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USNS Carl Brashear (T-AKE 7)

- Military Sealift Command -


USNS CARL BRASHEAR is the seventh LEWIS AND CLARK - class Dry Cargo / Ammunition Ship and the first ship in the Navy to bear the name.

General Characteristics:Awarded: January 11, 2005
Keel laid: November 2, 2007
Launched: September 18, 2008
Delivered: March 4, 2009
Builder: National Steel and Shipbuilding Company, San Diego, Calif.
Propulsion system: Integrated propulsion and ship service electrical system, with generation at 6.6KV by FM/MAN B&W diesel generators
Propellers: one
Length: 689 feet (210 meters)
Beam: 106 feet (32.31 meters)
Draft: 29.5 feet (9 meters)
Displacement: approx. 41,000 tons full load
Speed: 20 knots
Dry Cargo Capacity: 1,388,000 cubic feet
Fuel Cargo Capacity: 26,000 barrels
Aircraft: two helicopters
Armament: none
Crew: approx. 125 civilians and up to 49 US Navy
Homeport: Pacific


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Crew List:

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


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About the Ship's Coat of Arms:

The Shield:

Dark blue and gold are the colors traditionally associated with the Navy. Red denotes fearlessness. The red fess is higher to signify determination of Master Chief Boatswain’s Mate Brashear to triumph over racial prejudice to become the first African American deep-sea diver and the first certified and recertified amputee in the US Navy. The triangular gads, the heraldic symbols for steel, suggest the prow of a ship, denoting the three major vessels that MCBM Brashear served as a diver, early in his career – USS TRIPOLI (LPH 10), USS OPPORTUNE (ARS 41) and the USS HOIST (ARS 40). The sea lion with the separated caudal fin represents his death defying courage to continue naval service as a diver, confronting all obstacles and after losing his left leg during the mission to retrieve hydrogen bombs off the coast of Palomares, Italy. The anchor symbolizes his persistence, finally in 1970, becoming the first African American Master diver. The stars above the anchor is a modification of grade achieved during his naval career. The gold border honors Master Chief Brashear’s accomplishments.

The Crest:

The diver’s Mark V helmet bearing the shield memorializes Master Chief Brashear distinguished naval diving profession and acknowledges his struggles to become a diver and remain in the vocation. He was awarded the Navy-Marine Corp Medal for heroism during the Palomares incident, illustrated by the colors of the shield.


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About the Ship's Name:

USNS CARL BRASHEAR honors Master Chief Boatswain's Mate (Master Diver) Carl M. Brashear. Brashear was born January 19, 1931 and joined the U.S. Navy in 1948. He was a pioneer in the Navy as the first black deep-sea diver, the first black Master Diver and the first U.S. Navy diver to be restored to full active duty as an amputee, the result of a leg injury he sustained during a salvage operation. After 31 years of service, Brashear officially retired from the U.S. Navy on April 1, 1979. Brashear died of respiratory and heart failure at the Portsmouth Naval Medical Center, Portsmouth, Va., on July 25, 2006.


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The photo below was taken by Thomas Heinrich and shows the CARL BRASHEAR (center) at National Steel and Shipbuilding Company, San Diego, Calif., on March 21, 2009. The other ships are the USS PEARL HARBOR (LSD 52) [left] and the WALLY SCHIRRA (T-AKE 8) [right].



The photos below were taken by Michael Jenning and show the CARL BRASHEAR arriving at Naval Air Station North Island, Calif., on December 29, 2017, and later during sunset the same day. CARL BRASHEAR's arrival was the Navy's last movement at San Diego in 2017.



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