Emory S. Land-class submarine tender

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Emory S. Land-class submarine tenders are three ships built for the U.S. Navy and Military Sealift Command to support nuclear-powered submarines. The lead ship is USS Emory S. Land, followed by USS Frank Cable and USS McKee. McKee was the first in the class to be decommissioned. The class is nearly identical to the L. Y. Spear-class and is planned to be replaced by two AS(X) ships.

Key features
- Designed to service submarines with 53 workshops spread over 13 decks.
- Can service up to four submarines at the same time.
- Anchors and cranes: two 40-ton bow anchors, one 20-ton stern anchor, two 60-ton cranes, and two 7-ton cranes.
- A helicopter landing pad is on the aft (rear) of the ships; there is no hangar.

Construction and service
- Built by Lockheed Shipbuilding and Construction Company in Seattle, Washington.
- Construction years: 1976–1979; in commission from 1979 to present.
- Three ships were built; two remain active today (McKee was decommissioned).
- The Emory S. Land class will be replaced by the AS(X) class.

Specifications (overview)
- Displacement: about 23,000 long tons at full load (light about 13,800 LT; deadweight about 9,000 LT)
- Length/beam/draft: 649 ft long, 85 ft beam, 26–29 ft draft
- Propulsion: two boilers, steam turbine, one shaft, about 20,000 shaft horsepower
- Speed: about 18 knots
- Crews: roughly 1,350 people
- Armament: two 40 mm anti-aircraft guns and four 20 mm anti-aircraft guns

(Note: This is a simplified summary of the Emory S. Land-class submarine tenders.)