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US Navy Oiler Runs Aground, Forcing Carrier Strike Group to Scramble for Fuel
John Konrad

Total Views: 16945
September 24, 2024

by John Konrad – gCaptain has received multiple reports that the US Navy oiler USNS Big Horn ran aground yesterday and partially flooded off the coast of Oman, leaving the Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group without its primary fuel source.

First reported on the gCaptain forum and by maritime historian Sal Mercogliano, a leaked video and photos show damage to the ship’s rudder post and water flooding into a mechanical space. US Navy vessels don’t typically transmit AIS signals, so we don’t know the exact location of the ship but a Navy source confirms she is anchored near Oman awaiting a full damage assessment.

Fortunately, no injuries or environmental damage have been reported for the ship. This is significant because the 33-year-old vessel is one of the single-hull versions of the Kaiser-class oilers.

“USNS Big Horn sustained damage while operating at sea in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations overnight on Sept. 23. All crew members are currently safe and U.S. 5th Fleet is assessing the situation,” according to a statement from a Navy official provided to Sam Lagrone at USNI News.

Kaiser-class oilers, named after Henry J. Kaiser, were introduced in the 1980s and have long been the backbone of the Navy’s underway replenishment (UNREP) capabilities. These vessels refuel carrier strike groups and other naval assets at sea—a crucial task ensuring the Navy’s global reach and operational readiness. However, as single-hull tankers, they’ve been considered environmentally vulnerable since, following the Exxon Valdez oil spill, the 1990 Oil Pollution Act (OPA 90) mandated double-hull designs for commercial oil tankers.

The John Lewis-class, a modern replacement for the aging Kaiser-class, features double-hull construction, improved safety, and enhanced fuel capacity. Named after the late civil rights leader, these ships are designed to meet the Navy’s future logistical needs, reflecting a broader push to modernize the fleet and enhance operational resilience.

Compounding the problem is the fact that the Big Horn is the only oiler the Navy has in the Middle East. One shipowner told gCaptain that the Navy is scrambling to find a commercial oil tanker to take its place and deliver jet fuel to the USS Abraham Lincoln.

If the Navy resorts to using a commercial oil tanker as a temporary replacement, it would need to install a Consolidated Cargo Handling and Fueling (CONSOL) system for underway replenishment operations. This system includes specialized refueling rigs, tensioned fueling hoses, and high-capacity fuel pumps—all essential for safely transferring fuel to warships at sea. The tanker would also require robust communication and control systems to ensure precise coordination during refueling maneuvers.



This retrofitting process is no small feat. It requires significant modifications to the commercial vessel, enabling it to withstand the unique stresses and operational demands of pumping fuel while sailing at full speed. Moreover, a U.S. Merchant Marine crew trained in CONSOL UNREP procedures—a complex and high-risk operation—would need to be flown to the Middle East to supervise the operation. This adds another layer of complexity to an already challenging situation.

Commercial tankers are significantly slower than Navy oilers, which could leave the USS Abraham Lincoln more vulnerable to attack during aviation fuel loading operations.

More at link

https://gcaptain.com/us-navy-o...o-scramble-for-fuel/

https://x.com/Geiger_Capital/s...scramble-for-fuel%2F

But more importantly, was the crew all up to date on their DEI training?

I'd guess retro fitting a commercial oiler would take 6 months, a year, probably longer. What to do in the mean time?

Our military is so screwed up. This, the USCG buying a 12 year old used ice breaker, etc.

quote:

Originally posted by ulsterman:
I'd guess retro fitting a commercial oiler would take 6 months, a year, probably longer. What to do in the mean time?

The Modular CONSOL Adapter Kit mentioned in the article can reportedly be installed on a commercial tanker and be up and running in as little as 3 days.

Also, the gCaptain forum:

https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/u...n-grounding/70744/28

Total incompetence. Seems like our Navy is a bit of a disaster.

