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...]
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...]