thedrifter
02-03-08, 07:24 AM
Marines load ship for deployment
JENNIFER HLAD
February 2, 2008 - 12:13AM
DAILY NEWS STAFF
Getting hundreds of trucks, Humvees and other large pieces of machinery and gear onto a ship is not quite "as simple as snapping your fingers," said Capt. Mark Windham, embarkation officer for the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit.
Add a time crunch, and the task of becomes even more daunting, Windham said.
But Windham, along with dozens of Marines, soldiers, longshoremen and other workers faced the challenge Friday - using their planning and packing skills to safely load more than 500 pieces onto the U.S.N.S. Algol.
The packing process is one of the first steps in the unit's road to Afghanistan. Just two weeks ago, MEU officials learned the unit will deploy to Afghanistan in the next two months in support of the NATO International Security Assistance Forces there. Roughly 800 other Marines based in Twentynine Palms, Calif., also will deploy at roughly the same time, though those Marines will work as trainers with the Afghan National Army.
The 24th MEU had been planning a deployment on the ships of the U.S.S. Nassau Strike Group, but when they learned they would be going to Afghanistan, it made more sense to send the gear on the U.S.N.S. Algol, said Capt. Kelly Frushour, public affairs officer for the 24th MEU.
The Algol - a vehicle cargo ship - was already on its way to the Middle East, carrying Mine-Resistant, Ambush-Protected (MRAP) vehicles for the Army, Frushour said. The ship had enough space for the MEU gear, so the Marines decided to use that ship and leave the Nassau ships available for other missions, she said.
The moving process began Monday, when Marines started driving their vehicles from Camp Lejeune down to the state port in Wilmington. On Friday, Marines staged the vehicles and other gear while port workers loaded the pieces onto the ship.
But the loading involves a complex plan, to make the weight evenly distributed on the ship and nothing is damaged, Windham said.
"I can't just stack it up on the weather deck," he said, referring to the top floor of the ship, which is exposed to the weather. "When we pull (the ship) off the pier, we don't want it to sink."
Marines from Landing Support Detachment, Combat Logistics Battalion 24 helped the process by controlling the equipment in the staging area, Windham said.
"Anything that's going wrong, they're fixing it. And if something's going right, it's because of them," he said.
While the majority of the Marines and sailors of the 24th MEU won't leave for at least a few weeks, Sgt. Billy Miller is one of a handful who is leaving with the ship - to ensure all the gear arrives safely.
The "super cargo" Marines explain how the vehicles work to the civilians loading them on the ship, make sure everything is loaded properly and fix anything that breaks en route, so everything is ready to go on arrival, Miller said.
For example, Miller said, a Humvee may seem like a regular truck, but it runs differently and an unfamiliar driver could mess up the engine. The super cargo Marines make sure that doesn't happen, as well as finish up paperwork and mechanical work that couldn't be completed because of the time crunch.
"Anything that doesn't get done, we'll do it," Miller said.
Contact Jennifer Hlad at jhlad@freedomenc.com or 353-1171, ext. 8467. To comment on this story, visit www.jdnews.com.
Ellie
JENNIFER HLAD
February 2, 2008 - 12:13AM
DAILY NEWS STAFF
Getting hundreds of trucks, Humvees and other large pieces of machinery and gear onto a ship is not quite "as simple as snapping your fingers," said Capt. Mark Windham, embarkation officer for the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit.
Add a time crunch, and the task of becomes even more daunting, Windham said.
But Windham, along with dozens of Marines, soldiers, longshoremen and other workers faced the challenge Friday - using their planning and packing skills to safely load more than 500 pieces onto the U.S.N.S. Algol.
The packing process is one of the first steps in the unit's road to Afghanistan. Just two weeks ago, MEU officials learned the unit will deploy to Afghanistan in the next two months in support of the NATO International Security Assistance Forces there. Roughly 800 other Marines based in Twentynine Palms, Calif., also will deploy at roughly the same time, though those Marines will work as trainers with the Afghan National Army.
The 24th MEU had been planning a deployment on the ships of the U.S.S. Nassau Strike Group, but when they learned they would be going to Afghanistan, it made more sense to send the gear on the U.S.N.S. Algol, said Capt. Kelly Frushour, public affairs officer for the 24th MEU.
The Algol - a vehicle cargo ship - was already on its way to the Middle East, carrying Mine-Resistant, Ambush-Protected (MRAP) vehicles for the Army, Frushour said. The ship had enough space for the MEU gear, so the Marines decided to use that ship and leave the Nassau ships available for other missions, she said.
The moving process began Monday, when Marines started driving their vehicles from Camp Lejeune down to the state port in Wilmington. On Friday, Marines staged the vehicles and other gear while port workers loaded the pieces onto the ship.
But the loading involves a complex plan, to make the weight evenly distributed on the ship and nothing is damaged, Windham said.
"I can't just stack it up on the weather deck," he said, referring to the top floor of the ship, which is exposed to the weather. "When we pull (the ship) off the pier, we don't want it to sink."
Marines from Landing Support Detachment, Combat Logistics Battalion 24 helped the process by controlling the equipment in the staging area, Windham said.
"Anything that's going wrong, they're fixing it. And if something's going right, it's because of them," he said.
While the majority of the Marines and sailors of the 24th MEU won't leave for at least a few weeks, Sgt. Billy Miller is one of a handful who is leaving with the ship - to ensure all the gear arrives safely.
The "super cargo" Marines explain how the vehicles work to the civilians loading them on the ship, make sure everything is loaded properly and fix anything that breaks en route, so everything is ready to go on arrival, Miller said.
For example, Miller said, a Humvee may seem like a regular truck, but it runs differently and an unfamiliar driver could mess up the engine. The super cargo Marines make sure that doesn't happen, as well as finish up paperwork and mechanical work that couldn't be completed because of the time crunch.
"Anything that doesn't get done, we'll do it," Miller said.
Contact Jennifer Hlad at jhlad@freedomenc.com or 353-1171, ext. 8467. To comment on this story, visit www.jdnews.com.
Ellie