VietNamNet Bridge – In the morning of May 24, a cargo ship of the US 7th Fleet, Richard E Bird - AKE 4, dropped anchor in the Cam Ranh Bay, around 60km from Nha Trang City, Khanh Hoa province, for periodical maintenance and minor repair.




This is a Lewis and Clark-class dry cargo ship in the US Navy. It is the second US Navy ship to be named after polar explorer Rear Admiral Richard E. Byrd (1888–1957).

The ship is 210m in length, 32.3m in width, 40,298 tons of displacement, maximal speed of 20 nautical miles per hour and 9.4m in draft.

It is equipped with two helicopters and is driven by a crew of 12 naval officers and 124 civil staff. The ship carries weapon, equipment and dry cargo for the US Navy.

The ship will be maintained and repaired by Vinashin Cam Ranh within two weeks. The cost for each maintenance of the Richard E Bird – AKE 4 is estimated at $400,000.

NLD