USNS John Lenthall (T-AO-189) is a Henry J. Kaiser-class replenishment oiler of the United States Navy. Her motto is "Shaft of the Spear."
John Lenthall, the third ship of the Henry J. Kaiser class, was laid down at Avondale Shipyard, Inc., at New Orleans, Louisiana, on 15 July 1985 and launched on 9 August 1986. The ship entered non-commissioned U.S. Navy service with a primarily civilian crew on 25 July 1987.
John Lenthall served in the United States Atlantic Fleet under MSC control until taken out of active service on 11 November 1996 and placed in reserve.
John Lenthall was reactivated on 7 December 1998, and is in active service in the Atlantic Fleet.
On 17 April 2004, a merchant ship lost steering control while departing Valletta, Malta, and collided with another ship before striking John Lenthall broadside while she was pierside undergoing maintenance. No one aboard John Lenthall suffered injuries, and she sustained only limited damage to outside structures and equipment.[1]
On 23 September 2008, John Lenthall was shadowed by suspected pirates. They fled after she fired several warning shots in their vicinity.
On 9 March 2021, John Lenthall replenished Italian aircraft carrier Cavour in the Western Atlantic Ocean.[2]
This article includes information collected from the Naval Vessel Register, which, as a U.S. government publication, is in the public domain. The entry can be found here.
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