U.S. Navy Seabees, Divers Join Forces to Restore Guam Harbor of Refuge

GUAM

04.20.2022

Courtesy Story

Commander, Logistics Group Western Pacific

GUAM (March 18, 2022) – U.S. Navy divers and Seabees are working closely with agencies in Guam as part of a harbor restoration project which includes removing remnants of abandoned derelict vessels (ADV).

Along the western coastline of Asan-Maina, Guam, the 125 foot-long remains of Harbor Utility Craft YFU-71 rest in the crystal-clear waters of Apra Harbor. Navy Divers assigned to Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit (MDSU) 1, Company 1-3 and Seabees of Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 133, Detachment Guam, are working with the local Environmental Protection Agency on the Guam Harbor of Refuge project.

In October 2021, at the request of the Government of Guam, a U.S. Navy team representing Commander, Logistics Group Western Pacific and Task Force 73 (CTF 73) began removing ADV at the Guam Harbor of Refuge (GHOR). This was in response to the governor’s Executive Order No. 2020-42, which established Guam’s ADV Removal Working Group. The group oversees the project as the ADVs can become navigational hazards and present threats to commercial and natural resources.

“We are pleased with the local and federal government collaborative efforts that have ensured that these ADVs no longer pose as threats to our precious marine environment,” said Guam Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Walter S. Leon Guerrero.

Members of the Guam ADV Removal Group include officials from the Guam Environmental Protection Agency (GEPA), the Bureau of Statistics and Plans (BSP), and the Guam Department of Agriculture (DOAG). The GEPA, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), the U.S Coast Guard and the U.S. Navy have worked alongside the Guam Power Authority (GPA) and the Port Authority of Guam (PAG) to identify and remove ADVs in and around the island of Guam. Officials from GEPA and U.S. Coast Guard Sector Guam (USCG) provide maritime safety and environmental oversight including incidental oil spill prevention and response.

YFU-71 was commissioned July 10, 1967, and remained active well into the mid-70s. One of the first of its craft, the vessel was used as an armed tanker, tow boat and freighter. U.S. forces used it in the Republic of South Vietnam. The boat and its crews earned 12 campaign stars and a Presidential Unit Citation.

After more than 20 years of service, the vessel was transferred to the Department of the Interior, where it was re-christened as the “Guahan I,” meaning a “place of resources” in the Chamorro language. It was then used as a maritime training vessel until its decommissioning in the early 2000s.

“After looking closely at the vessel number and researching it, it was pretty surprising to see how much it had been through,” said Steelworker Third Class Lazaro Marrero, a Seabee attached to NMCB 133, Det. Guam.

He explained the first phase of work consists primarily of using ultra-thermal cutting rods to slice through the almost 70-year-old metal. Burning in excess of 10,000 degrees Fahrenheit, these cutting rods cut or melt virtually any known material.

While the project helps protect the environment and facilitates renewed use of the harbor, it also provides training to Navy units as part of the Innovative Readiness Training (IRT) program. The U.S. Department of Defense IRT program grants the U.S. Navy the legal authority to participate in this project.

“[Lieutenant Governor Joshua Tenorio] and I are appreciative of support Guam has received from CTF 73 through the IRT program,” said Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero. “Our administration remains committed to protecting our environment, and will continue to foster furthering success of the Guam’s ADV Removal Working Group.”
IRT is a collaborative program that leverages military contributions and community resources to multiply value and cost savings for participants. Through this military-civil collaboration, communities typically provide materials and basic services, while military units contribute personnel and training resources. Guam’s IRT salvage project, conducted by U.S. Navy divers and Seabees, will help provide access to GHOR, specifically during severe weather events.

"Through the Innovation Readiness and Training program, we are empowered to carry out an operation that simultaneously benefits the Navy and the people of Guam,” said Lt. Max Cutchen, U.S. 7th Fleet salvage officer, Commander Logistics Group Western Pacific/CTF-73.

“This salvage operation has provided an invaluable opportunity for U.S. Navy participants to hone skills required for expeditionary port damage repair and opening. The experience gained in Guam can be directly applied in future operations to enable logistics in any environment."

MDSU-1 is comprised of specialized dive companies to conduct emergency water repairs, salvage operations, as well as harbor and waterway clearance.

“It took quite a bit of planning, but the execution has really come together,” said Navy Diver First Class Max Schaefer, assigned to MDSU-1, Co. 1-3.

Many of the divers and Seabees involved in the project say they are proud to be part of the project, which includes their units’ historical presence in Guam and the region.

“It is significant to both commands that we are combining efforts, laying to rest a decorated Vietnam-era harbor utility craft,” said Equipment Operator First Class Jeffrey Lawrence, assigned to NMCB 133, Det. Guam.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Petty Officer Third Class Robert Harris, assigned to Delta Company, Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 133, Detachment Indo-Pacific, wrote this story.

• Date Taken: 04.20.2022
• Date Posted: 04.20.2022 20:59
• Story ID: 418912
• Location: GU