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United States Naval Ship (USNS) is the prefix designation given to non-commissioned ships that are property of the United States Navy (USN).

Definition

United States Naval Ships are unarmed auxiliary support vessels owned by the U.S. Navy and operated in non-commissioned service by Military Sealift Command with a civilian crew. Some ships include a small military complement to carry out communication and special mission functions, or for force protection.

In comparison, U.S. Navy ships commissioned into military service have the designation "USS", are armed, and are crewed by U.S. Navy personnel. Additionally, the United States Naval Ships hull classification symbol begins with "T-" to denote its civilian crew. The USNS prefix can be assigned only while the ship is owned by the U.S. Navy. If, after being taken out of service, the ship is transferred to the Maritime Administration the prefix reverts to a civilian ship prefix such as the case of SS Comet.

See also

• War Shipping Administration
• United States Merchant Marine
• List of Military Sealift Command ships
• List of United States Navy ships
• Royal Fleet Auxiliary

References

1. "Joint Publication 1-02 Department of Defense Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms". Defense Technical Information Center. 8 November 2010. Archived from the original on March 29, 1997. Retrieved 4 July 2012.
2. "Military Sealift Command: People". Military Sealift Command. 2014. Retrieved 6 November 2014.

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