The U.S. Navy's Military Sealift Command accepted responsibility for submarine tender USS Frank Cable Monday, Feb. 1. Cable, which is homeported in Guam, serves as a floating maintenance and logistics facility for Navy submarines. Cable will operate as a commissioned ship with a U.S. Navy captain in charge of a hybrid crew, consisting of 157 civil service mariners and 206 uniformed Navy personnel. Other uniformed personnel will maintain and operate the onboard repair facility. Prior to the transfer, Cable was crewed by approximately 599 Navy personnel plus an embarked repair department that brought the total uniformed number to 1,363. Operating ships with civil service mariners frees uniformed sailors to perform critical jobs in the combatant fleet.
