New Zealand carries out first refuelling of US Wasp-class amphibious ship

HMNZS Aotearoa seen here refuelling USS Boxer after a US tanker suddenly became unavailable. (Royal New Zealand Navy)

The Royal New Zealand Navy's (RNZN's) sole Aotearoa-class replenishment vessel HMNZS Aotearoa has refuelled its largest ship yet – US Navy (USN) Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Boxer , marking yet another interoperability milestone between the two services.

This came unexpectedly after a USN tanker suddenly became unavailable for the task; the RNZN disclosed via a statement released on its social media pages on 1 August.

Boxer had just completed a 10-day transit from San Diego to Hawaii carrying ground elements of the US Marine Corps (USMC) 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit, V-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft, a variety of helicopter types, and F-35 fighters.

“On the transit from the mainland, USS Boxer had conducted numerous aviation serials and both ship and aircraft were in need of refuelling before carrying on across the Pacific,” the RNZN said.

Given that the USN tanker was suddenly unavailable, Aotearoa was tasked to replenish Boxer , the service added. The RNZN did not give any details on why the USN tanker was not able to carry out its intended task.

Boxer is the fourth Wasp-class amphibious assault ship, and it was commissioned by the USN in 1995. It displaces about 41,000 tonnes at full load and has an overall length of about 257 m.

Aotearoa is a 26,000 tonne oiler that was commissioned by the RNZN in July 2020. It is equipped with two NATO-compliant replenishment at sea (RAS) masts and can carry 8,000 tonnes of diesel fuel, 1,550 tonnes of aviation fuel, and 250 tonnes of fresh water.