() – A U.S. Navy resupply ship was damaged while operating in the Middle East in an incident that remains under investigation, according to a Navy official.
The USNS Big Horn was damaged after the ship was replenishing and refueling Navy ships operating in the region, including the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and several guided-missile destroyers. The Navy official did not say where the incident occurred or what type of damage the replenishment tanker sustained.
The USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group has been operating in and around the Gulf of Oman in an effort to send a message of deterrence to Iran.
The USNS Big Horn is now being towed to a nearby port so the damage can be further investigated and repairs can be made, the official said.
“It is too early to speculate on the details or cause of the damage,” the official said. All crew members aboard the ship are safe and the U.S. Fifth Fleet, which controls Navy operations in the Middle East, is assessing the situation, the official added.
Replenishment ships like the USNS Big Horn provide fuel to Navy ships during deployments. The USS Abraham Lincoln is a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier and does not require refueling, but the other ships in the strike group and the aircraft aboard the Lincoln require fossil fuels to operate during long overseas deployments.
The USNS Big Horn was the only ship of its type operating in the region, Navy officials said. The USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group will likely refuel and replenish supplies in port rather than at sea for the time being.
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