US Navy’s Most Unique Ship Looks Like Noah’s Ark
The U.S. Navy’s most unique ship is headed from Mississippi to Japan. Named APL 67, this brick-shaped ship is known as a berthing barge and is quite similar to Noah’s Ark.
This special vessel has been designed to accommodate sailors when their warships are temporarily uninhabitable.
The APL 67 is grey white. It is 267 feet long and 68.7 feet wide. It rises about four stories above the water and is primarily featureless.
Its enormous size has led many to compare it to Noah’s Ark. (The Ark, was considerably huge 525 feet and 87 feet wide measurements.)
VT Halter Marine, an American shipbuilding company, constructed it in Pascagoula, Mississippi.
Presently, it is travelling to San Diego Naval Base and will then travel across to Fleet Activity Yokosuka, Japan. Fleet Activity Yokosuka across the Pacific Ocean is home to the Seventh Fleet of the U.S. Navy.
The ship has no engine, sensors, or weapons. It is most like to never leave the port. But it can still accommodate a total of 74 officers and 537 enlisted personnel on board. Sailors will stay on the barge for short periods while their assigned ships are undergoing maintenance work.
The vessel will be a favourable temporary residence for crew members who need to live nearby the port for ant inter-deployment training cycles or respond immediately to emergencies. The barge is also towable to any new location and put up as living quarters for the sailors.
For instance, when the ship goes to Yokosuka, Japan, the Navy will not have to seek out 300 hotel rooms for the crew. It can easily act as a floating hotel. In addition to that, the barges are also usable for humanitarian purposes and many other temporary projects.
The U.S. Navy hold several barges across the globe. APL 67 is one such barge of the four that is specifically built for the Navy. It is constructed by VT Halter Marine.
Reference: US Navy
Latest Shipping News
