Harbor Masters bridge land, water operations

Photo By Staff Sgt. Carolyn Hawkins | ALAMEDA, Calif. - Sgt. Dustin N. Ocampo assists Spc. Paul F. Vergara with the computer systems while using a smartboard in the operations tent during Big Logistics-Over-The-Shore West training exercise June 18. The smartboard assists harbor masters in tracking vessels in the harbor so they can safely navigate during the logistical training exercises. Big LOTS West has been an ongoing annual joint training exercise to teach service-members mission essential ship-to-shore logistics skills. (Army photo by Staff Sgt. Carolyn Hawkins)  

ALAMEDA, CA, UNITED STATES

06.18.2016

Story by Staff Sgt. Carolyn Hawkins 

318th Theater Public Affairs Support Element

ALAMEDA, Calif. – Big Logistics-Over-The-Shore West 2016 has been an ongoing annual joint training exercise to teach service-members mission essential ship-to-shore logistics skills. Army Reserve Soldiers played a crucial role in making the whole task a success.
The 201st Transportation Company Harbor Master Operations Detachment out of Mare Island, Vallejo, California, is a unit filled with high-speed watercraft operators who have put in long hours to make the mission happen. Staff Sgt. David B. Hepburn, the acting commander for the 201st, said one of the best things about being in a harbor master unit is the very high quality people in the unit.
“We learned that a lot of our specialists’ and privates’ civilian knowledge makes them more valuable than the senior NCOs, because they can bring all of that knowledge to the table and create a much stronger work product,” said Hepburn. “They bring a lot of technical knowledge.”
Command Sgt. Maj. Grady Blue, Jr. from the 311th Expeditionary Sustainment Command visited the 201st and recognized Spc. Joshua G. Ross, a watercraft operator from the 201st, and Spc. Timothy D. Lizotte, a signal support systems specialist from the 348th Transportation Battalion, for their outstanding achievement in solving communication problems across the battalion.
“Spc. Ross figured out how to solve the communication problems throughout the battalion by getting everybody’s radios talking, and they did it on their own initiative,” said Hepburn. “Nobody told them to go do it. They found the parts for the radios and brought up a whole communications system. It didn’t exist until they took the initiative and made it happen. It was amazing.”
Ross from New Orleans, Louisiana, holds several military occupational specialties. In addition to being a watercraft operator, he is also a signal systems support specialist, an information technology specialist, and a multichannel transmission systems operator-maintainer. He said he uses all of his MOSs in his current job.
“My military career has lead up perfectly for this,” said Ross.
Watercraft operators in the Army Reserve are trained in ship operation, navigation and signal operations. They are taught how to dock and undock vessels, which is a very important part of Big LOTS.
Spc. Jack C. Stevens, a watercraft operator with the 201st from Lodi, Calif., explained their role in the Big LOTS exercise.
“We’ve stepped in as the harbor masters tracking vessels in and out of the area of operation, doing communication with the vessels,” said Stevens.
Harbor masters have to be very knowledgeable about the vessels they are tracking.
“You have to make sure the ships have everything they need to go like the manifest,” said Ross, “and they are operational. As harbor masters, we have to be as knowledgeable on the vessels as the crew is. So in that regard, we have to operate as safety for the vessels.”
“When we see the sea state is elevated, like right now,” said Ross, “the vessels can pretty much do whatever they want to. Once the waves get a little bit choppy, the wind we see is about to pick up, or we know low tide is coming, we know it’s about to be unsafe for the vessels to do anything. So we have the ability to approve and reject.”
“We know both jobs instead of being one job, and then one in theory. So it helps a lot for communication,” added Stevens.
Hepburn said the training has been a great experience.
“It’s a very close-knit unit and they all put in much more time than is required just to make it work right,” said Hepburn.

• Date Taken: 06.18.2016
• Date Posted: 06.22.2016 11:36
• Story ID: 202076
• Location: ALAMEDA, CA, US
• Hometown: CASTRO VALLEY, CA, US
• Hometown: HUNTINGTON BEACH, CA, US
• Hometown: LODI, CA, US
• Hometown: MARE ISLAND CALIFORNIA NAVAL SHIPYARD, CA, US
• Hometown: MEMPHIS, TN, US
• Hometown: NEW ORLEANS, LA, US
• Hometown: VALLEJO, CA, US