Crew of Oiler USNS Arctic Praised for Difficult Red Sea Deployment

Sam LaGrone – July 21, 2025 5:23 PM – Updated: July 21, 2025 9:29 PM

ABOARD FAST COMBAT SUPPORT SHIP USNS ARCTIC (TAOE-8) — For nine months, USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75) faced the most intense combat a carrier strike group in a generation under fire from Houthi missiles and one-way attack drones while operating in the Red Sea.

Along for the ride was the 140-person crew of the Supply-class fast oiler USNS Arctic (TAOE-8) pumping aviation fuel, loading missiles and sending everything from ice cream to potatoes to Truman and the guided-missile warships of Carrier Strike Group 8.

On Monday, the crew of the oiler dressed in coveralls and overalls pulled up chairs in the mess deck for a brief awards ceremony with Military Sealift Command commander Rear Adm. Philip Sobeck. He presented nine Navy Civilian Service Achievement Medals to civilian mariners who sailed with the strike group for the extended nine-month deployment.

“Sometimes we forget that 150 feet on the other side of every one of those combatants sits an MSC ship any given day, at a given time, in harm’s way,” Sobeck told the assembled crew of the oiler.

Arctic is one of two Supply-class oilers in the MSC fleet and four in total built for the Navy. The 49,000-ton oiler was designed in the late 1980s as a replenishment ship that could keep pace with the speed of the carrier strike group. Arctic is fitted with four LM-2500 gas turbines and can keep up with an aircraft carrier sailing at more than 30 knots.

Originally built to be crewed by active-duty sailors, Arctic was handed over to MSC in 2002 and is now crewed by civilians. During the most recent deployment, Arctic sailed 244,000 nautical miles, delivered 124,000 pounds of ordnance and performed more than 135 underway replenishments of the strike group, according to MSC.

While extended deployments aren’t new for MSC ships, the threat in the Red Sea was higher. Bosun Wellard Miller, who received a commendation on Monday, had deployed with Arctic before but this recent deployment was different.

“This one, you got drones attacking you. You’ve got to watch out for the missiles coming at you,” he told USNI News.

“Since World War II, we’ve not seen at-sea battles like this,” Sobeck told USNI News on Monday. “The only way they could do it was based on Arctic being there alongside them.”

While Truman returned to Naval Station Norfolk in June, at the same time, the crew of Arctic pulled into Naval Weapon Station Earle, N.J., with much less fanfare.

“They go unnoticed. They don’t have home ports. They come and go, sort of a commercial model, but it really makes a difference when you see what they do alongside our combative forces. What they do — the stress, the sacrifice, the service — it has to be recognized,” Sobeck told USNI News.

Arctic is scheduled to travel to South Carolina for a six-month maintenance availability before returning to Norfolk for its next deployment, MSC officials told USNI News.