Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Julio Nieves | Army Reserve mariners with the 548th Transportation Detachment head back to Joint Base...... read more read more
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JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii - Army Reserve mariners with the 548th Transportation Detachment conduct their weekend battle assembly on board the Army Logistic Support Vessel (LSV-7) SSGT Robert T. Kuroda, 25 miles off the coast of Oahu, Hawaii, June 6, 2015.
While most Army Reservists report to their respective Reserve centers for duty, the Soldiers of the 548th TD report to a floating and mobile workstation that they must maintain, safeguard and often live in.
“We have an office for our unit here on Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, but we try to do as much training as we can on board of our vessel,” said Chief Warrant Officer 4 Steven Lang, chief engineer and the 548th TD officer in charge.
The 548th TD, with its LSV-7, is capable of supporting a variety of missions anywhere in the world.
“The unit is able to self deploy and self defend to an operation area in order to conduct 'roll-on roll-off, load-on load-off' causeway operations transporting containers, general cargo, tracked and wheeled vehicles in harbor, along coastlines and in open oceans,” said Lang. “The LSV-7 has a 80-foot-long ramp that gives us the ability to load and unload on unimproved beaches.”
With more than 700 monthly maintenance tasks, keeping the vessel mission capable is anything but an easy task.
“The vessel requires 767 monthly maintenance tasks that equal to 646 man-hours, and it does not account for any issues such as replacing broken or worn-out parts,” said Lang. “This ensures several things; mission readiness and capability to deploy to sea for a period of up to 30 days at a moment's notice, as well as the safety of our crew members.”
“On drill weekends, we have to accomplish all the mandatory classes just like the other reserve units,” said Sgt. 1st Class Chad Bates, the marine maintenance NCO. The difference, is that we conduct these on our vessel, while docked or while sailing, and sometimes we get curve balls thrown at us like this one right here,” Bates added, as an alarm went off and a voice on the loud speaker advised all deckhands to report to the armory immediately for an invasive boarding drill.
As daunting as it might be for a crew of only 31 to operate a 316-foot vessel, getting each crew member the required training at each level is a challenge with its own characteristics.
“Last year alone, we conducted four annual training events, where as most other units in the Army Reserve only conducted one,” said Bates. “But that’s just half of our challenge, you see, we are the only field where enlisted members must attend their respective level of training in addition to their noncommissioned officer schools as they advance throughout the ranks. The same thing applies for the deck and engineer warrant officers working on this vessel,” added Bates.
Thanks to both formal and informal training, the LSV-7 vessel’s ability to self-deploy and self-sustain is feasible, thus, providing well-rounded mariners who can adapt and overcome any situation.
“With 10 deckhands, three cooks, one medic and one radio operator under my charge, it’s imperative that I know and understand their functions,” said Staff Sgt. Bryson Merrick, the vessel’s boatswain, in charge of all equipment and enlisted crew members on board, also known as the "Bowsman" and one of the original crew members of the Kuroda since 2006, when the vessel was put into service, as he helps the vessel’s three-man cook team with the breakfast meal.
As the 548th TD OIC, Lang has a great deal of admiration for the mariners in his unit.
“Army Reserve mariners come with a highly trained skill-set, on both the deck and engine side,” Lang said. “They bring a lot to the table, as they bring their experience from the commercial world to the Army. I’m very proud of their accomplishments and how they are able to handle this vessel so proficiently to the point where they can overcome any situation.”
| Date Taken: | 06.06.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 06.10.2015 17:41 |
| Story ID: | 166175 |
| Location: | JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, HAWAII, US |
| Web Views: | 319 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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