USNS Sirius

History
United Kingdom
Name	RFA Lyness (A339)
Namesake	Lyness, Scotland
Builder	Swan, Hunter and Wigham Richardson
Laid down	1 April 1965
Launched	1 April 1966
Commissioned	22 December 1966
Identification	IMO number: 6706888 Pennant number: A339
Fate	Purchased by US, 1 January 1981
United States
Name	USNS Sirius (T-AFS-8)
Namesake	Sirius
Acquired	1 January 1981
In service	18 January 1981
Out of service	1 July 2005
Stricken	1 July 2005
Identification	IMO number: 6706888
Fate	Scrapped 2014
Name	TS Texas Clipper III
Namesake	Texas Clipper
Acquired	2005
Identification	IMO number: 6706888
General characteristics
Displacement	16,680 t. (full load) 10,205 t. (light)
Length	523 ft (159 m) (overall)
Beam	72 ft (22 m)
Draft	26 ft (7.9 m)
Propulsion	one diesel engine, 11,520 brake horsepower (8.6 MW), single propeller
Speed	18 knots (33 km/h)
Complement	123 Civilian, 30-47 Navy (USN service)
Sensors and processing systems	Raytheon SHF navigation radar
Armament	8 pintle mounts, variable numbers of .50 BMG or 7.62×51mm machine guns (USN service)
Aircraft carried	Two CH-46 Sea Knight, MH-60 Seahawk or Aerospatiale Super Puma helicopters (USN service)

USNS Sirius (T-AFS 8) was a Sirius-class combat stores ship of the United States Navy, named for Sirius (α Canis Majoris), the brightest star visible from Earth other than the Sun.

Sirius was built by Swan Hunter & Wigham Richardson for the Royal Navy. Laid down in 1965, she was launched in 1966 from Wallsend as RFA Lyness with the pennant A339 serving in the British Royal Fleet Auxiliary.

On 15 November 1980, the ship was acquired by charter by the United States Military Sealift Command. She was transferred to the U.S. Navy's Military Sealift Command in 1981.

RFA Lyness (A 339) in PASSEX with HMS Intrepid and Deutschland (A 59) in Bay of Biscay, June 1980

Sirius was deactivated and struck from the Naval Vessel Register in 2005 and given to the U.S. Department of Transportation's Maritime Administration (MARAD), then assigned to Texas Maritime Academy under an agreement that it can be activated by MARAD at any time. During the fall of 2005, the Sirius served in New Orleans for Katrina relief, from 10 September until 29 November and at Lake Charles, LA for Rita relief until 2 March. Because of its extended relief effort the 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 as the USTS Texas Clipper III nor could it be used for summer training cruises. In the winter of 2009 the US Coast Guard ruled that the Sirius was unfit for training and was prepared for decommissioning while the school looked for a new training ship. On 25 June 2009, the Sirius was returned to the U.S. Maritime Administration.

Sirius was scrapped at Brownsville on 30 May 2014.

Honors and awards

The USNS Sirius is authorized the following awards:

References

• T.J. Tropea, RM1 (Ret) (19 January 2007). "T-AFS-8 Sirius: History". Navsource.org. Retrieved 13 January 2008.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
• Gary P. Priolo (28 September 2007). "T-AFS-8 Sirius". Navsource.org. Retrieved 13 January 2008.
• "SIRIUS (AFS 8)". Naval Vessel Register. United States Navy. Retrieved 13 January 2008.