Photo By LaShawn Sykes | Military Sealift Command’s fleet replenishment oiler USNS Leroy Grumman (T-AO 195)...... read more read more
Military Sealift Command’s Combat Logistics Force (CLF) fast combat support ship USNS Supply (T-AOE 6) and fleet replenishment oiler USNS Leroy Grumman (T-AO 195) served as the logistics arm, responsible for resupplying Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 8’s flag ship, the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) and its allied ships, during CSG 8’s Composite Training Exercise (COMPTUEX) in the Atlantic Ocean, Sept. 30 – Oct. 26, 2021.
“This exercise provided a unique opportunity for the Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group to enhance multilateral warfighting capabilities and to fortify mil-to-mil relations with our allied partner, the Royal Norwegian Navy. Training events such as these send a clear message that we can provide flexible capabilities to promote security, stability, freedom of navigation, and the free flow of commerce anywhere on the globe,” said Rear Adm. Curt Renshaw, commander, Carrier Strike Group 8.
While the Navy warships provided the might for COMPTUEX, Supply and Grumman supplied the logistics arm that enabled the battle group to remain underway and on station, said Capt. Keith A. Walzak, master of USNS Leroy Grumman. “Working in tandem, the two CLF ships performed exactly as they were designed to do, which is to increase the delivery capability to provide food, fuel, spare parts, ammunition and portable water to both U.S. Navy and allied ships at sea.”
Getting the force to the “fight at the right place and at the right time” is the true essence of military logistics, said Maj. Gen. Carl von Clausewitz in the book titled On War. Both Supply’s and Grumman’s united effort exemplified their logistical force that empowered the Carrier Strike Group to remain in the fight throughout the 30-day exercise, executing 65 underway replenishments and transferring more than 19 million gallons of fuel and 3,500 pallets of cargo. The two CLFs’ combined performance not only enabled underway at-sea replenishments with the Navy’s warships but their efforts also allowed the combatant ships to remain on station indefinitely, projecting power. Without CLF ships, the combatant ships would be forced to leave the fight and transit to friendly ports for all of their resupply needs, said Walzak.
Integrated exercises like COMPTUEX help our civil service mariners (CIVMARS) hone their UNREP skills; especially when Supply and Grumman were tasked to participate in a connected replenishment with each other, said Walzak. CONREPs, typically, occur between a Navy ship and a CLF ship. It is a way for CLF ships to replenish Navy war ships at sea of needed supplies. This involves rigging either a spanwire or highline to the ship being supplied and sending supplies over a ram-tensioned wire system known as Standard Tension Replenishment Alongside Method (STREAM), using a system of trolleys to travel over the wire, which support either the hoses or the cargo rig. “During the times that MSC ships are required to do this, the training is invaluable because all of the ships’ deck officers and deck cadets get the opportunity to make approaches on the other CLF ship, and conn alongside, which is a rarity."
In addition to honing their UNREP skills, participating in COMPTUEX helps to increase CIVMARs’ overall readiness; especially those crewmembers who are new to the ship and are not familiar with the ship’s replenishment capabilities, said Walzak. “Executing the number of UNREPS that we do, during a major exercise like COMPTUEX, puts these new people right in the line of fire, in real time and at a rapid pace. It is actually a difficult situation for the rig captains, as many of their teams are new, with very little shipboard knowledge. Not to mention it takes time and practice to train to be a successful UNREP team member. None the less, we soldier through, with all hands on deck, to get the task at hand accomplished. One of the things not readily visible from across the water, on our customer ships, is the back and forth of our crews, between stations; so that, we can continue providing top quality logistic services to the fleet. Many crew members will find themselves moving from station to station to ensure we give as many rigs to the customers as possible.”
Both Walzak and Capt. Bryan Yarde, master of USNS Supply, are equally proud of their crews’ performances. “We continue to answer the call, time and time again – and most times at a moment’s notice with a substantially reduced crew size. And still we rise to the occasion because our CIVMARS are some of very best people in the nation,” Walzak said.
Instrumental to both Supply's and Grumman's success were five top-notch Navy reservists from Command Task Force 953's Watch Officer cell, located at Dam Neck Naval Base in Virginia Beach, Va. Acting as the on-site liaison for the commodore of MSC Atlantic, these reservists served as watchstanders, responsible for providing around the clock coordination of all replenishment requirements between CSG 8 and both CLF ships, along with all future movements and transits of the two CLF ships. “I was the primary point of contact for CTF953, responsible for supporting any briefs, deliverables, and overall operational support, said CTF 953 Watch Officer Team Lead CDR Douglas Ribble. "My team's performance throughout COMPTUEX was nothing short of amazing." Supporting Ribble were LTs Casey Adams, Ednidia Loaiza, and Westin Haddock, and OS2 (SW) James Proctor.
MSC’s CLF ships include oilers (TAOs), dry cargo and ammunition ships (TAKEs), and fast combat support ships (TAOEs). For these designations, T means the ship is operated by MSC and comprised of CIVMARS, A means auxiliary ship, O means oiler, K means cargo, and E means explosives. They are composed of 31 ships (15 fleet replenishment oilers, 14 ordinance and dry cargo ships, and two fast combat support ships).
In 2021, MSC ships operating in the Atlantic Ocean, loaded and discharged 16.4 billion pounds of cargo, delivered more than 381 million gallons of petroleum products, and more than 330 million pounds net explosive weight of ordnance. CLF ships supported 13 deployments, 10 major fleet exercises, and three fleet ordnance moves.
To learn more about Military Sealift Command, visit https://sealiftcommand.com/about-msc.
| Date Taken: | 11.23.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 11.23.2021 12:18 |
| Story ID: | 409892 |
| Location: | NORFOLK, VIRGINIA, US |
| Web Views: | 355 |
| Downloads: | 2 |
This work, Two CLF ships served as the logistics arm during CSG 8’s COMPTUEX, by LaShawn Sykes, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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