United States Navy oiler - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

United States Navy

The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...

, an Oiler is a Combat Logistics ship that replenishes other ships with fuel and in some cases food, mail, ammunition and other necessities while at sea, in a process called Underway Replenishment

Underway replenishment

Underway replenishment or replenishment at sea is a method of transferring fuel, munitions, and stores from one ship to another while under way.-History:...

or UNREP. Up through the Second World War Navy oilers used commercial tanker hulls, with the addition of UNREP gear, defensive guns, and military electronic and damage-control equipment; since the 1950s however they have been built from the keel up as specialized naval auxiliaries. They were previously classified as Fleet Oilers in the 20th Century; under the current MSC

Military Sealift Command

The Military Sealift Command is a United States Navy organization that controls most of the replenishment and military transport ships of the Navy. It first came into existence on 9 July 1949 when the Military Sea Transportation Service became solely responsible for the Department of Defense's...

operation their full classification is listed as Fleet Replenishment Oilers. Since the 1960s the classification Transport Oiler (AOT) has applied to tankers which ship petroleum products to depots around the world, but do not engage in UNREP.

The first fleet oilers were identified by the hull designation AO, which is still in use. Larger multifunction oilers which also provide ammunition and dry stores are identified as Fast Combat Support Ship

Fast combat support ship

The fast combat support ship is the United States Navy's largest combat logistics ship, designed as an oiler, ammunition and supply ship. All fast combat support ships currently in service are operated by Military Sealift Command . The AOE has the speed and armament to keep up with carrier battle...

s (AOE), and mid-size ones Replenishment Oiler

Replenishment Oiler

A replenishment oiler or fleet tanker is a naval auxiliary ship with fuel tanks and dry cargo holds, which can replenish other ships while underway in the high seas. Such ships are used by several countries around the world....

s (AOR). The AOR designation is no longer in use. All of these oilers provide the combined services of the AO, AE, AFS and AK.

The style "USNS" and prefix "T" identify a ship as being operated by the Military Sealift Command

Military Sealift Command

(known as the Military Sea Transportation Service until 1970).

Kanawha class

The Kanawha-class

USS Kanawha (AO-1)

The third USS Kanawha was a replenishment oiler of the US Navy. She was laid down 8 December 1913 by the Mare Island Navy Yard, Vallejo, California; launched 11 July 1914; sponsored by Miss Dorothy Bennett; and commissioned 5 June 1915, Lt. Comdr...

was a class of six ships commissioned between 1914 and 1921, of which the first three displaced 5,950/14,800 ton

Ton

The ton is a unit of measure. It has a long history and has acquired a number of meanings and uses over the years. It is used principally as a unit of weight, and as a unit of volume. It can also be used as a measure of energy, for truck classification, or as a colloquial term.It is derived from...

s, and the next three (AO-4 to AO-6) displaced 5,723/14,500 tons. Until 1920 they were designated "Fueling Ship No. 1" etc. Three of these oilers were lost to enemy action during World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

., sunk at Tulagi 1943, sunk off Hawaii 1942, sunk off Christmas Island 1942

Arethusa, Sara Thompson and Robert L. Barnes

Wartime acquisitions of civilian tankers. Arethusa was built in Britain 1893 as the SS Lucilene and was purchased in 1898, serving originally as a water carrier. Sara Thompson, 2690/5840 tons, was also British-built, in 1888 as the SS Gut Heil, and was purchased in 1917. Robert L. Barnes, a 1630/3850-ton Great Lakes tanker, was built in 1914 and purchased in 1918. With the advent of the Navy's new hull-numbering system in 1920 they were designated AO-7, AO-8 and AO-14.

