Photo By LaShawn Sykes | Military Sealift Command’s fleet ocean tug USNS Apache (T-ATF 172) completed a Dead...... read more read more
Military Sealift Command’s fleet ocean tug USNS Apache (T-ATF 172) completed a Dead Ship Tow of the ex-USS Fort McHenry (Whidbey Island-class landing ship, LSD 43) that began on April 16 from the Mayport Naval Base in Florida and ended on April 21 in Philadelphia, Pa., at the Naval Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility (NISMF).
A Dead Ship Tow occurs when a tug like the Apache is able to tow a ship like the ex-Fort McHenry, when the ship being towed is greater than 100 gross tons, no longer able to operate under its own command, and unable to use its own propelling machinery.
The master of USNS Apache, Captain Matthew Hoag said, “With a Dead Ship Tow like any other tow, the master of the tug is always in command and has the final word in respect to the safety of both the tug and the tow.”
Steaming 776 nautical miles over a five-day evolution, Hoag said, the Apache was able to successfully and safely deliver the ex-Fort McHenry to NISMF, where the vessel will be designated as Out of Commission in Reserve (OCIR).
In preparation for a tow of this magnitude, the Apache crew trained extensively. “We conducted advance tow training that included a full bridge simulator (with the assistance of tugs) at the Maritime Modeling Center in Fort Eustis, Va.,” Hoag said. “Spending hours simulating the tow connection and departure from Mayport was a great way for my CIVMARS (Civil Service Mariners) to experience what they would face in an identical scenario at sea. Through simulation training, mariners are able to not only improve their competencies, but they are also able to learn the importance of not compromising safety at sea, which is an invaluable lesson.”
Hoag considers a successful tow mission as one that ends with the vessel delivered to its destination without damage or injury. “All praise and thanks goes to my crew; I am so proud of them. Their excellence contributed greatly to improving maritime operational capabilities and provided unprecedented flexibility to achieve the safety of this dead ship towing operation.”
Fort McHenry was commissioned on Aug. 8, 1987 at Lockheed Shipyard in Seattle and became inactivated on April 16. After 33 years of service in the fleet, the vessel was decommissioned in a ceremony at Naval Station Norfolk, March 27.
The Navy Sea Systems Command’s (NAVSEA) NISMF office conducted inspections throughout the process to ensure all preparations were in line with guidelines set-up by the Environmental Protection Agency under a general permit the Navy holds pursuant to the Marine Protection, Research and Sanctuaries Act.
Apache is this year’s recipient of MSC’s Maritime “E” Award for outperforming all other T-ATFs in competitive-year 2020, by demonstrating day-to-day excellence in providing the highest degree of operational readiness, performance, efficiency, and safety standards.
Apache is the last of the Powhatan-class ocean tugs and the fifth ship in the Navy to bear the name. It is equipped with a 10-ton capacity crane and a bollard pull of at least 54 tons. Operated by MSC and crewed by 18 CIVMARS, the Apache was delivered to the U.S. Navy in 1981.
MSC operates approximately 120 non-combatant civilian-crewed ships that replenish U.S. Navy ships, conduct specialized missions, and strategically preposition combat cargo at sea around the world while moving military cargo and supplies used by deployed U.S. forces and coalition partners.
For more information from Military Sealift Command, visit www.navy.mil/local/MSC.
| Date Taken: | 04.16.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 04.27.2021 09:45 |
| Story ID: | 394872 |
| Location: | NORFOLK, VA, US |
| Web Views: | 496 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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