If there ever was a need for a poster child for the neglect and indifference that characterizes the Biden-HARRIS administration's attitude towards governance, someone now could easily slap up a picture of the USNS Big Horn.

The ship's sad story has all the elements that are now bedeviling the Americans it serves thanks to the malevolent, arrogant, indifferent clowns who currently rule over us.

Almost a year ago, I wrote something I headlined, "US Maritime Woes: God Forbid We Go to War." I was trying to shine a light on the utterly shameful, almost downright criminal neglect with which the Biden-HARRIS administration had treated our US Merchant Marine Fleet. It operates under the auspices of the US Maritime Administration (MARAD), which belongs to the Department of Transportation (aka Mayor Pete) - perhaps you're already beginning to sense part of the problem if you don't remember or haven't read the column. 

The administration has an "admiral" named as head of MARAD, one RADM Ann Phillips, who has performed exactly as damn near any other Biden cabinet secretary, particularly Mayor Pete - they haven't seen her.

...Maritime matters were a priority during the GHW Bush years, but really got revved up during Trump’s term.

…During President Trump’s administration, Maritime Administrator Commandant Mark Buzby instigated a tidal wave of change. He allocated hundreds of millions of dollars for training ships, activated the entire ready reserve fleet in significant naval Turbo Activations, personally handled media inquiries, engaged with sailors nationwide, and attended major events as a headline speaker.

Biden’s current administrator, in contrast, has been so little engaged, she’s earned her own call-sign, and it’s not a compliment – “…who some call the Ghost Admiral.”

She's still in the post.

A crisis was afoot because there were not enough American merchant mariners to crew our US-flagged maritime fleet, and a plan had been floated to allow foreigners to provide a second deep-water US merchant marine fleet in time of war. While that was being argued - the US merchant union firmly against the proposal - a bombshell came from Maersk shipping.

...Against all this roiling in the background – with a completely disinterested, incompetent administrator (and administration) at the helm – word came at the end of September that Maersk, the largest shipping firm in the world, and the “principle transportation partner for the US military” was backing away from it’s DoD contracts. And picking up business from China.

…According to Hanley, Maersk executive interviewed by gCaptain today, the company plans to maintain its support and investment in container services and the US Maritime Security Program. However, it has already divested its critical tanker fleet and contracts to manage military grey hull ships. Maersk also was clear the recent divestiture of sale of assets received the approval of key military stakeholders including the US Maritime Administration (MARAD), Military Sealift Command (MSC) and the US Transportation Command (TRANSCOM).

How critical are those assets to the US Military? Very.

“The Department of Defense is projected to need on the order of one hundred tankers of various sizes in the event of a serious conflict in the Pacific,” said former Maersk executive Steve Carmel in a gCaptain editorial. “Not only does the U.S. lack the tonnage required to support a major conflict in the Pacific, it has no identifiable roadmap to obtain it.”

Oh, WELL DONE, GUYS. Go ahead, sell it – who needs tankers anyway? Not us.

I asked that rhetorically last year, and the Biden-HARRIS administration's "Ghost Admiral," Secretary Buttigieg, and neither the president nor his second in command seem to make it a priority.

We didn't have to wait for China to start something. Shifting assets to the Middle East that should be in the Pacific has brought the problem home much sooner.

The USNS Big Horn, the Navy oiler for the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier group, ran aground yesterday off the coast of Oman and sprung a pretty decent leak.

Oh, wait - did I give you the impression it was one of the oilers for the carrier group?

Sorry about that.

IT'S THE ONLY OILER FOR THE ENTIRE CARRIER GROUP

Incredible…

“US Navy oiler USNS Big Horn ran aground yesterday, leaving the Abraham Lincoln Carrier Group without it’s primary fuel source. The Navy doesn’t have a spare oiler to deploy and is now scrambling to find a commercial tanker.”

- @johnkonradpic.twitter.com/RPf2ergsAG

— Geiger Capital (@Geiger_Capital) September 24, 2024

Gosh darn, smack in the middle of Houthi shooties, and now the Navy has to go try to find a commercial gas truck?

Well, yeah - that's basically the problem here.

Way to go, Grampa and the Cackler.

They're not your kids floating out there - what do you care?

And how hard is this going to be? According to my maritime guru friend, Capt John Konrad, it's gonna be a major pain in the asterisk.

US Navy Oiler Runs Aground, Forcing Carrier Strike Group to Scramble for Fuel

...Compounding the problem is the fact that the Big Horn is the only oiler the Navy has in the Middle East. One shipowner told gCaptain that the Navy is scrambling to find a commercial oil tanker to take its place and deliver jet fuel to the USS Abraham Lincoln.

If the Navy resorts to using a commercial oil tanker as a temporary replacement, it would need to install a Consolidated Cargo Handling and Fueling (CONSOL) system for underway replenishment operations. This system includes specialized refueling rigs, tensioned fueling hoses, and high-capacity fuel pumps—all essential for safely transferring fuel to warships at sea. The tanker would also require robust communication and control systems to ensure precise coordination during refueling maneuvers.

This retrofitting process is no small feat. It requires significant modifications to the commercial vessel, enabling it to withstand the unique stresses and operational demands of pumping fuel while sailing at full speed. Moreover, a U.S. Merchant Marine crew trained in CONSOL UNREP procedures—a complex and high-risk operation—would need to be flown to the Middle East to supervise the operation. This adds another layer of complexity to an already challenging situation.

Commercial tankers are significantly slower than Navy oilers, which could leave the USS Abraham Lincoln more vulnerable to attack during aviation fuel loading operations.

Oh, well done Biden-HARRIS types!

If you have never seen a carrier - or even just a ship-to-ship - refueling operation, it is a pretty spectacular, precison maneuver at speed. This is nothing the crew on a commercial ship could pull off easily. 

Navy vessels are hauling when they refuel, whatever the weather.

Replenishment at sea transfers fuel, munitions, and stores from one ship to another while both are underway.pic.twitter.com/pVVSGniqPN

— Massimo (@Rainmaker1973) April 19, 2024

According to reports, the Big Horn sustained damage including a ruptured rudder post and is being towed to Dubai.

The scramble is on for a replacement commercial tanker. And the long wait for new Navy oilers continues...

...The Navy currently faces a severe shortage of oilers and crew to operate them. Earlier this month, the Navy announced it might lay up 17 replenishment and supply ships—including one oiler—due to difficulties recruiting U.S. Merchant Mariners. While the Navy has launched five new John Lewis Class oilers – including the USNS Lucy Stone (T-AO 209) this week – and awarded NASSCO a $6.7 billion contract for eight more, challenges persist.

Official Navy and Military Sealift Command sources have repeatedly assured gCaptain that the John Lewis program is on schedule. However, two marine inspectors who have examined the new oilers tell gCaptain they’re encountering numerous problems, delaying the vessels’ overseas deployment. Despite the lead ship, USNS John Lewis, being launched in January 2021, it’s currently sitting idle at a repair shipyard in Oregon. As of today, none of the new oilers have been cleared to leave the continental United States.

...not that there seems to be any rush on the part of the current administration, even though one of the "new" ships has been in the water for three years.

It just breaks down so often that it can't leave the United States and a nearby boat garage. That's helpful.

Someone should ask Harris about that "Ghost Admiral." 

See if she even knows she's got one.