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General Characteristics Crew List Namesake Image Gallery to end of page| Sorry, no coat of arms available. |  |
USNS ROBERT F. KENNEDY is the fourth ship in the JOHN LEWIS - class of fleet oilers, previously known as the TAO(X) - class. Compared to the first three ships in this class, ROBERT F. KENNEDY's superstructure is two decks lower. These ships are built with double hulls to protect against oil spills and strengthened cargo and ballast tanks. They are equipped with a basic self-defense capability, including crew served weapons, degaussing, and Nixie Torpedo decoys, and have space, weight, and power reservations for Close In Weapon Systems such as SeaRAMs, and an Anti-Torpedo Torpedo Defense System.
| General Characteristics: | Awarded: June 30, 2016 |
| Keel laid: December 5, 2022 | |
| Launched: October 29, 2023 | |
| Delivered: | |
| Builder: National Steel and Shipbuilding Company, San Diego, Calif. | |
| Propulsion system: two Fairbanks-Morse MAN 12V48/60CR diesels | |
| Propellers: two | |
| Length: 746 feet (227.4 meters) | |
| Beam: 106.5 feet (32.4 meters) | |
| Draft: 33.5 feet (10.2 meters) | |
| Displacement: approx. 49,850 tons full load | |
| Speed: 20 knots | |
| Capacity: 162,000 barrels of fuel oil or aviation fuel; 55,662 cu ft of dry cargo storage and 40,099 cu ft of refrigerated cargo | |
| Refueling stations: five, plus two dry cargo transfer rigs | |
| Aircraft: none, but helicopter deck | |
| Armament: .50 machine guns | |
| Crew: 125 (99 civilian mariners plus US Navy detachment) | |
| Homeport: |
back to top go to the end of the pageCrew List:
This section contains the names of sailors who served aboard USNS ROBERT F. KENNEDY. It is no official listing but contains the names of sailors who submitted their information.
back to top go to the end of the pageAbout the Ship's Namesake:
USNS ROBERT F. KENNEDY honors Robert F. Kennedy, an American lawyer and politician who served as the 64th United States Attorney General from January 1961 to September 1964, during his brother John F. Kennedy's presidency, where he advocated for the civil rights movement, fought against organized crime and the Mafia, and involvement in U.S. foreign policy related to Cuba. Following his tenure as Attorney General, he served as a U.S. Senator from New York.
In 1968, Robert Kennedy was considered a frontrunner for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination. During a campaign event in Los Angeles, in June of that year, he was assassinated. A prominent member of the Democratic Party, Robert Kennedy has come to be viewed by some historians as an icon of modern American liberalism.
back to top go to the end of the pageUSNS ROBERT F. KENNEDY Image Gallery:
The photos below were taken by Michael Jenning and show the ROBERT F. KENNEDY under construction at the National Steel and Shipbuilding Company, San Diego, Calif., May 28, 2023
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The photos below were taken by Michael Jenning and show the ROBERT F. KENNEDY under construction at the National Steel and Shipbuilding Company, San Diego, Calif., October 3, 2023
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The photos below were taken by Michael Jenning and show the ROBERT F. KENNEDY under construction at the National Steel and Shipbuilding Company, San Diego, Calif., November 12, 2023
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