USNS ''Bridge'' (T-AOE-10), (formerly USS ''Bridge'' OE-10''), is the fourth ship of the of fast combat support ships in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

. She is the second ship in the Navy named after

Horatio Bridge Horatio Bridge (April 8, 1806 – March 18, 1893) was an officer of the United States Navy who, as Chief of the Bureau of Provisions, served for many years as head of the Navy's supply organization. Appointed by his former college mate, President ...

, a

Commodore Commodore may refer to: Ranks * Commodore (rank), a naval rank ** Commodore (Royal Navy), in the United Kingdom ** Commodore (India), in India ** Commodore (United States) ** Commodore (Canada) ** Commodore (Finland) ** Commodore (Germany) or ' ...

who served during the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

. ''Bridge'' was commissioned on 5 August 1998.

History

2000s

On 29 June 2004, ''Bridge'' was formally decommissioned and transferred from the US Navy to

Military Sealift Command The Military Sealift Command (MSC) is an organization that controls the replenishment and military transport ships of the United States Navy. Military Sealift Command has the responsibility for providing sealift and ocean transportation for all U ...

(MSC). Although the transfer to MSC occurred on 29 June 2004, the ceremony took place on 24 June 2004.''Bridge'' no longer carries the weapons systems she had been equipped with. As a commissioned warship, ''Bridge'' was equipped with two

Phalanx CIWS The Phalanx CIWS () is an automated gun-based close-in weapon system to defend military watercraft automatically against incoming threats such as aircraft, missiles, and small boats. It was designed and manufactured by the General Dynamics Co ...

(Block I) mounts, one NSSM launcher (with two Mk 91 directors), two Mk. 38 25-mm chain guns, six .50 caliber heavy machine gun mounts, and two M60 GPMG mounts (on the bow), along with various

small arms A firearm is any type of gun that uses an explosive charge and is designed to be readily carried and operated by an individual. The term is legally defined further in different countries (see legal definitions). The first firearms originate ...

carried by her Navy crew.

2010s

In March 2011, in company with the carrier , ''Bridge'' was deployed off northeastern

Honshu , historically known as , is the largest of the four main islands of Japan. It lies between the Pacific Ocean (east) and the Sea of Japan (west). It is the list of islands by area, seventh-largest island in the world, and the list of islands by ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

to assist with relief efforts after the

2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami On 11 March 2011, at 14:46:24 Japan Standard Time, JST (05:46:24 UTC), a 9.0–9.1 Submarine earthquake, undersea megathrust earthquake occurred in the Pacific Ocean, east of the Oshika Peninsula of the Tōhoku region. It lasted approx ...

. After multiple inspections for radiation traces due to the

Fukushima nuclear disaster The Fukushima nuclear accident was a major nuclear accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in Ōkuma, Fukushima, Japan, which began on 11 March 2011. The cause of the accident was the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, which ...

, it was determined that it was unlikely the ship was exposed to the radiation leaking from the

Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant The is a disabled nuclear power plant located on a site in the towns of Ōkuma, Fukushima, Ōkuma and Futaba, Fukushima, Futaba in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. The plant Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, suffered major damage from the 201 ...

. ''Bridge'' conducted 25 underway replenishment operations, delivering more than 1.8 million gallons of fuel in support of

Operation Tomodachi was a United States Armed Forces (especially United States Forces Japan, U.S. Forces Japan) assistance operation to support Japan in Emergency management, disaster relief following the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. The operation took pl ...

. The ship was then decommissioned shortly after. In April 2013, it was announced that MSC will take ''Bridge'', and her sister ship , out of service in 2014 as a cost-saving measure. The ships' gas turbine propulsion make them faster than other Navy supply ships, but also make them consume more fuel. As of 2018, ''Bridge'' was in reserve, at NISMF Bremerton. Two of her commanding officers, CAPT Rick Wren and CAPT Carol Pottenger have since gone on to achieve flag rank.

Notes

External links

Official US Navy ship website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bridge (T-AOE-10) Supply-class fast combat support ships 1996 ships