Those ships to which the US Government holds title and which the Military Sealift Command operates under a contract (i.e., nongovernment-manned). These ships are designated United States Naval Ships and use the prefix USNS with the ship name and the letter T as a prefix to the ship classification (e.g., T-AKR). See also Military Sealift Command; United States Naval Ship. (JP 3-02.2)
GOVERNMENT-OWNED, CONTRACT-OPERATED SHIPS
Meaning of GOVERNMENT-OWNED, CONTRACT-OPERATED SHIPS in English
DOD English dictionary of military terms. Английский словарь военных терминов DOD. 2012