Interim Movement
Date: 10/23/2001 Completed sea trial at Alameda Point CA |
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Event:
Interim Movement
Date: 11/6/2001 Moving up pier approx. 65 feet |
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Event:
Interim Movement
Date: 11/6/2001 Completed pier movement |
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Event:
Interim Movement
Date: 1/31/2002 Under tow to SBRF |
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Event:
Interim Movement
Date: 1/31/2002 Returned from repairs |
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Event:
Interim Movement
Date: 2/11/2003 ENRTE: San Francisco Pier 50 for repairs |
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Event:
Interim Movement
Date: 2/11/2003 |
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Event:
Interim Movement
Date: 4/2/2003 Conducting sea trial |
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Event:
Interim Movement
Date: 4/3/2003 Unsuccessful sea trial | Retrial 4/8/03 |
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Event:
Interim Movement
Date: 5/7/2003 Under tow to Alameda Pier 1 for bunkers |
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Event:
Interim Movement
Date: 5/7/2003 In for bunkering |
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Event:
Interim Movement
Date: 5/15/2003 Under tow to Cascade General Portland OR |
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Event:
Interim Movement
Date: 5/22/2003 In for drydocking |
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Event:
Interim Movement
Date: 6/6/2003 Conducting sea trial to Alameda CA |
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Event:
Interim Movement
Date: 6/8/2003 Completed sea trial from Cascade General |
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Event:
Interim Movement
Date: 8/30/2004 Turbo Activation 04-4 sea trial | MSC OPCON 8/31/04 |
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Event:
Interim Movement
Date: 9/2/2004 Completed Turbo Activaion 04-4 | MARAD OPCON 09-03-04 |
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Event:
Downgraded
Date: 7/25/2006 Downgraded from the RRF to NDRF Retention in the Fleet |
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Event:
Interim Movement
Date: 7/25/2006 Downgraded from the RRF to NDRF Retention in the Fleet |
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Event:
Interim Movement
Date: 7/25/2006 Downgraded from the RRF to NDRF Retention in the Fleet |
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Event:
Stripping Complete
Date: 7/31/2009 Vessel stripping complete. |
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Event:
Disposal
Date: 12/26/2013 Vessel cleared historic review process. |
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Event:
Withdrawal
Date: 7/29/2015 Vessel withdrawn from Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet; to be recycled by All Star Metals of Brownsville, Texas after hull cleaning. |
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Event:
Withdrawal
Date: 4/4/2016 Vessel fully dismantled. |
Ship Imagery
Status Cards
Documents
| Date | Type | Name | Expand | Download | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12/11/2013 | Meteor National Register Eligibility Assessment.pdf |
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| 4/7/1999 | Historical | METEOR Profile.pdf |
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| 4/7/1999 | Historical | METEOR Decks.pdf |
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Plans
No documents for this vessel
Shipwreck Information
No ship wreck information for this vessel
