US Navy Ships Briefly Collide in Gulf of Aden

The spokesman for the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet, Cmdr. Kevin Stephens, says the USNS Amelia Earhart and the USNS Walter S. Diehl were involved in a minor collision during an exchange of goods early on Thursday.

Stephens, who spoke to The Associated Press over the phone, says the ships continued to operate with "relatively minor damage."

The two ships resupply U.S. Navy warships that conduct operations for the U.S. 5th Fleet, which is based in Bahrain.

Naval "underway replenishments" typically involve ships coming within 100 to 150 feet, or 30 to 45 meters, of one another and ferrying dry goods across cables and fuel through hoses.