Prepositioning Ships – 36 (as of Sept. 30, 2005) Maritime Prepositioning Ships – 16 SQUADRON ONE MV PFC William B. Baugh (T-AK 3001) MV 2nd Lt. John P. Bobo (T-AK 3008) SS PFC Eugene A. Obregon (T-AK 3006) USNS Lance Corporal Roy M. Wheat (T-AK 3016) MV PFC Dewayne T. Williams (T-AK 3009) SQUADRON TWO MV Sgt. William R. Button (T-AK 3012) SS Sgt. Matej J. Kocak (T-AK 3005) MV 1st Lt. Baldomero Lopez (T-AK 3010) MV Pvt. Franklin J. Phillips (T-AK 3004) USNS Gunnery Sgt. Fred W. Stockham (T-AK 3017) SQUADRON THREE MV Pvt. James Anderson Jr. (T-AK 3002) MV 1st Lt. Alex Bonnyman (T-AKR 3003) MV Cpl. Louis J. Hauge (T-AK 3000) MV 1st Lt. Jack Lummus (T-AK 3011) USNS 1st Lt. Harry L. Martin (T-AK 3015) SS Maj. Stephen W. Pless (T-AK 3007) Combat Prepositioning Ships – 10 LMSRs USNS Charlton (T-AKR 314) USNS Dahl (T-AKR 312) USNS Pomeroy (T-AKR 316) USNS Red Cloud (T-AKR 313) USNS Sisler (T-AKR 311) USNS Soderman (T-AKR 317) USNS Watkins (T-AKR 315) USNS Watson (T-AKR 310) CONTAINER SHIPS MV Staff Sgt. Edward A. Carter Jr. (T-AK 4544) MV Lt. Col. John U.D. Page (T-AK 4496) Logistics Prepositioning Ships – 10 DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY (TANKERS) SS Chesapeake (T-AOT 5084) SS Petersburg (T-AOT 9101) U.S. AIR FORCE (CONTAINER SHIPS) MV Capt. Steven L. Bennett (T-AK 4296) MV Maj. Bernard F. Fisher (T-AK 4396) MV TSgt. John A. Chapman (T-AK 323) MV A1C William A. Pitsenbarger (T-AK 4638) U.S. NAVY (BREAK-BULK SHIP) SS Cape Jacob (T-AK 5029) AVIATION LOGISTICS SUPPORT SHIPS SS Curtis (T-AVB 4) SS Wright (T-AVB 3) HIGH-SPEED VESSEL (CATAMARAN) Westpac Express

t the end of FY 2005, MSC’s Afloat Prepositioning Force consisted of 36 ships. Normally, 34 ships would be operating at sites in the Mediterranean Sea, Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean and Guam/Saipan in the Western Pacific Ocean or reloading or awaiting refurbishment of their prepositioning cargo at ports in the United States. However, due to mission requirements for the global war on terrorism and Operation Iraqi Freedom, many prepositioning ships were working in the Sealift Program or were placed in reduced operating status. Those working in the Sealift Program delivered 6.6 million square feet of combat cargo to U.S. forces for the global war on terrorism. The remaining two ships in the Prepositioning Program were U.S. Marine Corps aviation logistics support ships and were maintained in reduced operating status on the U.S. East and West Coasts.

Maritime Prepositioning Ships

During 2005, Maritime Prepositioning Ship Squadron One continued to support U.S. European Command with ships forward-deployed in the Mediterranean Sea, Eastern Atlantic Ocean and Baltic Sea. While maintaining tactical control of this fleet, the squadron staff conducted a number of exploratory port visits, supporting a rotational-siting strategy for the region.

MSC Maritime Prepositioning ships MV 1st Lt. Jack Lummus and MV 1st Lt. Alex Bonnyman made history in January in the Republic of Maldives while supporting Operation Unified Assistance. For the first time ever, a light amphibious recovery craft, or LARC, traveled up the stern ramp of an MPS while she was underway. The LARCs were used to transport water from island to island within the Maldives.

MV TSgt. John A. Chapman, formerly MV Merlin, rejoined Squadron One after a naming ceremony conducted at the Military Ocean Terminal, Sunny Point, N.C., in June 2005. This was the first prepositioning ship to be named for an Air Force Cross recipient.

Squadron One participated in a number of exercises and training opportunities including Exercises BALTOPS, Prism Flame, Destined Glory and Noble Dina.

The staff of Maritime Prepositioning Ship Squadron Two continued operations in Kuwait throughout most of 2005. Acting as an MSC Office, the squadron staff coordinated nearly 200 movements of strategic sealift ships totaling 19.9 million square feet of cargo. At year’s end, the squadron returned to Diego Garcia to maintain oversight of a fleet of assigned prepositioning ships.

Maritime Prepositioning Ship Squadron Three supported U.S. Pacific Command strategic requirements in FY 2005. Early in the year, the staff and ships were called upon to support tsunami recovery operations in Operation Unified Assistance. Squadron Three deployed six of its ships to the stricken areas in support of relief and recovery operations less than five days after the tsunami made landfall. The ships deployed within five hours of being called.

In addition, the squadron provided support and operational coordination to hospital ships USNS Mercy as she visited each affected area throughout the Central Asian area to provide medical care and support. The squadron also participated in a number of exercises and training opportunities throughout the year.

Above: Four F-15 Eagles fly over the newly named MV TSgt. John A. Chapman. The ship’s namesake is an Air Force combat controller who died in Afghanistan in 2002. Photo by SrA Becky Laraia, USAF. Left: MV Chapman will strategically preposition ammunition and related supplies in the Mediterranean Sea and the eastern Atlantic Ocean for the U.S. Air Force. Photo by James Pleasants.

Afloat Prepositioning Ship Squadron Four staff members continued to augment Military Sealift Command Central in Bahrain during FY 2005, working logistics, strategic sealift and maritime force protection issues while providing maintenance and technical support for all MSC ships and several Navy combatant ships.

Combat Prepositioning Ships

The eight large, medium-speed, roll-on/roll-off ships, or LMSRs, assigned to MSC’s Prepositioning Program continued to support the Department of Defense in FY 2005, either in their assigned role of prepositioning Army cargo overseas or in common-user service supporting unit rotations. During the year, both USNS Dahl and USNS Charlton were loaded with prepositioning cargo and deployed to U.S. Pacific Command. USNS Soderman remained prepositioned at Diego Garcia throughout the year.

Members of Naval Coastal Warfare Squadron 25 drove Bulgarian armored personnel carriers off the stern ramp of MSC large, medium-speed, roll-on/roll-off ship USNS Red Cloud in Souda Bay, Greece, in May. Squadron members jumped in and helped move equipment off the ship when local stevedores were unable to operate the foreign vehicles. Photo by Paul Farley.

Logistics Prepositioning Ships

During FY 2005, the Prepositioning Program awarded a contract for a new offshore petroleum discharge system, or OPDS, taking advantage of commercial technology from the offshore oil production and transportation industry. The contract calls for an OPDS support ship equipped with dynamic-positioning technology that will deliver the product from tankers to beaches more efficiently than the current system. The first ship is scheduled to be delivered in 2007.

In support of the Air Force’s Prepositioning Program, MV Maj. Bernard F. Fisher and MV A1C William H. Pitsenbarger remained forward-deployed with Air Force munitions. Ready Reserve Force ship SS Cape Jacob also continued Navy and Marine Corps ammunition service supporting both U.S. Pacific Command and U.S. Central Command.