Silas Bent-class survey ship
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{{Infobox ship image |Ship image=300px |Ship caption=USNS Elisha Kent Kane (T-AGS-27) underway in 1984 }} {{Infobox ship characteristics |Hide header = |Header caption = |Ship class = |Ship type = AGS-26 (Silas Bent) class survey ship |Ship tonnage = 1,935 tons |Ship displacement = 2,580 tons |Ship length = {{cvt|285|ft|3|in}} |Ship beam = {{cvt|48|ft}} |Ship height = |Ship draught = |Ship draft = {{cvt|15|ft}} |Ship depth = |Ship hold depth = |Ship decks = |Ship deck clearance = |Ship ramps = |Ship ice class = |Ship power = |Ship propulsion = ALCO diesels, Allis-Chalmers electric drive, single shaft. SHP approx. 3000 + 350 SHP trainable and retractable, gas turbine powered, bow propulsion unit to assist station-keeping and ultra-quiet ship operations. |Ship sail plan = |Ship speed = 15 knots |Ship range = |Ship endurance = |Ship test depth = |Ship boats = |Ship capacity = |Ship troops = |Ship complement = 44 crew, 26 scientific party |Ship crew = |Ship time to activate = |Ship sensors = |Ship EW = |Ship armament = None |Ship armour = |Ship armor = |Ship aircraft = |Ship aircraft facilities = |Ship notes = }} |
The Silas Bent class is frequently found applied to four ships though the Naval Vessel Register and some sources officially break them into the subclasses of AGS-26{{cite web |url={{Naval Vessel Register URL|id=AGS26}} |title=SILAS BENT (AGS-26) |work=Naval Vessel Register |publisher=U.S. Navy |access-date=4 March 2012}} and AGS-33.{{cite web |url={{Naval Vessel Register URL|id=AGS33}} |title=WILKES (AGS 33) SURVEYING SHIP |work=Naval Vessel Register |publisher=U.S. Navy |access-date=4 March 2012}} Silas Bent was the first of the first four purpose built ships for U.S. Navy surveys. Previous ships had been modifications of various naval types.
''Bent'' (AGS-26) and ''Kane'' (AGS-27)
Two ships were built to essentially the same design at two different yards.
- USNS Silas Bent (T-AGS-26) was laid down at the American Shipbuilding Corp, Cleveland, Ohio, 2 March 1964, launched, 15 May 1964 and delivered to the Navy 23 July 1965.{{cite web |url=http://www.navsource.net/archives/09/10/1026.htm |title=USNS Silas Bent (T-AGS-26) |website=NavSource |access-date=4 March 2012}}
- {{USNS|Kane|T-AGS-27}} was laid down at Christy Corporation, Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, 19 December 1964, launched 20 November 1965 and delivered to the Navy, 19 May 1967.{{cite web |url=http://www.navsource.net/archives/09/10/1027.htm |title=USNS Elisha Kent Kane (T-AGS-27) |website=NavSource |access-date=4 March 2012}}{{cite web |url= {{Naval Vessel Register URL|id=AGS27}} |title= Kane AGS-27 |website= Naval Vessel Register |access-date= 4 July 2015 }}
''Wilkes'' (AGS-33) and ''Wyman'' (AGS-34)
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{{Infobox ship image |Ship image=300px |Ship caption=NAVOCEANO (Naval Oceanographic Office) Bulletin, March 1994 photo of USNS Wyman (T-AGS-34) captioned: "Refurbishments provides ship with extensive shallow-water survey capability" }} {{Infobox ship characteristics |Hide header = |Header caption = |Ship class = |Ship type = AGS-33 Wilkes class survey ship |Ship tonnage = 1,935 tons |Ship displacement = 2,540 tons |Ship length = {{cvt|286|ft|7+1/2|in}} |Ship beam = {{cvt|48|ft}} |Ship height = |Ship draught = |Ship draft = {{cvt|17|ft}} (including sonar domes) |Ship depth = |Ship hold depth = |Ship decks = |Ship deck clearance = |Ship ramps = |Ship ice class = |Ship power = |Ship propulsion = ALCO diesels, Allis-Chalmers electric drive, single shaft. SHP approx. 3400 + bow propulsion unit. |Ship sail plan = |Ship speed = 15 knots |Ship range = |Ship endurance = |Ship test depth = |Ship boats = |Ship capacity = |Ship troops = |Ship complement = 42 crew, 28 scientific party |Ship crew = |Ship time to activate = |Ship sensors = |Ship EW = |Ship armament = None |Ship armour = |Ship armor = |Ship aircraft = |Ship aircraft facilities = |Ship notes = }} |
The AGS-26 and AGS-33 (Wilkes) subclass ships were externally almost identical with slightly different modernized internal configuration reflecting their being laid down (July 1968) three years after Bent's delivery to the Navy 23 July 1965 (See photos at references). The two AGS-33 ships are USNS Wilkes (T-AGS-33){{cite web |url=http://www.navsource.net/archives/09/10/1033.htm |title=USNS Wilkes (T-AGS-33) |website=NavSource |access-date=4 March 2012}} and USNS Wyman (T-AGS-34){{cite web |url=http://www.navsource.net/archives/09/10/1034.htm |title=USNS Wyman (T-AGS-34) |website=NavSource |access-date=4 March 2012}}
USNS Wilkes (AGS-33) and USNS Wyman (AGS-34) were laid down on the same day, 18 July 1968, at the same shipyard, Defoe Shipbuilding Company, Bay City, Michigan.
