Mighty Servant 2
| MV Mighty Servant 2 carries USS Samuel B. Roberts from Dubai to Newport, R.I., in 1988. MV Mighty Servant 2 carries USS Samuel B. Roberts from Dubai to Newport, R.I., in 1988. | |
| Career (Netherland Antilles) | 60px |
|---|---|
| Builder: |
Oshima Shipbuilding Co. Ltd. Oshima, Japan |
| Yard number: | 10073 |
| Identification: | IMO number: 8130887 |
| Fate: | capsized: 2 November 1999 |
| Status: | scrapped: 2000 |
| General characteristics | |
| Tonnage: | 29,193 gross register tons (GRT) 40,190 metric tons deadweight (DWT) |
| Length: | 190.03 m (623.5 ft) 174.70 m (573.2 ft) b.p. |
| Beam: | 40 m (130 ft) |
| Draught: |
8.77 m (28.8 ft) (sailing) 26 m (85 ft) (submerged) 4 m (13 ft) (minimum) |
| Depth: | 12 m (39 ft) |
| Depth of hold: | 50 x 16 x 7.5 m (160 x 52 x 25 ft) |
| Deck clearance: |
50 × 150 m (160 × 490 ft) load: 19 to 40 t (19 to 39 LT; 21 to 44 ST) per m² |
| Speed: | 15 knots |
| Endurance: | 59 days |
| Crew: | 20 |
| Notes: | Figures from Mighty Servant 1[1] |
Mighty Servant 2 was a 29,000-ton heavy-lift ship operated by Dockwise, noted for its transporting of USS Samuel B. Roberts from Dubai to Newport, Rhode Island in 1988. The vessel was capsized in 1999 and subsequently scrapped in 2000.
Contents
History
Mighty Servant 2 was built in 1983 by Oshima Shipbuilding Co. Ltd. in Oshima, Japan, for Dutch shipping firm Wijsmuller Transport, which merged in 1993 with Dock Express Shipping to become Breda-based offshore heavy lifting group Dockwise Shipping B.V. Most of Mighty Servant 2's cargoes were oil platforms and related gear. When loading its mammoth burdens, the ship took thousands of tons of water into ballast tanks, sinking its cargo deck underwater. The cargo would be floated into position, whereupon the Mighty Servant 2 would slowly pump out its ballast, lifting the deck up to sailing position.
Service
The vessel was capable of carrying the heaviest semi-submersible drilling units, harsh-environment deep-water jack-up rigs and large floating production tension-leg platforms, semi-submersibles and spars with drafts of up to 14 metres.[2]
USS Samuel B. Roberts
Its most famous job was the July 1988 haulage of the U.S. Navy's USS Samuel B. Roberts from Dubai to Newport, Rhode Island after the guided missile frigate struck a mine in the Persian Gulf on 14 April 1988. The 125-meter frigate barely fit on the Mighty Servant 2's cargo deck; holes had to be cut to accommodate the frigate's sonar dome and stabilizing fins. The loading, which was supervised by divers and underwater video monitors, took about 12 hours, thanks to gaps measured in mere centimetres. About 20 of the frigate's 200-man crew remained aboard during the 8,100-mile, 30-day voyage.
Loss
Mighty Servant 2 capsized on 2 November 1999 near the Indonesian island of Singkep (0°29′S 104°12′E / 0.48°S 104.2°ECoordinates: 0°29′S 104°12′E / 0.48°S 104.2°E). The ship was en route from Singapore to Cabinda bearing the North Nemba Topsides 8,790-ton offshore production module. The vessel tipped onto its side in 35 meters of water in reportedly calm seas. A hydrographic survey of the area later discovered an unmarked "single isolated pinnacle of granite directly on the ship's course." Five crew members perished, including two Dutch and two Filipino men. The Mighty Servant 2 was declared a total loss.[3] In 2000, the wreck was transported to Alang, India and scrapped.[4]
Sister ships
Mighty Servant 2 had two sister ships, Mighty Servant 1, built in 1983, and Mighty Servant 3, built in 1984. Both were built for Wijsmuller Transport.
On 6 December 2006, Mighty Servant 3 sank in 62 meters of water near the port of Luanda, Angola, while offloading the drilling platform Aleutian Key. There were no casualties. In August 2009, Dockwise Shipping reported it had been returned to service.[5]
See also
- MV Blue Marlin, a heavy-lift ship that carried USS Cole after the destroyer was attacked by suicide bombers.
References
- ↑ "Mighty Servant 1". Dockwise. http://www2.dockwise.com/vessels/node/200?tab=factsandfigures. Retrieved 7 November 2009.
- ↑ "Exceptional Transport Management". Dockwise. http://www.dockwise.com. Retrieved 7 November 2009.
- ↑ Maritime Casualties 1999 And Before
- ↑ 2006 Nightmare M/V Mighty Servant 3
- ↑ "The Mighty Servant 3 Rejoins Dockwise Fleet", Dockwise, 7 August 2009. Retrieved on 31 August 2009.
External links
- Photos of Mighty Servant 2 hauling USS Samuel B. Roberts (FFG 58)
- Photos of the wreck of Mighty Servant 2
- Model of sister ship, Mighty Servant 1
- Page about sister ship, Mighty Servant 3
- Dockwise Shipping B.V.
de:Mighty Servant fr:Mighty Servant 2 nl:Mighty Servant 2 pl:Mighty Servant II
