USNS Niagara Falls (T-AFS 3)

- formerly AFS 3 -
- Military Sealift Command -
- decommissioned -
- sunk as a target -

USNS NIAGARA FALLS was the third ship in the MARS - class of Combat Stores Ships and the last ship in her class to be transferred to the Military Sealift Command on September 23, 1994. The ship was both decommissioned and stricken from the Navy list on September 30, 2008. She spent the following years laid up at Pearl Harbor, Hi., until sunk as a target during RIMPAC 2012 63 nautical miles southwest of Kauai, Hi., on July 14, 2012.

General Characteristics:	Awarded: April 1, 1964
	Keel laid: May 22, 1965
	Launched: March 26, 1966
	Commissioned: April 29, 1967
	MSC "in Service": September 23, 1994
	Decommissioned: September 30, 2008
	Builder: National Steel and Shipbuilding, San Diego, Ca.
	Propulsion system: 3 Babcock & Wilcox boilers, 580 psi (40.8 kg/cm2); 8250F (4400C); 1 De Laval turbine
	Propellers: one
	Length: 581 feet (177 meters)
	Beam: 79 feet (24.1 meters)
	Draft: 25 feet (7.6 meters)
	Displacement: approx. 17,300 tons full load
	Speed: 20 knots
	Aircraft: two CH-46 helicopters
	Armament: none in peacetime
	Capacity: 7,300 tons of cargo
	Crew: 49 Navy personnel, 125 civilian crew

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Crew List:

This section contains the names of sailors who served aboard USNS NIAGARA FALLS. It is no official listing but contains the names of sailors who submitted their information.

Click here to view the list.

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Click here to see which USS / USNS NIAGARA FALLS memorabilia are currently for sale on ebay.

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USS / USNS NIAGARA FALLS Cruise Books:

Cruise Book 1993-94

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Accidents aboard USNS / USS NIAGARA FALLS:

Date	Where	Events
October 31, 1971	Hong Kong	USS NIAGARA FALLS is slightly damaged by a maindeck fire while moored at Hong Kong. The fire is later determined to be caused by arson.
October 27, 2005	Malakal Harbor, Palau	USNS NIAGARA FALLS runs aground while departing Malakal Harbor at 1pm local time, but is able to free itself two days later at 4:20pm. There were no reports of injuries or leakage from the ship. Over the period of two days, the NIAGARA FALLS transferred fuel and cargo aft within the ship, reducing the weight of the forward area of the ship. During the afternoon high tide period on October 29, the ship was able to free itself under its own power and with the assistance of a local tug boat.

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USNS / USS NIAGARA FALLS Patch Gallery:

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USNS / USS NIAGARA FALLS Image Gallery:

The photos below were taken by me and show the NIAGARA FALLS laid-up at Pearl Harbor, Hi., on March 20, 2010. The ship will be sunk as a target.

The photos below were taken by me and show the NIAGARA FALLS laid-up at Pearl Harbor, Hi., on March 6, 2012, roughly 4 months before she was sunk as a target off Kauai.

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