List of United States Navy oilers

File:Kawishiwi-1956.JPG USS Neosho Class Oiler in 1956
General characteristics
Class and type	Neosho class fleet oiler
Displacement	11,600 t.(lt), 38,000 t.(fl)
Length	655 ft (200 m)
Beam	86 ft (26 m)
Draught	35 ft (11 m)
Propulsion	two geared turbines, two boilers, two shafts, 28,000 shaft horsepower
Speed	20 knots
Capacity	180,000 bbls
Complement	324, MSC 106 civilians, 21 Navy
Armament	two single 5"/38 DP gun mount six twin 7.6 cm/50 DP gun mounts

File:Mispillion-Longer.jpg Kawishiwi-1956.JPG Jumboized Oilers in 1964-67
General characteristics
Class and type	Cimarron/Ashtabula class fleet oilers
Displacement	12,840 t.(lt), 33,987 t.(fl)
Length	644 ft (196 m)
Beam	75 ft (23 m)
Draught	34 ft (10.363200000 m)
Propulsion	geared turbines, twin screws, 30,400hp
Speed	18 knots
Capacity	180,000 bbls

In the United States Navy, an Oiler or more properly Fleet Oiler is the term used for a Combat Logistics ship that replenishes other ships with fuel, food, mail, ammunition and other necessities while at sea. The process is called Underway Replenishment or UNREP. The ships must maintain the same speed and be traveling fast enough to control their position where the sea wave action is not in control.

The Fleet Oiler was first identified by the hull name AO[[1]], which is still in use. Larger oilers are identified as AOE[[2]] and a mid-size oiler AOR. The AOR is no longer in use. All of these oilers provide the combined services of the AO, AE, AFS and AK. A prefix “T” identifies the ships as being operated by Military Sealift Command. A new class is now in service identified as T-AKE[[3]] which provides the combined services of AE[[4]] and AFS[[5]].

Transport Tanker

The T-AOT Transport Tankers [[6]] are part of the MSC Sealift Program, transporting fuel for the Department of Defense. The five Champion-class tankers, known as T5s, have double hulls and are ice-strengthened for protection against damage during missions in extreme climates. The MV Transpacific, a T-1 equivalent tanker, is smaller and has a shallow draft for coastal work.

T2 Tankers

The T2 tankers were not all Navy oilers; most of them were commercial point-to-point tankers. This author has five Powerpoint shows on his web site; .Navy Tanker History that portrays a history of Navy Oil Tankers and Navy Oilers.

• The show “World War I Era” starts with the history of the first ship to carry oil, “Elizabeth Watts in 1861” and identifies the first navy oiler, USS Maumee AO-2. The shows source is:

• The show “AO World War II Era” discusses the Cimarron Class of 1938 through the Mission Buenaventura Class of 1944. The shows source is also:

• The show “AO 1953 – 2006” discusses the Conecuh Class of 1953 through the Supply Class of 1994. In these years the AOE and AOR class of oilers were added. The shows source is:

• The show “AOG World War II” discusses Gasoline Tankers. The shows source is the book "Avgas, Mogas & Jet Fuel" by Paul Gryniewicz Copyright 2006 ISBN; 1-59975-257-3 Fair Seas Publishing

• The show "UNREP DETAILS" discusses the equipment and procedures necessary to perform underway replenishment. The shows source is:

Neosho Class

The Neosho Class Oilers were the first streamlined oilers for the United States Navy. Six of these ships were constructed in the years 1954-54 time period, during the Cold War. They were created as a ship that could replenish an entire task force without being replenished themselves.

• USS Neosho (AO-143)
• USS Mississinewa (AO-144)
• USS Hassayampa (AO-145)
• USS Kawishiwi (AO-146)
• USS Truckee (AO-147)
• USS Ponchatoula (AO-148)

Jumboized T2 type

From 1964 through 1967, eight T2 type Oilers were jumboized to achieve the same objective.

• USS Ashtabula AO-51
• USS Caloosahatchee AO-98
• USS Canistoe AO-99
• USS Mispillion AO-105
• USS Navasota AO-106
• USS Passumpsic AO-107
• USS Pawcatuck AO-108
• USS Waccamaw AO-109

Naming of Oilers

Oilers, large tankers fitted to refuel other ships at sea, are named for rivers (Monongahela, Patuxent) or for famous ship designers or builders (Joshua Humphreys, Benjamin Isherwood). The newest class of these ships honors the names of honored supply ships of former years (Supply, Arctic). This is quoted in the Frequently Asked Questions section of the Navy Historical Center. Each oiler that has a DANFS report has the source of its name displayed in that article.

To enhance the history of the ship names, this author has searched local records of the area where the rivers exist or the records of the famous designers and created a site that displays these findings. 234 names are presented in 16 linked pages of this authors United States Oiler Naming History site.

Oiler Museums

There are no museums for Oilers. There is one model of an Oiler that has been on display at the Defense Logistics Agency, Fort Belvoir, VA. It is the USS Tamalpais AO-96, named after a little creek on hill above Sausalito, California. In promoting the creation of an Oiler Museum all 18 feet of the model can be seen.

References

 This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.

See also

• Replenishment oiler
• List of auxiliaries of the United States Navy (oilers)
• Tanker (ship)

External links

• Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships
• Frequently Asked Questions section of the Navy Historical Center
• NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo