Keystone State III (T-ACS-1)
1984–
The third U.S. Navy ship named Keystone State, a nickname for the state of Pennsylvania.
III
(T-ACS-1: displacement 31,500; length 669'; beam 76'; draft 33'; speed 17 knots; complement 32; armament none; class Keystone State)
Keystone State (T-ACS-1) was laid down as breakbulk container ship President Harrison (MA-166) on 23 January 1965 at San Diego, Calif., by National Steel & Shipbuilding Co.; launched on 2 October 1965; entered service with American President Lines, Inc., on 25 April 1966; acquired by the Maritime Administration on 19 July 1982; laid-up in the Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet, Calif., and then transferred to the James River Reserve Fleet, Va.; converted to an auxiliary crane ship at Bay Shipbuilding Co., Sturgeon Bay, Wisc., March 1983–8 May 1984; reclassified to T-ACS-1 on 21 October 1983; renamed Keystone State on 27 December 1983; and was placed in service with the Military Sealift Command (MSC) on 8 May 1984.
Phil Patton, Military Sealift Command Pacific’s force protection director, traveled to Alameda, Calif., on 13 September 2011, where he attended the activation of and conducted force protection spot checks on three of the Maritime Administration’s crane ships: Gem State (T-ACS-1), Grand Canyon State (T-ACS-1), and Keystone State. The force protection assessment results assisted the MSC and the Maritime Administration in improving the activation process. Keystone State is maintained in a five-day readiness status at Alameda, Calif.
Detailed history pending.
Mark L. Evans
6 January 2016
