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NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive

USNS Neches (T-TOT-183)
ex
 USNS Neches (T-AO-183) (1978 - ?)
 USNS Falcon Duchess (T-AO-183) (1971 - 1978)

Falcon Class Transport Tanker:
  • Laid down in 1971 as MV Falcon Duchess for Falcon Carriers at Ingalls Shipbuilding, Pascagoula, MS.
  • Launched in 1971
  • Leased by the US Navy, 4 August 1971 and assigned to the Military Sealift Command (MSC)
  • Placed in service as USNS Falcon Duchess (T-AO-183), 4 August 1971
  • Name change to USNS Neches (T-AO-183), 2 February 1976
  • Reclassified a Transport Oiler, T-AOT, date unknown
  • Placed out of service in 1983
  • Struck from the Naval Register, date unknown
  • Returned to Falcon Carriers, date unknown
  • Renamed MV Eclipse May 18 1984
  • Renamed MV Duchess in 1992
  • Final Disposition, fate unknown
    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
    Neches
    091918302    		 154k
    Namesake
    Neches The Neches River begins in Van Zandt County west of Rhine Lake and flows for 416 miles through the piney woods of east Texas.
    Photo - Flaring bases of the Bald cypress trees at the Big Thicket National Preserve, Texas. The preserve is located just north of Houston and Beaumont, TX. and has historically been home to dense woodlands in the state. The Big Thicket was mostly uninhabited until heavy settlement from the U.S. began in the mid-19th century, and was even used as a refuge by runaway slaves and other fugitives. USDA photo by Larry Rana; 30 August 1996. (Flickr)
    Map - Neches River watershed. by I, Kuru, created from data originating at the USGS, 17 June 2006.    		 Tommy Trampp
    Neches 47k USNS Neches (T-AOT-183) in the Kiel Canal, Germany, March 1980. Photo by Gerhard Mueller-Debus
    There is no DANFS history available for USNS Neches (T-AO-183 / T-AOT-183) at NavSource
    Crew Contact And Reunion Information
    Fleet Tankers Association
    U.S. Navy Memorial Foundation - Navy Log
    Additional Resources and Web Sites of Interest
    MARAD Vessel History Database
    Postal Covers related to the ship
    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
    All pages copyright NavSource Naval History
    Last Updated 10 March 2023