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U.S. Navy Big Horn runs aground off Oman as replenishment vessel supports USS Lincoln strike group

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The only U.S. Navy oil replenishment ship serving the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group, deployed in the Middle East in support of Israel amid its ongoing war with Hamas and soaring tension between other Iran-backed groups, ran aground Monday off the coast of Oman. U.S. officials told CBS News national security correspondent Charlie D’Agata the damage to the USNS Big Horn was significant enough to cause the partial flooding of the vessel, and it was being escorted by tugboats into port for a full assessment.

The Big Horn is a type of vessel referred to as an “oiler,” which ferries fuel and other vital supplies to ships and aircraft deployed in a strike group.

There were no reported injuries, no other vessels were directly affected and there were no signs of fuel leaks from the Big Horn, but it was the only Navy oiler immediately available in the region to support the Lincoln and its fleet of battleships, escort vessels and aircraft.

usns-big-horn-oiler.jpg
The Henry J. Kaiser-class fleet replenishment oiler USNS Big Horn sails alongside the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln during a replenishment-at-sea operation, Sept. 11, 2024, in a photo released by the U.S. Navy.            

Handout/U.S. Navy


Navy officials would not confirm the authenticity of video posted online this week allegedly showing the ship taking on water. The incident was under investigation.

The Big Horn ran aground after a recent resupply mission, with photos released by the U.S. military showing sailors aboard the Lincoln receiving supplies from the oiler on Sept. 5, while another from Sept. 11 showed the Big Horn alongside the Lincoln.

The Lincoln and its associated Navy vessels have been patrolling the Arabian Sea in support of Israel, and to protect U.S. assets in the region. It has played a role in the joint U.S.-British operation to deter Yemen’s Houthi rebels from targeting commercial and military vessels in the region, including in the vital shipping lanes of the Red Sea. The Houthis, who are backed by Iran like Hamas, call their attacks on shipping a means of supporting the Palestinians amid Israel’s war with Hamas.

Numerous airstrikes carried out by U.S. and British vessels and aircraft in the region against Houthi targets in Yemen have failed to stem the missile attacks on ships.

Though the Lincoln itself is powered by a nuclear reactor, but its strike group has vessels powered by fossil fuel that need to be resupplied at sea. The aircraft aboard the Lincoln also need jet fuel. The Big Horn and other ships like it also provide other supplies.

CSG 12 TRANSITS THE STRAIT OF HORMUZ
In this handout photo provided by the U.S. Navy, the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, left, the U.K. Royal Navy air defense destroyer HMS Defender, and the guided-missile destroyer USS Farragut are seen transiting the Strait of Hormuz, Nov. 19, 2019.

Handout/U.S. Navy


The U.S. official called the damage to the refueler an inconvenience but said the fleet would continue to be able to operate without it. The strike group’s destroyers can refuel in port and they can transport aviation fuel to the carrier to supply the on-board fighter jets and surveillance aircraft.

Oilers like the Big Horn typically have around 80 civilians and five military personnel on board.

The incident comes amid well documented concern over the availability of resources for the U.S. Navy as it faces expanding global threats, not only with the rising tumult in the Middle East, but as China seeks to assert itself militarily in the disputed waters of the South China Sea and around Taiwan.

Labor shortages in shipyards that have led to backlogs in ship production and maintenance, combined with shifting defense priorities, last-minute design changes and cost overruns have all combined to put the U.S. Navy behind China in the number of ships at its disposal.

Navy shipbuilding is currently in “a terrible state” — the worst in a quarter century, says

Eric Labs, a longtime naval analyst at the Congressional Budget Office, told The Associated Press in August that U.S. Navy shipbuilding was in “a terrible state,” largely due to the labor shortages onshore, adding that he did not “see a fast, easy way to get out of this problem.”



