A public vessel of the United States that is in the custody of the Navy and is: a. Operated by the Military Sealift Command and manned by a civil service crew; or b. Operated by a commercial company under contract to the Military Sealift Command and manned by a merchant marine crew. Also called USNS. See also Military Sealift Command. (JP 3-02.2)
UNITED STATES NAVAL SHIP
Meaning of UNITED STATES NAVAL SHIP in English
DOD English dictionary of military terms. Английский словарь военных терминов DOD. 2012