USNS Petersburg (T-AOT-9101)

 military, tanker (ship), auxiliary, historical layer / disappeared object, United States Navy

Laid down in 1963 for service in the commercial trades as the M/T Sinclair Texas, this ship and a sister build were turned over to the US Navy and modified with an addition of a SALM (Single Anchor Leg Mooring) system which allows them to anchor anywhere and offload their cargo to shoreside facilities.

Renamed USNS Petersburg in 1987, she was placed under the operational control of the Military Sealift Command and was forward deployed to Guam, where she operated until 2003. After returning stateside, the Petersburg entered a layberth at Alameda where she would be based for the next eight years, being periodically re-activated to test her onboard systems and making cruises to the Guam/Saipan/Diego Garcia AOR.

Following an emergency activation in support of the MSC's response to the 2010 Haiti Earthquake, the Petersburg deployed to Port-au-Prince harbor where she provided a petroleum discharge point for the island's shattered infrastructure for several months before she returned to Alameda and re-entered layup. Shifting from her berth to the Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet her current location in 2017 she presently remains in ROS-10 status, meaning she can be made ready for operations in 10 days or less once activated.

www.marad.dot.gov/sh/ShipHistory/Detail/3845
www.navsource.org/archives/09/65/659101.htm
www.nvr.navy.mil/nvrships/details/AOT9101.htm