The USNS Big Horn was damaged in the Middle East when it suffered an undisclosed “incident” and began to flood.

A U.S. Navy oil tanker was damaged during operations in the Middle East overnight, prompting an investigation by the U.S. 5th Fleet, Navy officials confirmed Tuesday.

The delicate rescue mission aimed to head off a major environmental disaster after the oil tanker was attacked by Houthi rebels off the coast of Yemen last month.

A U.S. Navy replenishment ship operating in the Middle East has sustained damage in an incident which is under investigation

A U.S. Navy replenishment ship sustained damage while operating in the Middle East, officials confirmed Tuesday. The vessel, named the USNS Big Horn, supplies fuel and provisions to the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier strike group.

A US Navy replenishment ship sustained damage while operating in the Middle East, according to a Navy official, in an incident that remains under investigation.

The crew of the U.S. replenishment ship Big Horn is safe and there was no sign of an oil leak from the vessel, said a Navy official.

The replenishment oiler USNS Big Horn was involved in what the latest reports say was an "allision" in the Arabian Sea on Monday, an official said.