Military Sealift Command Pacific (MSCPAC) is no stranger to providing logistics services to the U.S. Navy, and during the month of July, they proved this once again as the Military Sealift Command fleet replenishment oilers USNS Henry J. Kaiser (T-AO 187) and USNS Guadalupe (T-AO 200) provided logistics services to five ships from the USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) carrier strike group as they conducted routine training operations in the Pacific area of operations.
Through a series of replenishments-at-sea (RAS), Kaiser and Guadalupe delivered 832 pallets of food, parts and equipment, as well as retrieving 185 Pallets of waste for off-load ashore. In addition, the ship delivered jet fuel and diesel ship fuel.
According to Bart Miranda, MSCPAC’s deputy combat logistics officer, MSC’s ability to replenish ships, such as those in the Roosevelt Strike Group, benefits the Navy, by providing all the items needed to sustain the ships at sea, and allows them to stay in the area of operation longer, and without the need to come into port for supplies.
During this training period, the ships were underway for a longer period of time than past training operations, which meant more RASs and more materials being moved from ship to ship. Adding and aircraft carrier to the equation meant a lot of pallets of materials and the challenge of getting everything needed to the ships requesting it.
Miranda explained that oilers, such as Guadalupe and Kaiser are considered “small ships” for the tasking, and because of this, must work a series of challenges to ensure a successful RAS period.
Normally, a combat logistics ship (CLF) will carry a maximum load of 200 pallets. Due to the size and the need of the strike group and the aircraft carrier, during at least two RAS periods, Kaiser carried 256 pallets. Because a cargo space is only so big and can only hold so much, the cargo teams on the ship had to find extra space for the extra pallets.
“This is when you have to get creative and put things into every nook and cranny and piece of empty deck you can find,” said Miranda. “Our goal is to get the ships everything they request, and this time out, we were able to do that.”
Miranda credits good communication for success. The CLO team from MSCPAC worked closely with the CLF teams on the ships to ensure expectations were realistic and to create a working timeline for deliveries.
“The CLF crews are good team players and we work closely with them, keeping good lines of communication open and flowing. We talk back and forth with them to ensure we can get them the materials that they need to keep their mission going,” said Miranda. “It’s a lot of work, but it really makes for a successful mission.”
In addition to providing logistics services to the Roosevelt strike group, Guadalupe and Kaiser also served as the Pacific duty oilers, delivering supplies to other Navy ships in the area, something they will continue long after the completion of the Roosevelt Strike Group’s training.