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...]
Replenishment Gone Wrong: U.S. Navy Cruiser and MSC Dry Cargo Ship Collide Off U.S. East Coast
A U.S. Navy guided-missile cruiser and a Military Sealift Command dry cargo ship collided Tuesday during an underway replenishment off the coast of Florida, the U.S. Navy has confirmed. The Navy said no personnel were injured when the USS Leyte Gulf (CG 55) and USNS Robert E. Peary (T-AKE 5) made contact. Both ships were able to safely operate after the incident. "The … [Read more...]
USNS Comfort Ordered To Colombia But The Future Remains Uncertain For The Hospital Ship
While visiting Colombia late last week, U.S. Secretary of Defense James Mattis announced he was sending the hospital ship Comfort at the request of Colombia’s government. USNS Comfort (T-AH 20) will deploy to Central America and South America in late September to begin a two-month humanitarian mission with stops in Colombia and the region. The USNS Comfort was … [Read more...]