WASHINGTON (USTCNS) --- Capt. Robert T. Wiley, the officers and the crew of USNS John Ericsson returned to their forward deployed port in Singapore on the morning of Jan. 25 after spending 200 days in the Fifth Fleet area of responsibility in support of Operations Southern Watch and Enduring Freedom.

The oiler was expected to return to Singapore the first week of December, but her deployment was extended on two different occasions. Ericsson started her deployment when she departed Singapore on June 11 and had a brief stop for liberty June 13-17 in Phuket, Thailand. She officially entered the Fifth Fleet area on June 25.

While operating in the Persian Gulf, Gulf of Oman and Arabian Sea, Ericsson conducted more than 175 refueling events and delivered more than 100 million gallons of fuel to U.S., Italian, French, British, Australian and Canadian ships. She also conducted more than 75 flight quarters and delivered 4,828 pallets of cargo.

During the week of Oct. 28, 2001, Ericsson loaded and delivered 407 pallets of cargo and set what may be the Fifth Fleet record for the highest number of pallets moved by an oiler during a one-week period.

Ericsson surpassed a numerical milestone by exceeding 100 million gallons of fuel delivered during her final underway replenishment Jan. 13 while refueling USS Bridge with 361,000 gallons of marine diesel fuel and 842,000 gallons of jet fuel. The grand total delivered while on this deployment was 101,118,258 gallons.

When the assistant officer in charge of Ericsson's military department added the total fuel that was delivered to USS Bridge to the previous total, the calculator read "ERROR." He was startled to learn his calculator did not go that high. He borrowed a scientific calculator from the bridge and used it to display the grand total figure.

Ericsson also assisted vessels in distress on two different occasions during the deployment. The first was a fishing dhow in the Persian Gulf that was taking on water in rough weather. She was allowed to follow on Ericsson's down-wind side as Ericsson led the way toward Dubai.

The second vessel was a small motorboat that had run out of gas and had been adrift for a couple of days.

Ericsson's crew provided fuel, food and water to the motorboat's crew, who were found to be in good health by Ericsson's medical services officer. After topping off the small boat with fuel, the rescued crew started their engine and headed off toward Iran.

Upon departure from the Fifth Fleet area, Ericsson received praise from Navy Capt. Jim Holland, commander, Task Force 53.

"In supporting your taskings, the collective efforts of your military department and civilian mariners did not go unnoticed," Holland remarked in a farewell message to the ship. "Your combined leadership, support and innovation made this a very successful deployment."

"As you depart the Central Command area of responsibility, you can look back on your achievements during your time here with a sense of pride and accomplishment," said Navy Capt. Darrell Sink, commander, MSC Central. "Others must now strive to achieve the standard that you have established."

Ericsson's crew particularly enjoyed a message from Rear Adm. David L. Brewer III, commander, MSC, citing Ericsson's superior performance during her deployment.

"I take great pride in commending team John Ericsson for your total professionalism and dedicated combat logistics excellence," Brewer remarked. "Congratulations on a job well done!"

Military Sealift Command, the ocean transportation provider for the Department of Defense, operates about 110 noncombatant Navy ships. MSC ship missions vary from the transport and afloat prepositioning of defense cargo; to underway replenishment and other direct support to Navy ships at sea; to at-sea data collection for the U.S. military and other U.S. government agencies.

(FROM MILITARY SEALIFT COMMAND PUBLIC AFFAIRS)