USNS ''Bridge'' (T-AOE-10), (formerly USS ''Bridge'' OE-10''), is the fourth ship of the of

fast combat support ship The fast combat support ship (US Navy hull classification symbol: AOE) is the United States Navy's largest combat logistics ship, designed as an oiler, ammunition and supply ship. All fast combat support ships currently in service are operated ...

s in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

. She is the second ship in the Navy named after

Horatio Bridge Horatio Bridge (April 8, 1806 – March 18, 1893) was an officer of the United States Navy who, as Chief of the Bureau of Provisions, served for many years as head of the Navy's supply organization. Appointed by his former college mate, President F ...

, a

Commodore Commodore may refer to: Ranks * Commodore (rank), a naval rank ** Commodore (Royal Navy), in the United Kingdom ** Commodore (United States) ** Commodore (Canada) ** Commodore (Finland) ** Commodore (Germany) or ''Kommodore'' * Air commodore, a ...

who served during the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

. ''Bridge'' was commissioned on 5 August 1998.

History

2000s

On 29 June 2004, ''Bridge'' was formally decommissioned and transferred from the US Navy to

Military Sealift Command Military Sealift Command (MSC) is an organization that controls the replenishment and military transport ships of the United States Navy. Military Sealift Command has the responsibility for providing sealift and ocean transportation for all US m ...

(MSC). Although the transfer to MSC occurred on 29 June 2004, the ceremony took place on 24 June 2004.''Bridge'' no longer carries the weapons systems she had been equipped with. As a commissioned warship, ''Bridge'' was equipped with two

Phalanx CIWS The Phalanx CIWS (often spoken as "sea-wiz") is a gun-based close-in weapon system to defend military watercraft automatically against incoming threats such as aircraft, missiles, and small boats. It was designed and manufactured by the Gene ...

(Block I) mounts, one NSSM launcher (with two Mk 91 directors), two Mk. 38 25-mm chain guns, six .50 caliber heavy machine gun mounts, and two M60 GPMG mounts (on the bow), along with various

small arms A firearm is any type of gun designed to be readily carried and used by an individual. The term is legally defined further in different countries (see Legal definitions). The first firearms originated in 10th-century China, when bamboo tubes c ...

carried by her Navy crew.

2010s

In March 2011, in company with the carrier , ''Bridge'' was deployed off northeastern

Honshu , historically called , is the largest and most populous island of Japan. It is located south of Hokkaidō across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyūshū across the Kanmon Straits. The island separ ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

to assist with relief efforts after the

2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami The occurred at 14:46 JST (05:46 UTC) on 11 March. The magnitude 9.0–9.1 (M) undersea megathrust earthquake had an epicenter in the Pacific Ocean, east of the Oshika Peninsula of the Tōhoku region, and lasted approximately six minutes ...

. After multiple inspections for radiation traces due to the

Fukushima nuclear disaster The was a nuclear accident in 2011 at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in Ōkuma, Fukushima, Japan. The proximate cause of the disaster was the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, which occurred on the afternoon of 11 March 2011 and ...

, it was determined that it was unlikely the ship was exposed to the radiation leaking from the

Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant The is a disabled nuclear power plant located on a site in the towns of Ōkuma and Futaba in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. The plant suffered major damage from the magnitude 9.0 earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan on March 11, 2011. The ...

. ''Bridge'' conducted 25 underway replenishment operations, delivering more than 1.8 million gallons of fuel in support of

Operation Tomodachi was a United States Armed Forces (especially U.S. Forces Japan) assistance operation to support Japan in disaster relief following the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. The operation took place from 12 March to 4 May 2011; involved 24,000 U ...

. The ship was then decommissioned shortly after. In April 2013, it was announced that MSC will take ''Bridge'', and her sister ship , out of service in 2014 as a cost-saving measure. The ships' gas turbine propulsion make them faster than other Navy supply ships, but also make them consume more fuel. As of 2018, ''Bridge'' is in reserve, at NISMF Bremerton. Two of her commanding officers, CAPT Rick Wren and CAPT Carol Pottenger have since gone on to achieve flag rank.

Notes

External links

Official US Navy ship website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bridge (T-AOE-10) Supply-class fast combat support ships 1996 ships