PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii -- Members of the 599th Transportation Brigade partnered with Fleet Logistics Center Pearl Harbor to facilitate upload of cargo and equipment for Marines of Marine Aircraft Group 24, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, onto the Motor Vessel Marjorie C here on July 9.
"This is another continuing mission wherein we support all services; something we have successfully done in Hawaii for 28 years," said Carlos Tibbetts, 599th terminal operations chief.
Marines acted as stevedores to load their own aircraft.
"The Marines maintained professionalism, and they adjusted the speed of the operation to finish up safely," said Jimmy Quilon, 599th traffic management specialist and contracting officer representative for the move.
Davey Flores, 599th traffic management specialist, said the upload at Pearl Harbor was only the last part of a larger move.
"The Marjorie C first went to Pier 1 in Honolulu Harbor on July 8 to upload the majority of the cargo and the trucks," Flores said. "Most of the equipment was loaded at Pier 1, so only the helicopters, a tow bar, a tug, and one container were loaded at Pearl Harbor."
Two Marines also accompanied the cargo as supercargo. Supercargo is a U.S. Transportation Command term for personnel who sail with the cargo on board ship to escort unit cargo.
"Someone needs to be on board during the voyage to monitor equipment," said Quilon. "That's very important with rotor wing aircraft."
The vessel operation took place in 90-degree weather.
"I did not see a corpsman on site, so we were all vigilant in making sure everybody was taken care of: taking breaks and drinking enough water. We were looking out for signs of dehydration and heat exhaustion," said Quilon, who is also the 599th first aid trainer. "But everyone was OK throughout the move," he added.
Not only did the 599th partner with FLC and the Marines for the upload, Pasha, the commercial carrier, also sent a representative and the Marjorie C's chief mate was available to help throughout the move.
The vessel arrived at 5:55 a.m. on July 9. After a safety briefing at 6:30, the upload began at 7:30 a.m., and was completed at 1:10 p.m. The vessel departed at 2:37 p.m. on July 10.
"My overall opinion is that the Marines came in motivated, ready to load and to accomplish the mission," said Flores. "They did a great job: no safety violations and no incidents."
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