An oil replenishment ship will receive the nation’s highest unit-level military honor for combat valor for its support of the Ford Carrier Strike Group during Operation Epic Fury. The USNS Kanawha, a refueler ship under Military Sealift Command, will get the Presidential Unit Citation next month, becoming the first auxiliary ship in the command’s history to receive the combat award.
Rarely given out, the Presidential Unit Citation’s award history runs through some of the most daring and complex operations in U.S history, including Army Rangers on D-Day, the Navy SEALs who killed Osama Bin Laden in Pakistan, and the US Coast Guard’s full-throttle response to Hurricane Katrina.
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The Kanawha will be the first ship to ever receive the citation in the Military Sealift Command’s history, which operates transport and supply ships that support the Navy. Though MSC ships are owned by the Navy, they are not commissioned warships but are considered auxiliary forces, manned mostly by civilian sailors and Merchant Marines. They are often unarmed or lightly armed for self-defense.
A ceremony awarding the citation to the ship was originally scheduled for July 2 but has been rescheduled to mid-July, according to Military Sealift Command.
During its time at sea, the crew of the oiler carried out 113 replenishments to U.S. and partner ships, Military Sealift Command said, including more than 17 million gallons of fuel. The command described the ship as a “floating warehouse” that enabled sustained naval operations.
The award elevates the Kanawha’s decoration for Epic Fury to match that of the warships in the Ford Carrier Strike Group it supported. The group was collectively awarded the PUC last month for “outstanding performance in action against enemy forces from 28 February to 1 May 2026 in Support of Operation Epic Fury.”
The Kanawha accompanied the Ford group during much of its near-record deployment that included both participating in the war with Iran and supporting military operations in the Caribbean.
Last February, the Civil Service Mariners of the crew received the Navy Unit Commendation ribbon, the second-highest unit award in the Navy. That award, given for heroism in action against an enemy, was presented for the crew’s work in the Middle East between Oct. 19, 2023-May 30, 2024. According to the citation, the crew helped protect “vital global commerce through two strategic maritime chokepoints, defended key allies and partners, deterred aggression, and forged partnerships founded in trust and unity of effort against violations of international law,” as the Navy fought Houthi militants that tried to disrupt shipping around Yemen.
