Story by Sgt. Jon Heinrich, 8th TSC Public Affairs
JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii (July 12, 2016) -- Approximately 32 U.S. Army mariners supported the U.S Navy during a cargo transport at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in support of Rim of the Pacific 2016, July 12.
The mariners, attached to the 545th Transportation Company, 8th Special Troops Battalion, 8th Theater Sustainment Command, on board the Logistic Support Vessel-4, the Lt. Gen. William B. Bunker, and Navy Reservists from the Navy Cargo Handling Battalion (NCHB -- 10), Columbus, Ohio, transported essential supplies from Waipio Point to Ford Island for a simulated Humanitarian Assistance/Disaster Relief training scenario.
"This exercise demonstrates that we can work alongside the Navy, bringing in humanitarian relief, such as water, food and medical supplies during a natural disaster such as an earthquake," said Sgt. George Sulligan, the LSV-4 boatswain.
Chief Warrant Officer 3 Clinton Smith, the skipper of LSV-4, said it's important to practice different scenarios to ensure they can rapidly respond.
"We're working with the Navy, showing interoperability between the two services, transporting cargo in the event that we have to work together to support an actual national disaster contingency," said Smith. "Because when it happens for real, you already want to be trained up on it."
Although the Navy has its own cargo vessels, the Army's LSV has capabilities which allow it to reach shores and ports a normal ship can't.
"Our LSV's are shallower draft, and they can get into more unimproved ports than the Navy's big ships," Smith said.
"We can get cargo from bigger ships to the shore a lot faster," Sulligan added. "In order to get to a ramp, we have to hit bottom, larger vessels don't have that capability. So instead of vehicles driving through two to three feet of water, other vessels might have to have vehicles going through five to 10 feet of water. If the vehicles aren't equipped to handle those depths, then their cargo will not reach the shore successfully."
Sulligan said RIMPAC provides unique training opportunities, such as training with other countries and other service branches.
"During RIMPAC 2014, we worked with the New Zealand Navy, conducting sling load operations" Sulligan said. "It's a great opportunity for building relationships. We really enjoy it. We get to meet different services and different commanders, so when we work with them in the future we're all better prepared."
Twenty-six nations, more than 40 ships and submarines, more than 200 aircraft and 25,000 personnel are participating in RIMPAC from June 30 to Aug. 4, in and around the Hawaiian Islands and Southern California. The world's largest international maritime exercise, RIMPAC provides a unique training opportunity that helps participants foster and sustain the cooperative relationships that are critical to ensuring the safety of sea lanes and security on the world's oceans. RIMPAC 2016 is the 25th exercise in the series that began in 1971.
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