Newest LMSR to be named for Army Medal of Honor recipient
WASHINGTON (USTCNS) --- Secretary of the Navy Richard Danzig has announced that 20th and final ship in a series of new sealift ships for Military Sealift Command will be named for the late Master Sgt. Roy B. Benavidez, who received the Medal of Honor for valor in the Vietnam War.
USNS Benavidez is a 950 foot large, medium speed roll-on/roll-off ship, or LMSR, under construction at Avondale Shipyard in New Orleans, La. It is scheduled to be launched next summer and deliver to MSC in 2002.
Benavidez will undertake the surge sealift mission for MSC, transporting U.S. military combat and combat support equipment overseas during wartime and other contingencies.
The civilian crewed ship will be kept in reduced operating status at a U.S. port, ready for activation in just four days when needed. With such a quick response time, USNS Benavidez and MSC's other LMSRs are strategic assets in maintaining combat readiness.
The Bob Hope-class LMSRs have a cargo capacity of approximately 380,000 square feet, and are capable of carrying an entire U.S. Army armor or air assault battalion. They are equipped with a slewing stern ramp and two side port platforms with movable ramps for driving military vehicles on board.
"Our Bob Hope-class of ships are resolute assets that are always quietly there in the background," said Secretary of the Navy Danzig, announcing the naming. "They are capable of coming forward in a vital way when America calls for reinforcement of its combat needs around the world."
Master Sgt. Roy Benavidez, of Mexican and Yaqui Indian ancestry, was born and raised in Texas. He joined the Army to become a Special Forces soldier and was sent to Vietnam, where he distinguished himself in action on May 2, 1968.
As a staff sgt. with Detachment B56, 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne), 1st Special Forces, Benavidez saved the lives of eight of his comrades in a helicopter evacuation under heavy enemy fire.
Staff Sgt. Benavidez suffered 37 bullet and bayonet puncture wounds while assisting the evacuation. His commanding officer was so certain Benavidez would die before he could receive the Medal of Honor that he nominated the wounded soldier for a Distinguished Service Cross, which could be awarded in a shorter time.
Benavidez was awarded the DSC by Gen. William Westmoreland, Commander Military Forces Vietnam. He survived his wounds and was awarded the Medal of Honor by President Ronald Reagan in 1981.
Roy Benavidez passed away in 1998.
"Master Sgt. Roy Benavidez was a true American hero, rising from humble origins in South Texas to become an Army legend," said Secretary of the Army Louis Caldera. "The Navy's recognition of his selfless service is truly an appropriate tribute to Master Sgt. Benavidez's memory, and to the ideals of our nation that he epitomized."
Military Sealift Command is the ocean transportation provider for the Department of Defense.
The command, part of the U.S. Navy, operates more than 110 active ships around the world. Ship missions vary from the transport and afloat prepositioning of defense cargo; to underway replenishment and other direct support to Navy ships at sea; to at-sea data collection for the U.S. military and other U.S. government agencies. (FROM MILITARY SEALIFT COMMAND PUBLIC AFFAIRS).
USNS Benavidez is a 950 foot large, medium speed roll-on/roll-off ship, or LMSR, under construction at Avondale Shipyard in New Orleans, La. It is scheduled to be launched next summer and deliver to MSC in 2002.
Benavidez will undertake the surge sealift mission for MSC, transporting U.S. military combat and combat support equipment overseas during wartime and other contingencies.
The civilian crewed ship will be kept in reduced operating status at a U.S. port, ready for activation in just four days when needed. With such a quick response time, USNS Benavidez and MSC's other LMSRs are strategic assets in maintaining combat readiness.
The Bob Hope-class LMSRs have a cargo capacity of approximately 380,000 square feet, and are capable of carrying an entire U.S. Army armor or air assault battalion. They are equipped with a slewing stern ramp and two side port platforms with movable ramps for driving military vehicles on board.
"Our Bob Hope-class of ships are resolute assets that are always quietly there in the background," said Secretary of the Navy Danzig, announcing the naming. "They are capable of coming forward in a vital way when America calls for reinforcement of its combat needs around the world."
Master Sgt. Roy Benavidez, of Mexican and Yaqui Indian ancestry, was born and raised in Texas. He joined the Army to become a Special Forces soldier and was sent to Vietnam, where he distinguished himself in action on May 2, 1968.
As a staff sgt. with Detachment B56, 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne), 1st Special Forces, Benavidez saved the lives of eight of his comrades in a helicopter evacuation under heavy enemy fire.
Staff Sgt. Benavidez suffered 37 bullet and bayonet puncture wounds while assisting the evacuation. His commanding officer was so certain Benavidez would die before he could receive the Medal of Honor that he nominated the wounded soldier for a Distinguished Service Cross, which could be awarded in a shorter time.
Benavidez was awarded the DSC by Gen. William Westmoreland, Commander Military Forces Vietnam. He survived his wounds and was awarded the Medal of Honor by President Ronald Reagan in 1981.
Roy Benavidez passed away in 1998.
"Master Sgt. Roy Benavidez was a true American hero, rising from humble origins in South Texas to become an Army legend," said Secretary of the Army Louis Caldera. "The Navy's recognition of his selfless service is truly an appropriate tribute to Master Sgt. Benavidez's memory, and to the ideals of our nation that he epitomized."
Military Sealift Command is the ocean transportation provider for the Department of Defense.
The command, part of the U.S. Navy, operates more than 110 active ships around the world. Ship missions vary from the transport and afloat prepositioning of defense cargo; to underway replenishment and other direct support to Navy ships at sea; to at-sea data collection for the U.S. military and other U.S. government agencies. (FROM MILITARY SEALIFT COMMAND PUBLIC AFFAIRS).
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