MV American Tern

	American Tern (T-AK-4729)
History
United States
Name	Serenity (1990–1996); Kariba (1996–1997); Torm Africa (1997–1999); Kariba (1999–2000); Lykes Flyer (2000); Kariba (2000); Kota Agung (2000–2002); Kariba (2002); American Tern (2002–2011); Tern (2011);
Builder	VEB Schiffswerft Neptun, Rostock, Germany
Launched	16 December 1989
Out of service	2010
Identification	Call sign WAHF; IMO number: 8908088; MMSI number: 369113000;
Fate	Scrapped in 2010
General characteristics
Type	Container ship
Tonnage	13,382 gt 17,175 dwt
Displacement	8,650 long tons (8,789 t)
Length	521 ft (159 m)
Beam	76 ft (23 m)
Draft	33 ft (10 m)
Speed	16 knots (30 km/h; 18 mph)
Complement	21 contract mariners

MV American Tern (T-AK-4729) is a container ship managed by APL Maritime. Formerly the Liberian-flagged Kariba, the vessel was renamed American Tern under the United States flag in 2002. Since then, the American Tern has been chartered by the United States Navy Military Sealift Command. She was contracted through 2010 to make resupply voyages to McMurdo Station in Antarctica (Operation Deep Freeze) and Pituffik Space Base in Greenland (Operation Pacer Goose).^[1] The vessel is named after the tern, a type of bird that makes annual migrations from the Arctic to the Antarctic.

American Tern unloading containers at McMurdo Station
American Tern being led into McMurdo Station, Antarctica, by the Russian icebreaker Krasin during Operation Deepfreeze, 2006
American Tern and Russian icebreakers

References

^ ^a ^b Wiedner, Steffen. "MV American Tern" (PDF). Merchant Ships International. Retrieved May 18, 2009.^{[permanent dead link]}
^ "MV American Tern (T-AK 4729)". Military Sealift Command - Ship Inventory. Retrieved May 18, 2009.

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