A U.S. Navy oil tanker was damaged during operations in the Middle East overnight, prompting an investigation by the U.S. 5th Fleet, Navy officials confirmed Tuesday.
The USNS Big Horn is a civilian-manned ship assigned to the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group. It was wrecked while anchored off the coast of Oman. According to the U.S. Naval Institute, the Big Horn, a Henry J. Kaiser-class replenishment tanker, suffered no leaks after it struck a stationary object in the water.
“All crew members are currently safe, and U.S. 5th Fleet is assessing the situation. We will provide additional information when available,” a Navy official said.
It wasn’t immediately clear if any other Navy replenishment ships in the Middle East were capable of supporting an aircraft carrier strike group.
The USS Abraham Lincoln is nuclear-powered, so it doesn’t require fuel. But that’s not the case for the carrier’s fighter jets and other aircraft or the Navy destroyers and cruisers that are part of the strike group.
Kaiser-class tankers have been the backbone of the Navy’s at-sea replenishment operations since they were introduced in the mid-1980s. Most Kaiser-class ships, including the USNS Big Horn, are single-hulled rather than double-hulled like their civilian counterparts. They will eventually be replaced by the double-hulled John Lewis class of tankers that meet the requirements of the Oil Pollution Act of 1990.
• Mike Glenn can be reached at mglenn@washingtontimes.com.
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