A sister ship, the USNS Shughart, will load and depart in June. The Army War Reserve Support Command will oversee operations of the vessels. The command is part of the Army Materiel Command. The Shughart will carry combat vehicles and supplies. The unarmed ship can travel 12,000 miles at 24 knots between refueling.
Personnel can unload the entire cargo in four days.
Normal ship's crew is 25 civilian mariners under contract to the Military Sealift Command, but there is room for 50 more personnel if DoD must augment the crew. It will rotate approximately every 30 months. The Gordon is named for Army Master Sgt. Gary I. Gordon, and the Shughart is named for Army Sgt. 1st Class Randall D. Shughart.