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599th Trans Group joins forces with Navy and 25th ID (L) to load LMSR for NTC and JRTC rotations

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SCHOFIELD BARRACKS, Hawaii (USTCNS) --- The 599th Transportation Group teamed up with the Fleet and Industrial Supply Center Pearl Harbor (FISC), the Military Sealift Command and the 25th Infantry Division to load division equipment onto the USNS Seay in early September 2000.

The Seay, one of the newest ships in the MSC fleet, made its maiden voyage from Baltimore to Pearl Harbor to take on more than 12 million pounds of cargo for the 25th ID's rotation to the National Training Center in Calif. and the Joint Readiness Training Center in La.

"This was an excellent training and teamwork opportunity for us," said Col. John H. Bordwell, Jr., 599th commander. "The 599th doesn't normally have the port operation and documentation mission in Hawaii, so we were very happy that FISC afforded us this great training for our transporters."

To maximize training benefits, the 599th brought in a marine cargo specialist from each of its three Far East transportation battalions and treated the mission like a normal deployment for training purposes.

The 599th is also producing a training video on the special characteristics of loading an LMSR which showcases its soldiers and civilians assisting FISC in cargo staging, documentation and ship operations.

"This is the same mission that we do when we send a Deployment Support Team (DST) to support a Warfighting CINC or Joint Task Force Commander," said Bordwell. "Cargo documentation gives commanders an accurate count of all equipment shipped and it provides them with In-Transit-Visibility links."

All available 599th soldiers and Department of the Army civilians provided documentation and ship operations support from Aug. 28 to Sept. 6 to help the FISC stage, account for and load the 25th ID equipment.

The cargo included pieces of rolling stock and helicopters, two of which were Chinooks.

Even so - "There is a lot of room left on the ship," said Jim McDiarmid, director of operations for MSC Office Pearl Harbor. "The Army equipment only took up 60 percent of the ship's cargo space."

According to Peter Pappalardo, Marine Cargo Specialist at FISC in Pearl Harbor, "We at FISC run the terminal activity, MSC provides the vessel, the 25th ID provides the port support activity (drivers and ground guides) and the 599th rounds out the FISC terminal activity and documentation department. We're very lucky to have the 599th's support because we were short handed."

Port operations began on Aug. 28 when the 599th assisted in staging trucks and other cargo on Ford Island in Pearl Harbor. Empty only days before, Ford Island became a flurry of activity as hundreds of vehicles flowed into the staging area.

Waiting for the vehicles was a DST of 599th soldiers. The 599th team members joined forces with FISC personnel and Naval Reservists to check the deploying unit's equipment for proper LOGMARS labels, destination placards and verification of the vehicles' correct height.

After careful documentation using LOGMARS scanners to capture cargo data for the Worldwide Port System (a computerized cargo documentation system), equipment was then moved to the final staging area where similar equipment was grouped together.

Staging by like-equipment makes ship loading easier because vehicles can be called forward according to a prestow plan.
The prestow plan, generated by the ICODES computerized stow plan program, ensures the vessel is loaded properly, taking into account the weight, size and nature of the individual pieces of cargo, according to Pappalardo.

After being staged, all the equipment was systematically called forward and loaded onto the huge vessel.

Most pieces were driven directly aboard to their preassigned tie-down points and secured in place with chains and metal tie down bars by FISC stevedores.

Other equipment, including most of the helicopters, was lifted aboard and placed in the Seay's holds with the ship's giant cranes.

599th transporters did a final WPS scan of the equipment once it was in place and ensured the proper tie-down of the cargo. Properly secured cargo is important to ensure safety during the ship's voyage.

Staging took place from Aug. 28 to Aug. 31. The ship loading lasted from Sept. 4 to Sept. 6.

"There was great teamwork and cooperation between the 599th and our guys," said Navy Capt. Chris Knaggs, FISC commander. "MTMC was a big help doing the WPS documentation because we were undermanned at the time."
In addition to being impressed with the teamwork, the participants were equally impressed with the USNS Seay itself.

The Seay is huge - about the size of an aircraft carrier. It is an LMSR (Large Medium Speed Roll On / Roll Off Ship), powered by four medium speed diesels and capable of 27 knots.

It has six vertical holds and seven decks. At 950 feet, it is bigger than a Fast Sealift Vessel and can hold twice as much cargo, according to USNS Seay Chief Mate Bill Westrem.

It is 106 feet wide, carries 387,000 square feet of cargo space and has four cranes. The draft is 35 feet and the ship displaces 62,069 long tons of water when fully loaded.

It can just squeeze through the Panama Canal. The Seay was built by Avondale of Louisiana.

This type of vessel was originally designed after Desert Storm and was specifically built to support the Army's Pre-Positioning Program.

Unlike Fast Sealift Ships, and other ships converted to Roll On / Roll Off configurations, the Seay and other LMSRs in her class are designed and built specifically as RO/ROs.

"This ship is a transporter's dream," said Fred Artis, Marine Cargo Specialist from the 835th Transportation Battalion in Okinawa. "I've never seen a ship so well designed for RO/RO operations. There is no wasted space."

So after months of planning and weeks of hard work, the first leg of the Seay's maiden mission was successfully completed with no accidents.

The Seay sailed out of Pearl Harbor early on the morning of Sept. 7 headed for Camp Pendleton, Calif. (FROM 599TH TRANSPORTATION GROUP PUBLIC AFFAIRS).

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