Richard-E-Byrd

'USNS Richard E. Byrd' (T-AKE 4), a Lewis and Clark-class dry cargo ship, on July 28, 2014, rescued 9 crew members from a Yemeni-flagged cargo vessel 'Asaed' that had lost power, was taking in water and was adrift in the Gulf of Oman, according to U.S. Naval Forces Central Command Public Affairs. The crew from Asaed requested assistance and Byrd was the first ship on scene. The crew of the Yemini vessel abandoned in their ship's lifeboat and maneuvered to the military ship, where they were safely recovered. There are no reports of casualties or injuries to personnel. The Yemeni sailors are being further evaluated by Byrd's medical team. The Navy will coordinate the sailors' transfer ashore. 

USNS Richard E. Byrd is currently on a scheduled deployment to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility conducting maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts.

 Report with photo: http://www.stripes.com/news/us-navy-rescues-mariners-in-gulf-of-oman-1.295725#

Military Sealift Command dry cargo/ammunition ship USNS Richard E. Byrd left Cam Ranh Bay in southern Vietnam today, marking the end of a historic visit - the first by a U.S. Navy ship to the port in more than three decades, MarineLink reports. Byrd spent seven days at Cam Ranh Shipyard for routine maintenance and repairs that included underwater hull cleaning, polishing of the ship's propeller, repairing shipboard piping, and overhaul of the salt water cooling system that keeps the ship's engines cool and runs the air conditioning. Cam Ranh Bay is 180 miles north of Ho Chi Minh City, formerly called Saigon. From 1965 to 1973, Cam Ranh Bay was one of the largest in-country U.S. military facilities during the Vietnam War. http://www.marinelink.com/news/vietnam-first-visit340094.aspx