Del Monte was built as the break bulk cargo ship Delta Brazil, by Ingalls Shipbuilding in 1968 for Delta Lines. She was purchased by the U.S. Navy's military sealift command some time in the 80's, and served as a general cargo ship. She participated in Desert Storm, but her careers, both civilian and naval, have gone quite unnoticed. Today she is used as a training ship for VBSS teams. Her four sister ships, originally Delta Argentina, Delta Paraguay, Delta Uruguay, and Delta Mexico are all equally as obscure. Two of her sisters, Uruguay, and Mexico were also bought by the navy, and renamed Del Valle, and Del Viento respectively. They were both scrapped in 2008, leaving Del Monte as the last ship of her class. Some time during or after 2011, she got a refit where she was equipped with a new crane, and an entirely new pilot house of a more modern design. She gained a helipad some time before this.



Length: 159m

Beam: 21m

Draft: 6m (current)




Above: Del Monte taking on supplies for Operation Desert Storm in 1991.



Above: Del Monte being escorted by Moran tugboats in 2020. (Photo by Steven Collingwood at Shipspotting.com)



Note:

Information on this ship is very scarce, I have pieced together the info I have here over the course of about a month, through hours of research. It may not be entirely accurate despite this.



Additional reading:

https://www.wikiwand.com/de/Delta-Argentina-Klasse

http://www.navsource.org/archives/09/13/135049.htm