Description
Ammunition ships deliver munitions to warships.

Features
Ammunition ships keep the fleet supplied with ammunition and ordnance, independently or with other combat logistic ships. Ammunition is delivered by slings on ship-to-ship cables, and by helicopters.

Background
The Navy's ammunition ships are all of the Kilauea class. The lead ship of the class, USNS Kilauea (T-AE 26), along with USNS Butte (T-AE 27), USNS Santa Barbara (T-AE 28), USNS Flint (T-AE 32), USNS Shasta (T-AE 33)USNS Mount Baker (T-AE 34) and USNS Kiska (T-AE 35) are operated by the Military Sealift Command with a civilian master and crew, but the remaining one is Navy manned with a commanding officer.

General Characteristics, Kiluauea Class

Builder: AE 29, Bethlehem Steel, Sparrows Point, MD.
Date Deployed: 14 December 1968 (USS Butte)
Propulsion: Three boilers, geared turbines, one shaft, 22,000 shaft horsepower.
Length: 564 feet (169.2 meters).
Beam: 81 feet (24.3 meters).
Displacement: Approximately 18,088 tons full load.
Speed: 20 knots (23 miles, 36.8 km, per hour).
Crew: 17 officers, 366 enlisted.
Armament: Two Phalanx close-in-weapons systems.
Aircraft: Two CH-46 Sea Knight helicopters.