NYT: The Ponce Floating Base Steps Up U.S. Presence in the Persian Gulf

I'd say the U.S. Navy owns and Operates it for the U.S. DoD (?)

Or maybe it's some sort of Seal or Force Recon forward base ?

(Of course,even with a magnifying glass these old Mark Ones miss a lot.)

What I can't "See" on deck P.+S. are a couple of these:

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There's one on the forecastle, above the row of life raft containers.

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Mitchell Oates
Mooresville, NC
'87 300D 212K miles
'87 300D 151K miles - R.I.P. 12/08
'05 Jeep Liberty CRD 67K miles
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If that vessel has to shoot, the United States is in serious trouble. It's a hotel and supply depot, not a warship.

Ponce was changed from USS to USNS. In which deck and engineering duties are handled by contractors while CIC and communications and weapons systems are manned by naval personnel. The captain and a handful of officers are commissioned in the USN.

Could use a paint job...

I thought we were getting out of the Middle East?

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In April 2013 the US Navy announced that it was deploying a laser weapon prototype in the Persian Gulf. For the first time the ships are going to be equipped with a laser attack weapon able to disable patrol boats and blind or destroy surveillance drones as the tests have shown. The Navy calls its new weapon LAWS (which stands for the Laser Weapon System). The prototype shipboard laser is to be deployed on board of the USS Ponce, a converted amphibious transport and docking ship in the Persian Gulf, which serves as a floating base for military operations and humanitarian assistance in the waters of the Middle East and southwestern Asia. The laser will be operational next year. Many of the details about how the laser works remain secret, such as how far its beam can travel, how powerful it is or how much power is used to generate it. What is known is that the laser is designed to be a «plug and play» system that integrates into a ship’s existing targeting technologies and power grids. Those factors make it a surprisingly cheap weapon. The U.S. Navy also has other systems under development that are intended to shoot down enemy drones homing in on surface vessels. Similarly, the U.S. Army announced in 2011 that it was doing research on Laser-Induced Plasma Channel (LIPC), which can fire a laser-guided, 50 billion watt «lightning bolt» at a target.

US Announces “Significant Changes” for Military Policy | Global Research

Ah, the sweet memories of home: They don

Did they upgrade her power plant for her 2nd life? Where was home for you?

Mine was @ 03-12-00. Memories indeed!

1st photo caption:
Machinist’s Mate Fireman Casey Burton dismantles and inspects one of the two oil strainer assemblies that filters the oil in the starboard engine

Engine???

The boiler and main engine are in the same engineering space. I think that's the upper level catwalk on the port side of the starboard main turbine and engine. I'll look again.

The fuel oil filters were bypassed when we shifted from NSFO to JP-5 so that's gotta be a lube oil filter. Hmmm, one of my buddies from back then was an MM3. I'll shoot that page to him for his opinion.

Nope, that's lower level. Maybe on the aft bulkhead? Not sure.

Cheny is rolling over in his grave just about now......Oh--Damit, i just heard.

the least deserving person on the planet got a doner heart transplant.

Thank you for that edifying contribution.

damn it --there you go again with those big words.........

I read an article in The Navy Reservist a while back about the extensive use of reservists to crew the ship and strong hints of AT and ADT opportunities for reservists in the right rates. I mostly skimmed it since my rate isn't one of the ones they're looking for.

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83 300D Turbo with manual conversion, early W126 vented front rotors and H4 headlights 400,xxx miles
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88 Jaguar XJS V12 94,xxx miles. Work in progress.