Military Sealift Command (MSC) – Our Navy’s “Other” Fleet

Team,
I’ve talked at length here about all the missions our deployed Sailors are executing around the clock, around the world every day. There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that the quality of our Sailors and the superiority of our technology make our Navy today the greatest the world has ever known, but most of what they do would simply not be possible without one of our lesser known, but absolutely critical fleets – our Military Sealift Command (MSC).

Military Sealift Command (MSC) operates approximately 114 noncombatant ships that replenish U.S. Navy ships, conduct specialized missions, strategically preposition combat cargo at sea around the world and move military cargo and supplies used by our deployed forces and coalition partners. In addition to the 114 active ships, MSC has a Ready Reserve Force of about 50 additional ships owned and maintained in reduced operating status by the U.S. Maritime Administration that can be activated (and operationally controlled by MSC) in as little as four, five, 10 or 20 days.

MSC is organized around four mission areas:

Naval Fleet Auxiliary Force (NFAF)
NFAF ships directly support Navy combatants, enabling the fleet to stay at sea, on station and combat ready. NFAF ships replenish ships underway with food, fuel, spare parts and ammunition. In fiscal year 2010 alone, MSC delivered 8.0 million square feet of dry cargo and 2.7 billion gallons of fuel to our deployed units.

NFAF also operates our Navy's two hospital ships – USNS COMFORT AND USNS MERCY. COMFORT AND MERCY each contain 12 operating rooms and a 1,000-bed hospital facility. When called into action, they can get underway in five days with a crew of more than 60 civil service mariners and 1,200 military medical personnel. The distinctive white ships with the Red Cross prominently painted on the hull serve as a symbol of peace and health to the hundreds of thousands around the world who have received care from our medical personnel.

Special Mission
MSC's Special Mission ships provide a wide variety of highly specialized ocean-going platforms for missions that include oceanographic and coastal surveying, ocean surveillance, missile-tracking, cable-laying and repair and deep submergence recovery. Military and civilian scientists and technicians carry out the unique missions of these various ships, which are operated by MSC employees and contract mariners.

Prepositioning
MSC's Afloat Prepositioning Force allows U.S. military forces to deploy rapidly anywhere in the world to meet fast-breaking contingencies. These ships, strategically prepositioned around the globe, are loaded with equipment and supplies for the U.S. Marine Corps, Army, Air Force, Navy and Defense Logistics Agency.

Sealift
MSC operates Sealift ships that include government-owned and short- and long-term charter tankers and dry cargo ships that transport Department of Defense cargo during peacetime and war. During contingencies, MSC uses her surge sealift fleet, which can be rapidly loaded with equipment and supplies and deployed where needed.

MSC is unique in that it is a military command but all of its ships are crewed by Civilians (with some using small embarked military detachments). I’ve visited some of our MSC units in the past (e.g. see here for my USNS SACAGAWEA visit) and can tell you that I was extremely impressed with the knowledge of the Civilian crews – from the Captain on the bridge to the CHENG down below they are very skilled and complete professionals.

Just about every operation we carry out today is made possible by our MSC ships.
In the CENTCOM AOR today, our MSC ships keep our ships, submarines and aircraft replenished while our Sailors conduct combat operations in Afghanistan.

When our Navy was called upon to help the nation of Haiti after she had been struck by an 7.0 magnitude earthquake in early 2010, our medical teams embarked on USNS COMFORT saved thousands of lives, the maritime prepositioning ship USNS 1ST LT. JACK LUMMUS (T-AK-3011) showed that our LOTS capability was, in fact, a very real capability, and our Sailors turned GTMO into a logistics hub and used MSC ships to deliver critical supplies to our ships supporting the relief effort.

Whether replenishing our forces supporting combat operations over Afghanistan and Libya, participating in exercises in the Pacific, or delivering relief to tens of thousands of people affected by the earthquake in Haiti, our MSC ships can always be counted on to be there – on station and ready to support. The Navy’s Military Sealift Command makes our global Navy truly global and ensures we can sustain our Navy anywhere in the world for as long as necessary. All the best, JCHjr

Visit to USNS SACAGAWEA (T-AKE 2)

Team,

Last week, Fleet Master Chief Stevens and I visited USNS SACAGAWEA (T-AKE 2), a Lewis and Clark class dry cargo ship operated and maintained by Military Sealift Command (MSC).

HSC-26 helo vert repping from HST to
SACAGAWEA

 Her Master and crew hosted us for an overnight visit which included a full tour of the ship from stem to stern and an observation of ammo off-load from USS HARRY S. TRUMAN (CVN 75).

SACAGAWEA’s primary mission is to resupply the fleet through connected replenishment (CONREP) and vertical replenishment (VERTREP) while at sea. These 42,000 pound displacement vessels enable our combatant fleet to remain underway and operational longer than any other in the world.



The ammo off-loaded from HST and

secured below deck on SACAGAWEA.

  SACAGAWEA provides our Navy with a truly remarkable underway replenishment (UNREP) capability. She is capable of delivering the same number and types of cargo that previously required three different types of ships. Her massive cargo storage areas are capable of storing 6,000 tons of stores and/or ammunition and she can deliver up to 1,000,000 gallons of fuel. She has five underway replenishment stations that service ships alongside while she conducts vertical replenishment as well. In the past, the time required for UNREP was determined by the cargo vessel. T-AKE class ships have reversed that concept and it is now the combatant’s on-load/off-load capabilities that determine the time to conduct replenishment.

The eleven Sailors that make up the military

detachment assigned to SACAGAWEA –

a great group of Sailors!



 I also found the composition of the crew to be particularly interesting. The Master and Chief Engineer are professional equivalents at the O-6 level and lead the crew of 11 military and 129 civil service mariners. All civil service mariners hold U.S. Coast Guard credentials specific to their skill rating to meet all USCG inspection requirements specific to the ship’s mission. The mariners are divided into three Departments. The Deck Department provides all of the navigational watch teams and the primary members of the cargo handling teams. Engine Department operates the propulsion plant and performs most routine ship’s maintenance. Supply Department provides cooking, logistics support, and housekeeping services. There is a great deal of automation on the ship which frees up each member of the small crew to perform several other functions for efficiency and a unique synergy. For example, cargo handlers may have additional duties in the mess and galleys while Engineering and Supply personnel can be found assisting with underway replenishment cargo handling. 

Spending time with the Chief Engineer in the engine

room – once an engineer,always an engineer!

MSC crews do not have a sea-shore rotation like naval personnel. They are hired to serve at sea, performing minimum four month tours with only brief periods ashore for leave and training. It is not uncommon to find mariners who voluntarily remain at sea well beyond the minimum four month tour on a single ship. These civil service mariners have a legacy that reaches back to their proud service during World War II.



Overall, I was extremely impressed with the level of knowledge, professionalism and strong sense of pride throughout the crew, and I was very pleased to have been able to break my flag on SACAGAWEA.

All the best, JCHjr