Ground-breaking ceremony held for new combatant loading wharf at Urago Ordnance Storage Area

Photo By Ryo Isobe | YOKOSUKA, Japan (Aug. 18, 2021) — From left to right, Cmdr. Brian Snyder, Navy Munitions Command Pacific’s East Asia Division Unit Yokosuka’s commanding officer, Cmdr. Jared Jasinski, with Commander, Navy Region Japan, Army Col. Gary Bonham the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Japan Engineer District’s commanding officer, Capt. Rich Jarrett, Commander, Fleet Activities Yokosuka (CFAY), and Cmdr. Benjamin Waite, CFAY’s public works officer, participate in a ground-breaking ceremony for the new combat loading wharf which will be constructed at CFAY’s Urago Munitions Depot. For more than 75 years, CFAY has provided, maintained, and operated base facilities and services in support of the U.S. 7th fleet's forward-deployed naval forces, tenant commands, and thousands of military and civilian personnel and their families. (U.S. Navy photo by Ryo Isobe)  

YOKOSUKA, KANAGAWA, JAPAN

08.18.2021

Story by Ryo Isobe 

Commander, Fleet Activities Yokosuka

YOKOSUKA, Japan (Aug. 18, 2021) — Members of Commander, Fleet Activities Yokosuka (CFAY), Commander, Navy Region Japan, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Japan Engineer District participated in a ground-breaking ceremony for a new combatant loading wharf, known as the Urago Wharf, at CFAY’s Urago Ordnance Storage Area munition depot, located on Fukaura Bay, north of CFAY.
“This project is consequential, as of right now, we have a ship that is sitting in the harbor waiting for ammunition, but the wind is too high to do it,” said Capt. Rich Jarrett, CFAY’s commanding officer. “That is a typical day in Yokosuka. It causes an uncertainty and inability to schedule these things efficiently. This combatant loading wharf will eliminate 90 percent of that uncertainty. We are working to get this completed in order to deliver this significant capability to the 7th Fleet.”
The new pier will be 210 meters in length and will enable the U.S. Navy’s Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruisers and the U.S. Navy’s Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyers to be berthed. This will ensure a smooth and efficient, as well as safe, loading and unloading of ammunition.
“This combatant loading wharf represents a huge step forward with our capability, allowing us to complete all loading requirements pier side instead of in the middle of Tokyo Bay,” said Cmdr. Brian Snyder, commanding officer of the Navy Munitions Command Pacific East Asia Division Unit Yokosuka. “We are very appreciative of what lies ahead.”
The Navy currently conducts munitions loading evolutions at anchor points in the water surrounding Yokosuka using barges, which leaves operations prone to inclement weather.
Urago was formerly utilized by the Imperial Japanese Navy as an ammunition depot and workshop as well as a maintenance facility for torpedoes and depth charges during World War II. On Sept. 1, 1950, the depot was acquired by Navy Munitions Command Pacific East Asia Division Unit Yokosuka, who utilized it as a temporary ammunition dump.
In 1974, a decision by the U.S.-Japan Joint Committee enabled the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) to jointly use a part of the facility, but according to an official attached to the Ammunition Maintenance and Supply Facility Yokosuka of the JMSDF’s Yokosuka District, the JMSDF has never used the installation due to differences in operational procedures.
Construction of the pier was officially agreed upon by the U.S. -Japan Joint Committee Nov. 14, 2018 and approved by Japan’s Ministry of Defense June 17, 2021. The project is slated to be complete in 2027.

• Date Taken: 08.18.2021
• Date Posted: 08.25.2021 00:46
• Story ID: 403852
• Location: YOKOSUKA, KANAGAWA, JP