USNS
Sirius (left) and Texas Clipper II
(Galveston)—The Texas A&M University at Galveston training ship was not a school ship long enough to even get a new name.
Sailing as the USNS Sirius, the ship departed Galveston Sept. 10, 2005—just two months after making her maiden voyage to Galveston—to provide lodging and other services for workers restoring the hurricane-torn Gulf Coast.
The ship provided a place for needed rest and relaxation for hundreds of workers in New Orleans from Sept. 10 to Nov. 29. National Guardsmen, Port of New Orleans workers, maritime service workers and FEMA personnel found hot meals, hot showers, clean water, medical services, laundry services, ice, and cool air to help them through the worst of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
On Thanksgiving Day, the ship departed New Orleans for Lake Charles, La., where the previous training ship, still bearing her Texas Aggie identification as the Texas Clipper II, had deployed to assist workers as thousands more people were left homeless and without essential services in the aftermath of Hurricane Rita.
The Texas hospitality of the crew on the USNS Sirius made such an impact that dock workers at the New Orleans port refused to work for two days in protest when they received news that the ship would be moving to Lake Charles.
“Although we never like to encourage a work stoppage, it was a nice compliment to the crew of the USNS Sirius, many of them TAMUG employees, who have given their time and energy to assist our country and those restoring the hurricane-torn Gulf Coast,” said Bowen Loftin, vice president and CEO of the Texas A&M branch campus. “They are doing an outstanding job, and we are looking forward to welcoming them home,”
The
Sirius crew
The USNS Sirius arrived in Lake Charles Nov. 30 and docked beside the Texas Clipper II. While there, the USNS Sirius housed port workers plus students, faculty and staff from McNeese University whose residences were badly damaged by Hurricane Rita.
At 524 feet, the USNS Sirius dwarfs the Texas Clipper II, the 393-foot ship she replaced. The Sirius was recently decommissioned as one of three combat stores ships that traveled all over the world for the U.S. Navy to replenish the supplies of other ships. The ship was originally built in Great Britain as a Royal Navy replenishment ship and was acquired by the U.S. Navy in the late 1970s. The ship has a top speed of 18 knots and displaces about 16,800 tons. The Texas Clipper II has been requested to serve as a survelience ship by the U.S. Military.
As services are being restored to the areas affected by the hurricanes and as hotels and restaurants are opening to care for workers, the ship and crew are slowly decreasing their work and the ship is expected to return to Galveston on March 2. However, the plans have changed many times and the campus is prepared to continue to cooperate with FEMA and the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration to meet the hurricane relief needs on the Gulf Coast.
The hurricanes opened the eyes of many in Washington, D.C., to the usefulness of ships in disaster situations. Because ships are able to sustain their own power, they can provide a very valuable service in times of crisis.
Administrators in Galveston are beginning the process of requesting federal funding to refit the USNS Sirius for her purpose as a training ship but are also working to configure the ship with the ability to provide future disaster relief, including medical care.