Fairbanks Morse Defense (FMD), a portfolio company of Arcline Investment Management, has been awarded a contract by General Dynamics NASSCO to build and deliver the main propulsion diesel engines for the Military Sealift Command’s future USNS Dolores Huerta (T-AO 214).

The USNS Dolores Huerta is the 10^th vessel in the John Lewis-class of fleet replenishment oilers. It will be powered by two four-stroke 12V /60 CR main propulsion engines and two 7L 32/44 CR service diesel engines, all manufactured at FMD’s Beloit, Wisconsin facility. Each engine will feature FMD’s common rail fuel injection system, which improves fuel atomization and combustion efficiency. Fairbanks Morse is an MAN Energy Solutions SE licensee.

Engine delivery for the USNS Dolores Huerta is scheduled for late 2026. Fairbanks Morse Defense has previously supplied engines for T-AO 205 through T-AO 211 and is currently working on engines for T-AO 212 and T-AO 213.

John Lewis-class oilers, also known as T-AO 205-class, have the capacity to carry 162,000 barrels of oil and a significant amount of dry cargo, providing vital fuel supplies to the US Navy’s carrier strike groups. The ships in this class are named after civil rights leaders such as John Lewis, Harvey Milk, Robert F. Kennedy, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and Sojourner Truth. T-AO 214 is named in honor of Dolores Huerta, a prominent labor leader and civil rights activist who, alongside Cesar Chavez, played a pivotal role in the farmworkers’ labor movement in the 20^th century.