Patoka class

In 1919 - '20 the U.S. Navy commissioned eight Patoka-class

Patoka class oiler

The Patoka class oilers are a series of eight fleet replenishment oilers built for the United States Navy after World War I. All but one of the vessels were commissioned between 1919 and 1922, and all were held in various states until the eve of World War II, where all served with the Navy for the...

oilers of 5,422/16,800 tons displacement., later AV-6 and AG-125. Patoka served as tender for the airships Los Angeles

USS Los Angeles (ZR-3)

The second USS Los Angeles was a rigid airship, designated ZR-3, that was built in 1923-1924 by the Zeppelin factory in Friedrichshafen, Germany, where it was originally designated LZ-126...

and Shenandoah

USS Shenandoah (ZR-1)

USS Shenandoah was the first of four United States Navy rigid airships. It was built in 1922-1923 at Lakehurst Naval Air Station, and first flew in September 1923. It developed the Navy's experience with rigid airships, even making the first crossing of North America by airship...

Kaweah class and Alameda

These were four 5450/14,500-ton tankers built to USSB

United States Shipping Board

The United States Shipping Board was established as an emergency agency by the Shipping Act , 7 September 1916. It was formally organized 30 January 1917. It was sometimes referred to as the War Shipping Board.http://www.gwpda.org/wwi-www/Hurley/bridgeTC.htm | The Bridge To France by Edward N....

Design 1128 between 1919 and 1921. Alameda was purchased from civilian service as the SS Alameda; the other three were built for the government., torpedoed but survived 1942

Cimarron class (1939)

The Cimarron-class was a class of 35 fast twin-screw oilers that began entering service in 1939. Four of the ships were converted into escort carriers (CVEs) in 1942, and two were lost in combat. The first 30 of these ships were of the U.S. Maritime Commission's Type T3-S2-A1 (7,256/24,830 tons displacement); the last five were of the very similar but slightly larger T3-S2-A3 type (7,423/25,480 tons), sometimes called the Mispillion class.

From 1964 through 1967, eight of the T3 type oilers were "jumboized". This jumboization was done by cutting the ships in two with cutting torches, then the aft section was pulled away, and new mid-body moved in and welded to the bows and sterns. After many other cutting and welding modifications a new long ship was created; the jumbos were known as the Ashtabula class.

USS Kaskaskia (AO-27)

USS Kaskaskia (AO-27)

USS Kaskaskia was a Cimarron-class fleet replenishment oiler serving in the United States Navy, named for the Kaskaskia River in Illinois....

pioneered the superior span-wire or "Elwood" refueling rig in December 1944. The first ram-tensioned rig was installed on the USS Pawcatuck (AO-108)

USS Pawcatuck (AO-108)

- External links:...

in 1954.

Type T3-S2-A1: , (sunk in the Coral Sea 1942), , , , , , , , , , , , , , , (sunk at Ulithi 1944), , , , , , , , ,
Type T3-S2-A3 (Mispillion class): , , , ,
CVE conversions (Sangamon class): > CVE-26, > CVE-29, > CVE-28, > CVE-27
Jumboized (Ashtabula class): AO-51, 98, 99, 105-109

Chicopee class

In January 1942 the Navy moved to acquire two tankers then building for Standard Oil of New Jersey, the 5800/21,800 ton Esso Trenton and Esso Albany. These ships although not a Maritime Commission design were in fact very similar to the T2-A type commissioned as the Mattaponi class, and at 17+ knots were the fastest single-screw oilers in the Navy.

Kennebec class

The second large oiler class built during World War II was the Kennebec-class

Kennebec class oiler

The Kennebec-class oilers were sixteen United States Navy medium oilers built during World War II to three related designs at Bethlehem Sparrows Point Shipyard of Sparrows Point, Maryland and Sun Shipbuilding & Drydock Co. of Chester, Pennsylvania, all of which survived the war...

. These 16 ships were of the single-screw MARAD type T2

T2 tanker

The T2 tanker, or T2, was an oil tanker constructed and produced in large quantities in the United States during World War II. The largest "navy oilers" after the T3s at the time, nearly 500 of them were built between 1940 and the end of 1945....

(5580/21,000t, 16.5kt), larger T2-A (5880/21,750t, 16.5kt) and similar but somewhat slower T3-S-A1 (5630/21,000t, 15.3kt).

