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USNS Pecos (T-AO 197)

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USNS PECOS is the 11^th of the 18 HENRY J. KAISER class underway replenishment oilers. In October 2024, PECOS departed San Diego, Calif., for the last time heading to Norfolk, Va., in preparation for deactivation. On January 17, 2025, PECOS left Norfolk under tow enroute to Detyens Shipyards Inc., North Charleston, S.C., for her deactivation availability.

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Crew List:

This section contains the names of sailors who served aboard USNS PECOS. It is no official listing but contains the names of sailors who submitted their information.

• Click here to view the list.

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Accidents aboard USNS PECOS:

Date	Where	Events
May 4, 1994	Persian Gulf	While conducting an UNREP evolution in the Persian Gulf, PECOS collides with the guided-missile frigate USS REUBEN JAMES (FFG 57). Press and later official summaries reported fires and damage, but no casualties. Both ships continued their missions after damage control.
February 1998	Point Loma, Ca.	USNS PECOS' Kevlar mooring lines parted (melted and fused due to dynamic action in a mild storm) during fuel unloading at Point Loma, San Diego, Ca. Damage was about $100,000.
December 9, 1999	15 miles off Point Loma, Ca.	A CH-46 Sea Knight helicopter, with 18 people on board, crashed while attempting to land on board the PECOS during a training exercise. The chopper's landing gear apparently snagged a metal safety net and the helicopter flipped over into the water and quickly sank. The helicopter operated from USS BONHOMME RICHARD (LHD 6). Eleven Marines were rescued by special warfare crewmen on two nearby boats. But six Marines and a sailor drowned, their bodies were recovered later from the sunken wreckage by an unmanned submersible vehicle. Killed in the accident were: Gunnery Sgt. James Paige Jr. Staff Sgt. William C. Dame Petty Officer 1st Class Jay J. Asis Staff Sgt. David E. Galloway Staff Sgt. Vincent A. Sebasteanski Staff Sgt. Jeffrey R. Starling Cpl. Mark M. Baca This is an official US Navy video of the accidents:

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History of USNS PECOS:

USNS PECOS, the eleventh HENRY J. KAISER-class oiler, was laid down at Avondale Shipyard, New Orleans, Louisiana on February 17, 1988; launched on September 23, 1989; and delivered to the Navy and placed in non-commissioned MSC service on July 6, 1990. Assigned to Military Sealift Command Pacific, she entered routine fleet logistics duty with a civilian mariner crew and helicopter flight deck for VERTREP operations.

In 1990-1991, PECOS supported U.S. and coalition naval forces in the Persian Gulf during Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm, establishing an early pattern of long-range fuel logistics to carrier, surface, and amphibious task groups in CENTCOM waters.

On May 4, 1994, while conducting an UNREP evolution in the Persian Gulf, PECOS collided with the guided-missile frigate USS REUBEN JAMES (FFG 57). Contemporary press and later official summaries reported fires and damage, but no casualties. Both ships continued their missions after damage control. The mishap date and circumstances are recorded in multiple accounts and service summaries.

On December 9, 1999, during a Visit, Board, Search and Seizure (VBSS) training evolution off Southern California, a USMC CH-46D SEA KNIGHT (HMM-166 detachment) attempting to land on PECOS missed the deck and crashed into the sea alongside. Seven of the eighteen Marines on board were lost. Search and rescue and subsequent recovery followed.

