USNS Pecos – October 13, 2017

On 9 December 1999 a United States Marine Corps H-46 helicopter crashed into Pecos and sank while participating in a training mission.

USNS Pecos TAO197

As routine procedure following an accident, members of the crew were subjected to drug testing. Captain Mark LaRachelle, the ship’s Master, failed the initial and secondary drug tests and was subsequently relieved of command and fired from the Military Sealift Command. Following his dismissal from MSC, his US Coast Guard license was revoked.

During Operation Tomodachi, the Pecos rendezvoused with U.S. 7th Fleet flagship USS Blue Ridge (LCC-19) near Kyushu, Japan. Blue Ridge transferred 96 pallets of humanitarian assistance and disaster relief material to Pecos for delivery to the Essex Amphibious Group and the Ronald Reagan Carrier Strike Group. Pallets, some weighing as much as 1,000 pounds, contained items such as water containers and water purification tablets, first-aid products, tarps, blankets and other supplies. The ship arrived off Sendai March 25 for more underway replenishment operations. During its support effort to Operation Tomodachi, Pecos completed nine unreps and delivered more than 2.3 million gallons of fuel to other supporting ships Pecos helped refuel the USS Harry Truman and HMS Defender in 2016.

First Published: readtiger.com