Type T2: , , , , ,
Type T2-A (Mattaponi class): , , , ,
Type T3-S-A1 (Chiwawa class
Chiwawa class oiler
The Chiwawa-class oilers were United States Navy oilers of the T3-S-A1 design built during World War II at Bethlehem Sparrows Point Shipyard of Sparrows Point, Maryland...

): , , , ,

Big Horn and Victoria

Gulf Oil's 1936 Gulf Dawn was requisitioned in April 1942, renamed Big Horn and nominally designated AO-45; in fact she was modified into a Q-ship

Q-ship

Q-ships, also known as Q-boats, Decoy Vessels, Special Service Ships, or Mystery Ships, were heavily armed merchant ships with concealed weaponry, designed to lure submarines into making surface attacks. This gave Q-ships the chance to open fire and sink them...

, a U-boat decoy equipped with concealed guns.
SS George G. Henry had already served in the Navy in 1917-18 under her own name; as one of the few tankers to escape the Philippines in December 1941 and be available to the Allied fleet in Australia, she was recommissioned under an emergency bare-boat charter at Melbourne the following April. Her civilian master, a Naval Reserve officer, was placed on active duty and continued in command., ex-Gulf Dawn, ex-George G. Henry

Suamico class

The third large oiler class built during World War II was the Suamico class

Suamico class oiler

The Suamico class were a class of 25 oilers of the United States Navy during WWII. Built to the Maritime Commission T2-SE-A1 , -A2 and -A3 designs, they used turbo-electric propulsion, obviating the need for reduction gearing, a major issue in US mass-production shipbuilding.-The Suamicos:Just...

. These 5730/21,880-ton oilers were of the MARAD Types T2-SE-A1, -A2 and -A3, differing from the Kennebecs principally in having turbo-electric drive, a consequence of a chronic shortage of reduction gearing. The Escambias had more powerful engines and were markedly faster than the others. 30 of these oilers were ordered, but three of them were canceled before their completion; two others were converted into water distillation ships (AW)

USS Pasig (AW-3)

USS Pasig was one of four water distilling ships built for the United States Navy during World War II. The lead ship in her class, she was named for the Pasig River USS Pasig (AW-3) was one of four water distilling ships built for the United States Navy during World War II. The lead ship in her...

and one into a water tanker. One of these oilers sank in 1947, and a second in MSC

Military Sealift Command

service in 1972. Some of the Escambias were later transferred to the US Army and used as mobile electric power plants in Vietnam.

Type T2-SE-A1: , , , , , , , , , ,
Type T2-SE-A2 (Escambia class): , , , , , , , , , (converted to AW-3), (converted to AW-4), (converted to water tanker), , ,
Type T2-SE-A3 (Cohocton class): , (canceled), (canceled), (canceled)

Atascosa

The Navy requisitioned Standard Oil's 6000/24,100-ton Esso Columbia shortly after her launch in September 1942.

Pasig and Shikellamy

The elderly tanker J. C. Donnell was acquired in January 1943 with the intent of using her as a floating storage tank at New Caledonia. When it turned out that concrete barges could fulfill that role, the briefly USS Pasig was returned to her owners in September. Her name was given to one of the Escambia class, AO-91. Sinclair Oil's Daniel Pierce was requisitioned in March 1943 and renamed USS Shikellamy (AO-90); in July however she was converted to a gasoline tanker and redesignated AOG-47., ex-J. C. Donnell (1917), ex-Daniel Pierce (1921)

Neosho class

The 11,600/38,000-ton Neosho-class

USS Neosho (AO-143)

|- See also :* List of United States Navy ships...

oilers were the first streamlined oilers built for the U.S. Navy, the first oilers since World War 2 and the first designed from the outset to support jet operations. Six of these oilers were completed during 1954 and 55. "They were the first oilers designed specifically for underway replenishment. The final PROBE fueling device design was approved in 1965, consisting of a male fitting attached to the terminal end of a seven-inch hose". The Neoshos were also markedly larger than any previous USN oilers at over 650 feet in length (T6 class) with a capacity of 180,000 barrels of fuel.

