PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii -- The 599th Transportation Brigade supported a Marine Corps upload of the M/V Green Cove destined for Darwin, Australia, at Fleet Logistics Center here on March 28.
The operation began on time at 6:45 a.m. with a safety brief. 599th safety officer, Greg “Safety” Ferst, was on hand to monitor the upload.
“Pearl Harbor personnel presented the safety briefing,” Ferst said. “The briefing was very detailed and covered all the bases regarding a safe and efficient upload.”
After the safety brief, the first piece was loaded at 7:15 a.m.
599th marine cargo specialist Marco Arboleda said the first pieces on board were break-bulk cargo, followed by helicopters.
Arboleda spent a lot of time walking back and forth between the ship and the helicopter landing and storage area.
“I wanted to make sure they were following the upload plan, so we didn’t have the wrong helicopters coming early,” he said.
Pillars on the deck of the Green Cove make maneuvering larger aircraft awkward. At one point, Marines had to push a Huey forward in order to accommodate an incoming Osprey. Afterward, the Marines moved the Huey back into place.
“FLC had the lead on this move,” said Arboleda. “We were on hand to provide assistance with stow planning and submitted the executive summary. We provided oversight on the move.”
599th traffic management specialist Jimmy Quilon was on hand as the contract officer representative for the move.
“I was there as the COR to enforce the universal service contract requirements and regulations,” Quilon said. “There were no problems with the contract or ship compliance. The chief mate was very active in the loading. We had a clear understanding and he could command and control his personnel.”
The loading was slow but smooth with no mistakes due to the helicopter requirements. Once all aircraft were loaded, the upload rate resumed at normal speed.
“Even though the move was very slow in the morning, after lunch it sped up and we were able to finish before the 12 hours that had been scheduled,” said 599th marine cargo specialist Sgt. Kathryne Mason.
“We finished at 4:30 p.m.,” said Arboleda. “After they uploaded the helicopters, everything speeded up. Everything was safe, and nobody got hurt.”
Marines from Marine Aircraft Group 24 are destined for a rotation to the Marine Air-Ground Task Force based at Matilda Lines at Robertson Barracks and Royal Australian Air Force Base Darwin.
They will train with Australian Defence Force for about six months before returning to Hawaii.
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