NORFOLK, Va. — The USNS Arctic (T-AOE 8) is returning to its homeport of Naval Station Norfolk on Thursday.
The fast combat support ship was deployed for eight months in the 5th and 6th Fleet areas of operation. The USNS Arctic provided underway replenishment services to the Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group Eight.
"It's designed to be a single-ship, kind of one-stop shop for the entire carrier strike group. So, it goes back and forth from port, back out to sea, bringing out stores, food, ordnance, and mostly fuel to keep the jets flying and to keep the ships operating at sea," Capt. Jamie Murdock told reporters.
The USNS Arctic is a part of the Military Sealift Command (MSC), which means it was manned by civilian mariners who rotated out deployment to the ship.
Capt. Murdock said many of the ship's crew was excited to be back home before July 4.
