For several decades, USNS LCPL Roy M. Wheat served as an essential asset to the US Navy,
boasting some of the most advanced military technology in the world.
A key component of the "Navy within a Navy," or the Military Sealift Command, the colossal
cargo ship was specially modified to support wartime operations in the Mediterranean Sea.
Like other vessels within the MSC, the USNS LCPL Roy M. Wheat was a non-combat
ship operated by civilians and tasked with various crucial support functions such as
refueling and resupplying US Navy warships at sea,
oceanographic assessment, submarine upkeep, and even assisting missile tests at sea.
As massive as an aircraft carrier, with her powerful radar capable of detecting
distant missile launches and modern sealifting and refueling equipment,
the remarkable ship stood as a testament to American maritime dominance. However, there
was one small detail that complicated matters: Roy M. Wheat was built by America’s greatest rival…
A World Apart
During the height of the Cold War, the Soviet Union did everything in its power to project
itself as a military force as formidable and far-reaching as the United States. At the same
time, the Communist Bloc was being torn asunder by financial crises and political instability.
Nevertheless, events like the Bomber Gap crisis of the 1950s, where US authorities
believed the Soviets had surpassed the US in long-range bomber capabilities, showed that
the USSR was often successful in appearing to be much more powerful than they actually were.
The uncertainty of the entire affair fueled the fears of a massive nuclear Armageddon as
both superpowers raced to develop the most destructive weapon conceivable.
But by the early 90s, when the USSR collapsed, much of the charade was
dispelled, and the reality of their shortcomings came crashing down.
Facing an unprecedented financial emergency,
the newly formed Russian Federation sought to dispose of a large number
of military assets as they simply had no way of maintaining or operating the equipment.
Desperate to ease their financial strain, Russia went as far as dealing with their despised
Cold War rival in order to allocate some of the military assets that they could no longer upkeep.
As such, Russia sold a limited number of military equipment to the US, including a massive cargo
ship recently renamed GTS Bazaliya from its original GTS Vladimir Vaslyayev.
The purchase was mainly a diplomatic affair and a way for Russia to dispose of the sizable ship.
She was sold in 1997 for a symbolic amount of money,
and the sealift vessel was transferred to US control shortly after.
Upon initial inspection, the abysmal gaps between US and Soviet military standards became apparent.
The ship was large and functional, but she lacked most of the modern navigation,
electrical and freight loading systems that were standard for American ships.
Despite all previous attempts by the Soviets to portray an image of technological advancement,
it was clear that when contrasted to US modern cargo ships, their technology was a world apart…
Unlikely Fate
USNS LCPL Roy M. Wheat was conceived in a very different time and place to where
it ended up serving. She was laid down in 1987 as GTS Vladimir Vaslyayev at
the Chernomorski Zavod shipyard in Nikolaev, Ukraine, which was part of the Soviet Union.
The vessel was the last of the Captain Smirnov-class cargo ships and was operated
by the Black Sea Shipping Company throughout the 1980s until the Soviet Union collapsed.
In 1997, the vessel was renamed GTS Bazaliya and acquired by the
United States Navy soon after as a part of their Maritime Prepositioning ship program.
Originating all the way back in 1833, the Black Sea Shipping Company was a massive organization
that would grow to become the world’s largest shipping company during the Soviet regime.
The corporation was instrumental in crucial foreign trade and international
aid initiatives and in supplying Soviet naval operations across the seas.
As such, the ship passed from being at the service of the Soviet regime during the
foreboding days of the Cold war to supplying the forces of the USSR’s greatest enemy.
However, the US was in no condition to operate the ship under American naval standards,
and she would have to be heavily modified.
A Ship Reborn
The Navy issued a 150-million-dollar contract to Ocean Marine Navigation Company to undertake the
monumental task of converting the Soviet vessel into an American-worthy ship. And the cargo ship
was eventually taken to Bender Shipbuilding and Repair Company in Mobile, Alabama, where a series
of dramatic conversions and modifications took place over the following six years.
The overhaul was unprecedented and included the addition of a 118-foot midbody hull extension,
the integration of two cargo cranes, the construction of fore and aft garages,
the extension and reinforcement of the stern ramp, and the creation of a stern helicopter deck.
The electrical system was completely transformed from a 50-hertz to a 60-hertz
configuration, and the ship’s generator and electrical switching gear were replaced.
The ship was also fitted with new Vosper-Thornycroft machinery control systems,
larger and more comfortable crew accommodations, and climate control systems for the cargo holds.
America’s Soviet Ship
Soon after her conversion, the GTS Bazaliya was officially given the name of USNS LCPL
Roy M. Wheat in honor of Lance Corporal Roy Miller Wheat, who was posthumously awarded the Medal of
Honor for his service in Vietnam when he threw himself on a mine to save two fellow Marines.
The supply ship was put into service with the Military Sealift Command in October of 2003,
becoming the only US Navy vessel built in the former Soviet Union.
Now operational after the complex modifications to increase her size,
the cargo ship was an 864-foot-long behemoth as large as a Wasp-class
amphibious assault ship with more than 100,000 square feet of floor space.
As she was commissioned for service, a Military Sealift Command spokesman indicated that the ship
was ready to carry: (QUOTE) “A 500-bed Navy fleet hospital, an expeditionary airfield,
naval construction battalion equipment, ammunition, and other supplies.”
For most of her operational life, Roy M. Wheat served in the Mediterranean region.
The ship was one of the often called “Navy within a Navy,” as she formed part
of an unarmed fleet that provided support to American warships as they navigated the seas.
These ships are responsible for tasks such as refueling, resupplying, conducting oceanographic
surveys, performing submarine maintenance, and even supporting missile tests at sea.
Moreover, some of the vessels in the Maritime Sealift Command are equipped
with state-of-the-art radar technology, such as the Sea-Based X-Band Radar,
which is capable of tracking missile launches on a global stage.
After almost two decades of service,
USNS LCPL Roy M. Wheat was decommissioned and taken from the Navy list on December 30, 2021.
The following month, the vessel was reassigned to the James River Reserve
Fleet located at Fort Eustis, Virginia, where she was scheduled to be dismantled.
To this day, the massive supply remains the only Soviet-made vessel to be operated by the US Navy…
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