Photo By Col. Christopher LeCron | The front view of the US Army Vessel MG Smalls docked at the port of Charleston, June 24.... read more read more
By Chris LeCron
841st Transportation Battalion
The historic U.S. Army Vessel Maj. General Robert Smalls, named after the prominent African American civil war hero that served as a Maj. General in the South Carolina militia, docked at a downtown Charleston cargo pier for a community relations and public affairs event on June 24.
The Army LSV, logistics support vessel, is manned by a crew of 30 army reserve soldiers from Baltimore's 203rd Transportation Detachment. The ship is the largest in the Army's floating watercraft inventory and can transport up to 19 tanks or 100 shipping containers worldwide on short notice.
A ceremony Tuesday morning at the Port of Charleston's cruise ship passenger terminal commemorated the boat's return to Charleston harbor where, on May 13, 1862, Smalls famously commandeered a Confederate cotton steamer and piloted the boat to a Union blockade ship, freeing himself, his family and 12 other slaves onboard.
The vessel's first trip to the Lowcountry is not likely to be its last, said Chief Warrant Officer Steven Brown, vessel master of the USAV Maj. Gen. Robert Smalls.
"We're very humbled, the entire crew, to represent the Robert Smalls," Brown said.
"The name, the history is incredible. The crew is very proud to carry that history into the future. When we pull into ports, it's very emotional to get on the radio and announce, 'This is the United States Army Vessel MG Robert Smalls.' That name is being projected out all over the world. This vessel will travel throughout the world."
Many people, including military personnel, are unaware that the army has boats. The Army Watercraft field is a small, specialized field that includes over 300 watercraft of various classes in its fleet.
Law and departmental instructions direct the Army to prepare for land combat and provide watercraft support in a theater of operations. In furnishing watercraft support incident to land combat ashore, the Army will be called upon to perform the post-assault re-supply mission for joint and combined operations.
The motto of the army watercraft field is "waterborne" and "sail army"!
| Date Taken: | 06.25.2008 |
| Date Posted: | 06.25.2008 15:27 |
| Story ID: | 20847 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 948 |
| Downloads: | 650 |
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