NORFOLK, Va. (WVEC) -- Keeping the rest of the Navy fleet overseas fueled up, and ready to fight.
That's the mission of the Military Sealift Command Fleet Replenishment Oiler USNS Kanawha, which deployed from Norfolk today and headed for the Mediterranean Sea.
Their job is to go forward to re-supply U.S. and coalition warships in the Sixth Fleet.
"We provide fuel, DFN diesel fuel for the Navy, and jet fuel for the aircraft carriers, the food provisions and repair parts to the ships," said Captain Jim Dolan, Master of the Kanawha.
The 89-member civilian merchant mariner crew will be involved, repeatedly, in an evolution called an "un-rep" or underway replenishment. The oiler pulls up alongside the Navy ship, matches speed with it, and sends fuel lines across. It's like a floating 7-Eleven showing up, just when it's needed, to provide sustenance and keep the ships at sea instead of having them have to pull into port..
"Our civilian mariners are out there every day on the sea providing support for all of our war-fighters," said Captain Doug McGoff, commander of Military Sealift Command Atlantic. "All the combat ships you see with guns, they can't go anywhere and operate without these ships providing the fuel, the food, the parts, providing the mail, all those other little things you need to make not only combat operations happen, but to actually make the ships able to sail."
This is expected to be a 6-month deployment meaning that, if all goes well, they'll be home sometime in July.
The Kanawha was originally scheduled to depart from Naval Station Norfolk on January 6 to support U.S. Naval Forces operating in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations.
The ship is government-owned and crewed solely by civil service mariners.
