Patuxent’s Chief Mate Chris Parke said he is immensely proud of the entire crew. “The on-time sea services provided by the crew, while operating in the Mediterranean Sea were beyond top-notch, they were extraordinary. It’s an honor to be back in Norfolk, just in time for Christmas, and I am glad so many of our crewmembers get to spend the holidays with their families and friends.”

For the past 75 years, MSC’s fleet replenishment oilers have played a vital role in the U.S. Navy’s logistics system, making it possible for combatant ships to stay forward deployed to protect America’s interests worldwide.

While steaming 54,827 nautical miles, Patuxent circumnavigated the globe twice. With just 77 civil service mariners (CIVMARS), the crew supported a variety of high visibility multinational and partner nation operations, providing multi-mission capable combat logistic tanker support in U.S. Sixth Fleet’s AOR. More specifically, Patuxent’s flexibility and steadfast commitment enabled the safe delivery of 12.9 million gallons of fuel and 86 underway replenishments for 54 U.S. Navy and 32 Allied Surface Combatant ships at-sea.

During the height of the Israel-Hamas war, Patuxent played a key role in ensuring the secure shipping of 120 pallets of bottled water, which was crucial to the well-being of the Gaza citizens.

Likewise, Patuxent served as goodwill ambassadors to 25 friendship-building port visits to Augusta Bay, Sicily; Malaga, Spain; Rota, Spain; Souda Bay, Crete, and Taranto, Italy. These friendship-building port visits are all-important for Navy diplomacy as they provide a visible symbol of cooperation between nations.

Patuxent is the fifteenth ship of the Henry J. Kaiser’s Combat Logistic Force ships. Underway replenishments are a vital naval capability that allows U.S. Navy and Allied Surface Combatant ships to be resupplied with fuel, food, and stores without pulling into a port. They are particularly important when combatants are unable to receive supplies from local ports in theater due to force protections measures. Replenishment oilers have a maximum sustained speed of 20 knots and are fitted with five fueling stations capable of pumping 900,000 gallons per hour to two ships at a time.

CLF ships are U.S. Government-owned and are operated by U.S. Government CIVMARS. Composed of 33 ships (17 fleet replenishment oilers, 14 ordnance and dry cargo ships, and two fast combat support ships), CLF ships allow Navy warships to remain on station indefinitely, projecting power.

Military Sealift Command operates non-combatant, civilian-crewed ships that replenish U.S. Navy ships, conduct specialized missions, and strategically preposition combat cargo at sea around the world while moving military cargo and supplies used by deployed U.S. forces and coalition partners.

For more news on Military Sealift Command, visit https://www.msc.usff.navy.mil.