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A US Navy fuel ship was damaged in the Middle East on Monday.
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The supply ship USNS Big Horn was likely involved in a collision, a Navy official said.
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The Big Horn is a tanker aircraft that supports operations in the Middle East.
A US Navy fuel ship deployed to the Middle East was damaged Monday after colliding with something.
A Navy official told Business Insider on Tuesday that the supply ship USNS Big Horn appears to have been involved in an “alliance” in the Arabian Sea.
An alliance is a term for when a moving ship hits a stationary object. The official did not say what hit the Big Horn, only that it was damaged. It said no crew members were injured in the incident.
The navy official said the extent of the damage was still being assessed and an investigation was underway. The Big Horn was anchored off the coast of Oman earlier Tuesday, but commercial tugs are bringing the ship to a nearby port.
The Big Horn was first reported to have been involved in an incident on Tuesday by gCaptain, a maritime news channel. The report said rumors suggested the oil tanker had run aground and cited leaked videos and photos that purportedly showed damage to the ship and flooding inside.
The official said the Navy had received reports that a collision had occurred and that the Big Horn had not run aground.
The Big Horn is a Henry J. Kaiser-class replenishment oiler that can deliver fuel to other warships while they are at sea. Several Navy units, including the Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group, are deployed to the Middle East.
According to U.S. military photos, the Big Horn refueled the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln just two weeks ago.
It is unclear what impact the Big Horn incident will have on the strike group's activities, as it is a key support asset to Fifth Fleet operations.
Monday's collision is not the first time the oil tanker has suffered damage in the Middle East in recent months. The ship was damaged during a fatal refueling incident in July with the destroyer USS John S. McCain.
Read the original article on Business Insider