Through the early and mid-2000s, PECOS regularly supported West Coast and Western Pacific carrier and amphibious forces. On January 26, 2005, she conducted a replenishment-at-sea with USS NIMITZ (CVN 68) off Southern California during NIMITZ's Operational Reactor Safeguard Examination. On February 1, 2005, she refueled USS RONALD REAGAN (CVN 76) in the Pacific during RONALD REAGAN's early operations. In 2006, PECOS deployed with the MSC Hospital Ship USNS MERCY (T-AH 19) for five-months, delivering aid and humanitarian assistance to the Pacific Islands and Southeast Asia, following the humanitarian assistance missions in the wake of the tsunami in Indonesia. Missions like this evolved into what is now known as the Pacific Partnership missions. These missions continue to provide medical and humanitarian assistance throughout Southeast Asia. On November 27, 2006 she came alongside the forward-deployed amphibious assault ship USS ESSEX (LHD 2) near Okinawa to deliver DFM and JP-5 during a fueling-at-sea evolution.

On August 9, 2009, PECOS delivered fuel and stores to the permanently forward-deployed carrier USS GEORGE WASHINGTON (CVN 73) during a replenishment at sea in the Western Pacific, contributing to routine Seventh Fleet presence and theater security operations.

In 2011, following the deadly earthquake and tsunami in Japan, PECOS rendezvoused with United States Seventh Fleet flagship USS BLUE RIDGE (LCC 19) near Kyushu, Japan, as part of Operation Tomodachi. BLUE RIDGE transferred 96 pallets of humanitarian assistance and disaster relief material to PECOS for delivery to the ESSEX (LHD 2) Amphibious Group and Carrier Strike Group 5. The pallets consisted of water containers and water purification tablets, first-aid products, tarpaulins, blankets, and other supplies. During her support effort to Operation Tomodachi, PECOS completed nine underway replenishments and delivered more than 2.3 million gallons of fuel to other supporting ships.

In March-July 2015, PECOS supported the annual Pacific Partnership mission with hospital ship USNS MERCY. On July 17, 2015, she executed a replenishment (RAS) to MERCY as that ship shifted from completed work in Papua New Guinea (concluding July 10) to the mission stop at Roxas City, Philippines - sustaining multinational humanitarian assistance/disaster-relief capacity-building across the region. During that spring, PECOS also operated around Guam amid heightened 7th Fleet activity and port surges.

During the campaign against ISIS, PECOS joined high-tempo CENTCOM logistics in the Arabian Gulf. On January 21-22, 2016, Royal Navy reporting noted a six-ship replenishment involving HMS DEFENDER (D 36), USS HARRY S. TRUMAN (CVN 75), USS ANZIO (CG 68), USS RAMAGE (DDG 61), USNS MEDGAR EVERS (T-AKE 13) and USNS PECOS. On February 24, 2016, U.S. Navy imagery recorded PECOS conducting a RAS with HARRY S. TRUMAN while that carrier launched strikes in support of Operation Inherent Resolve.

On November 28, 2018, the United States Navy sent PECOS and guided missile destroyer USS STOCKDALE (DDG 106) through the Taiwan Strait as a demonstration of the "U.S. commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific".

PECOS continued multinational integration through the early 2020s. During RIMPAC 2022, she practiced refueling with partner-nation ships out of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, supporting the large-scale maritime exercise's logistics web across the Hawaiian operating areas.

In mid-2024, PECOS provided logistics support to the multi-national maritime exercise Rim of the Pacific 2024, delivering nearly 4 million gallons of diesel fuel and 2.2 million gallons of jet fuel through 36 underway replenishment events.

In October 2024, PECOS departed San Diego, Calif., for the last time heading to Norfolk, Va., in preparation for deactivation. On January 17, 2025, PECOS left Norfolk under tow enroute to Detyens Shipyards Inc., North Charleston, S.C., for her deactivation availability.

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USNS PECOS Image Gallery:

The photos below were taken by me on July 24, 2006, and show the PECOS berthed at Pearl Harbor, HI.

The photos below were taken by me on July 27, 2006, and show the PECOS returning to Pearl Harbor, HI.

The photos below were taken by Michael Jenning and show the PECOS at Naval Base San Diego, Calif., on May 29, 2022.

The photos below were taken by Michael Jenning and show the PECOS at Mare Island, Vallejo, Calif., on October 6, 2022.

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