Posted:
August 1, 2008
The large medium-speed roll-on/roll-off ship USNS Pililaau departed the area of Camp Pendleton, Calif., July 28 after offloading more than 210,000 square feet of Army cargo from an anchorage two miles offshore as part of the joint logistics over the shore exercise Pacific Strike 2008, Military Sealift Command reported.
Joint logistics over the shore (JLOTS) is the U.S. military method for transporting military and humanitarian cargo to shore from ships at sea, allowing the Department of Defense to deliver needed cargo and supplies in locations where port facilities are nonexistent, damaged or inadequate.
In addition to the Pililaau, the heavy-lift ship S/S Cape Mohican, the offshore petroleum discharge ship S/S Chesapeake and crane ship S/S Flickertail State are providing the platform for Pacific Strike 2008. All four ships are manned in all licensed positions by American Maritime Officers. The Pililaau is operated by American Overseas Marine Corp., the Cape Mohican is operated by Ocean Duchess Inc. and the Chesapeake and Flickertail State are operated by Interocean American Shipping.
“It’s both a pleasure and a privilege to work with professional crewmen like the officers at AMO and the other maritime unions involved in these exercises,” said Peter Petrelis, DOD liaison officer for the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration. “It’s takes a team effort to reach the desired results.”
The Pililaau arrived off the coast of Camp Pendleton July 21, carrying nearly 1,000 wheeled and tracked vehicles and more than 500 containers of equipment belonging to the 3rd Brigade of the 25th Infantry Division and the 45th Sustainment Brigade. Offload operations began the next morning and continued around-the-clock until just before midnight July 27, MSC reported.
At the beach, military personnel transferred the cargo to shore via a temporary pier that Navy Seabees built in the weeks leading up to the offload. Once ashore, soldiers staged the equipment, which traveled via local roads to the Army’s National Training Center in Ft. Irwin, Calif., MSC reported.
Additionally, the Cape Mohican delivered the Navy barges, the Flickertail State delivered the components of the temporary pier and the Chesapeake pumped more than 200,000 gallons water to shore, demonstrating the ship’s ability to transfer fuel. The Chesapeake also supplied fuel to the 39 Navy and Army watercraft operating as part of the exercise.
“We like performing these exercises and are used to working with the military to get the job done,” said AMO member Capt. Bill Bartlett, master of the Chesapeake.
The Pililaau is one of 19 ships in MSC's fleet of LMSRs, all of which are manned in all licensed positions by AMO. The Cape Mohican, Chesapeake and Flickertail State are Ready Reserve Force ships managed by private-sector ship operators for the Maritime Administration when not deployed on a mission.
AMO-manned ships serve key roles in JLOTS 2008 exercise
The large medium-speed roll-on/roll-off ship USNS Pililaau departed the area of Camp Pendleton, Calif., July 28 after offloading more than 210,000 square feet of Army cargo from an anchorage two miles offshore as part of the joint logistics over the shore exercise Pacific Strike 2008, Military Sealift Command reported.
Joint logistics over the shore (JLOTS) is the U.S. military method for transporting military and humanitarian cargo to shore from ships at sea, allowing the Department of Defense to deliver needed cargo and supplies in locations where port facilities are nonexistent, damaged or inadequate.
In addition to the Pililaau, the heavy-lift ship S/S Cape Mohican, the offshore petroleum discharge ship S/S Chesapeake and crane ship S/S Flickertail State are providing the platform for Pacific Strike 2008. All four ships are manned in all licensed positions by American Maritime Officers. The Pililaau is operated by American Overseas Marine Corp., the Cape Mohican is operated by Ocean Duchess Inc. and the Chesapeake and Flickertail State are operated by Interocean American Shipping.
“It’s both a pleasure and a privilege to work with professional crewmen like the officers at AMO and the other maritime unions involved in these exercises,” said Peter Petrelis, DOD liaison officer for the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration. “It’s takes a team effort to reach the desired results.”
The Pililaau arrived off the coast of Camp Pendleton July 21, carrying nearly 1,000 wheeled and tracked vehicles and more than 500 containers of equipment belonging to the 3rd Brigade of the 25th Infantry Division and the 45th Sustainment Brigade. Offload operations began the next morning and continued around-the-clock until just before midnight July 27, MSC reported.
At the beach, military personnel transferred the cargo to shore via a temporary pier that Navy Seabees built in the weeks leading up to the offload. Once ashore, soldiers staged the equipment, which traveled via local roads to the Army’s National Training Center in Ft. Irwin, Calif., MSC reported.
Additionally, the Cape Mohican delivered the Navy barges, the Flickertail State delivered the components of the temporary pier and the Chesapeake pumped more than 200,000 gallons water to shore, demonstrating the ship’s ability to transfer fuel. The Chesapeake also supplied fuel to the 39 Navy and Army watercraft operating as part of the exercise.
“We like performing these exercises and are used to working with the military to get the job done,” said AMO member Capt. Bill Bartlett, master of the Chesapeake.
The Pililaau is one of 19 ships in MSC's fleet of LMSRs, all of which are manned in all licensed positions by AMO. The Cape Mohican, Chesapeake and Flickertail State are Ready Reserve Force ships managed by private-sector ship operators for the Maritime Administration when not deployed on a mission.