LASH ships are familiar silhouettes at MTMC terminals
The Lighter Aboard Ships are familiar silhouettes on the skyline of the Cape Fear River at the 597th Transportation Group, Southport, N.C. Waterman Steamship Corp., of New Orleans conducts the operations.
Usually referred to by their commonly used acronym, LASH, the barges and their mother ships present military commanders with unique qualities. In an austere environment or at a wartime-demolished port, the barges may be moved alongside a shallow pier or up a river for discharge.
In fact, the company touts its unique ships and barges for maritime operations at inland river points and undeveloped jog sites.
Typically, a LASH vessel may carry 80 or more of the barges. The barges have capacities that range up to 375 tons.
Until this year, the Army had three ammunition prepositioned Lighter Aboard Ships.
"Approximately every three years, Sunny Point would download the barges from the mother ship," said Steve Kerr, chief, Cargo Operations Division. "The vessel left for maintenance and the 597th emptied the barges and replaced dated materials."
After reviewing the condition of the cargoes, the loads would be reconfigured on the barges, said Kerr. Then the barges would be reloaded on the mother ships.
If there is a downside to LASH ships and barges, it is their added workload.
"Working with LASH barges means long and difficult work," said Kerr. "It is labor intensive and equipment intensive."
Waterman also uses LASH barges to transport foreign military sales cargo. The cargoes usually consist of ammunition and vehicles.
In the past year, Sunny Point has loaded barges dropped off by Waterman on three separate occasions, said Kerr. When the barges were loaded, tow vessels moved them to Morehead City, N.C., for loading on a mother ship.
The Military Traffic Management Command has worked with LASH barges all over the world.
"We have worked LASH barges at overseas locations," said Col. Tom E. Thompson, chief of staff, a former commander of the 598th Transportation Group. "The usual cargoes would be ammunition and vehicles."
What is his professional view of LASH operations?
"They provide unique features for military transportation planning," said Thompson.
The Waterman's LASH operations began in 1969 with the Acadia Forest and Atlantic Forest and eventually grew to 13 vessels. Currently, the firm has six remaining U.S. Flag vessels.
Waterman provides liner service between the United States Gulf and East Coast and Mediterranean, Middle East, Indian Sub-Continent and Southeast Asia ports.
(FROM MILITARY TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT COMMAND PUBLIC AFFAIRS)
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