NORFOLK, Va. – USNS Kanawha deploys from Naval Station Norfolk, Thursday, November 7 at 9 a.m.
A Henry J. Kaiser-class fleet replenishment oiler of the United States Navy heads to the Sixth Fleet area of operations that covers the Mediterranean Sea. Deploying for the next five months, the ship will provide fuel, fleet cargo, and stores to Navy ships at sea.
Kanawha is the tenth ship of the Henry J. Kaiser’s Combat Logistic Force ships. Underway replenishments are a critical naval capability which allows U.S. Navy and allied ships to be resupplied with fuel, food, and stores without pulling into a port.
Replenishment oilers have a maximum sustained speed of 20 knots and are fitted with five fueling stations capable of pumping 900,000 gallons per hour to two ships at a time.
MSC operates about 120 non-combatant, civilian-crewed ships that replenish U.S. Navy ships, conduct specialized missions, and strategically preposition combat cargo at sea around the world while moving military cargo and supplies used by deployed U.S. forces and coalition partners.
