Photo By Sarah Cannon | USNS Grasp (T-ARS 51) prepares to departs the San Diego Bay towing decomissioned USS...... read more read more
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Military Sealift Command rescue and salvage ship USNS Grasp (T-ARS 51) successfully delivered the decommissioned Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Mobile Bay (CG 53) to the Navy inactive ship yard in Bremerton, Wash.
The journey, of the two ships began in San Diego Aug. 18. Early in the morning, Grasp connected to Mobile Bay and began the tow journey that would conclude in Bremerton.
While the tow of Mobile Bay by Grasp took days, the preparations for the tow were months in the planning and execution. Leading the project was Ken Hinkebein, a retired Navy master diver, and one of the foremost authorities on towing ships. When the Navy needs to conduct a tow, it is Hinkenbein who gets the call.
As he explained, towing a ship is not the same as hooking a trailer to a pickup truck and driving off. Towing a ship takes months of planning and preparations. From top to bottom, and bow to stern, Hinkebein oversees the setting of the tow lines, shutting of valves and hatches, securing rudders and engines, sometimes multiple times.
“By the time I finish-up with a ship, I have been in all the spaces at least 20 times,” he said.
The most common part of towing is always the way an object connects and tows. In the case of a ship, it is a series of chains and rope lines, coming from the ship being towed. These lines are put in place prior to the ship being connected to the tow ship. In the case of Mobile Bay, Hinkebein had the lines placed more than a week before the ship’s departure. These lines included chains, and plasma lines, which Hinkebein explained are more than two times stronger than wire. All the lines had back-ups, or redundancies, which are used if the primary system fails. According to Hinkebein, setting the tow lines is something he does on his own, according to the Navy Tow Manual, and something that takes about two to three days to complete.
“Setting up the tow lines is just something I like to do myself,” he explained. “It’s something I enjoy doing and something I have kind of developed over all the years I have been doing this. It’s not that someone else can’t do it, it is just something I like to do. I think because It is the final piece to getting the ship ready to tow.”
Towing a ship can be difficult the captain and crew of the ship doing the tow. The crew do not know how the tow vessel will move in the water, as it is being pulled behind the towing ship Flooding is a constant concern, because it can cause more weight on the tow vessel, or in a worst case scenario, can cause the tow to sink and be lost. For this reason, alarms are set up with lights and sound signals, so the towing ship can have early notice of flooding, and to be able to trouble shoot issues. Throughout Mobile Bay, Hinkebein placed a series of 16 sensors throughout the ship. The sensors connect to a master panel that can direct crewmembers to the sensor in question. In addition, Hinkebein placed reflective tape on the floors to further help find the activated sensor.
“When the ship is under tow, there is no power, which means no lights. The further below the main deck you go, the darker things get. The reflective tape is easy to see with a flashlight and will guide whoever is here to check the alarms, get to where they need to go,” he said. “I try to keep things as simple as possible. That’s the best way.”
Weather can also play a part in how quickly a tow can be delivered, or how it will be towed. Like flood alarms, Grasp’s crew also monitored weather and sea conditions from the beginning and continually made adjustments to compensate for conditions, ensuring safe delivery of the towed vessel. Grasp left San Diego ahead of Hurricane Hillary, which passed through Southern California, but was still affected by bad weather, that slowed the arrival in Washington.
Seeing Grasp tow Mobile Bay out of the San Diego Bay, it is easy to forget that a ship can have an emotional connection to those on whom they have served. Former crewmembers are known to have special placed in their hearts for their past ships. Mobile Bay is no different. For 36 years, the ship served the Navy, and participated in operations such as the 1989 evacuation of U.S. Embassy in Beirut, Lebanon; Operation Desert Storm; 1991 Operation Fiery Vigil evacuation of thousands of people displaced by the volcanic eruption of Mt. Pinatubo in the Philippines; and Operation Iraqi Freedom. Seeing a ship like this decommissioned and towed away, can make a former crewmember pause for a few memories.
“I didn’t think I would be emotional seeing Mobile Bay decommission, but when the flag came down for the last time, I got a little choked-up,” said Quartermaster Chief Petty Officer Mark Daniel, formerly assigned to Military Sealift Command Pacific, and member of Mobile Bay’s final crew. “Watching Grasp tow the ship away really hit home that it was the end of an era for Mobile Bay. Knowing the tow was an MSCPAC mission, and that I had been a part of that team, really brought things full circle for me. It is really watching the end of an era.”
With its arrival at the Inactive Ship Yard, Mobile Bay will be in a Logistic Support Asset (LSA) status. Grasp will return to San Diego where they will conduct two more ship tows in the Fall all under Hinkebein’s preparations and guidance.
| Date Taken: | 08.31.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 08.31.2023 15:16 |
| Story ID: | 452589 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 821 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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