Astern Refueling Rig
On USNS Kawishiwi T-AO-146

by Richard Miller BMCS USN Ret. - As Contributed through  NavSource Online

Astern Fueling

A rarely used type of replenishment is astern fueling. In this method, the receiving ship follows directly behind the supplying ship. The fuel supplying ship trails a hose in the water that the fuel receiving ship retrives and connects to receive fuel. This method is more limited, as only one transfer rig can be set up. However, it is safer, as a slight course error will not cause a collision.