When things go wrong, we still do it right

By Capt. Jose Delfaus
USNS Mohawk

A commercial tug maneuvers Leahy-class guided missile cruiser Halsey into position Dec. 12 in Colon, Panama. Halsey was delivered to the Pacific side of the canal by fleet ocean tug USNS Navajo and came through the canal Dec. 10.

As a captain for Military Sealift Command, I've had many occasions to be proud of the work we do. But rarely have I been so proud of a group as I am of my current crew. On a recent mission, the men and women of fleet ocean tug USNS Mohawk overcame about every situation imaginable and still did their work professionally and with pride.

Let me begin at the beginning.

When I came on board late last September, I received word that Mohawk was scheduled to sail to Panama and tow the former USS Halsey, a guided missile cruiser, to Florida. Halsey would be taken to the canal by USNS Navajo, our West Coast sister ship. Once we retrieved Halsey on our side of the canal, we would take her to Florida.

After we delivered Halsey, we would then tow the former USS Canon, a patrol gunboat, from Florida to Philadelphia. It all seemed pretty routine. We execute two tows and are back home in time for Christmas dinner. That's what we thought, anyway.

We figured that it would take 10 days to get to Panama. We kept ourselves updated on the progress of Navajo in the Pacific Ocean and wanted to schedule our arrival in Panama as close as we could to Navajo's arrival date. Planning was difficult because Navajo was making halting progress. At one point, Navajo's tow rigging broke. Thankfully, no one was hurt, but a delay for them meant a delay for us.

Departing the harbor at Colon, Panama, the former USS Halsey is positioned by a private tug while connected to fleet ocean tug USNS Mohawk.

We left Virginia for Panama on Dec. 2. That would put us in Panama Dec. 12, two days after Navajo delivered Halsey to the Pacific Ocean side of the canal.

After Halsey was taken through the canal by private canal tugs, we were to pick her up on the Atlantic Ocean side.

On our way to Panama, it was our turn to have problems. We had a number of machinery failures that slowed us down. Thanks to Chief Engineer Joe Muchulsky and his team, Third Assistant Engineer Larry Jackson, Engine Utilityman James Johnson and Wiper Dennis Deley, our delays were kept short.

After initial problems, both Mohawk and Navajo made better time than expected on our separate trips to Panama. Looking back, we should have enjoyed it more, since it was one of the few things that went right.

Halsey was brought through the canal on Dec. 10, and our crew was eager to get connected and sail.

Now, our problems really began.

First, we planned on using a crane to get our tow rigging ready to hook up Halsey. The crane broke down. Undeterred, Chief Mate Doug Casavant and a group of able seamen including Larry Bell, Darius White, Ramon Boone, Mario Geonzon and Robert Murry took up the challenge. The group used a fork truck and block and tackle to get the job done. They stayed on the job, finishing well past midnight.

Members of the military detachment, ET1 Robert Moore, USN, and ET2 Timothy Klinesmith, USN, helped with the rigging and other preparations aboard Halsey.

Second, the weather report was bad. Navy forecasters said that conditions would exceed our safety limits — yet another delay.

Further, I got a report that our port steering unit had failed safety checks. I was forced to delay our scheduled departure two days.

During this delay, Able Seaman George Claiborne, a retired Marine, wondered if the ghost of the combatant ship's namesake, the late Fleet Adm. William "Bull" Halsey, USN, was haunting the procedures. Skip Benyo, a Naval Sea Systems Command representative in Panama, overheard Claiborne's remark. Benyo said that Navajo's master, Capt. Brad Smith, had wondered the same thing.

The weather delays, mechanical failures and possible ghostly interventions did not dampen the spirit of the crew. If anything, the crew was more eager than ever to complete the job and get home.

USNS Mohawk (left) and the Asheville-class fast attack craft ex-USS Canon moored together pierside in Panama City, Fla. Mohawk departed Panama City Dec. 27, to transport Canon to its new home in Philadelphia.

After all these problems, the rest of the mission seemed routine. We got to Florida with Halsey in tow on Christmas Eve, two days slower than we had anticipated. We met Al Dickerson from Military Sealift Command Office Jacksonville, Fla., when we arrived. With his help, our stay was short and uneventful. We disconnected from Halsey, and connected to Canon and were on our way by Dec, 27. The highlight of the three days in Florida was the incredible Christmas meal prepared by Steward Cook John Breitenstein along with Manolito Lagda and Randolph Covington. The efforts of the steward department made being separated from our families for the holidays somewhat bearable.

The plan was now to deliver Canon to Philadelphia and return home to the Norfolk, Va., area. That meant we wouldn't return home until after New Year's Day.

As is turned out, the last of our misadventures ended up being good for the crew. We contacted Philadelphia and found out that there would be no one to take delivery of Canon.

We had little choice but to stop in Virginia and wait a few days to deliver Canon. Because of this last detour, we did spend New Year's Eve with our families. It was a nice and unexpected reward for the hard work and dedication our crew showed during the entire deployment.

Although we all had our problems carrying out the missions, the crew was always up to meeting the challenges we faced. As a captain for MSC, that made me most proud of all.