Cimarron class (1979)

The second Cimarron-class

Cimarron-class fleet replenishment oiler

The Cimarron class was a class of five replenishment oilers which served in the United States Navy between 1981 and 1999. These ships were sized to provide two complete refuelings of a fossil-fueled aircraft carrier and six to eight accompanying destroyers...

was a class of five fleet oilers that were commissioned in the early 1980s to replace older oilers constructed during World War II

World War II

. Due to budget restrictions, these ships were constructed smaller than was actually needed, requiring them to be "jumboized" in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Displacement was 8200 tons as built and 11,650/36,800 after jumboization. However, to save expenses and in keeping with the Navy's move away from steam propulsion, these ships were decommissioned in the late 1990s and replaced by the diesel-powered Henry J. Kaiser-class oilers manned by the Military Sealift Command

Military Sealift Command

(MSC).

Henry J. Kaiser class

The Henry J. Kaiser-class

Henry J. Kaiser class oiler

The Henry J. Kaiser class is an American class of eighteen fleet replenishment oilers which began construction in August 1984. The class comprises fifteen oilers which are operated by Military Sealift Command to provide underway replenishment of fuel to United States Navy combat ships and jet fuel...

is a class of fleet replenishment

Underway replenishment

Underway replenishment or replenishment at sea is a method of transferring fuel, munitions, and stores from one ship to another while under way.-History:...

oilers for which construction began in August 1984. This class is composed of eighteen underway replenishment oilers which are operated by the Military Sealift Command to provide underway replenishment of fuel to Navy combat ships and jet fuel for aircraft and helicopter

Helicopter

A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally...

s aboard aircraft carrier

Aircraft carrier

An aircraft carrier is a warship designed with a primary mission of deploying and recovering aircraft, acting as a seagoing airbase. Aircraft carriers thus allow a naval force to project air power worldwide without having to depend on local bases for staging aircraft operations...

s and surface warships. The Kaisers also have a limited capacity to supply ammunition, dry stores and refrigerated stores, although not as much as the AOEs and AORs; they do not have helicopter embarkation facilities. A Kaiser-class oiler operating in tandem with a Lewis & Clark-class AKE is considered to be the equivalent of one Supply-class AOE.

Two of this class were canceled and laid up incomplete, and a third transferred to the Chilean navy. (sold to Chile, 2009) (canceled) (canceled)

Sacramento class

The Sacramento-class

Sacramento class fast combat support ship

The Sacramento class fast combat support ships were a class of four United States Navy supply ships used to refuel, rearm, and restock ships in the United States Navy in both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.-History:...

was a class of four fast combat support ship

Fast combat support ship

s that carried out the refueling, rearming, and resupplying the warships of the U.S. Navy on the oceans of the world - especially aircraft carrier task force

Aircraft carrier

s, which are inheritantly fast-moving groups of warships. To provide these fast support ships with their speed, they were built using (one-half each) the steam turbine

Steam turbine

A steam turbine is a mechanical device that extracts thermal energy from pressurized steam, and converts it into rotary motion. Its modern manifestation was invented by Sir Charles Parsons in 1884....

propulsion plants of the incomplete Iowa-class battleship

Battleship

A battleship is a large armored warship with a main battery consisting of heavy caliber guns. Battleships were larger, better armed and armored than cruisers and destroyers. As the largest armed ships in a fleet, battleships were used to attain command of the sea and represented the apex of a...

s and . At nearly 800 feet and 58,000 tons full load, the Sacramentos were the largest oilers ever to serve in the US Navy.

The fast supply ships combined the functions of a fleet oiler (AO), an ammunition ship

Ammunition ship

An ammunition ship is a warship specially configured to carry ammunition, usually for Navy ships and aircraft. Their cargo handling systems, designed with extreme safety in mind, include ammunition hoists with airlocks between decks, and mechanisms for flooding entire compartments with sea water in...