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Harris pitching economic plans in Pittsburgh after Trump’s Savannah remarks

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Harris pitching economic plans in Pittsburgh after Trump’s Savannah remarks – CBS News


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Vice President Kamala Harris will present more of her economic plans in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Wednesday. This comes after former President Donald Trump made remarks in Savannah, Georgia, about the economic policies he is proposing. CBS News political director Fin Gómez and CBS News campaign reporter Olivia Rinaldi have more.

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Meet Pesto the Penguin, Australia’s nearly 50-pound baby penguin capturing hearts worldwide with its hefty fluff

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An aquarium in Australia is now home to the biggest baby penguin it has ever seen. Pesto, a 9-month-old king penguin, has weighed in at just under 50 pounds — more than the weight of both his parents combined. 

Sea Life Melbourne Aquarium has been sharing Pesto’s journey since he hatched on Jan. 30. It didn’t take long for the fluffy baby animal to shock aquarium employees, but also win over their hearts. By April 24, when Pesto was just 3 months old, he already weighed 9.1 kilograms, about 20 pounds. According to the Associated Press, his foster parents Hudson and Tango weigh 11 kg, about 24 pounds, each. 

“He eclipses them now, which also makes him look comically large,” Melbourne aquarist Jacinta Early told CBS News’ partner BBC

Australia Pesto the Penguin
Pesto, right, a huge king penguin chick who weighs as much as both his parents combined, mingles in his enclosure at Sea Life Melbourne Aquarium, Friday, Sept. 20, 2024, and has become a social media celebrity and a star attraction at the aquarium.

Rod McGuirk / AP


By early September, the aquarium said Pesto weighed in at just over 46 pounds, and by the end of the month, the AP said Pesto had reached 49 pounds. 

The aquarium says on its website that many factors contribute to Pesto’s “impressive weight.”

“Firstly, his biological dad, Blake, is our biggest and oldest penguin,” the aquarium says on its website. “Secondly, he’s had amazing parents raising him! So, the combination of good genes and good parents explains his current weight, but he will lose a lot of this when he fledges (develops his adult feathers).” 

His “very healthy appetite” is also a factor, Early told the BBC. Pesto will eat up to 30 fish that are hand-fed to him ever day.

King penguins are the second-largest penguin species in the world, according to the American Bird Conservancy, and will typically fledge when they’re 14 to 16 months old. While male penguins are usually slightly larger than females, the Australian Antarctic Program says that the average penguin size is far below Pesto’s current size, with peak weights ranging between 10 and 15 kg — 22 to 33 pounds — during courting periods. 

“If I poked him, my entire finger would completely [disappear] deep in his feathers,” Early said. “When he does start to fledge, he’ll lose a lot of that baby fluff, and he’ll also lose much of that weight, so he’ll slim down nice and sleek.” 

Keepers at the aquarium told the Associated Press they expect him to end up at around 33 pounds after he loses “that really adorable baby fluff.”

Videos the aquarium has posted of Pesto have taken the internet by storm. 

Even Katy Perry has joined in on the love for Pesto. In one TikTok that’s racked up more than 4 million views, aquarium staff members are seen dancing with Pesto to one of Perry’s songs. Perry responded, saying she “will come by and get a blessing” before her expected performance at the Australian Football League’s grand final.

“Our chonky King workin’ it,” the aquarium says in another video of the massive baby penguin walking behind one of the adult birds in the enclosure — with a strut that can only be described as a seemingly difficult waddle.

The Associated Press says that Pesto has been the only king penguin to hatch at the aquarium so far this year and the first since 2022. That year, there were just six hatchlings. 





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Eye Opener: Tropical Storm Helene bearing down on Florida

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Eye Opener: Tropical Storm Helene bearing down on Florida – CBS News


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A massive storm bears down on Florida and is gathering strength. Also, Israel continues to pound Hezbollah targets in Lebanon as fears of a larger Middle East war dominate the U.N. General Assembly. All that and all that matters in today’s Eye Opener.

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