Naval Fleet Auxiliary Force Ships - 41 (as of Sept. 30, 2007) Fleet Oilers - 14 USNS Big Horn (T-AO 198) USNS Walter S. Diehl (T-AO 193) USNS John Ericsson (T-AO 194) USNS Leroy Grumman (T-AO 195) USNS Guadalupe (T-AO 200) USNS Henry J. Kaiser (T-AO 187) USNS Kanawha (T-AO 196) USNS Laramie (T-AO 203) USNS John Lenthall (T-AO 189) USNS Patuxent (T-AO 201) USNS Pecos (T-AO 197) USNS Rappahannock (T-AO 204) USNS Tippecanoe (T-AO 199) USNS Yukon (T-AO 202) Ammunition Ships - 5 USNS Flint (T-AE 32) USNS Kilauea (T-AE 26) ROS-30* USNS Kiska (T-AE 35) USNS Mount Baker (T-AE 34) USNS Shasta (T-AE 33) Combat Stores Ships - 5 USNS Concord (T-AFS 5) USNS Niagara Falls (T-AFS 3) USNS San Jose (T-AFS 7) USNS Saturn (T-AFS 10) USNS Spica (T-AFS 9) Fast Combat Support Ships - 4 USNS Arctic (T-AOE 8) USNS Bridge (T-AOE 10) USNS Rainier (T-AOE 7) USNS Supply (T-AOE 6) Fleet Ocean Tugs - 4 USNS Apache (T-ATF 172) USNS Catawba (T-ATF 168) USNS Navajo (T-ATF 169) USNS Sioux (T-ATF 171) Rescue and Salvage Ships - 4 USNS Grapple (T-ARS 53) USNS Grasp (T-ARS 51) USNS Safeguard (T-ARS 50) USNS Salvor (T-ARS 52) Dry Cargo/Ammunition Ship - 3 USNS Lewis and Clark (T-AKE 1) USNS Sacagawea (T-AKE 2) USNS Alan Shepard (T-AKE 3) Hospital Ships - 2 USNS Comfort (T-AH 20) ROS-5** USNS Mercy (T-AH 19) ROS-5** *Reduced Operating Status   (ready to get underway in 30 days) **Reduced Operating Status   (ready to get underway in 5 days)

n FY 2007, Naval Fleet Auxiliary Force, or NFAF, ships were available for tasking an average of 283 days for underway replenishment in support of the U.S. Navy Fleet. During the year, NFAF ships pumped more than 500 million gallons of ship propulsion and aviation fuels and handled more than 650,000 square feet of cargo, ammunition and stores for U.S. Navy and coalition surface combatants in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom and other fleet missions. NFAF ships also provided vital life-sustaining supplies and medical treatment in humanitarian assistance and disaster-relief operations abroad and at home.

Fleet Replenishment Oilers

Fourteen fleet replenishment oilers served fleet operations in FY 2007. USNS Henry J. Kaiser was returned to full operating status from 30-day reduced operating status in October 2006. Six Atlantic-based ships conducted successful deployments to the Mediterranean Sea and Persian Gulf, and eight Pacific-based ships continued to sustain surface units throughout the 3rd and 7th Fleets. Several ships rotated through deployments to the 5th Fleet area of operations, providing needed fuel and supplies to U.S. and coalition ships in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

A Navy sailor shoots a messenger line to MSC fleet replenishment oiler USNS Yukon from amphibious assault ship USS Tarawa during an underway replenishment in the Pacific Ocean in September. Photo by MC3 Daniel Barker.

Ammunition Ships

Four ammunition ships were active in FY 2007 and efficiently provided several thousand tons of ammunition and other cargo to Navy combatants at sea. A fifth ship, USNS Kilauea, remained in reduced operating status during the year.

Combat Stores Ships

In FY 2007, all five combat stores ships actively sustained surface combatants in support of maritime operations in the 5th, 6th and 7th Fleets.

MSC fast combat support ship USNS Arctic conducts an underway replenishment with aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower in January. Photo by MC2 Miguel Angel Contreras.

Fast Combat Support Ships

Four fast combat support ships operated in FY 2007. USNS Arctic and USNS Supply deployed to the Mediterranean Sea and the Persian Gulf, while USNS Bridge and USNS Rainier worked in the Southern California operating area prior to deploying to the 7th and 5th Fleets.

U.S. Navy special forces conduct a nighttime exercise recovering rigid-hull, inflatable boats aboard fleet ocean tug USNS Catawba off the coast of Qatar in December 2006.

Fleet Ocean Tugs

Fleet ocean tug USNS Catawba continued salvage and mine recovery operations in the Persian Gulf. USNS Apache completed its deployment to 6th Fleet. USNS Navajo and USNS Sioux provided support to Pacific Fleet.

Rescue and Salvage Ships

In January 2007, rescue and salvage ship USNS Salvor transferred from active duty Navy crewing to MSC operation, acquiring a USNS ship designation and a crew of 26 civil service mariners and four Navy communications personnel. During a 60-day overhaul, Salvor underwent crew living-space upgrades and major machinery repairs while deployed to Sasebo, Japan. A second rescue and salvage ship transferred to MSC operations in September 2007, becoming USNS Safeguard.

An MSC civil service mariner reveals MSC stack stripes during a ceremony to transfer rescue and salvage ship USS Safeguard to the MSC fleet in September. Photo by Susan Melow.

Dry Cargo/Ammunition Ships

USNS Lewis and Clark, the lead dry cargo/ammunition class ship, began its first operational deployment to the U.S. 5th Fleet. Commercial helicopters were embarked to provide vertical replenishment services. USNS Sacagawea, the second ship in the class, was delivered in February 2007 and began final preparations for its first operational cruise in early FY 2008. USNS Alan Shepard was delivered in July 2007. USNS Richard E. Byrd, USNS Robert E. Peary and USNS Amelia Earhart were under construction. The T-AKE class will replace MSC’s aging combat stores ships and ammunition ships.

Construction of MSC’s fifth dry cargo/ammunition ship USNS Robert E. Peary continues at the National Steel and Shipbuilding Company shipyard in San Diego. NASSCO launched the ship in October. Photo by NASSCO.

Hospital Ships

USNS Comfort was activated in Baltimore and deployed to Latin America and the Caribbean for 120 days, providing humanitarian assistance and training in Belize, Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago.

Commercial helicopters hover above MSC combat stores ship USNS San Jose during a supply transfer in the South China Sea in September. Photo by MC2 Joseph R. Schmitt

Commercial Helicopter Operations (FY 2007) Flight Hours Mission: 367.3 Training: 129.3 Flight check: 3.2 Total 499.8 Cargo External: 10,069 tons Internal: 12.8 tons Passengers: 204 Total lifts: 4,515

Commercial Helicopters

Two commercial helicopter detachments provided vertical replenishment services for Navy operations in the Mediterranean Sea, the Persian Gulf and the Western Pacific.

One commercial helicopter detachment, based out of Norfolk, Va., provided support to 2nd Fleet, 6th Fleet and 5th Fleet. The Norfolk-based commercial helicopters alternated deployments aboard combat stores ships USNS Saturn and USNS Spica. By the end of the fiscal year, USNS Lewis and Clark had replaced USNS Spica in the deployment rotation.

The second commercial helicopter detachment deployed to Guam in March 2007. The detachment’s first shipboard deployment began in April 2007 and provided dedicated vertical replenishment services to 7th Fleet and 5th Fleet ships from the deck of combat stores ship USNS San Jose.