USNS Lewis and Clark ( T - AKE - 1 ) USNS " Lewis and Clark " ( T - AKE - 1 ) is an American dry cargo ship , the lead ship of her namesake class . It was the second ship of the United States Navy to be named for the explorers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark . The contract to build her was awarded to National Steel and Shipbuilding Company ( NASSCO ) of San Diego , California , on 18 October 2001 and her keel was laid down on 22 April 2004 . She was launched on 21 May 2005 , co - sponsored by Jane Lewis Sale Henley and Lisa Clark , descendants of the ship ' s namesakes . She was delivered to the Navy on 20 June 2006 . Description . The T - AKE is a replenishment naval vessel . In 2012 , USNS Lewis and Clark became one of 14 ships that comprise the United States Marine Corps Maritime Prepositioning Program . Within days of her transfer to Maritime Prepositioning Squadron Two ( MPSRON - 2 ) in Diego Garcia , she participated in Exercise Coconut Grove in the Republic of the Maldives . Coconut Grove is a bilateral military exercise between the United States Marine Corps and the Maldivian Marine Corps . This exercise was the inaugural exercise of this type vessel for the United States Marine Corps Maritime Prepositioning Program . Marine Corps Forces , Pacific ( MARFORPAC ) conducted a proof of concept for operational employment of the T - AKE vessel in October 2012 during exercise Coconut Grove 12 . Coconut Grove is a bi - lateral exercise conducted bi - annually with the Maldivian Marine Corps . This was the inaugural exercise using a United States Marine Corps ’ Maritime Prepositioning Force ( MPF ) T - AKE vessel and the first step in showing operational usage of MPF in support of ground forces ashore . Coconut Grove 12 provided an opportunity to test T - AKE concepts , and to continue development of doctrine and tactics , techniques , and procedures for the Marine Corps ’ use of this class of ship in this role . On September 29 , 2012 , 98 Marines boarded a plane in Southern California bound for the USNS Lewis and Clark located 9 , 547 miles away in the Indian Ocean . She loaded sustainment stocks just 40 days before at Blount Island Command in Jacksonville , Florida and ammunition stocks at Charleston , South Carolina . She completed her transit of 33 days and arrived on station one day prior to embarking Marines and sailing the additional 450 nautical miles to the exercise location in Gan , Maldives . Upon arrival , the exercise force offloaded its personnel and equipment , including four High Mobility Multi - Wheeled Vehicles ( HMMWVs ) , using a contracted commercial barge to move personnel and equipment approximately one mile from ship to shore . Over the course of the ten day exercise , the Marines ashore and afloat received 100 % of their sustainment from stocks loaded aboard the USNS Lewis and Clark . This marked the first time an entire exercise force , its equipment ( including rolling stock ) and its sustainment were supplied from a Military Sealift Command ( MSC ) vessel of any kind . The lessons learned during this inaugural operational employment of the T - AKE validated the operational viability of this type vessel to support ground forces ashore and will be further refined in future exercises . Without USNS Lewis and Clark ’ s participation , this exercise would have been just another routine exercise event in the Pacific Ocean by the United States Marine Corps . In the end , USNS Lewis and Clark ’ s role and the validation of operational employment of the T - AKE vessel was just as important as the engagement and training activities conducted by the company of Marines ashore . Features . The USNS Lewis and Clark helps allow the Marine Corps maintain a forward presence . Her primary mission is the delivery of supplies to enable the arrival and assembly of a Marine Expeditionary Brigade ( MEB ) . The T - AKE transfers cargo — ammunition , food , fuel , repair parts , ship store items and expendable supplies to Marine and joint forces ashore . The ship is operated by Military Sealift Command with civilian mariners crews ( 53 personnel ) augmented by a military department ( 5 personnel ) . This ship was featured in the History Channel ' s " Modern Marvels " episode on copper . Background . The Navy awarded National Steel and Shipbuilding Company of San Diego , Calif . , a $ 406 . 9 million competitive contract 18 October 2001 , to build the first ship of the class , USNS " Lewis and Clark " . The Navy also exercised a $ 301 . 6 million dollar option in the contract for the construction of the second ship of the class , USNS " Sacagawea " . The U . S . Navy had previously fielded a ballistic missile submarine named ( SSBN - 644 ) . Deployment . In February 2009 the ship was deployed off the coast of Somalia as part of Operation Enduring Freedom - Horn of Africa . The vessel was fitted out to be used as a prison ship for captured pirates until they could be extradited to Kenya for trials . Sixteen pirates have so far been sent to " Lewis and Clark " after being captured in two different actions by the . On 6 May 2009 USNS " Lewis and Clark " was approached by suspected pirates off the eastern coast of Somalia and took evasive action to prevent a successful attack . Suspected pirates then fired small arms weapons from approximately two nautical miles toward " Lewis and Clark " , which fell one nautical mile short of the ship ' s stern . " Lewis and Clark " continued to increase speed and the skiffs ceased their pursuit of the U . S . ship . On 20 November 2010 the " Lewis and Clark " responded to a distress call by the Chinese - flagged cargo ship M / V " Tai An Kou " which was under attack by Somalian pirates in a dhow and two skiffs . The crew on the Chinese vessel had secured themself in a safe room by the time the " Lewis and Clark " arrived on the scene . Upon sighting the US naval vessel , the pirates opened fire on her and the " Lewis and Clark " returned fire in a brief engagement that drove the pirates off without causing any casualties . The destroyer USS " Winston Churchill then also arrived on the scene and launched a helicopter to provide additional assistance until the PLAN frigate " Xuzhou " arrived .