- USNS Wilkes was launched on 31 July 1969 & delivered to the Navy on 28 June 1971.
- USNS Wyman was launched on 30 October 1969, delivered to the Navy on 3 November 1971, and scrapped by 1 October 2014.
Configuration and Data Systems
The ships were designed to be capable of surveys supporting hydrographic and bathymetric charting and oceanographic requirements. They differed chiefly in installed equipment and systems, particularly data acquisition systems.
The initial Bent installation was a prototype "Shipboard Survey System" based on a standard Navy AN/UYK computer.{{cite web |url=http://www.navsource.net/archives/09/10/1026i.htm |title=USNS Silas Bent (T-AGS-26) Introduction Brochure |author=Naval Oceanographic Office |date=11 February 1966 |work=Naval Oceanographic Office pub. dated 11 February 1966 |publisher=Naval Oceanographic Office (copy hosted at NavSource) |access-date=4 March 2012}}
Later Bent was equipped with the Oceanographic Data Acquisition System (ODAS), operational 1971, as were the later oceanographic survey ships Kane and Wilkes. The Wyman replaced USNS Sgt. George D Keathley (T-AGS-35) for geophysical, particularly gravity, and bathymetric surveys.{{cite book |title=The Federal Ocean Program : The Annual Report of the President to the Congress on the Nation's Efforts to Comprehend, Conserve, and Use the Sea |last=United States, President |year=1972 |publisher=Government Printing Office |location=Washington, D.C. |pages=66–68 |url=https://archive.org/download/federaloceanprog1972unit/federaloceanprog1972unit.pdf }}
Wyman was equipped first with the Hydrographic Data Acquisition System (HYDAS){{cite web |url=http://www.navsource.net/archives/09/10/09103404.jpg |title=USNS Wyman (T-AGS-34) Welcome Aboard brochure, inside pages (.jpg image) |author=Naval Oceanographic Office |publisher=Naval Oceanographic Office (copy hosted at NavSource) |access-date=4 March 2012}} that was replaced in the mid-1970s by a new narrow beam swath system with its own specialized data acquisition system. The swath array, replacing the single beam system, was the Bottom Topography Survey Subsystem (BOTOSS) and the processing system, replacing HYDAS, was the Bathymetric Survey System (BASS).{{cite web |url=http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=ADA024853 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120227061942/http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=ADA024853 |url-status=dead |archive-date=February 27, 2012 |title=ARL Technical Support during BOTOSS (abstract) |author=Sullivan, Roy L. |date=29 Apr 1976 |access-date=4 March 2012}}
See also
- [https://archive.org/stream/federaloceanprog1972unit#page/n0/mode/2up The Federal Ocean Program, April 1972]
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20020203124702/http://patriot.net/~eastlnd2/Bent.htm Silas Bent (TAGS 26) Class]
- [http://www.navsource.net/archives/09/10/1026i.htm NavSource: USNS Silas Bent (T-AGS-26) Introduction Brochure]
- {{navsource|09/10/1034}}
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20020203124702/http://patriot.net/~eastlnd2/Bent.htm Silas Bent (TAGS 26) Class]
References
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Category:Survey ships of the United States Navy
Category:Oceanographic research ships of the United States Navy