CAPE FEAR (AK-5061)
Cape Fear stern elevator. Date and location unknown. MARAD photo.
Year Built
1971
Official Number
530144
Shipyard
Avondale Marine Ways
General Type
Barge Carrier
Specific Type
LASH
MARAD Type
C8-S-81b
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
14790.00 tons
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 España
1976 - 1993: Austral Lightning
1993 - present: Cape Fear (AK-5061)
Photo Captions
1.) Cape Fear stern elevator. MARAD file photo.
2.) Cape Fear berthed at Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet. MARAD file photo
3.) Cape Fear berthed at Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet. MARAD file photo
4.) Cape Fear stern elevator. MARAD file photo.
5.) Cape Fear berthed at Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet. MARAD file photo
6.) Cape Fear berthed at Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet. MARAD file photo.
Vessel Name History
Mission
| Mission Name |
|---|
| Operations Desert Shield/Storm/Sortie |
Historical Documents
| Name | Download |
|---|
Milestones
| Event | Date | Content |
|---|---|---|
|
Ship Name Change
| 1/11/1985 | Ship AUSTRAL LIGHTNING changes name to CAPE FEAR |
|
Acquisition
| 1/11/1985 | |
|
Interim Movement
| 1/28/1997 | Conducting sea trial |
|
Interim Movement
| 1/29/1997 | Completed sea trial |
|
Interim Movement
| 2/25/1997 | ENRTE: SBRF |
|
Interim Movement
| 2/25/1997 | |
|
Interim Movement
| 10/7/1997 | ENRTE: Under tow to Alameda Point |
|
Interim Movement
| 10/7/1997 | At Alameda Point for underwater survey |
|
Interim Movement
| 11/6/1997 | ENRTE: San Francisco Drydock |
|
Interim Movement
| 11/6/1997 | At San Francisco Drydock f/ hull inspect |
|
Interim Movement
| 11/8/1997 | Under tow to SBRF |
|
Interim Movement
| 11/8/1997 | Returned from drydocking |
|
Interim Movement
| 9/11/1998 | No-Notice Turbo Activation 98-3 |
|
Interim Movement
| 9/18/1998 | Conducting sea trial |
|
Interim Movement
| 9/19/1998 | Completed sea trial and will deactivate |
|
Interim Movement
| 12/14/1998 | ENRTE: SBRF following deactivation |
|
Interim Movement
| 12/14/1998 | |
|
Interim Movement
| 7/6/2000 | ENRTE: Shipyard for repairs |
|
Interim Movement
| 7/6/2000 | At Army Terminal Berth 9 for repairs |
|
Interim Movement
| 8/18/2000 | ENRTE: Alameda Point |
|
Interim Movement
| 8/18/2000 | Alameda Point Pier 3 |
|
Interim Movement
| 11/30/2000 | Conducting sea trial |
|
Interim Movement
| 12/2/2000 | Completed sea trial |
|
Interim Movement
| 2/13/2001 | ENRTE: SBRF |
|
Interim Movement
| 2/13/2001 | Returned from shipyard repair |
|
Interim Movement
| 1/31/2002 | Tow to Alameda CA for RRF maintenance |
|
Interim Movement
| 1/31/2002 | In for RRF maintenance |
|
Interim Movement
| 1/7/2003 | ENRTE: San Francisco Drydock |
|
Interim Movement
| 1/7/2003 | |
|
Interim Movement
| 3/5/2003 | Maintenace activation and sea trial |
|
Interim Movement
| 3/6/2003 | Towed back to San Francisco Drydock |
|
Interim Movement
| 3/8/2003 | Maintenance activation sea trial |
|
Interim Movement
| 3/10/2003 | Completed sea trial |
|
Interim Movement
| 9/21/2004 | Commencing Turbo Activation 04-5 sea trial |
|
Interim Movement
| 9/24/2004 | Completed Turbo Activation 04-5 sea trial |
|
| 7/19/2006 | Arrival for downgraded from RRF to NDRF Retention in the Fleet |
|
Interim Movement
| 7/19/2006 | Arrival for downgraded from RRF to NDRF Retention in the Fleet |
|
Interim Movement
| 7/19/2006 | Arrival for downgraded from RRF to NDRF Retention in the Fleet |
|
Logistics Support
| 3/30/2015 | Lifecycle downgrade |
Ship Imagery
Status Cards
Documents
| Date | Type | Name | Download | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (No Date) | Cape_Fear_nrhp_assessment.pdf |
|
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
--
