Marines, sailors, Coast Guard will conduct military exercise on St. Johns River

JACKSONVILLE, FL, UNITED STATES

07.29.2014

Courtesy Story

2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Marines, sailors, Coast Guardsmen and civilian personnel with Combat Logistics Regiment 25, Naval Beach Group Two, Marine Corps Support Facility Blount Island and U.S. Coast Guard Sector Jacksonville will conduct a Maritime Prepositioning Force Exercise in the St. Johns River area during the month of August.

An In-Stream Offload, or an offload of materiel from an MPF ship anchored off the coast, will be conducted from outside the mouth of the river to Marine Corps Support Facility Blount Island from Aug. 4-15. Some equipment will come ashore at the Michael B. Scanlan Mayport Boat Ramp from Aug. 8-13. Marines will then convoy the materiel by road to the MCSF Blount Island. There will also be a “splash” of amphibious assault vehicles into the river from ship in port at Blount Island on Aug. 14.

Military personnel are working with the local authorities to ensure the in-stream offload and any exercise related activity will cause little to no disruption of normal commercial or private traffic.

Residents and travelers in the area may notice an increase of military personnel operating in the Jacksonville, Mayport and St. Johns River areas. There will be one to three daily delays of 45 minutes each at the boat ramp during the identified dates. The Coast Guard will escort Navy vessels moving on the river.

The MPF supports the National Military Strategy by increasing the military’s forward presence and crisis response capabilities. The exercise, led by the 2d Marine Expeditionary Brigade and Expeditionary Strike Group Two, is one part of Bold Alligator 2014, the year’s largest amphibious exercise on the East Coast with Navy, Marine Corps and multinational participants.

All interested media are invited to the media day and are requested to meet at the MCSF Blount Island visitor center at 8:30 a.m. on Monday, Aug. 4.

Please have vehicle registration, proof of insurance, driver’s license and media credentials.

Points of Contact for the exercise are 1st Lt. John Parry of 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade Public Affairs [e-mail] [phone] and Chief Petty Officer William Townsend of Mayport Naval Station Public Affairs [e-mail] [phone].

• Date Taken: 07.29.2014
• Date Posted: 07.29.2014 17:34
• Story ID: 137663
• Location: JACKSONVILLE, FL, US