Ex-USNS Vessels to Depart for Texas

The ex-USNS Benjamin Isherwood (T-AO-191) and the ex-USNS Henry Eckford (T-AO-192) are scheduled to depart from the James River Reserve on July 12 and July 19, respectively. They will be towed to Brownsville, TX, for recycling at the ISL ship breaking facility.

The vessels are the fifth and sixth ships built in the 18-ship Henry J. Kaiser-class fleet of replenishment oilers of the United States Navy. The two vessels were constructed at the Pennsylvania Shipbuilding Company in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. After the vessel contracts were cancelled, they were eventually towed to the James River Reserve Fleet in late 1994, the only two ships of the 18-ship Henry J. Kaiser class not to be completed.