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AFS-1 Mars Combat Stores Ship  

Overview

The mission of the combat stores ship is to conduct underway replenishment in support of operating forces by providing refrigerated stores, dry provisions, technical spares, general stores, fleet freight, mail and personnel by alongside or vertical replenishment means. The seven Mars class combat stores ships are augmented by three T-AFS 8 Sirius-class stores ships purchased from England.

USNS Concord (T-AFS 5) became the first of five Navy Mars class ships to be transferred to Military Sealift Command on Oct. 15, 1992. Mars followed on Feb. 1, 1993, USNS San Diego on Aug. 11, 1993, USNS San Jose on Nov. 2, 1993 and USNS Niagara Falls on Sept. 23, 1994. San Diego was deactivated on Dec. 10, 1997, and Mars was deactivated on Feb. 12, 1998.

Specifications
Displacement Light Displacement: 9852 tons
Full Displacement: 17381 tons
Dead Weight: 7529 tons
Length Overall Length: 581 ft
Waterline Length: 530 ft
Beam Extreme Beam: 79 ft
Waterline Beam: 79 ft
Draft Maximum Navigational Draft: 27 ft
Draft Limit: 28 ft
Speed 20 knots
Power Plant Three boilers, steam turbines, one shaft,
22,000 shaft horsepower
Aircraft Two UH-46 Sea Knight helicopters
Armament 4 - three-inch/50-caliber guns;
2 - Phalanx close-in weapons systems to be fitted
Complement Officers: 42
Enlisted: 445
Builder National Steel and Shipbuilding

Ships
Name Number Builder Homeport Ordered Commissioned Decommissioned
Mars AFS-1 NASSCO Oakland 09 May 1961 21 Dec 1963 01 Feb 1993
Sylvania AFS-2 NASSCO Norfolk 19 Jan 1962 11 Jul 1964 05 Jan 1995
Niagara Falls T-AFS-3 NASSCO Guam 01 Apr 1964 29 Apr 1967  
White Plains AFS-4 NASSCO Guam 18 Dec 1964 23 Nov 1968 24 Aug 1995
Concord T-AFS-5 NASSCO Norfolk 18 Dec 1964 27 Nov 1968  
San Diego AFS-6 NASSCO Norfolk 28 Dec 1965 24 May 1969 11 Aug 1993
San Jose T-AFS-7 NASSCO Guam 07 Jul 1967 23 Oct 1970  

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