Scene on the Sound: Ships that pass

USNS Amelia Earhart (background)
Coast Guard Cutter Waesche (foreground)Photo by Jan Hansen

USNS Amelia Earhart (T-AKE-6), a Lewis and Clark-class dry cargo ship is the only ship of the United States Navy to be named for noted American aviation pioneer and women's rights advocate Amelia Earhart.

USNS Earhart is 689 feet long and was launched in 2008 as the sixth ship in the Navy's T-AKE class.

These ships deliver ammunition, provisions, spare parts, potable water and petroleum products to the Navy's carrier strike groups at sea and other naval forces worldwide, allowing them to stay at sea, on station and combat ready for extended periods of time.

Homeported at Coast Guard Island in Alameda, California, Coast Guard Cutter Waesche, the second of eight planned National Security Cutters, is 418 feet long with a top speed of 28 knots and a range of 12,000 nautical miles. 

She is equipped with a flight deck and hangars capable of housing two multi-mission helicopters, and outfitted with the most advanced command, control, and communications equipment.

--Jan Hansen