USNS Yukon (T-AO-202)

	USNS Yukon in the Pacific Ocean
History
United States
Name	USNS Yukon
Namesake	The Yukon River in Alaska
Ordered	6 October 1988
Builder	Avondale Shipyard, Inc., New Orleans, Louisiana
Laid down	13 May 1991
Launched	6 February 1993
In service	25 March 1994-present
Identification	IMO number: 8822454; MMSI number: 367218000; Callsign: NYUK;
Status	In active Military Sealift Command service
General characteristics
Class and type	Henry J. Kaiser-class replenishment oiler
Type	Fleet replenishment oiler
Tonnage	31,200 DWT
Displacement	9,500 tons light; Full load variously reported as 42,382 tons and 40,700 long tons (41,353 metric tons);
Length	677 ft (206 m)
Beam	97 ft 5 in (29.69 m)
Draft	35 ft (11 m) maximum
Installed power	16,000 hp (11.9 MW) per shaft; 34,442 hp (25.7 MW) total sustained;
Propulsion	Two medium-speed Colt-Pielstick PC4-2/2 10V-570 diesel engines, two shafts, controllable-pitch propellers
Speed	20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph)
Capacity	178,000 to 180,000 barrels (28,300 to 28,600 m3) of fuel oil and jet fuel; 7,400 square feet dry cargo space; eight 20-foot (6.1 m) refrigerated container with room for 128 pallets;
Complement	103 (18 civilian officers, 1 U.S. Navy officer, 64 merchant seamen, 20 U.S. Navy enlisted personnel); Also given as 89 civilian and 3 U.S. Navy personnel;
Armament	Peacetime: usually none; Wartime: probably 2 x 20 mm Phalanx CIWS;
Aircraft carried	None
Aviation facilities	Helicopter landing platform
Notes	Five refueling stations; Two dry cargo transfer rigs;

USNS Yukon (T-AO-202) is a Henry J. Kaiser-class underway replenishment oiler operated by the Military Sealift Command to support ships of the United States Navy.

Yukon, the sixteenth ship of the Henry J. Kaiser class, was laid down at Avondale Shipyard, Inc., at New Orleans, Louisiana, on 13 May 1991 and launched on 6 February 1993. She entered non-commissioned U.S. Navy service under the control of the Military Sealift Command with a primarily civilian crew on 25 March 1994. She serves in the United States Pacific Fleet.

On 27 February 2000, Yukon collided with a smaller civilian cargo ship while entering the port of Dubai in the Persian Gulf.

On 13 July 2000, Yukon collided with the amphibious transport dock USS Denver (LPD-9) during an underway replenishment about 180 nautical miles (330 km) west of Hawaii. No one on either ship was injured, and there were no fuel leaks, but Yukon suffered major damage, including several large holes and dents above the water line on her starboard quarter, while a 40-foot (12.2 m) hole was torn in Denver's bow from the second deck to the waterline. The investigation into the accident found Denver responsible.^[1] Both ships went to the Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, for repairs. Yukon then transited to San Francisco, California, for further repairs at the same time as her scheduled routine overhaul. Yukon returned to service in January 2001.

On 16 May 2012, Yukon collided with the amphibious assault ship USS Essex (LHD-2) after Essex suffered an apparent steering malfunction upon approach for an underway replenishment. There were no injuries and no loss of fuel was reported. Both vessels were able to continue to San Diego, California, under their own power. The crew of the USS Essex was blamed in a report.^[2]

Notes and references

^ "USS DENVER'S SKIPPER IS BLAMED FOR COLLISION WITH MSC TANKER".
^ Julie Watson (2012-05-16). "2 US Navy ships collide in Pacific; no injuries". seattlepi.com. Retrieved 2012-05-17.

This article includes information collected from the Naval Vessel Register, which, as a U.S. government publication, is in the public domain. The entry can be found here.