USNS Guam (HST-1)

For other ships named Guam operated by the United States Government, see USS Guam.
The Huakai at the Austal USA shipyard
History
United States
Name: Huakai
Owner:
Operator:
Port of registry: Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S.
Builder: Austal USA
Cost: US$88M
Yard number: 616
Way number: 1
Launched: September 29, 2008
Status: Laid Up
Notes: Never entered commercial service
General characteristics
Type: Ferry
Displacement: 1646 Tons
Length: 373 ft (114 m)
Beam: 78 ft (24 m)
Draft: 14 ft (4.3 m)
Decks: 4
Deck clearance: 14 ft (4.3 m)
Installed power: 4 x MTU 20V 8000 M70
Propulsion: 4 x Rolls-Royce KaMeWa 125MkII waterjets
Speed: 35 kn (65 km/h; 40 mph)
Capacity: 866 passengers, 282 cars
Crew: 21

The USNS Guam (HST-1), formerly Hawaii Superferry's Huakai, is a United States Navy high-speed transport vessel.[1] The ship was completed in September 2008 and was intended to start Hawaiian service in May 2009, though delivery postponements saw that planned service canceled. In the Hawaiian language, huakaʻi means "journey".
The design of the Spearhead-class Joint High Speed Vessel is 70 percent in common with the Hawaii Superferries, both built by Austal USA.

Vessel

Huakai was a 373-foot (114 m) long high-speed roll-on / roll-off (Ro/Ro) passenger and vehicle ferry operated by Hawaii Superferry. Huakai had a capacity of 866 passengers and up to 282 subcompact cars. It was 19 feet (5.8 m) longer than its sister ship, Alakai, due to a bi-fold ramp installed on the stern of the ship.[2]

Just like Alakai, the vessel featured environmentally friendly technologies including non-toxic bottom paint, zero wastewater discharge and clean diesel engines.[3]

Austal USA, a subsidiary of Austal, an Australian company that is the world's largest builder of fast ferries, built Huakai. Construction on Huakai began in 2007 in Mobile, Alabama. The ship was intended to enter service in 2009, but due to the abrupt shut down of the company the ship was laid up. Alakai also returned to the Alabama ship yard.[4] On July 2, 2009 Hawaii Superferry decided to abandon the Huakai and Alakai.[5]

Status

Navy Acquisition and Name Change

On January 27, 2012, The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration transferred Huakai and Alakai to the U.S. Navy. The Navy planned to use the vessels to transport troops and equipment to training areas from Okinawa and other locations.[10]

In May 2012, The Navy has announced that it had renamed both Alakai and Huakai. Alakai became USNS Puerto Rico and Huakai became USNS Guam. Guam was modified and replaced the chartered MV Westpac Express in Okinawa in March 2013. Puerto Rico will remain laid up until they work out what to use her for.[1]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Secretary of the Navy Names High Speed Ferries Guam and Puerto Rico – May 2012".
  2. ↑ "Shipping, Shipbuilding And Offshore News". Marinelog.com. 2008-09-30. Retrieved 2013-02-10.
  3. ↑ Hawaii Superferry - Eco-friendly Features
  4. ↑ KGMB9 News (2009-03-28). "Alakai Leaves Hawaii; Heads To Alabama". KGMB9.com. Honolulu, HI, USA: KGMB9. Archived from the original on 2009-06-15. Retrieved 2013-02-10. External link in |work= (help)
  5. ↑ Dicus, Howard (2009-07-01). "Hawaii Superferry abandons ship, and other bankruptcies in the news". KGMB9.com. Howzit Howard. Honolulu, HI, USA: KGMB9. Archived from the original on 2009-10-09. Retrieved 2013-02-09. External link in |work= (help)
  6. ↑ Maritime Administration Prepares Five Ships For Duty, U.S. Department of Transportation, January 18, 2010
  7. ↑ Hawaii Superferry Alakai Becomes Sixth Merchant Ship Activated , U.S. Department of Transportation, January 20, 2010
  8. ↑ U.S. buys more high-speed vessels
  9. ↑ Defense Authorization Act funds transfer of ex-Superferries to Navy
  10. ↑ Navy Gets Two High Speed Vessels from Maritime Administration

External links

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