(AE), and a refrigerated stores ship (AF) in one, as well as hangars and support facilities for two helicopters for Vertical Replenishment (VERTREP). "One-stop shopping", supplemented by VERTREP transfer of dry stores and ammunition, represented a signal decrease in the amount of time a deployed warship had to spend replenishing.

The Sacramentos were in service from 1964 to 2005. AOE-5 was canceled in 1968.

Supply class

The four Sacramento-class supply ships were replaced by the four Supply-class

Supply class fast combat support ship

The Supply class fast combat support ships is a class of four United States Navy supply ships used to refuel, rearm, and restock ships in the United States Navy in both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.-Ships:-General characteristics:...

ships commissioned between 1994 to 1998. All of these AOEs have been operated by the MSC since 2005. As with the Sacramentos, a fifth ship was canceled.

Conecuh (AOE-9) (canceled)

Conecuh

The first ship to carry the AOR-designation was the USS Conecuh, which was acquired as a war prize in 1946. She was the former German tanker Dithmarschen, and she served in the U.S. Navy from 1953 through 1956, where she was used to test the concept of the AOE/AOR.

Wichita class

The Wichita-class comprised seven 13,500/40,000-ton replenishment oiler

Replenishment Oiler

s that were used from the late 1960s through the mid-1990s. These ships, similar to but smaller and slower than the AOEs, though larger and faster than the Neoshos, were designed for rapid underway replenishment

Underway replenishment

Underway replenishment or replenishment at sea is a method of transferring fuel, munitions, and stores from one ship to another while under way.-History:...

using both connected replenishment and vertical replenishment (supplies carried from ship to ship by helicopters). The ships could carry 160,000 barrels of petroleum fuel, 600 tons of munitions, 200 tons of dry stores, and 100 tons of refrigerated supplies. With the overall reduction in size in the U.S. Navy fleet, these ships were all decommissioned and stricken during the 1990s.

Transport Tankers (AOT)

The T-AOT Transport Tankers are part of the Military Sealift Command's Sealift Program, carrying fuel for the Department of Defense. They are not intended to operate with the fleet or provide underway refueling, but to move fuel in support of military operations to ports and depots around the world; they are operated by civilian crews.

Mission class

The Missions were Type T2-SE-A2 ships like the Navy's Escambias ordered by the Maritime Commission in 1943 as civilian-operated transport tankers. The original order was for thirty, but six were taken over by the Navy and commissioned as AO-91 to 96; on the other hand MarCom took over three canceled Navy oilers of the nearly identical T2-SE-A3 type. After operating under civilian charter during the late war and immediate postwar period, transporting fuel to the many US forces overseas, they were transferred to the Naval Transportation Service in 1947-48 and the new Military Sea Transportation Service in 1949.

T2-SE-A2: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
T2-SE-A3: (ex-Conecuh, AO-103), (ex-Contoocook, AO-104), (ex-Concho, AO-102)

Mission San Francisco sank in a collision in 1957, and Mission San Miguel was lost after striking a reef several months later. Three Mission-class ships were later converted to Missile Range Instrumentation Ships and played a role in the space program: Mission San Fernando became USNS Vanguard (T-AGM-19), Mission De Pala became USNS Redstone (T-AGM-20), and Mission San Juan became USNS Mercury (T-AGM-21).

Mission Santa Ynez, scrapped in 2010, was the last survivor of the over 500 T2 tankers built during World War II.

