A Frank Odell Web Page

RANGE SENTINEL (AGM 22)
MISSILE RANGE INSTRUMENTATION SHIP
(ex-MCV 553, SHERBURNE (APA 205))
 

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Unofficial Web Page

Original: 05/08/97
 

Last Improvement: 05/02/02 08/29/03 10/31/03 11/20/03 12/19/03 11/11/04 05/25/05 01/04/07 05/28/08

USNS RANGE SENTINEL is the last of the famous Victory Ships of World War 2 still in commission. She was originally commissioned USS SHERBORNE and was designated APA 205 during war II. She was anchored in Tokyo Bay when the surrender documents were signed on VJ Day. She was placed in mothballs after the war.

Later she was re-engined (8,500 HP steam turbine plant) and re-commissioned for fleet duty. Later yet, she was returned to mothballs.

In the early 1970s she was refitted and returned to service as T-AGM 22, USNS RANGE SENTINEL and began her career in the role described here.

There were several surface ships in the FBM support fleet. One of those ships was USNS RANGE SENTINEL, T-AGM 22. This ship was used as the Launch Area Support Ship (LASS) and would be located in the at sea launch area close to the submarine preparing to launch its missile(s). The purpose was to provide communications and telemetry links between the submarine and the Range Operations Control Center (ROCC) located on Cape Canaveral Air Station (CCAS). This was necessary to satisfy the Range Safety requirements. The links were via SATCOM/COMSAT/INMARSAT satellites.

This is the Bridge (Wheel House) on the 05 level. Bob Crawford, AB is steering the ship. The ship is operated by the Military Sealift Command (MSC) and the people operating the ship are civilian employees of the Navy. Their jobs are Civil Service type jobs.

The Bridge is where the Captain, or Mate, stands to control the operation of the ship. The Bridge is a steering station, lookout point, communication center and command center.

It is located on the 05 level and that means it is 5 stores (flights of stairs) above the Main Deck. The Main Deck is the top deck (floor) that extends from the bow (front) of the ship to the stern (back) of the ship.

This location is the port side of the Bridge looking aft. The man on the right is looking into a hooded radar display unit. The man in the center is one of our favorite Navy Chiefs. The man to the left is a visiting officer.

When RANGE SENTINEL is supporting a DASO operation the ship will often carry as many as 300 plus visitors for the day. Taxpayer note: The passengers must pay for their meals.

On the day these pictures were taken there were many visitors on the ship. That is why the Naval personnel are in dress uniforms rather than work uniforms.

 We were about 50 miles off Cape Canaveral, Florida. It was a beautiful day and all went well.

Our favorite Chief is standing in front of the after bulkhead of the wheel house. Of interest here are all the display devices, switch boxes and alarms mounted on the bulkhead. The ship was constructed in 1944 so it does not have the smooth integrated look often seen on today's ships.

The ship's equipment is a wonderful spread of technology. The technology ranges from the mid 1940s to the late 1990s. In the case of navigation and radio equipment, the old and new equipment is installed side by side, creating what is all most a museum display.

Much of the newer equipment was Commercial Off The Shelf (COTS) and some of the equipment was purchased from Radio Shack and marine supply stores. Scanners, Antenna, inter-compartment communication devices and many other items were COTS. The dependability of such equipment is, in my opinion, not as good as mil-spec. equipment, but the price is so low that spare units can be provided and still cost a fraction of mil-spec.

This is the Operations Control Compartment. The persons in this compartment act as a control point between the submarine preparing to launch its missile or missiles and the missile range. These people are the launch site "safety eyes" of the submarine and the missile range. The launching operation may range from 50 miles at sea to a few hundred miles. The missile test range can not maintain a safety watch from so great a distance.

Communications between the submarine and the test range is absolutely required before a missile can be launched. The people in this compartment act as a relay point. With the submarine submerged the normal communication technologies can not be expected to provide dependable communications. In this compartment the communications can be converted from air to air into underwater to underwater or back the other way.

Forward bulkhead of the main deck-housing. View is from the antenna flat on the fore-deck looking aft. If you are an old Liberty ship sailor you need to know that a one level high deck-housing was installed on the forward cargo deck (weather deck) and it extends nearly the entire length of the deck. The top-side surface is called the antenna flat.

The black and white checker board pattern painted on the bridge is a bore-sight target for the four large white antenna mounted forward of the housing. This spot is survayed and its exact relative location is known. The antenna have TV cameras mounted on them and when antenna are commanded to certain angles the TV cameras should show the bore-sight. This is a quick check to verify the operation of the antenna drive units.

