U.S. Navy ship damaged in Mideast after resupplying San Diego-based aircraft carrier group
DUBAI — A U.S. Navy replenishment ship operating in the Middle East sustained damage in an incident that is under investigation, officials said Tuesday.
The damage to the Navy’s Big Horn happened after the oiler supplied the San Diego-based USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier strike group, which remains in the region amid heightened tensions over the Israel-Hamas war and Israel’s ongoing strikes targeting Hezbollah in Lebanon.
A U.S. Navy official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss matters yet to be made public, said the damage happened in the Mideast, but declined to elaborate on its location. A photo released by the U.S. military dated Sept. 5 showed sailors aboard the Abraham
Lincoln receiving supplies from the Big Horn, while another on Sept. 11, seen above, showed the Big Horn alongside the Abraham Lincoln. The Abraham Lincoln is patrolling the Arabian Sea.
The official said that the Big Horn’s crew was safe and that there was no sign of an oil leak from the vessel.
Another U.S. official, who spoke on condition of anonymity for the same reason, said that the vessel was being supported by private tugboats and that an assessment was still ongoing for the vessel.
Defense Secretary Austin orders a guided-missile submarine to the Middle East, Pentagon says, as Western leaders warn Iran to “stand down†Israel threats.
Rumors about the Big Horn’s condition began circulating early Tuesday after images posted to a website tracking shipping called gCaptain showed flooding purportedly on board the Henry J. Kaiser-class fleet replenishment oiler. The website described the Big Horn as having “ran aground ... and partially flooded off the coast of Oman.â€
Though the Abraham Lincoln is powered by a nuclear reactor, its strike group has vessels powered by fossil fuel that need to be resupplied at sea. The aircraft aboard the Abraham Lincoln also need jet fuel. The Big Horn and other ships like it also provide other supplies.
Oilers such as the Big Horn are not commissioned Navy ships but are owned by the Navy. They typically have about 80 civilians and five military personnel on board.
It is unclear whether there are any other replenishment ships like it immediately available in the Mideast. An Associated Press survey of publicly released military images of similar replenishment ships run by the Navy’s Military Sealift Command showed none in the Mideast in recent months. The command declined to comment.
Gambrell and Copp write for the Associated Press. Copp reported from Washington.
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