Cedar Creek class

Five Type T2-SE-A1 tankers were transferred to the USSR under Lend-Lease

Lend-Lease

Lend-Lease was the program under which the United States of America supplied the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, China, Free France, and other Allied nations with materiel between 1941 and 1945. It was signed into law on March 11, 1941, a year and a half after the outbreak of war in Europe in...

and four returned to the United States in 1948-49, making them part of the extended Suamico family. The Maritime Administration replaced the wrecked Donbass (ex-Beacon Rock) with her sister Sappa Creek. (ex-Tagonrog) (ex-Elbrus) (ex-Krasnaya Armia) (ex-Emba II)

Maumee class

The Maumee-class

Maumee class oiler

The Maumee class was a class of four United States Navy fleet oilers in service from the mid-1950s until the mid-1980s. It was the first class of United States Naval Ships....

was a class of four 7184/32,950 ton T5-S-12a fleet oilers that were in service from the mid-1950s through the mid-1980s. These were the first tankers built specifically for the Military Sea Transport Service. The ships were not designed for underway replenishment

Underway replenishment

Underway replenishment or replenishment at sea is a method of transferring fuel, munitions, and stores from one ship to another while under way.-History:...

(refueling ships at sea), but rather, they were made to carry bulk quantities of petroleum

Petroleum

Petroleum or crude oil is a naturally occurring, flammable liquid consisting of a complex mixture of hydrocarbons of various molecular weights and other liquid organic compounds, that are found in geologic formations beneath the Earth's surface. Petroleum is recovered mostly through oil drilling...

products, such as fuel oil

Fuel oil

Fuel oil is a fraction obtained from petroleum distillation, either as a distillate or a residue. Broadly speaking, fuel oil is any liquid petroleum product that is burned in a furnace or boiler for the generation of heat or used in an engine for the generation of power, except oils having a flash...

, diesel fuel, and aviation fuel

Aviation fuel

Aviation fuel is a specialized type of petroleum-based fuel used to power aircraft. It is generally of a higher quality than fuels used in less critical applications, such as heating or road transport, and often contains additives to reduce the risk of icing or explosion due to high temperatures,...

, to American and allied military forces overseas.

At some time after the loss of USNS Potomac (T-AO-150)

USNS Potomac (T-AO-150)

USNS Potomac was a United States Navy Maumee-class oiler in non-commissioned service with the Military Sea Transportation Service, later Military Sealift Command, from 1957 to 1961.Potomac, fifth U.S...

in 1961, the three survivors were reclassified as "transport oiler"s (AOT).

Cumberland class

At the time of the 1956 Suez Crisis

Suez Crisis

The Suez Crisis, also referred to as the Tripartite Aggression, Suez War was an offensive war fought by France, the United Kingdom, and Israel against Egypt beginning on 29 October 1956. Less than a day after Israel invaded Egypt, Britain and France issued a joint ultimatum to Egypt and Israel,...

the Military Sea Transportation Service purchased twelve additional T2-SE-A1 merchant tankers, making them belated members of the vast Suamico class. Their naval service was temporary; with the strain on US tanker capacity easing in late 1957 the twelve were transferred to Maritime Administration custody and struck. (ex-Esso Cumberland) (ex-Esso Lynchburg) (ex-Esso Roanoke), , , (ex-Esso Memphis) (ex-Fort Cornwallis) (ex-Hanging Rock)

American Explorer

A T5-S-RM2a tanker, American Explorer was laid down in 1957, intended to be the world's first nuclear-powered tanker, but construction costs ballooned; the MSTS, using funds left over from the construction of the Maumees, funded her completion with a conventional steam plant. American Explorer gained some notoriety in 2008 as a stricken hulk awaiting scrapping when she broke her moorings during Hurricane Gustav

Hurricane Gustav

The name Gustav has been used for five tropical cyclones in the Atlantic Ocean:* 1984's Tropical Storm Gustav - Spent most of its existence as a tropical depression hovering over Bermuda, no major damage was reported....

and collided with New Orleans' Florida Avenue Bridge

Florida Avenue Bridge

The Florida Avenue Bridge is a vertical lift bridge spanning the Industrial Canal in New Orleans, Louisiana. The bridge has one railroad track, two vehicle lanes and two sidewalks...

