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NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive

USNS Columbia (T-AOT-182)
ex
 USNS Columbia (T-AO-182) (1976 - ?)
 USNS Falcon Lady (T-AO-182) (1971 - 1976)

Falcon Class Transport Tanker:
  • Laid down in 1970 as MV Falcon Lady for Falcon Carriers at Ingalls Shipbuilding, Pascagoula, MS.
  • Launched, 12 September 1970
  • Delivered to Falcon Carriers, 11 March 1971
  • Leased by the US Navy, 1971 and assigned to the Military Sealift Command (MSC)
  • Placed in service by the Military Sealift Command in 1971, as USNS Falcon Lady (T-AO-182)
  • Purchased by the US Navy, 15 January 1976, renamed USNS Columbia (T-AO-182)
  • Reclassified a Transport Oiler, T-AOT-182, date unknown
  • Renamed Falcon Lady, 21 May 1984
  • Placed in Ready Reserve Status (RRF) at Beaumont TX. in 1988
  • Name changed to Mission Capistrano, 11 July 1991
  • Struck from the Naval Register, date unknown
  • Removed from MARAD Ready Reserve Force (RRF), 31 July 2004
  • Final Disposition, sold for scrapping, towed to Brownsville, TX. for dismantling, circa 7 July 2012
    Specifications:
    Displacement 37,000t. (lt) 46,243t.(fl)
    Length 660.2'
    Beam 70'
    Depth of Hold 46.9'
    Draft 36.64'
    Speed 14.9kts
    Cargo Capacity 296,626 bbls in 18 tanks
    Compliment 9 officers, 14 unlicensed
    Fuel Capacity 2,272t. heavy oil
    Electrical Capacity 1,000kw (2X500 diesel sets)
    Propulsion
    two Crossley-Pielstick 16PC-2V400 Diesel engines
    single propeller, 16,000 bhp
    Click On Image
    For Full Size Image    		Size Image Description Contributed
    By
    Merchant Service
    Columbia
    091918205    		 140k MV Falcon Lady on the shipway Ingalls Shipbuilding, Pascagoula, MS. a few days before her 12 September 1970 launching. Dale Hargrave
    Columbia
    091918203    		 47k Falcon Carriers tanker MV Falcon Lady under long-term charter to the Military Sealift Command underway down to her load line leaving Port of Corpus Christi, TX. on her maiden voyage.
    Marine Report Magazine (May 1971) Page 5.    		 Tommy Trampp
    USNS Columbia (T-AO-182)
    Columbia
    091918204    		 123k
    Namesake
    Columbia - The Columbia River is a major river which flows through southern British Columbia, central Washington and forms a portion of the Washington - Oregon boundary before emptying into the Pacific Ocean. It is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, Canada. It flows northwest and t hen south into the U.S. state of Washington, then turns west to form most of the border between Washington and the state of Oregon before emptying into the Pacific Ocean. The river is 1,243 miles long, and its largest tributary is the Snake River. Its drainage basin is roughly the size of France and extends into seven of the United States plus a Canadian province. The fourth-largest river in the United States by volume, the Columbia has the greatest flow of any North American river entering the Pacific. The Columbia has the 36th greatest discharge of any river in the world. (Wikipedia)
    Photo - Image of the entire run of the Columbia River including the Big Bend area in BC. NASA image ID: Washington.A2002164.1900.250m overlaid by CC BY-SA 3.0, DanMS via Wikimedia Commons     		Tommy Trampp
    Columbia 101k USNS Columbia (T-AO-182) under way, date and location unknown.
    US Navy photo from the collections of the US Navy Memorial    		 Stan Svec
    Columbia 111k USNS Columbia (T-AO-182) under way, circa 1980, location unknown.
    Naval History and Heritage Command, Photo # NH 92956. Courtesy of William H. Davis, 1981.
    US Navy photo from the collections of the US Navy Memorial    		 Mike Green
    There is no DANFS history available for USNS Columbia (T-AO-182 / T-AOT-182) at NavSource
    Additional Resources and Web Sites of Interest
    National Register Eligibility Assessment
    MARAD Vessel History Database
    Back To The Navsource Photo Archives Main Page Back To The Service Force Ship Type Index Back To The Fleet Oiler (AO) Photo Index Back To The Transport Oiler (AOT) Photo Index
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    This page is created and maintained by Gary P. Priolo
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    Last Updated 10 March 2023