The Army goes to sea with its navy

By Amanda Dolasinski Staff writer

August 20, 2014 

Soldiers from the 7th Transportation Brigade load and unload cargo from a temporary pier constructed at Fort Story, Virginia, on Thursday, August 14, 2014.

The crew of the Logistics Support Vessels (LSV), the General Frank S. Besson, prepare to dock at the temporary pier set up at Fort Story, Virginia, on Thursday, August 14, 2014.

      

VIRGINIA BEACH, VA. - Waves became choppy in the Atlantic Ocean as a massive cargo ship approached a floating steel pier under the watchful eyes of soldiers monitoring radar maps and live-feed cameras from inside a command tent on the beach. 

The ship, undeterred by the rising waves, slowly reached the pier, and lines were thrown to soldiers who quickly tied it down. 

Shortly after, a ramp was secured to the pier and cargo boxes and 10,000-pound machinery were rolled off the ship as soldiers directed traffic across the 1,200-foot pier to waiting soldiers on the beach at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story, Virginia.

Over a week, nearly 500 soldiers from units of the 7th Transportation Brigade (Expeditionary) worked together during a Logistics Over-the-Shore training exercise, demonstrating that the Army can quickly access bare beaches to unload cargo from ships. The training showcased a cohesive operation woven together from separate missions - monitoring maritime traffic at the command center on the beach, constructing and managing the flow of supplies on the pier, and navigating ships in the ocean as they make approaches.

"I think the average person would be surprised at how busy Army watercraft is," said Col. Randal Nelson, commander of the 7th Transportation Brigade.

The brigade, known as the "Army's navy," is tasked with commanding ports and watercraft unit functions in support of land operations. It was transformed into the Army's first and only brigade of its kind earlier this year after increasing demands for Army watercraft across combatant commands.

The brigade is unique because of its ability to operate seaports, travel coastal and inland waterway supply routes, and conduct ship-to-shore operations in hostile environments. It has participated in World War II, the Korean War and Operation Iraqi Freedom, among other conflicts.

"You're not always going to be able to fly into a country," Nelson said. "This gives the combat commander maneuverability."

Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story, located on the Atlantic Ocean near the Chesapeake Bay, provides the Army with a location for the specialized training by challenging troops to handle varying tides, sand dunes and forest area.

The training exercise helps soldiers build confidence each time they are tasked with missions, Nelson said. They also are a key component to maintaining readiness.

"They'll be pulling into different ports, and it won't always be a bare beach," he said. "These guys have to think on their feet."

The environment can be permissive, such as providing aid to earthquake victims in Haiti. The environment becomes nonpermissive in combat operations when access to piers is denied.

Temporary piers are necessary when shallow gradients prohibit large ships from approaching beaches or when fixed ports are damaged or unavailable.

"Without the (pier), we'd continue, but our capabilities would be hindered," said Sgt. 1st Class Nathan Almass of the 331st Transportation Company from Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia, which assembles and controls the pier.

"You could drive little boats to the beach, but this does it so much faster," he said. "This enables the pace of (unloading and uploading) to happen so much faster."

The training mission began when soldiers pieced together steel plates by hand to configure the pier. Soldiers thread rope through entry points in the plates and use crowbars to line them up precisely.

The unit prides itself on the ability to assemble piers within 72 hours.

Simultaneously, a small tugboat approached the shore, dropping off a bulldozer to start smoothing the sand while soldiers dug a small pond where the pier would connect to the beach

The pier was guided into place by tugboats and thrust into the beach by a ship.

It is a challenging maneuver because there is a small window of time to set up the pier. If the pier is not guided directly into the pond, the soldiers will have to wait several more hours for the correct tide to try again, Almass said.

The unit was tested in early 2012, when the transportation command led efforts to construct a pier in the world's southernmost harbor - McMurdo Sound, Antarctica.

About 150 researchers studying there had essentially become cut off when a pier was damaged, prohibiting the annual supply ship from arriving with food, scientific instruments and general supplies.

Soldiers from the 331st loaded its causeway system and 52 commercial trucks with supplies onto a ship and sent it to Antarctica. Soldiers flew to McMurdo Sound and constructed the pier when the ship arrived.

"Not a lot of people have been to Antarctica," Almass said. "For a company like this to be able to make that journey is impressive."

Soldiers were in Antarctica from Feb. 10 to Feb. 29 completing the operation.

"There are other ways to get to the beach, but this provides the best throughput capability," said Maj. Christopher Baldwin, battalion executive officer of the 11th Transportation Battalion.

Baldwin observed soldiers during the training exercise last week. The Logistics Over-the-Shore exercise provided experience for soldiers to synchronize with other units and practice strategic roles, he said.

"You can go in and out of a fixed port all day," he said. "This is different."

The pier can handle three large ships at once, in addition to smaller vessels. Two large ships - the logistics support vessel and the landing craft utility - enable roll-on, roll-off cargo capabilities.

From inside the landing craft utility, Warrant Officer Michael Fields, the vessel master, was making his first departure from the pier. He was guided by mentors during the training exercise.

Fields locked his eyes on the pier and relied on soldiers yelling distances, as well as radio commands from the harbormaster on the beach, as he lined up the ship.

Slowly, it began to pull away from the pier.

An announcement came over the radio - the bowels of the ship cleared and they had successfully deported.

Fields fist-bumped another soldier and watched as the ship changed direction.

"This was great training," Fields said. "We have simulators, but it's not the same."

Throttle controls feel different and weight on deck slows response times, he said.

The training also was valuable on land, where Chief Warrant Officer 3 Ian Stewart, a soldier with the 393rd Harbormaster Detachment from Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia, was preparing to become the incoming harbormaster.

"Everybody trains throughout the year, but this is the time we all get to work together," he said.

The Harbormaster Command and Control Center is responsible for preparing the beach, including marking it with lights for night missions. The command also must direct maritime traffic to get cargo off ships efficiently and to the soldiers on land.

"We're facilitators," Stewart said. "We're the base of the logistics pyramid. If cargo stops moving, people stop getting what they need."

Inside the command tent, he watched a screen that was split into a radar map and live feed from cameras pointed toward the ocean. Unidentified objects spotted on the radar map can be magnified for inspection by the cameras, he said.

The command center had radios set up to communicate with crews on the ships, he said.

"It's a new challenge for me," Stewart said. "I've learned an incredible amount. You can read manuals, but it's different when you're experiencing it."

Staff writer Amanda Dolasinski can be reached at dolasinskia@fayobserver.com or 486-3528.