USNS Kanawha awarded Presidential Unit Citation for heroic acts in the Red Sea

A U.S. Navy support ship named for West Virginia's Kanawha River has received one of the military's highest honors for heroism.

USNS Kanawha (T-AO-196) is a Henry J. Kaiser-class fleet replenishment oiler of the United States Navy. The Kanawha is in active service with the Military Sealift Command Naval Fleet Auxiliary Force and is assigned to the U.S. Atlantic Fleet.

USNS Kanawha awarded Presidential Unit Citation for heroic acts in the Red Sea

Robert Fields | WVOW News

NORFOLK The crew of the USNS Kanawha was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation during a ceremony July 17 in Norfolk, Virginia, after supporting the USS Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group during Operation Epic Fury.

Originally assigned to operations in the Caribbean, the fleet oiler was redirected to the Middle East following the collision involving another Navy supply ship. The Kanawha remained deployed for an additional two months, providing fuel, cargo and aviation supplies while operating under demanding conditions in the Red Sea.

According to the citation, the ship completed 41 replenishments at sea, delivering more than 3.4 million gallons of jet fuel and thousands of pallets of cargo to support fleet operations.

The Kanawha and the USNS William McLean are the first ships in the history of the Military Sealift Command to receive the Presidential Unit Citation for heroism.

The deployment ultimately lasted 10 months before the ship returned home in May.

PHOTO | Wikipedia