USNS ''Kanawha'' (T-AO-196) is a ''Henry J. Kaiser''-class

fleet replenishment oiler A replenishment oiler or replenishment tanker is a naval auxiliary ship with fuel tanks and dry cargo holds which can supply both fuel and dry stores during underway replenishment (UNREP) at sea. Many countries have used replenishment oilers. The ...

of 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 ...

in non-commissioned service in the Military Sealift Command. USNS ''Kanawha'', the tenth ''Henry J. Kaiser''-class ship, was laid down by the

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New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...

, on 13 July 1989. She was launched on 22 September 1990 and delivered to the U.S. Navy and placed in non-commissioned service with the Military Sealift Command on 6 December 1991. ''Kanawha'' is in active service with the Military Sealift Command

Naval Fleet Auxiliary Force The Naval Fleet Auxiliary Force is a division of the US Navy. The 42 ships of the Military Sealift Command's Naval Fleet Auxiliary Force are the supply lines to U.S. Navy ships at sea. These ships provide virtually everything that Navy ships need ...

and is assigned to the U.S. Atlantic Fleet.

Design

The ''Henry J. Kaiser''-class oilers were preceded by the shorter ''Cimarron''-class fleet replenishment oilers. ''Kanawha'' has an overall length of . It has a

beam Beam may refer to: Streams of particles or energy *Light beam, or beam of light, a directional projection of light energy **Laser beam *Particle beam, a stream of charged or neutral particles **Charged particle beam, a spatially localized grou ...

of and a

draft Draft, The Draft, or Draught may refer to: Watercraft dimensions * Draft (hull), the distance from waterline to keel of a vessel * Draft (sail), degree of curvature in a sail * Air draft, distance from waterline to the highest point on a vesse ...

of . The oiler has a displacement of at full load. It has a capacity of of aviation fuel or fuel oil. It can carry a dry load of and can refrigerate 128 pallets of food. The ship is powered by two 10 PC4.2 V 570 Colt-Pielstick diesel engines that drive two shafts; this gives a power of . The ''Henry J. Kaiser''-class oilers have maximum speeds of . They were built without armaments but can be fitted with

close-in weapon system A close-in weapon system (CIWS ) is a point-defense weapon system for detecting and destroying short-range incoming missiles and enemy aircraft which have penetrated the outer defenses, typically mounted on a naval ship. Nearly all classes of ...

s. The ship has a helicopter platform but not any maintenance facilities. It is fitted with five fuelling stations; these can fill two ships at the same time and the ship is capable of pumping of diesel or of jet fuel per hour. It has a complement of eighty-nine civilians (nineteen officers), twenty-nine spare crew, and six United States Navy crew.

Collision

On November 18, 2010, USNS ''Kanawha'' "briefly came into contact" with of the

Royal Canadian Navy The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN; french: Marine royale canadienne, ''MRC'') is the naval force of Canada. The RCN is one of three environmental commands within the Canadian Armed Forces. As of 2021, the RCN operates 12 frigates, four attack submar ...

during a replenishment-at-sea manoeuvre off the coast of Florida. There were no injuries, but both ships suffered "superficial" damage consisting of scrapes and dents on both hulls.

References

*
NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive T-AO-196 ''Kanawha''
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kanawha (T-AO-196) Henry J. Kaiser-class oilers Cold War auxiliary ships of the United States 1990 ships