USNS Guam (T-HST-1), formerly Hawaii Superferry's Huakai, is a United States Navy high-speed transport vessel.[2] The ship was completed in September 2008 and was intended to start Hawaiian service in May 2009, though delivery postponements saw that planned service canceled. In the Hawaiian language, huakaʻi means "journey".
Guam in original Hawaii Superferry livery as Huakai
USNS Guam was built as Huakai, whose name is based on the Hawaiian language word huakaʻi, which means "journey". The vessel is a 373-foot (114 m) long high-speed roll-on/roll-off (Ro/Ro) passenger ship. The vessel was originally built for Hawaii Superferry, and has a capacity of 866 passengers and up to 282 subcompact cars. It is 19 feet (5.8 m) longer than its sister ship, USNS Puerto Rico, due to a bi-fold ramp installed on the stern of the ship.[3]
The vessel featured environmentally friendly technologies including non-toxic bottom paint, zero wastewater discharge and clean diesel engines.[4]
Austal USA, a subsidiary of Austal, an Australian company that is the world's largest builder of fast ferries, built Huakai. Construction on Huakai began in 2007 in Mobile, Alabama. The ship was intended to enter service in 2009, but due to the abrupt shut down of Hawaii Superferry, the ship was laid up. Alakai also returned to the Alabama ship yard.[5] On July 2, 2009, Hawaii Superferry decided to abandon Huakai and Alakai.[6]
On January 27, 2012, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration transferred two high speed vessels, Huakai and Alakai, to the U.S. Navy under the Defense Authorization Act of 2012.[10] The Navy had planned to use the vessels to transport troops and equipment to training areas from Okinawa and other locations, helping the Navy meet these unique operational requirements without the need to build new vessels.[11]
In May 2012, The Navy has announced that both Alakai and Huakai have been renamed. Alakai was renamed USNS Puerto Rico and Huakai became Guam.[12]Guam was modified to replace the chartered Westpac ExpressinOkinawa in March 2013,[clarification needed] and Puerto Rico remained laid up until 2016.[citation needed]
United States
