USNS Alan Shepard (T-AKE-3) is a Lewis and Clark-class dry cargo ship in the United States Navy. She is named after the astronaut and Rear Admiral, Alan Shepard (1923–1998), the first American in space and the fifth person to walk on the Moon.
The contract to build her was awarded to National Steel and Shipbuilding Company (NASSCO) of San Diego, on 16 July 2002. Construction began on 13 September 2005. She was launched on 6 December 2006, sponsored by Laura Churchley, daughter of RAdm. Shepard.[1]
Alan Shepard entered active service in 2007.[2] She was initially part of the Pacific Fleet.
During Exercise Pacific Vanguard in August 2022, Alan Shepard launched a BQM-177A target drone during live-fire practice with the guided-missile destroyer and the Australian frigate ; this was the first time the drone was used in a training exercise. Both vessels launched missiles at the BWM-177A and successfully intercepted it.[3]
By 2023, Alan Shepard was assigned to the United States Fifth Fleet. In July 2023, Alan Shepard entered a shipyard in Al Hidd, Bahrain, and on 15 July, while leaving the shipyard, she ran aground. None of the approximately 85 individuals on the ship were injured in the accident. The next day, tugboats refloated Alan Shepard.[2] An inspection after the accident revealed that Alan Shepard was not significantly damaged.[4]