DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — A U.S. Navy replenishment ship working within the Center East sustained injury and the trigger was underneath investigation, officers stated Tuesday.
The USNS Huge Horn was broken after it resupplied the usAbraham Lincoln plane provider strike group. It remained within the area amid heightened tensions over the Israel-Hamas struggle and Israel’s ongoing strikes concentrating on Hezbollah in Lebanon.
A U.S. Navy official, talking on situation of anonymity to debate issues but to be made public, declined to elaborate on the place the injury befell. A photograph launched by the U.S. navy dated Sept. 5 confirmed sailors aboard the Lincoln receiving provides from the Huge Horn, whereas one other on Sept. 11 confirmed the Huge Horn alongside the Lincoln. The Lincoln is patrolling the Arabian Sea.
The official stated the Huge Horn’s crew was secure and there was no signal of an oil leak from the vessel.
One other U.S. official, who spoke on situation of anonymity for a similar motive, stated the vessel was being supported by non-public tugboats to go right into a port and an evaluation of the injury was nonetheless ongoing.
Rumors concerning the Huge Horn’s situation started circulating early Tuesday after photographs posted to a web site monitoring delivery known as Captain confirmed flooding purportedly on board the Henry J. Kaiser-class fleet replenishment oiler. The web site described the Huge Horn as having “ran aground … and partially flooded off the coast of Oman.”
Although the Lincoln is powered by a nuclear reactor, its strike group has vessels powered by fossil gasoline that should be resupplied at sea. The plane aboard the Lincoln additionally want jet gasoline. The Huge Horn and different ships prefer it additionally present different provides.
The U.S. official known as the injury to the refueler an inconvenience, however stated the fleet would proceed to have the ability to function with out it. The strike group’s destroyers can refuel in port they usually can transport aviation gasoline to the provider to provide the on-board fighter jets and surveillance plane.
Oilers just like the Huge Horn usually have round 80 civilians and 5 navy personnel on board.
It stays unclear if there are another replenishment ships prefer it instantly accessible within the Mideast. An AP survey of publicly launched navy photographs of comparable replenishment ships run by the U.S. Navy’s Army Sealift Command confirmed none within the Mideast in latest months. The command declined to remark.
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Copp reported from Washington.
