DATE: Wednesday, May 7, 1997                TAG: 9705070439

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B5   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY IDA KAY JORDAN, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: PORTSMOUTH                        LENGTH:   52 lines

NAVY IS RENAMING SHIP GOSPORT, AFTER SHIPYARD

There never has been an American ship named Gosport, the original name of Norfolk Naval Shipyard, founded in 1767.

But after Friday, there will be a Gosport steaming around the world.

The shipyard's research vessel, now named Pacific Escort, will become the first Gosport Friday in a 1 p.m. ceremony at Portside.

The ship will be christened by Nan Klemm, wife of the shipyard's commander, Capt. William Klemm. After the ceremony, the ship will be open for public tours.

``Since this is the oldest and most historic of all shipyards - this is a natural tie-in,'' said Duff Porter, the shipyard's business manager. ``So far as we know, there is no other ship named Gosport, and there has never been a Navy vessel with the name, so this is exclusive with us.''

The research ship has had Portsmouth as its home port since 1995, when it was transferred from Mare Island Naval Shipyard in Vallejo, Calif., which closed last year.

The ship was built by the Navy in 1965 as a research vessel named the Thomas G. Thompson. It first was used by the University of Washington for hydrographic surveys. Mare Island used the vessel as a submarine escort, hence the name Pacific Escort.

``But the name's irrelevant here,'' Porter said. ``This is the Atlantic, not the Pacific, and we use it for much more than an escort.''

The ship returned to Portsmouth last October after a 122-day deployment and has been dry-docked for repairs and certification.

In the first year the naval shipyard operated the ship, it steamed 25,000 miles, the equivalent of circumnavigating the world.

The vessel has participated in a variety of tests and evaluations of U.S. Navy ships and operations. Many of the activities, such as flying target drones, previously were done by Navy ships at a greater cost in fuel and personnel. In the first year, the ship saved the Navy an estimated $4 million, according to a shipyard newsletter.

``And we're still finding things we can do with her,'' Porter said.

The 12,000-ton ship is 210 feet long and 39 feet wide. It cruises at 11 knots and can remain at sea for 40 days, covering 10,000 miles.

The ship has three state-of-the-art laboratories, a large array of electronic equipment and deck gear.

It has a civilian crew of 14 under the command of Capt. George Fleck, a merchant mariner. It can accommodate up to 40 people and has a large deck available for use by research and test personnel who come aboard for special projects. ILLUSTRATION: File photo

The 210-foot-long research ship Pacific Escort will be renamed

Gosport in a ceremony at 1 p.m. Friday ceremony at Portside.

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