Major Stephen W. Pless (T-AK-3007)
Named for Stephen Wesley Pless (6 September 1939 - 20 July 1969) who was a major in the Marine Corps during the Vietnam War. He earned the Medal of Honor as a UH-1 Iroquois "Huey" helicopter pilot for rescuing soldiers trapped by heavy enemy fire. He was the only marine aviator awarded the Medal of Honor in the Vietnam War
(T-AK-3007; displacement 48,754; length 821’; beam 106’; draft 33’; speed 20 knots; complement 26; class SGT Matej Kocak).
The first Major Stephen W. Pless (T-AK-3007) was built by Sun Ship Building Co. Chester, Pa. SS Charles Carroll a Maritime Administration type-C7-S-133a hull under Maritime Administration contract; delivered to the Maritime Administration in 1983 for operation by the Waterman Steamship Corp.; acquired by the Navy under a long-term charter in 1985 and converted by National Steel and Shipbuilding, San Diego, Calif.; placed in service in 1985 under the direction of the Military Sealift Command as Major Stephen W. Pless (AK-3007) and operated by Waterman Steamship Corp.; acquired by Military Sealift Command on 15 January 2009 and placed in service as Major Stephen W. Pless (T-AK-3007).
Major Stephen W. Pless is one of 15 Maritime Prepositioning Ships (MPS), which strategically position Marine Corps equipment and supplies at sea, making them ready for rapid delivery to marines ashore. The ship operated in the western Pacific Ocean as part of MPS Squadron 3. During Exercise Cobra Gold 2009 which ran from 4-17 February 2009, Maj. Stephen W. Pless (T-AK 3007), offloaded 100 pieces of cargo in support of the 3rd Marine Expeditionary Force. Cargo included military assault vehicles, Humvees, trucks and other military vehicles, which were driven down the ship's massive stern ramp to the port of Laem Chabang, Thailand. The exercise was a regularly scheduled joint and coalition multinational exercise hosted by the Kingdom of Thailand with armed forces from Singapore, Japan, Indonesia and the United States participating.
On 17 February and 4 April 2010 the ship delivered hundreds of pieces of Marine Corps cargo in support of Exercise Freedom Banner. The exercise was conducted in two parts between in Mokpo, South Korea and supported by elements of the Okinawa-based 3rd Marine Expeditionary Force. The exercise demonstrated the capabilities of a Marine Air Ground Task Force, using combat equipment and supplies strategically prepositioned aboard Pless. Once the cargo was ashore, it was redeployed to another part of South Korea for use in Marine Corps Exercise Key Resolve/Foal Eagle. Key Resolve/Foal Eagle finished with the back-loading of cargo onto the ship.
Detailed history pending.
Christopher B. Havern Sr.
14 December 2015