Sealift class

By 1970 the MSTS, now renamed the Military Sealift Command

Military Sealift Command

, was operating an aging tanker fleet comprising largely WW2-built ships, which were wearing out. With limited budgets the MSC hit upon a build-and-charter program, under which new tankers would be built for private ownership but chartered to the MSC for twenty years. These nine new tankers were the Sealift class, which were intended to replace the T2s; their size was kept relatively small (587', 6786/34,000t) for access to smaller ports and shallower anchorages. They served from 1974 to 1995., , , , , , , ,

Potomac

The Maumee-class Potomac (T-AO-150) suffered a catastrophic fire in 1961 which however left her after section and machinery largely undamaged; this portion was purchased by Keystone Tankships and mated to a new bow and midbody to create the SS Shenandoah in 1964. After serving under charter for the MSTS/MSC for several years, Shenandoah was acquired by the Navy in 1976 and transferred to MSC ownership under her old name. She was the first ship equipped with an offshore petroleum discharge system (OPDS), allowing her to supply fuel to forces ashore by pumping it directly over the beach instead of having to deliver it in a port., ex-Shenandoah

Falcon class

In parallel with its build/charter operation of the Sealift class, the MSC in the 1970s obtained by a similar arrangement four larger T5-class tankers built for Falcon Shipping., ex-Falcon Lady, ex-Falcon Duchess, ex-Falcon Countess, ex-Falcon Princess

Champion class

The five T5 Champion-class tankers have double hulls and are ice-strengthened for protection against damage during missions in extreme climates. They were built by the American Ship Building Company of Tampa, Fla., for Ocean Product Tankers of Houston, Texas, for long-term time charter to MSC, and entered service in 1985-87. These tankers embark on many unique missions including refueling the National Science Foundation in Antarctica and Thule Air Base in Greenland. In 2003 the MSC purchased four of the five outright, making them United States Naval Ships. Matthiesen is equipped for UNREP.

Other transport oilers

In the 1980s MSC acquired several other merchant tankers for service in the Ready Reserve Force and/or Pre-Positioning Fleet. American Osprey, Mount Washington, Chesapeake and Petersburg are OPDS

OPDS

The Open Publication Distribution System Catalog format is a syndication format for electronic publications based on Atom and HTTP. OPDS Catalogs enable the aggregation, distribution, discovery, and acquisition of electronic publications. OPDS Catalogs use existing or emergent open standards and...

ships.
, ex-Spirit of Liberty, built 1968, acquired 1987, built 1961, acquired 1988, ex-Falcon Lady, ex-, built 1971, reacquired 1988, ex-Gulf Prince, built 1958, acquired 1984, built 1963, acquired 1987, ex-Hess Voyager, built 1964, acquired 1987, ex-Sinclair Texas, built 1962, acquired 1987

Naming of Oilers

U.S. Navy oilers were traditionally named for rivers and stream

Stream

A stream is a body of water with a current, confined within a bed and stream banks. Depending on its locale or certain characteristics, a stream may be referred to as a branch, brook, beck, burn, creek, "crick", gill , kill, lick, rill, river, syke, bayou, rivulet, streamage, wash, run or...

s with Native American names- USS Neosho, Monongahela, Neches, etc.

Then, for the combined oiler, ammunition, and food replenishment ships (AOE), the names of cities (traditionally cruiser names) were used - USS Detroit, Camden, etc. - and for the similar but smaller AORs city/river pairs with Native American names were used- USS Kalamazoo, Wichita, Savannah, Wabash, Roanoke, etc.

The first nine ships of the newest class of oilers were named for noted ship designers and builders - USS Henry J. Kaiser, Joshua Humphreys, etc.- before returning to the traditional river names.

The names of the newest class of combined oiler/supply ships honor the names of supply ships of years gone by: Supply

USS Supply

Four ships in the United States Navy have been named USS Supply., a sailing ship purchased in 1846 for service in the Mexican-American War which later served in the American Civil War., an iron steamer purchased by the Navy in 1898 which served in the Spanish-American War and the First World War.,...

