US Navy supply ship damaged during operation in the Middle East

A U.S. Navy supply ship was damaged during a deployment in the Middle East. The incident remains under investigation, a Navy official said.

The USNS Big Horn was damaged after the ship was refueling and supplying Navy vessels operating in the area, including the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and several guided missile destroyers. The Navy official would not say where the incident occurred or what type of damage the supply tanker sustained.

The USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier battle group operated in and around the Gulf of Oman to send a deterrent signal to Iran.

“It is too early to speculate on the details or cause of the damage,” the official said. All crew members on board the ship are safe and the U.S. 5th Fleet, which directs naval operations in the Middle East, is assessing the situation, the official added.

Tankers 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 need to be refueled, but the other ships in the battle group and the aircraft aboard the Lincoln require fossil fuels to remain operational during long overseas deployments.

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