The Art of the RAS: Makin Island Conducts 15 Flawless Replenishments At Sea

ARABIAN SEA

03.27.2021

Courtesy Story

USS Makin Island (LHD 8)

by EM2 Thomas Wilson, USS Makin Island (LHD 8) Safety Department
ARABIAN SEA – USS Makin Island (LHD 8) successfully completed its fifteenth injury- and mishap-free replenishment at sea, March 27, in support of missions in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations (AOO).
Replenishment-at-sea (RAS) is a method for ships to transfer fuel, weaponry, and supplies, and mail while traveling parallel to each other, which is a necessary task to allow military ships to remain at-sea and on mission while deployed. Risk of collision is high, requiring precise conning and attention-to-detail.
“Put simply, RAS is a force multiplier,” said Lt. Ian Thamm, the safety officer aboard Makin Island. “The food, mail, fuel, and parts brought to us by these USNS Ships not only ensure we can stay at sea, but that we can be effective while we do it. We can have our favorite burger Wednesday or that long awaited care package to lift your spirits on a long deployment, or the gas needed to send our F-35s down range and bring them back.”
The safe RAS, aboard Makin Island, has been turned into a finely tuned art form that the entire ship – everyone from deck seaman to helicopter pilots – contributes to in order to ensure the safety of all hands
“RAS is something the Navy takes for granted,” said Thamm. “We do a dangerous tasks regularly, some 20 or more times in a deployment. Putting two ships within 200 yards of each other at a speed of 13 knots for extended periods of time, lines crossed, ships connected, Sailors heaving lines, forklifts moving cargo, helicopters lifting hundreds of pallets and setting them down with personnel moving below – it’s all extremely dangerous and we do it like it’s a walk in the park.”
Makin Island’s Safety Department takes center stage in this regard, monitoring the flight deck, the hangar bay, and each RAS station for potentially unsafe situations.
Even before the evolution begins, key personnel attend a safety briefing that covers every aspect of the cargo transfer. Members of safety, supply, and combat cargo departments review safe practices and operational risk management.
Later, when those members brief the hundreds of personnel who participate in the event, they stress knowing the hazards and staying alert to maintain an atmosphere of safety.
“Complacency builds with proficiency,” said Thamm, “and every time we brief it’s an opportunity to address hazards specific to that evolution or that day. It alerts our crews and supervisors to that one factor of many that could develop into a mishap if we’re not paying attention or don’t take the steps necessary to mitigate.”
On the day of the event, the navigation team directs the ship to within a safe, but close distance, to its designated U.S. Navy supply ship. When within approximately 400 yards of each other, boatswain’s mates and gunner’s mates work together to connect the ships by a physical line.
This shot line, from Makin Island to its supplying ship, is the beginning of performing a connected replenishment, which allows the ships to transfer cargo on pallets between zipline-like wire ropes attached to the ships.
On the flight deck, helicopters transfer cargo between ships as well, during vertical replenishment operations.
After pallets are safely landed on the flight deck, they are moved to the hanger bay via the ship’s aircraft elevators. From there, Sailors use forklifts and pallet jacks to transition the cargo throughout the ship. The cargo continues the journey through various sorting and passing lines, requiring supply accountability at every step to eventually end up in corresponding cargo holds and refrigerated reefers.
With traffic moving in all directions throughout the ship, maintaining safety is paramount, and Makin Island’s high standards and consistency in promoting safety measures are significant factors in why the ship has been injury and mishap-free every replenishment since the ship deployed on October 5.
Makin Island’s Aircraft Intermediate Maintenance Department (AIMD) briefs forklift drivers on safety and operating procedures, and drivers then brief safety spotters on how to properly guide them to prevent mishaps.
During flight operations, Naval Air Crewmen (Helicopter) 1st Class Tedd Allen, a Navy swimmer with Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 23, described the process of transporting cargo by helicopter as complex, but handled like a well-oiled machine.
“Everyone knows their jobs and exactly what they need to do,” said Allen.
Makin Island’s safety department covers vantage points on the flight deck and in the hangar bay, overseeing the entire operation to watch out for potential hazards. While directing traffic to where it needs to go, supply heads will look out for potential mishaps as well.
The anticipation of long awaited mail was an enormous motivation factor for the crew, and a morale boost, during a challenging deployment while mitigating COVID-19.
Lance Cpl. Damon Ortiz, a U.S. Marine with the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit, was among the 250 Marines and Sailors that teamed together as a working party to pass supplies in an assembly line to various destinations throughout the ship, such as the ship store and galley freezers.
“Getting exotic fruits was pretty cool,” said Ortiz. “Also, everyone was looking forward to getting mail; it was a big mail day.”
Aboard Makin Island, safety during replenishments has become a flawless art. Numerous brush strokes of teamwork and dedication amidst a canvas of hazards. Stroke by stroke, these hazards continue to be mitigated and ensure a safe deployment.

• Date Taken: 03.27.2021
• Date Posted: 04.30.2021 04:40
• Story ID: 395075
• Location: ARABIAN SEA