These ships are part of Military Sealift Command and are crewed primarily with civilian mariners. I spent 120 days on one as a cadet back in '99 to 2000. Horrible job. A lot of turnaround as mariners tend to get stuck onboard for months past their scheduled discharge date because reliefs are so hard to come by. It was bad 20 years ago and as far as I know as only gotten worse. Great if you are young and fresh and eager to accrue a shitload of sea time and upgrade your license fast, but terrible if you want any type of home life.

Still, these are typically competent crews. The issue of course is the Navy bureaucracy. Too early to say what happened here, but having just one tanker available to fuel that whole fleet is where the incompetence comes into play in my opinion.

“Compounding the problem is the fact that the Big Horn is the only oiler the Navy has in the Middle East.”

So, if I understand this correctly, all hadji has to do is sink one oiler and our Naval operations in the area would pretty much come to a halt? Incredible. Redundancy is your friend.

Another ship captain fired for lack of confidence.

quote:

Originally posted by PASig:
But more importantly, was the crew all up to date on their DEI training?

quote:

Originally posted by RogueJSK:

quote:

Originally posted by ulsterman:
I'd guess retro fitting a commercial oiler would take 6 months, a year, probably longer. What to do in the mean time?

The Modular CONSOL Adapter Kit mentioned in the article can reportedly be installed on a commercial tanker and be up and running in as little as 3 days.

Good. What about the advanced communications systems?

quote:

Originally posted by 229DAK:
Another ship captain fired for lack of confidence.

Remember, it's a civilian crew manning these vessels.

It's perplexing to try and understand how this ship could have run aground. Don't they have all the latest and greatest electronics to avoid running aground? I owned a small 20 foot boat and navigated on several different bodies of water, oceans, bays, rivers and managed to never run aground using a bit of common sense, a depth finder and maps.

quote:

Originally posted by Balzé Halzé:

quote:

Originally posted by 229DAK:
Another ship captain fired for lack of confidence.

Remember, it's a civilian crew manning these vessels.

It still has a Captain and he still should be fired for running his ship aground.

If it was 33 years old, built in 1991, I'm surprised they hadn't altered the design to at least have double bottoms. I worked on tankers built in 1981-1983 (La Jolla class) that had double bottoms.

Merchant Marines?

They crew a lot of vessels hardly anyone hears about

quote:

Originally posted by calugo:

It still has a Captain and he still should be fired for running his ship aground.

We have no idea what happened or why yet. Yeah, the Captain is likely to face some harsh consequences depending on the investigation. My point was simply to clarify that these are civilian mariners on the bridge.

quote:

Originally posted by Balzé Halzé:

quote:

Originally posted by calugo:

It still has a Captain and he still should be fired for running his ship aground.

We have no idea what happened or why yet. Yeah, the Captain is likely to face some harsh consequences depending on the investigation. My point was simply to clarify that these are civilian mariners on the bridge.

Agreed.

Many things need to be looked at to include, most all sand bars I have ever heard of do not cause hull ruptures.

But you gotta applaud the speed, efficiency, and level of cooperation to tell any adversary not already aware, that a carrier group doesn't have access to JP-4/5 and DFM for the small boys...

quote:

Originally posted by RogueJSK:

quote:

Originally posted by ulsterman:
I'd guess retro fitting a commercial oiler would take 6 months, a year, probably longer. What to do in the mean time?

The Modular CONSOL Adapter Kit mentioned in the article can reportedly be installed on a commercial tanker and be up and running in as little as 3 days.

Provided there's no hitches and the crew is dial'd in...seeing how things have been lately with the Navy A commercial tanker is gonna have to sail at flank-speed just to keep-up and the carrier will need to slow down to uncomfortable-speed.
As Sal points out in his video, there's an oiler in the Eastern Med but, she's supporting the MEU/ARG that's onboard the USS Wasp, there's also two dry cargo/ammunition ships (AKE's) in the region that can pass fuel but, nothing like what an oiler can do.

Picture shows broken bolts from the rudder post the amount of force to do that kind of damage