Army Reserve heavy boats conduct joint operations

Photo By Gregg Moore | A 481st Transportation Company (Heavy Boats) soldier works the lines as the Landing Craft Utility 2000 disembarks from Port Hueneme, Calif.,to make a 16-hour round trip to San Clemente Island.  

PORT HUENEME, CA, UNITED STATES

05.19.2015

Story by Maj. Gregg Moore 

311th Expeditionary Sustainment Command   

PORT HUENEME, Calif. - Army Reserve Soldiers from the 481st Transportation Company (Heavy Boat) stay shipshape by conducting joint operations with the United States Navy. The Army's 2000 series of Landing Craft Utility boats, also known as LCU2000's, have a capability unmatched by the Navy.

The 481st TC has five LCU 2000's, each with a crew of 13-18 soldiers commanded by a Warrant Officer. The LCU 2000's each have a 10,000 mile range, hold 90,000 gallons of fuel and have three coffee pots. They have exceptional maneuverability due to fore and aft propulsion. LCU 2000's have outlived the typical lifespan for military equipment and due to their operational success, the Department of the Army has decided to conduct a Service Life Extension Program on the class of vessel.

Because of a draft of less than ten feet, even with a heavy load, the U.S. Navy is working with the Port Hueneme, Calif., based Army Reserve unit to haul heavy equipment from the California coastal port to their facilities on California's Channel Islands. This 16-hour round trip voyage yields tangible and intangible benefits for the Navy and the Army Reserve.

Chief Warrant Officer 3 Jerry Mitchell, 311th Expeditionary Support Command Watercraft Officer, said, "Doing these missions helps the Army and the Navy better learn each other's language. Our relationship with the Navy is further enhanced, and we are better prepared for exercises such as J-LOTS [Joint Logistics Over the Shore] and for our deployment missions."

• Date Taken: 05.19.2015
• Date Posted: 05.26.2015 15:05
• Story ID: 164563
• Location: PORT HUENEME, CA, US