Photo By Sgt. Brianna Gaudi | A sailor with Beach Master Unit 1 directs a Humvee driver onto a landing craft air...... read more read more
Subscribe
CAMP LEJEUNE, North Carolina – As waves crashed against the shoreline, landing craft air cushion vehicles with Assault Craft Unit 4 embarked aboard USS Bataan (LHD-5), vacated the ship from miles off the coast to come ashore and transport Marines and their equipment with the 24TH Marine Expeditionary Unit back to the vessel.
Marines with Combat Logistics Battalion 24 conducted the ship to shore on-load as part of their PHIBRON/MEU integration training at Onslow Beach, N.C. Sept. 16, 2016.
The exercise, also known as PMINT will acclimate Marines to work and live with their Navy counterparts on ship preparing both for their upcoming deployment.
A day prior to on-load CLB-24 began staging their vehicles to ensure they had an adequate amount of time to place the vehicles in order by roster.
“Being responsible for getting all personnel and cargo on ship from the Combat Logistics Battalion, Battalion Landing Team, and the Aviation Command Element, a lot of planning and coordination goes into an operation like this,” said Chief Warrant Officer Brian Czech, the team embarkation officer with Combat Logistics Battalion 24.
Marines were ready at dawn when the LCAC’s would first begin deploying to shore. From ship the LCAC’s depart from the back end of the ship out of the well deck.
On shore LCAC’s can be heard and seen from miles away, getting closer until landing support is able to direct it up onto the beach where the floating mechanism of the craft will deflate allowing a ramp to drop down for the on load.
Capable of carrying large payloads, the LCAC is a high-speed, fully amphibious landing craft. Its effectiveness and efficiency enables its forces to reach the shore at a rapid pace. One of the biggest benefits to using LCAC’s are that with its air cushion capabilities, it stretches the 15 percent of the coast a conventional landing craft can reach to 70 percent, making it a valuable resource amongst the MEU’s assets.
Commonly a craft will carry two to four vehicles depending on the type, as well as carry storage units such as quadruple containers or quadcons. LCAC’s are also equipped with small compartments that keep personnel safe during the excursion back to ship.
“We’re practicing with about 50% of the cargo we will actually take on the deployment,” said Lance Cpl. Jotasi Towai, an embarkation fire team leader with Combat Logistics Battalion 24. “We start out small and get the hang of it during these preparatory exercises so we have time to smooth out the kinks before the deployment.”
Once equipment and personnel are loaded onboard, the vehicles must be strapped down to remain in place for the duration of the float. After which the LCAC is directed off the beach and returns to ship where it will park in the well deck while vehicles are unloaded and positioned until they are needed for future operations.
“Because this is the first exercise, I hope my Marines take away everything they see and do, whether it’s good or bad,” said Czech. “Now is the time to make and learn from our mistakes, so when it’s time to deploy, we are nothing but ready."
PMINT is the first of several exercises that the 24th MEU will conduct as part of their pre-deployment package. The two week long exercise will consist of several operations for each of the composited elements; the ground combat element, aviation combat element, and logistics combat element allowing them to adapt to the at sea environment. This first exercise will set the precedents for all of the work-ups to follow.
| Date Taken: | 09.16.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 09.22.2016 10:14 |
| Story ID: | 210254 |
| Location: | CAMP LEJEUNE, NC, US |
| Web Views: | 144 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, 24th MEU Conducts Ship to Shore, by Sgt Brianna Gaudi, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
LEAVE A COMMENT