AUSTRAL LIGHTNING
Year Built
1971
Official Number
530144
Shipyard
Avondale Marine Ways
General Type
Barge Carrier
Specific Type
LASH
MARAD Type
C9-S-81d
Ship Length
820.00 feet
Beam
100.00 feet
Mast Height
142.00 feet
Net Tons
18710.00 tons
Gross Tons
26410.00 tons
Cargo Capacity
72332.00 square feet
Draft, Summer
35.08 tons
Draft, Lightweight
15.30 tons
Displacement, Summer
44610.00 tons
Displacement, Lightweight
--
Immersion, Summer
142.00 tons
Immersion, Lightweight
104.00 tons
Fate
Still in Govt. Service
Historical Narrative
Cape Fear is a Lighter Aboard Ship (LASH) barge carrier, built for Prudential-Grace Lines in 1971 as Lash Espana. The vessel was later operated by Farrell Lines as Austral Lightning.
LASH vessels aredesigned to act as mother ships for fleets of barges, which were offloaded, and loaded in riverine ports. The LASH concept was well suited to military cargo transport, particularly in littoral and underdeveloped geographic areas.
The Maritime Administration purchased the Austral Lightning in May 1985 and renamed it Cape Fear. As a part of the Ready Reserve Force, the vessel participated in cargo operations during Operation DESERT STORM.
The vessel was downgraded to the National Defense Reserve Fleet in July 2006, where it is currently in emergency sealift status.
Vessel Name History
1971 - 1976: Lash Espana
1976 - 1993: Austral Lightning
1993 - present: Cape Fear (AK-5061)Vessel Name History
Mission
| Mission Name |
|---|
| Operations Desert Shield/Storm/Sortie |
Historical Documents
No documents for this vessel
Milestones
| Event | Date | Content |
|---|---|---|
|
Ship Name Change
| (No Date) | Ship AUSTRAL LIGHTNING changes name to CAPE FEAR |
Ship Imagery
No images for this vessel
Status Cards
Documents
No documents for this vessel
Plans
No documents for this vessel
Shipwreck Information
Vessel Information
Owner
--
Operator
--
Operator Agreement
Unknown
Flag State
--
Incident Information
Incident Date
--
Use at Loss
--
Cause
Still in Govt. Service
Cause Comments
--
Conflict
--
Location of Incident
--
Accuracy of Incident Location
--
Lat/Long
--
Incident Location Comments
--
Lives Lost
--
