MSC reps worldwide help ensure Army readiness
a tale of two missions

By Rosemary Heiss
MSC Public Affairs

“There’s a lot going on during a load that many people don’t realize.” Jack Davis Jr. Military Sealift Command representative in Beaumont

In August and September, three Military Sealift Command ships overcame several challenges to load and unload more than 400,000 square feet of helicopters, tanks, Humvees and equipment for soldiers who were either in Iraq or getting ready to go there.

Maritime Administration Ready Reserve Force ship MV Cape Knox was under the operational control of MSC. It met severe time restraints, but loaded more than 115,000 square feet of cargo in two days — about half the time a ship normally has to load.

Large, medium-speed, roll-on/roll-off ship USNS Brittin, supporting the same mission, had to visit two ports to get nearly 100,000 square feet of cargo.

Another LMSR, USNS Seay, loaded about 200,000 square feet of cargo – one of the largest loads of the year for the Pearl Harbor pier where the ship was loaded.

And despite these challenges, MSC port representatives made adjustments on the go and kept the missions moving.

Supporting Army Operations

Cape Knox and Brittin loaded helicopters, tanks, trucks and containers for the U.S. Army's 1st Infantry Division, 3rd Aviation Brigade in August in Beaumont, Texas.

Seasoned MSC representatives Lyndon Flynn and Jack Davis Jr. oversaw the Beaumont loads, according to Charlie LeBlanc, MSC's operations manager there.

"Our [MSC] mission ... really begins and ends with them," he said.

With more than 65 years of combined experience, Flynn and Davis provided expertise to the Army — which owns the cargo — the stevedores who secure it and the ship's master, who oversees the loading.

Before the first load began, Cape Knox had to unload cargo coming back from Iraq.

"The crew not only worked the discharge, but they turned right around to start loading the ship," said Flynn, who was responsible for the Cape Knox load.

Flynn and the stevedores at the port off-loaded the old cargo Aug. 1-2 and then loaded the ship Aug. 3-4, meeting the deadline to get it underway Aug. 5.

At the Port of Ash Shuaybah in Kuwait, Army 1st Infantry Division, 3rd Aviation Brigade vehicles line up as they are off-loaded from Maritime Administration Ready Reserve Force ship MV Cape Knox, which was under the operational control of Military Sealift Command for the mission.

"There was no window for error," Flynn said.

In the five days the ship was in Beaumont, it received fuel, minor repairs and adjustments, and about 10 new crew members.

"There's a lot going on during a load that many people don't realize," said Davis, who was responsible for the Brittin load. "A ship is a dangerous place, so we watch out for the people and the mission to ensure safety, safety, safety. I make sure everything runs smoothly."

Davis coordinated with the Coast Guard, the Army's Surface Deployment and Distribution Command, Army aviators, MSC headquarters and the port of Beaumont to safely load helicopters, Humvees and containers aboard Brittin.

Helicopters, some of which required about 20 feet of clearance, presented unique challenges not only because of their size but also because of the additional coordination required to load them.

"Stevedores don't touch them," said Davis. "Aviators load the choppers, and an Army maintenance crew secures them."

After procedures were completed to safely load the cargo, Brittin got underway Aug. 8, but the 950-foot ship had to stop in Charleston, S.C., to load more cargo before heading to the Middle East.

In Charleston, MSC representative Tom D'Agostino facilitated the load of about 30 trucks, 120 containers and 50 pieces of break-bulk cargo.

On Aug. 15, Brittin began its voyage across the Atlantic Ocean, off-loading in Ash Shuaybah, Kuwait, Aug. 28. Cape Knox off-loaded the rest of the aviation brigade's cargo 10 days later.

Cape Knox unloads almost 115,000 square feet of Army cargo, including wheeled and tracked vehicles and equipment, Sept. 7.

Supporting Army Training

At about the same time as Cape Knox and Brittin were underway to the Middle East, Seay was underway to San Diego to deliver tanks, trucks and equipment for the 25th Infantry Division, 2nd Stryker Brigade. The unit needed it for predeployment training at the National Training Center in Fort Irwin, Calif.

MSC's Pearl Harbor operations manager David Carmody and port representative Woody Ross supervised the round-the-clock load from Aug. 2 to 5.

The 653 wheeled vehicles, five tracked vehicles, 287 trailers and about 250 large containers — nearly 200,000 square feet of cargo — was big for the Pearl Harbor pier, according to Carmody.

Only about two loads per year are that size in Pearl Harbor, Carmody noted.

"This was a big deal for us," he said. Soldiers from the 2nd Stryker Brigade began driving their trucks to the pier at night, positioning them to be loaded aboard Seay, about a week before the ship arrived.

Ross worked with the ship's crew and SDDC to develop a stable load plan for the vehicles and other cargo.

Once the nearly 9,000 long tons of cargo were loaded, Ross coordinated to have tugs get Seay underway for San Diego.

"We took the Army to California for their training, and when they're done training and ready to go to Iraq, we'll be ready to take them there, too," said Carmody. The ship off-loaded in San Diego in mid-August.