, Arctic

USNS Arctic (T-AOE-8)

USNS Arctic , formerly USS Arctic , is the third ship in the Supply class of fast combat support ships and is the fifth supply ship to carry the name of the region surrounding the North Pole....

Oiler museums

There are no U.S. Navy museum ships dedicated specifically to oilers. There is one model of an oiler that has been on display at the Defense Logistics Agency

Defense Logistics Agency

The Defense Logistics Agency is an agency in the United States Department of Defense, with more than 26,000 civilian and military personnel throughout the world...

, in Fort Belvoir

Fort Belvoir

Fort Belvoir is a United States Army installation and a census-designated place in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. Originally, it was the site of the Belvoir plantation. Today, Fort Belvoir is home to a number of important United States military organizations...

, Virginia

Virginia

The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...

. She is the USS Tamalpais

USS Tamalpais (AO-96)

USS Tamalpais was a acquired by the United States Navy for use during World War II. She had the dangerous but necessary task of providing fuel to vessels in combat and non-combat areas...

(AO-96), named for a creek on a hill above Sausalito, California

Sausalito, California

Sausalito is a San Francisco Bay Area city, in Marin County, California, United States. Sausalito is south-southeast of San Rafael, at an elevation of 13 feet . The population was 7,061 as of the 2010 census. The community is situated near the northern end of the Golden Gate Bridge, and prior to...

. In promoting the creation of an all 18 feet of the model can be seen.

Naval Fleet Auxiliary Force (NFAF)

These perform Underway Replenishment. The first two are oilers; the others are dry cargo ships.

Fleet Replenishment Oilers - T-AO (15)
Fast Combat Support Ships] T-AOE (4)
Ammunition Ships T-AE (5)
Combat Stores Ships - T-AFS (2)
Dry Cargo/Ammunition Ships - T-AKE (7)

Replenishment ships in other countries

The following countries also have replenishment ships:

Argentina
Argentine Navy
The Navy of the Argentine Republic or Armada of the Argentine Republic is the navy of Argentina. It is one of the three branches of the Armed Forces of the Argentine Republic, together with the Army and the Air Force....

(1)
Australia
Royal Australian Navy
The Royal Australian Navy is the naval branch of the Australian Defence Force. Following the Federation of Australia in 1901, the ships and resources of the separate colonial navies were integrated into a national force: the Commonwealth Naval Forces...

(1)
Canada (2)
Chile (2)
Republic of China (Taiwan) (1)
France
Durance class tanker
The Durance class is a series of multi-product replenishment oilers, originally designed and built for service in the French Navy. Besides the five ships built for the French Navy, a sixth was built for the Royal Australian Navy, while the lead ship of the class currently serves with the Argentine...

(4)
Germany
Berlin class replenishment ship
The Type 702 Berlin class replenishment ships are the largest vessels of the Deutsche Marine . In German, this type of ship is called Einsatzgruppenversorger which can be translated as task force supplier though the official translation in English is combat support ship, or in military parlance, a...

(2)
Netherlands (2)
Peru (2)
Portugal (1)
Russia (15)
Saudi Arabia (2)
Spain
Spanish Navy
The Spanish Navy is the maritime branch of the Spanish Armed Forces, one of the oldest active naval forces in the world. The Armada is responsible for notable achievements in world history such as the discovery of Americas, the first world circumnavigation, and the discovery of a maritime path...

(3)
United Kingdom
Royal Fleet Auxiliary
The Royal Fleet Auxiliary is a civilian-manned fleet owned by the British Ministry of Defence. The RFA enables ships of the United Kingdom Royal Navy to maintain operations around the world. Its primary role is to supply the Royal Navy with fuel, ammunition and supplies, normally by replenishment...

(10)
India
Ships of the Indian Navy
This is a list of all Indian Navy Ships and submarines presently in service or being built. Speculative or planned procurements are NOT included here. Note: uc = Under Construction ....

(10)

External links

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