Photo By Jim Kohler | USS George Washington prepares to get underway from Naval Station Norfolk.... read more read more
USS George Washington (CVN 73) departed Naval Station Norfolk April 25 for a deployment taking them to Yokosuka, Japan. For the logistics support representatives (LSR) in the NAVSUP Fleet Logistics Center (FLC) Norfolk Logistics Support Center (LSC), this was an event a year in the making.
According to Team One Logistics Support Supervisor Thad Berry, the shift in homeports directly after a five-year shipyard period for George Washington presented several challenges, but he says his team was up to the task.
“The support started in April of last year for their shift out of the shipyard,” Berry explained. “It mostly ended once the ship departed the pier, but there are still continuous efforts on some reserve material that needs to be shipped.”
NAVSUP FLC Norfolk has been supporting the waterfront since 1919. For the past 20 years, the Sailors and civilians who staff the LSC assisted supply departments get ready for deployments. Every ship on the waterfront has a dedicated logistics support representative (LSR), who works with other LSRs to provide one stop shopping for all supply needs.
“The rate of consistency in terms of intense focus and max effort from my LSC team in supporting the warfighter is unmatched,” said NAVSUP FLC Norfolk Commanding Officer Capt. Martin Edmonds. “There’s no task too tall and no haul too small for my LSC team – they deliver every time, and I’m beyond proud to serve as their skipper.”
Supporting a carrier deployment presents unique challenges for logistics support representatives, as there is a much larger volume of material to move in a shorter amount of time. The team works hand-in-hand with numerous entities such as Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Air Mobility Command and the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) to help mitigate these challenges.
They also work with shipboard supply department leadership to set up a schedule to ensure materials such as HAZMAT, medical supplies and food are delivered and the ship is ready to receive them.
Berry says the team that worked with George Washington included Claudia Peart, Justin Jones, Zuleika Conill Bonilla, Krystle Watson, Jesse Bauer and LS2 Matias Broden. Their work doesn’t end when the ship pushes away from the pier.
He added the team is now working with the Defense Logistics Agency to ensure the ship receives the remaining items. “DLA made them a ‘hot ship’ which helps in segregating their material.”
The team helped coordinate the delivery of 500 pallets of material in the last month alone. Overall, they assisted in the delivery of nearly 1200 pallets of material worth more than $3.7 million, helping to navigate the challenges of getting drivers safely on base, working around other activities on the pier and ensuring crane support.
Berry said he was proud of his entire team, singling out Peart for her work directly with the ship’s crew.
My team’s efforts went above and beyond to make the transition run smooth,” he said. “This ship has been in layup for years and they are also a west coast ship, so a lot of the material had to be ordered and moved around.”
NAVSUP FLC Norfolk’s Personal Property Office also worked with the USS George Washington Move Coordinator to support storage and shipment of Sailors’ POVs. Sailors onboard who are relocating with the vessel to Japan are authorized storage of their POVs due to assignment in Japan.
NAVSUP FLC Norfolk is the largest of eight globally positioned commands that provide the full range of solutions for logistics, business and support services to our mission partners. The more than 1800 Sailors, civilians and contractors that make up NAVSUP FLC Norfolk support operations at more than 30 sites across three regions and 12 states, plus Washington D.C.
| Date Taken: | 04.25.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 05.09.2024 12:44 |
| Story ID: | 470801 |
| Location: | NORFOLK, VIRGINIA, US |
| Web Views: | 281 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, NAVSUP FLC Norfolk Supports George Washington in Preparations for Deployment, by Thomas Kreidel, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
Naval Station Norfolk
