The Fars and Tasnim news agencies said efforts failed to save the support warship Kharg, named after the island that serves as the main oil terminal for Iran.
The fire began around 2:25 a.m. and firefighters tried to contain it, Fars said. The vessel sank near the Iranian port of Jask, some 790 miles southeast of Tehran on the Gulf of Oman near the Strait of Hormuz — the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf.
The IRIS Kharg was a modified Ol-class fleet replenishment oiler of the Islamic Republic of Iran Navy, named after Kharg Island. The Kharg served as one of a few vessels in the Iranian navy capable of providing replenishment at sea for its other ships.
According to the Combat Fleets of the World, it was "greatly modified" in comparison to her Ol-class sister ships in service of the British Royal Fleet Auxiliary. Her design is described by Jane"s Fighting Ships as "incorporating some of the features" of the class and fitted to carry dry stores and ammunition in addition to fuel. Kharg could provide extra operational flexibility for the Iranian fleet and her capacity to carry large and heavy helicopters like Sikorsky SH-3 Sea King could improve the anti-submarine warfare abilities of the naval group it belonged to.
