The heads of the three unions representing Military Sealift Command civilian mariners are calling on MSC to reevaluate the "Gangways-Up" order as concerns mount over the mental health safety of the mariners. In a July 29 letter to Admiral Michael A. Wettlauer, Commander of the Military Sealift Command, the president's of the Marine Engineers' Beneficial Association (MEBA), … [Read more...]
U.S. Navy Commissions Newest Expeditionary Sea Base
The Military Sealift Command expeditionary sea base USNS Hershel 'Woody' Williams (ESB 4) at anchor in the Chesapeake Bay, Sept. 15, 2019. U.S. Navy photo by Bill Mesta/Released The U.S. Navy commissioned its newest Expeditionary Sea Base, USS Hershel “Woody” Williams (ESB 4), during ceremony in Norfolk, Virginia on Saturday. The ESBs are one of two variants at the heart … [Read more...]
The Long Gray Line – Turbo Activation 2019
By Salvatore R. Mercogliano, Ph.D. - On Monday, September 16, 2019, the United States Transportation Command ordered the no-notice activation of 28 out of the 61 ships held in the reserve sealift fleet. This exercise aimed to determine the material readiness of the fleet and whether the commercial merchant marine - the operating companies assigned to manage the vessels and … [Read more...]
Sad = The Last T-5 Tanker Gets Mothballed
The Champion class T-5 petroleum tanker, USNS Lawrence H. Gianella, completed its final underway mission for the U.S. Navy last week and is preparing for her final voyage to a graveyard in Texas. “USNS Lawrence H. Gianella is the last and longest serving Champion class T-5 Tanker,” said Matthew Sweeney, Military Sealift Command tanker project officer. “As the … [Read more...]
Time-Lapse Video: Resupplying Thule Air Base, America’s Northernmost Military Installation
https://vimeo.com/180321695 Located 207 km north of the Arctic Circle, on the northwest coast of the island of Greenland, Thule Air Base is the US military's northernmost installation. Thule's arctic environment includes icebergs in North Star Bay, two islands (Saunders Island and Wolstenholme Island), a polar ice sheet, and Wolstenholme Fjord – the only place on Earth … [Read more...]