Here's a recent image of the SS Mount Washington moored in the China Basin area of the San Francisco Bay. The Mount Washington is one of four Offshore Petroleum Discharge System (OPDS) tankers. The Mount Washington is one of the largest of the fleet - 736 feet long, a beam of 102 feet, and a fuel capacity of 269,000 bbl.
The OPDS was designed by and for the U.S. Navy, for use with the Army and Marine Corps Inland Petroleum Distribution System (IPDS). The OPDS is stored aboard a selected Ready Reserve Fleet tanker. It is transported to a theater of operations by the tanker. The OPDS provides 1.2 million gallons per 20-hour day of refined petroleum to the beach, from a tanker moored four miles from shore. The tanker is manned by a civlian crew.
Here's a thumbnail diagram from FM 10-67-1 showing how the OPDS works after the seventh day at the beach. (Click on the small image to enlarge.)
The single anchor leg mooring (SLAM) can be seen stored on the after deck of the Mount Washington.
Other OPDS tankers are the S.S. American Osprey, S.S. Chesapeake, and the S.S. Petersburg.
This has nothing to do with Nike missiles, but I thought it was interesting nevertheless.
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