Skip to main content
Naval History and Heritage Command

Naval History and Heritage Command

Related Content
Topic
Document Type
  • Ship History
Wars & Conflicts
File Formats
Location of Archival Materials

Patuxent III (T-AO-201)

1994–

The third U.S. Navy ship named for the river in the state of Maryland that is a tributary of the Chesapeake Bay.

III

(T-AO-201: displacement 9,500; length 677'; beam 97'; draft 35'; speed 20 knots; complement 103; armament 1 .50-caliber machine gun, 2 20 millimeter Phalanx close in weapon system (CIWS); class Henry J. Kaiser)

Patuxent (T-AO-201) was laid down on 16 October 1991 at New Orleans, La., by Avondale Shipyard, Inc.; launched on 23 July 1994; and sponsored by Senator Barbara A. Mikulski of Maryland. Patuxent was the first of three ships in the class of eighteen—the other two being Laramie (T-AO-203) and Rappahannock (T-AO-204)—to be built with a double hull required by the Oil Pollution Act of 1990. Hull separation is 6 feet at the sides and 6 feet 6 inches at the bottom, reducing her liquid cargo capacity by about 21,000 barrels from that of the 15 single-hull ships in the class.

Patuxent entered non-commissioned U.S. Navy service under the control of the Military Sealift Command (MSC) with a primarily civilian crew on 21 June 1995. She serves in the United States Atlantic Fleet.

On 12 July 2010, Detyens Shipyards, Inc. of North Charleston, S.C. received a $6.85 million firm-fixed-price contract for a 55-calendar day regular drydocking and overhaul of Patuxent. Work performed included preservation of ballast and potable water tanks, propeller maintenance and main engine overall.

On 16 October 2012, during an underway replenishment with Patuxent, a line parted from Harry S. Truman (CVN-75) injuring four sailors. Two of the injured were medevaced to Naval Air Station (NAS), Jacksonville, Fla. for treatment while another one was flown to NAS Norfolk, Va. The fourth sailor was treated on board.

Detailed history under construction.

Paul J. Marcello

30 November 2015

Published: Wed Dec 02 10:39:09 EST 2015