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MV Cape Ray (T-AKR 9679)

- formerly SAUDI MAKKAH, formerly SEASPEED ASIA -

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Built in 1977, the ship was delivered to Saudi Arabia's National Ship Co. as MV SEASPEED ASIA. Later renamed SAUDI MAKKAH, she was purchased by the Maritime Administration in 1993 and was subsequently converted for military use. Renamed MV CAPE RAY (T-AKR 9679), she was assigned to the Ready Reserve Force on December 17, 1994. Since then, she is maintained in reduced operating status in a layberth at Portsmouth, Va. If required, she can be fully activated within 5 days.

In late 2013, the CAPE RAY was equipped with the Field Deployable Hydrolysis System, which was designed by the US Defense Department to neutralize components used in chemical weapons. The CAPE RAY was part of the US' offer to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons to destroy some of Syria's chemical weapons. The work would then be done in a Mediterranean port.

General Characteristics:Built: 1977
Builder: Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd., Japan
Purchased by MARAD: 1993
Propulsion system: two Diesel engines
Propellers: one
Length: 648 feet (197.5 meters)
Beam: 105 feet (32 meters)
Draft: 32 feet (9.75 meters)
Displacement: approx. 35,350 long tons full load
Speed: 16+ knots
Aircraft: none
Armament: none
Crew: 9 civilian mariners in ROS; 29 civilian mariners when activated
Homeport: Portsmouth, Va.


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Crew List:

This section contains the names of sailors who served aboard MV CAPE RAY. It is no official listing but contains the names of sailors who submitted their information.


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The photo below was taken by me and shows the CAPE RAY at her layberth at Portsmouth, Va., on October 27, 2010.



The photo below was taken by me and shows the CAPE RAY at her layberth at Portsmouth, Va., on May 6, 2012.



The photos below were taken by Michael Jenning and show the CAPE RAY at her layberth at Portsmouth, Va., on October 28, 2013.



The photos below were taken by me and show the CAPE RAY arriving at Bremen, Germany, to offload the remains of the neutralized Syrian chemcial weapons. The ship neutralized more than 600 metric tons of the chemicals while in the Mediterranean and subsequently transported them to Finland and Germany for final disposal. The photos were taken on September 4, 2014.



The photos below were taken by Michael Jenning and show the CAPE RAY at her layberth at Portsmouth, Va., on October 6, 2015.



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