USNS Yukon refuels multinational fleet
"It's a way for foreign countries and U.S. Forces to work together and familiarize themselves with each other's way of operating," explained OS1 Robert Cooper, USN, USNS Yukon's leading operations specialist.
USNS Yukon got an early start on RIMPAC operations by refueling ships from three different countries before the exercise started. Yukon refueled Canadian ship HMCS Protecteur while en route to the Persian Gulf; Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force ships Hamagiri, Kirishima and Murasame while en route to San Diego; and Korean ships Wonju and Yangmanchun while en route to Hawaii from Korea.
"Yukon conducts operations such as RIMPAC as a matter of course. Refueling-at-sea and providing logistic support is what we do," commented Capt. Mark Wilson, Yukon's master. "RIMPAC is a more formal setting of operations. By the time we enter the exercise, many of the customers already know Yukon well, and we know their specific manner of refueling."
This year's exercise is the 18th in a series of RIMPAC exercises since 1971. More than 30 ships, 24 aircraft and 11,000 Sailors, Marines, Soldiers, Airmen and Coast Guard personnel participated in RIMPAC training operations. RIMPAC is intended to increase the tactical proficiency of the participating units in a wide array of combined operations at sea. This year's exercise includes a variety of surface combatant ships, submarines, tactical aircraft and amphibious forces.
Military Sealift Command, the ocean transportation provider for the Department of Defense, operates about 115 civilian-crewed, noncombatant active ships around the world. 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 and at-sea data collection for the U.S. military and other U.S. government agencies.
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