Refueling at sea - One of the Navy’s most dangerous evolutions.

Underway Replenishment (UNREP) is one of the Navy’s most dangerous evolutions. Not only are the two ships, the oiler and receiving vessel, sailing less than 200 feet apart from each other, but thousands of gallons of fuel, food and ammunition are transferred between the two vessels for hours on end. If not done perfectly, it has the potential to cause serious injury to all involved. One minute error, and a collision could ensue. As Captain Scott Robertson, CO of the USS Normandy (CG-60), reminds his crew “anytime we are doing a replenishment at sea, we are 30 seconds away from a collision.” Join the Energy Warrior team as they experience firsthand the dangers of an UNREP on board the USS Normandy and talk to Sailors throughout the fleet about the realities associated with the evolution.

Special thanks to:
Capt Scott Robertson, USS Normandy
GSM Jordan Urie, USS Normandy
GSM Christopher Archuleta, USS Normandy
GSM1 Joshua Chun, USS America
BM John Hardy, USS America

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[jimwjohnq.public]

On the carrier I was on, we refuled every 3 days always at night. Night refuelings are just so much fun. Zero white lights only different color 'greenie weenies' and red and orange flashlights. The only time we ever refueled during the day was during a vertrep and unrep evolution, as in bringing stores and bombs across. Always liked the emergency breakaways. Sound the horn, release the probe, signal the oiler to haul it back and slack the span wire, at which point we basically threw their rig into the water. The crew on the oiler kind of hated that. And we always told our gunners mate to aim for the guy with the yellow helmet, the rig captain, when shooting the shot line across.

[watercloset]

we lost a guy off the Cacapon AO 52 during an unrep; he sat on the cargo deck handrail w/out a life preserver; he had to be ordered several times to wear one; he finally wore one, & over he went. i saw him go over the side; we had an emergency breakaway & the tin can behind us picked him up; it cost our Captain; Captain Buck 5 gallons of chocolate ice cream; the boat crew wanted it, to get him back. He was a black kid from Chicago....don't recall his name.

[justsayingforafriend]

My Job, teaching and doing for 31 years at Sea... BOSN...

[jerlewis]

I was a rig captain on the U.S.S. Canister (AO-99) and we were refueling the USS Iowa and it was being filmed because these were the last WW2 era ships left at that time. My buddy was running Station 12 which connected to the ship near the stern. Everything was going smoothly and suddenly the refueling hose broke on the IOWA. There was jet-fuel pouring out. It took a few seconds to stop pumping.

We had a friend who was a Quartermaster on the bridge and suddenly we hear this crazy QM say, "Hey station 12, you can stop now, I think all the grease is gone from the fantail by now."

Someone had a valve set wrong on the Iowa and suddenly the fuel from one station had nowhere to go.

[TheRetirednavy]

I was MAC on the AO-177 USS Cimarron. Got qualified JOOD underway and could take care of single or double refueling. What a thrill.

[richardmitchell]

And what's even worse, these evolutions always seem to occur in rough seas.

[edl]

Was on the USS Seattle AOE-3 in 1980 to1982. We did 2 Mediterranean Indian Ocean deployments, 4 major exercises and numerous back by Friday weeks. Flying those double hose refueling rigs were the best time I ever spending the Navy. 1st class and above were safety observers 3rd’s and 2nds were rig captains. At times we even had BMSN’s as rig captains.

[drinksnapple]

I was 1LT in a teeny FF. My Division and I would do that UNREP/RAS shit, in a storm, at night, in the North Atlantic. From ROMEO closed up to pumping fuel in less than 10 minutes.
BALLS & SKILLZ!!!!

[donaldrobart]

Navy ship's refueling at sea is indeed the Navy's most dangerous exercise to do for all ship's involved in the exercise right along with taking on supplies at sea.

[kennethkurz]

I served on the Cacapon in 1966 and also on the Mispillion Ao 105 R div.

[eddieybarra]

They make it sound like it's difficult. I did those and as long as you listened it was the easiest job there is

[SustenanceNCovering]

That guy at the beginning of the show looks like Putin.

[kylemedia]

USS Camden (AOE-2).. WESTPAC.. IO ops.. Ranger Battle Group. Don't know how many unreps I did. Doesn't matter. Any more than one.. you're in! Every three or four days.. port and starboard.. the battle group. 0500 reveille.. early chow.. on station by 0600.. alongside by 0700.. start of a very long day. Longest days were getting refueled by a USNS.. 20 hour unreps to fill us up. Smoking lamp was out most ricky tick! Not sure I've ever done anything else in my life that even come close to that other than raise a family.

[poemarnan]

I was on a AOE for a year, and I never got used to this.

[higherperspectivephotography]

1:30 - Liam Neeson "You don't remember me? We spoke on the phone...I told you I would find you."

[lanes]

I know the drill. I served aboard the USS Chemung AO30, during the Vietnam War.

[campingjack]

As a plankowner of the Arctic, the original 1st LT would be a little sad with the amount of rust on her!

[markalexander]

Aft rig capt DDG 37. BM2 78/82 1 MED. 1 Persian Gulf during the Iranian hostage thing 2 Trips to Gitmo and I don’t know how many trips to PR, St Croix and exercises in the Atlantic, no idea how many ureps and helo details, wasn’t as difficult or dangerous as they make it sound

[wheels-n-tires]

Many a Med cruise, and seemingly endless UNREPs aboard Sylvania, 91-93...

[Lordpianz]

From cic perspective were just making sure the ships don't collide and handling comms the reps ships and others its not that serious compared to what cic is really design for on a combatant. I could see why engineering would get excited however lol. Replenishment are the rare events that don't required everyone up in oi.