The main mast and all the antennas mounted on it. After this picture was taken several additional antennas were mounted on the mast. The large white ball object on the top end of a black stick, on the port-side cat walk (we are looking aft), is the MARSAT communication antenna. This MARSAT belongs to the MSC crew. With it communications can be conducted to any part of the world from any part of the world. It is operated just like a normal telephone -- well more like a mobile phone.

There were over one hundred antenna of many different types on board. If you are an antenna nut this ship was heaven. Antenna ranged from little over an inch long to over one hundred feet long.

View of the main deck housing as seen from the after weather deck looking forward. The hand rails have battens attached to them in difference to the females that occasionally ride the ship. The women that work aboard the ship normally dress in work cloths and modesty is not an issue.

The after hold hatch is in the fore ground. The cover is made of hardwood planks. When the planks are in place, covering the hold opening, a canvass sheet is laid over the planks and it is secured to the hatch combing with a rope and batten system. This is the meaning of the phase "batten the hatch."

A batten is a piece of wood or similar material used to hold some thing in place or in the case of a sail it holds the sail in the proper shape.

Boat deck starboard side. The bottoms of life boats 1 and 3 can be seen resting on their carriages. The boats are carried down to the side of the ship on the carriages then on down to the water by lines through block and tackle. The two round containers closer to the camera are life-raft containers.

When you are a guest on a ship at sea it becomes obvious very quickly that it can be boring. The crew has work to do, but the guests are just waiting for some thing to happen. Having a good book to read is a really neat idea. Talking to friends and the nice people is also a good idea. After a while talking to anyone, nice or not, is a good idea. The panoramic view of the sea is a new and very different experience to most people, but after staring at it for a while one realizes the view is not changing much.

Television was available on most of the trips. We did not go so far to sea that we could not pick-up the signals.

Being on the weather deck (outside) at sea in the wind and sun is one of the great experiences that we should all try some time in our lives. Some of the guests were foresighted enough to bring a lawn chair. It is nice to be setting down while talking to all those people that you would not normally give the time of day to.

The area the people are in was originally a gun placement. The gun and all its supporting equipment was removed many years ago and the area was available to provide a social area.

Some of the guests are not so excited about spending the entire day in the sun. Two areas are set up with chairs for the guests to enjoy air conditioned comfort. Most of the better Staterooms are made available to selected guests for their comfort.

As additional entertainment for the guests, the ships closed circuit TV system constantly broadcasts mission related tapes and also commercial TV if we are close enough to shore to receive the signals. Several TV sets are placed around the ship for the guests to view.

Sailing on the ship and observing a missile launch is a once in a life time experience for most of the guests on board, so remembrances are available for purchase. The money goes into a ships fund.

Most of the T-shirts and what-ever are keyed to the submarines identity and not RANGE SENTINEL.

Sailing as a guest is both exciting and boring. There are moments of expectation and excitement. There are also hours of waiting. All sailors know that one just "puts in time" between ports or mission events.

This is not the Ship's Store. It is a separate shop set up by the Navy personnel.

This is how she looked from mid 1970s until late 1980s. The equipment on board was capable of tracking four missiles at a time. That explains the four large white antenna on the foredeck. Note the very large lin-log antenna atop the mizzenmast. The antenna is similar to the directional antenna seen above many ham radio stations, except this one is very large. This antenna was backed up with an equally large HF radio transmitter in order to provide sure long distance radio communications. MARSAT and INMARSAT have remove the requirement for the large antenna, so the antenna was removed.

History

Class: AGM 22

Status: Disposed of by Navy title transfer to the Maritime Administration

Date status changed: 07/28/2001

Berth: James River Reserve Fleet, Fort Eustis, Virginia

MARAD Type: Victory-type cargo ship constructed as a troop transport

Builder: PERMANTE NO 2

Delivery Date: 09/18/1944

Award Date: 04/22/1943 Age (since delivery) (At time of disposal): 56.8 years

Keel Date: 05/18/1944 Commission Date: 09/20/1944

Launch Date: 07/10/1944

Age (since launch) (At time of disposal) 57.0 years

Stricken Date: 05/03/1999

Specifications

Overall Length: 455 ft

Waterline Length: 437 ft

Extreme Beam: 62 ft

Maximum Navigational Draft: 28 ft

Draft Limit: 23 ft

Light Displacement: 8853 tons

Full Displacement: 11800 tons

Dead Weight: 2947 tons

Hull Material: Steel hull, steel superstructure

Number of Propellers: 1

Propulsion Type: Steam Turbines

Accommodations: Officers: 27 Enlisted: 94

Custodian: MARITIME ADMINISTRATION (NATIONAL DEFENSE RESERVE FLEET) Ships

Ref:
NAVSHIPSO
NAVSEA Shipbuilding Support Office
Norfolk Naval Shipyard Detachment

Web Page Created By Frank C. Odell
Merritt Island, Florida, USA
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