US Army spy ship ‘Worthy’ is in Cairns for three-month overhaul

Spy ship … American spy ship USAV Worthy in Cairns for a refit. Picture: Supplied Source: Supplied

The 2500-tonne United States Army vessel USAV Worthy looks more like a floating version of the CIA Pine Gap spy base near Alice Springs than a normal military ship with four large white radomes and other electronic instruments mounted on her superstructure.

The maintenance work was undertaken at the Tropical Reef Shipyard in Cairns Harbour where she has been for the past 10 weeks.

The USAV Worthy is known as a “missile range surveillance ship”, and is based at the top-secret US missile and space facility at Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands midway between Cairns and Hawaii, about 3000km south west of Honolulu.

The US Government leases 11 of the 100 islands that make up the world’s biggest coral atoll around the largest lagoon on earth for its Ronald E Reagan test facility.

Secret … USA National Missile Defence launch of Exoatmospheric Kill Vehicle sensor at Kwajalein Missile Range in the central Pacific. Picture: Supplied Source: News Limited

Eight of the islands are fitted with powerful radar, optics, telemetry, and communications equipment to provide instrumentation for ballistic missile and missile interceptor testing and space operations support.

It was established after World War Two to monitor the nuclear tests at nearby Bikini Atoll.

History … US nuclear testing on Bikini atoll in the Marshall Islands in 1946. Picture: Supplied Source: News Corp Australia

The facility is used by numerous agencies including the Department of Defence and NASA to support programs such as ballistic missile defence, Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) development and testing and space surveillance.

Satellites are also launched from the atoll.

Progress … The launch of a EKV (Exoatmospheric Kill Vehicle) sensor at US Army’s Kwajalein Missile Range in central Pacific Ocean. Pic: USA / Armed Forces Source: News Corp Australia

The main island houses a large workforce and an airstrip capable of handling large military and civilian transport aircraft.

The main US base and airstrip on Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands. Picture: Supplied Source: Supplied

From the air, the base looks remarkably similar to the controversial sand “islands” being built by the Chinese military in the South China Sea.

Satellite imagery showing progress of Chinese land building across Spratlys. Picture: Supplied Source: Supplied

The Worthy began life in 1988 as a Stalwart Class ocean surveillance ship for the US Navy and she is due to leave Cairns in about two weeks.

source:news.com.au