USS Frank Cable (AS 40). U.S. Navy MSC photo

U.S. Navy’s Response To New Submarine Tender Replacements

The U.S. Navy has two aging 40+ year old Submarine Tenders, USS Emory S. Land (AS 39) and USS Frank Cable (AS 40). Both are forward-deployed and based at Apra Harbor, Guam. They deploy throughout the Indian Ocean and the Western Pacific, repairing U.S. Navy ships and submarines in that theater from Japan to the Persian Gulf. Both are intended to serve until the mid-2020s since their launch date, and the U.S. Navy is currently undecided on if the vessels will be mothballed or scrapped at the end of their service lives.

Peter Ong  04 Aug 2021

While the submarine tenders remain relatively unchanged in design since their commissioning in the late 1970s, they have been constantly inspected and maintained and have been given modernization, maintenance, and habitability upgrades over the decades. The tenders carry ship and submarine repair parts, servicing equipment, repair departments, and the staff to conduct sixteen specialized services with 26 repair shops such as welding, carpentry, fabrication, sheet metal work, machining, and 24-hour administrative duties for those ships and submarines docked at anchor or alongside the tender.

The U.S. Navy provided an overview of the two sub tenders.

• Ship statistics:
  – Length: 644 feet
  – Beam: 85 feet
  – Displacement: 23,000 tons
  – Draft: 28 feet
  – Speed: 20 knots
  – Propulsion: Oil-fired steam turbine
  – Crew: Emory S. Land: 292 officers and enlisted, 158 CIVMARs; Frank
  Cable: 206 officers and enlisted, 158 Civilian Mariners (CIVMARs)
  – Bunks: 847
  – Compartments: 913
  – Small Boats: 7
• Ship has five levels and eight decks.
• Bridge is located on the O-4 level
• One 30-ton crane located on the boat deck, two 5-ton cranes (one on each side).
• Ship can be divided into two sections, “Hull” and “Repair.” “Hull” side
  maintains the ship and crew while “Repair” takes care of tended submarines and
  surface ships.
• Repair department performs intermediate-level and limited depot-level repairs on
  5th/7th Fleet submarines in addition to surface ships. Repair department has 26
  repair shops that offer various repair services to the fleet.
• Medical, located on the O-1 level, has 14 patient beds in the medical ward and
  one operating room.”

USS Emory S. Land (AS 39) with a submarine moored alongside. U.S. Navy MSC photo

Armament per submarine tender is four 25mm Mk 38 autocannons and various pintle-mounted machine guns such as .50cal M2HBs and M240s.

“The 16 departments are as follows with U.S. Navy (USN) and Military Sealift Command (MSC) crews:

1. Deck (MSC)
2. Engine (MSC)
3. Weapons Repair (USN)
4. Repair (USN)
5. Executive (USN)
6. Operations (USN)
7. USN Supply (USN)
8. MSC Supply (MSC)
9. Communications (MSC)
10. USN Health Services (USN)
11. MSC Health Services (MSC)
12. Training (USN)
13. Legal (USN)
14. Chaplain (USN)
15. Safety (USN)
16. Purser (MSC)”

At West21, held virtually on June 29th, 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Naval News asked if the U.S. Navy has any plans to replace the two L.Y. Spear-class submarine tenders. VADM William Galinis, U.S. Navy, Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) responded.

“Yeah, that’s an ongoing discussion right now. There are a number of new ship designs coming down the pipe right now. I can’t say a tender is one of the leading designs, but that is something that we can easily take some of the current commercial designs that are out there. We did a study a few years ago to see what might be in the realm of possibility. So the ship design itself is relatively easy to come through. It will be the integration of the nuclear requirements to do the nuclear maintenance, especially for the sub tenders that will be a little more of a challenge.”

VADM William Galinis, U.S. Navy, Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA)