CNN: US ship damaged while operating in the Middle East, incident under investigation

A US Navy refueling ship was damaged while operating in the Middle East in an incident that is still under investigation, CNN reported, citing a Navy official.

According to the official, the USNS Big Horn was damaged after it was refueling and supplying naval ships operating in the area, including the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and several guided-missile destroyers.

The maritime official did not mention where the accident occurred or the type of damage to the supply ship, but he indicated that all members of the ship's crew were fine, stressing that it was too early to speculate on the details of the accident or its causes.

According to the American network, the aircraft carrier group "USS Abraham Lincoln" was operating in and around the Gulf of Oman in an attempt to send a deterrent message to Iran.

Although this aircraft carrier is nuclear-powered and does not require refueling, the other ships in the strike group and the aircraft aboard Lincoln require fossil fuel to operate on long deployments abroad.

Source: Al Jazeera + CNN