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USNS Supply Returns Home in Time for the Holidays

Navy NewsStand

Story Number: NNS061220-08
Release Date: 12/20/2006 12:49:00 PM

By Pat Fisher, Naval Weapons Station Earle Public Affairs

COLTS NECK, N.J. (NNS) -- The Military Sealift Command fast combat support ship USNS Supply (T-AOE 6) returned to Naval Weapons Station Earle Dec. 15 after a seven-month deployment.

The ship’s expected early-morning arrival was delayed by several hours due to heavy fog, but that didn’t dampen the enthusiasm of the families and friends waiting for the ship to return. Most expressed gratitude to have their loved ones home in time to celebrate the upcoming holidays.

Operations Specialist 2nd Class Jonathan Sabel was among the Supply crew members who could barely wait to depart the ship.

“This is great,” he said of the family entourage that welcomed him home. “It’s indescribable. I smelled New Jersey from miles away, but in a good way. It’s not gonna’ hit me ‘til I get home.”

Sabel had positive words to speak about the deployment, too.

“It was a good deployment. We had a great crew and a great ship,” he said.

Supply is part of the 38 ships in the Naval Fleet Auxiliary Force. She has a crew of 160 civilians along with 28 military.

A ship within Military Sealift Command’s Naval Fleet Auxiliary Force, Supply provides underway replenishment of fuel and supplies to U.S. Navy ships worldwide alleviating the need for them to return to port for supplies.

Supply’s recent deployment was as part of the USS Enterprise (CVN 65) Carrier Strike Group and was assigned to provide supply and fuel underway replenishments to units of the 5th and 6th Fleets in support of U.S. Naval operations engaged in the global war on terrorism.

Supply took part in 144 underway replenishment events delivering more than 28 million gallons of fuel and 6,254 tons of cargo and supplies during this lengthy deployment.

The ships of the strike group, along with aircraft of Carrier Air Wing 1, began returning to the east coast last month, ending a deployment that took its more than 7,500 Sailors to the Western Pacific and twice through the Middle East region.