Historic Fueling at Sea for US Navy and Royal Navy
US Navy and Royal Navy Make History in the Ocean
A U.S. amphibious ship has conducted a fueling-at-sea (FAS) with a British cruiser, for the first time in history. Monumental the same, this also marks the 3rd time America has refueled an ally nation while at sea.
USS America (LHA 6), the Navy’s only forward-deployed amphibious assault ship, conducted a bilateral fueling-at-sea (FAS) with Royal Navy destroyer HMS Defender (D 36) while operating with elements of the HMS Queen Elizabeth (R 08) Carrier Strike Group (CSG-21) in the Philippine Sea, Aug. 20.
The Cmdr. Vincent Owen, Defender’s commanding officer stated, “By conducting this ground-breaking replenishment-at-sea in the Indo-Pacific we have further demonstrated our flexibility and interoperability with the UK’s most important strategic ally and partner.”
