Emory S. Land-class
Commissioned by the United States in 1979, the Emory S. Land-class submarine tender provides maintenance and logistical support, featuring a prominent 30-ton gantry crane.
| Subtype | Submarine tender |
| Displacement | 23000 tons |
| Crew | 1350 members |
| Width | 25.9 m (85.0 ft) |
| Length | 197.8 m (649.0 ft) |
| Propulsion | 2 × boilers, Steam turbine, 1 shaft, 20000 shp |
| Maximum speed | 18 knots |
- 4 x 25 mm MK 38 autocannon
Description
The Emory S. Land-class is a series of three submarine tenders operated by the United States Navy and the Military Sealift Command. Built by the Lockheed Shipbuilding and Construction Company in Seattle, Washington, between 1976 and 1979, the design succeeded the L. Y. Spear-class. The class consists of the lead ship USS Emory S. Land (AS-39), USS Frank Cable (AS-40), and USS McKee (AS-41). The vessels are scheduled to be replaced by two ships of the planned AS(X) class.
The ships were designed specifically to service nuclear-powered attack submarines and are identical to the preceding L. Y. Spear-class. The design features 53 specialized workshops arranged across 13 decks, enabling the simultaneous servicing of up to four submarines. For anchoring and cargo handling, the ships are equipped with two 40-ton bow anchors, one 20-ton stern anchor, two 60-ton cranes, and two 7-ton cranes. An aft helicopter landing pad is integrated into the design, though the vessels do not have a hangar.
USS Emory S. Land entered service on 7 July 1979 and remains active, with decommissioning estimated for 2029. USS Frank Cable entered service on 29 October 1979 and remains active, with decommissioning estimated for 2030. USS McKee entered service on 15 August 1981 and was decommissioned on 16 July 1999, making it the first ship of the class to retire. USS McKee was subsequently delivered to Brownsville for recycling.