SEA LIFT (LSV-9)


Default Generic Ship Image
Year Built
1967
Official Number
986933
Shipyard
Lockheed Corporation
General Type
Roll On - Roll Off (RO/RO)
Specific Type
Roll On/Roll Off
MARAD Type
--
Ship Length
539.60 feet
Beam
83.00 feet
Mast Height
--
Net Tons
11505.00 tons
Gross Tons
16467.00 tons
Cargo Capacity
77578.00 square feet
Draft, Summer
29.08 tons
Draft, Lightweight
--
Displacement, Summer
21480.00 tons
Displacement, Lightweight
9154.00 tons
Immersion, Summer
--
Immersion, Lightweight
--
Fate
Scrapped

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.

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

METEOR (T-AKR-9)

SEA LIFT (LSV-9)

Mission

No Mission for this vessel

Historical Documents
Name Download

Milestones


Event Date Content
Completed
4/25/1967 Completed by Lockheed Shipbuilding
Ship Name Change
9/12/1975 Ship SEA LIFT changes name to METEOR

Ship Imagery


No images for this vessel



Status Cards



Documents


Date Type Name Download
12/11/2013 Meteor National Register Eligibility Assessment.pdf Default Generic Download Image

Plans


No documents for this vessel


Shipwreck Information


No ship wreck information for this vessel