Cimarron-class fleet replenishment oiler

Not to be confused with Cimarron-class oiler (1939).

The Cimarron class was a class of five replenishment oilers which served in the United States Navy between 1981 and 1999. These ships were sized to provide two complete refuelings of a fossil-fueled aircraft carrier and six to eight accompanying destroyers. All five of the class were jumboized in 1990-92 by being cut in two and a 108-foot (35.7 m) section inserted, increasing their capacities from 120,000 bbls to 180,000 bbls, adding capacity for 300 tons of munitions and improving underway replenishment capabilities. The class was retired in 1998-99 after less than 20 years of service as a result of post-Cold War force reductions, and the advent of the more economical diesel-powered Henry J. Kaiser-class replenishment oilers.

USS Cimarron
Class overview
Name	Cimarron class
Builders	Avondale Shipyards
Operators	United States Navy
Preceded by	Neosho class
Succeeded by	Henry J. Kaiser class
In commission	1981–1999
Completed	5
Active	0
Laid up	0
Retired	5
General characteristics
Displacement	36,814 tons full load after modification
Length	598 ft 6 in (182.42 m) as built, 708 ft 6 in (215.95 m) after modification
Beam	88 ft (27 m)
Draft	32 ft (9.8 m) max
Propulsion	two boilers, one steam turbine, single shaft, 24,000 shp
Speed	20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph)
Complement	135 (12 officers) plus 90 spare berths after modification
Sensors and processing systems	AN/SPS-55/10B Surface Search Radar
Armament	2 × 20mm Vulcan Phalanx Mk 15 (CIWS)
Aircraft carried	Helicopter platform only

Ship	Keel laid	Launched	Commissioned	Decommissioned	Struck
Cimarron (AO-177)	18 May 1978	28 Apr 1979	10 Jan 1981	15 Dec 1998	3 May 1999
Monongahela (AO-178)	15 August 1978	4 Aug 1979	5 Sep 1981	30 Sep 1999	30 Sep 1999
Merrimack (AO-179)	16 Jul 1979	17 May 1980	14 Nov 1981	18 Dec 1998	18 Dec 1998
Willamette (AO-180)	4 Aug 1980	18 Jul 1981	18 Dec 1982	30 Apr 1999	30 Apr 1999
Platte (AO-186)	2 Feb 1981	30 Jan 1982	29 Jan 1983	30 Jun 1999	30 Jun 1999

See also

• United States Navy oiler
• Replenishment oiler
• List of auxiliaries of the United States Navy

External links

• navsource.org: AO-180 Willamette
• Wildenberg, Thomas (1996). Gray Steel and Black Oil: Fast Tankers and Replenishment at Sea in the U.S. Navy, 1912-1995. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. Retrieved 2009-04-28.