Supply-class fast combat support ship explained

The Supply-class fast combat support ships are a class of four United States Navy supply ships used to refuel, rearm, and restock ships in the United States Navy in both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.^[1]

These are the only US Navy resupply ships able to keep up with the strike groups, but due to their cost to operate the Navy announced intentions to retire them starting in 2014.^[2] The Supply-class ships are built to military combatant standards and are shock hardened.^[3]

As of early 2023, USNS Rainier and USNS Bridge have been taken out of service and struck. Along with the remaining two Supply-class ships, US Navy fleets are currently supplied by s as well as and s.

Ships

Ship	Hull No.	Builder	Commissioning– Decommissioning	NVR Page	Status
	T-AOE-6	National Steel and Shipbuilding Company, San Diego, CA	1994–2001 (Transferred to MSC)		active
	T-AOE-7	National Steel and Shipbuilding Company, San Diego, CA	1995–2003 (Transferred to MSC)		reserve
	T-AOE-8	National Steel and Shipbuilding Company, San Diego, CA	1995–2002 (Transferred to MSC)		active
	T-AOE-10	National Steel and Shipbuilding Company, San Diego, CA	1998–2004 (Transferred to MSC)		reserve

General characteristics

• Displacement：19,700 tons (empty), 49,000 tons (full)
• Length：7541NaN1 (overall)
• Beam：1071NaN1 (extreme beam)
• Draft: 391NaN1
• Export power：78.33MW
• Maximum speed：25 knots
• Range 6,000 nm
• Complement 40 officers + 667 enlisted (USN), 176 civilians, 30-45 military (MSC)
• Propulsion：4 x General Electric LM2500

Cargo capacity

• Diesel Fuel Marine (DFM): 1965600USgal
• JP-5 fuel: 2620800USgal
• Bottled gas: 800 bottles
• Ordnance stowage: 2150ST
• Chill and freeze stowage: 250ST
• Water: 20000USgal

References

• Official MSC Class Factsheet
• Supply class at Naval-technology.com

Notes and References

1. http://www.navy.mil/navydata/fact_display.asp?cid=4400&tid=300&ct=4%20 USNS Supply-class Factsheet
2. News: Big Supply Ships May Get Reprieve - For Now . https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20140718173610/http://www.defensenews.com/article/20140712/DEFREG02/307120025/Big-Supply-Ships-May-Get-Reprieve-Now . dead . July 18, 2014 . CAVAS . CHRISTOPHER P. . 12 July 2014 . www.defensenews.com . Gannett Government Media . 20 July 2014.
3. Web site: AOE 6 Supply Fast Combat Support Ship. fas.org. 13 October 2017. The AOE 6 class ships, which are built to a MIL-SPEC combatant standards design, and have survivability features (i.e., shock, blast, etc.) equivalent to other ships in the CVBG, significantly extends the endurance of the CVBG for combat operations..