CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. - Joint Logistics Over the Shore operations are in full-swing as sailors, soldiers and airmen work together to complete the monumental task of coordinating movement of heavy cargo and vehicles from ship to shore, June 15-20.
Not only are military personnel heavily involved with this movement of cargo; civilians contribute a great deal as well. There are 32 civilian mariners who work for a private company under charter to Military Sealift Command who live and work aboard the USNS Seay, a large, medium-speed, roll-on/roll-off ship responsible for carrying heavy equipment.
"I have a very experienced crew," said Capt. Richard Malloy, Seay's civilian master. "Most are from diverse backgrounds and some have prior military service."
Seay's crew has developed a solid working relationship with the service members during this joint exercise. Most of the Army units participating in this year's JLOTS exercise have never worked aboard a ship.
"A lot of what this ship's crew has done during this exercise is to assist in training these units that have never done this," said Malloy.
The individual contributions aboard Seay help its over-all mission and in turn, the success of JLOTS operations.
"I monitor the speed of vehicles driving off of the ship and make sure that everyone is operating safely," said Able Seaman Samantha Murphy-Ortiz, one of Seay's civilian mariners.
Seay is able to transport 388,000 sq. feet of cargo, the equivalent of seven football fields. When not deployed, Seay is kept pierside in Baltimore in reduced operating status and can be fully crewed and ready to sail in four days.
For JLOTS 2009, Seay is carrying a total of 60,616 sq. feet of Army cargo including 16,000 sq. feet of lift-on/lift-off cargo such as containerized supplies as well as 44,616 sq. feet of roll-on/roll-off cargo such as Humvees.
Upon completion of JLOTS, Seay and its crew will make their way back to Norfolk, Va., to offload the equipment before returning to Baltimore.
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