|
Posted on 02/22/2004 4:07:34 AM PST by snippy_about_it
|
|
 are acknowledged, affirmed and commemorated.
|
| Our Mission: The FReeper Foxhole is dedicated to Veterans of our Nation's military forces and to others who are affected in their relationships with Veterans. In the FReeper Foxhole, Veterans or their family members should feel free to address their specific circumstances or whatever issues concern them in an atmosphere of peace, understanding, brotherhood and support. The FReeper Foxhole hopes to share with it's readers an open forum where we can learn about and discuss military history, military news and other topics of concern or interest to our readers be they Veteran's, Current Duty or anyone interested in what we have to offer. If the Foxhole makes someone appreciate, even a little, what others have sacrificed for us, then it has accomplished one of it's missions. We hope the Foxhole in some small way helps us to remember and honor those who came before us.
|
 The ships of Military Sealift Command's Naval Fleet Auxiliary Force are the lifeline to U.S. Navy ships at sea. Providing fuel, food, ammunition, spare parts and other supplies, Naval Fleet Auxiliary Force, or NFAF, ships enable the Navy fleet to operate at the highest operational tempo possible. NFAF ships provide underway replenishment services to U.S. Navy ships worldwide alleviating the need for them to constantly return to port for supplies. Military Sealift Command's Naval Fleet Auxiliary Force Program is composed of fleet ocean tugs, fast combat support ships, oilers, combat stores ships and ammunition ships plus two hospital ships that are kept in a reduced operating status. Besides delivering supplies at sea, NFAF ships also conduct towing and salvage operations and serve as floating medical facilities. MSC's 36 NFAF ships are government-owned vessels crewed by civil service mariners. Small Navy departments that previously handled communications and signaling are being replaced by civilian mariners in a program that will be complete by FY 2002. A similar program will replace some Navy supply personnel with CIVMARs aboard MSC's six combat stores ships. Fourteen underway replenishment oilers, such as USNS Patuxent, USNS Kanawha and USNS Guadalupe, provide underway replenishment of fuel to Navy ships at sea and jet fuel for aircraft assigned to aircraft carriers. Three of the newest MSC underway replenishment oilers have double hulls.  Six combat stores ships, such as USNS Concord, USNS Sirius and USNS San Jose, provide underway replenishment of all types of supplies, ranging from repair parts to fresh food and clothing. Five ocean-going tugs, such as USNS Sioux and USNS Mohawk, provide the Navy with towing service, and, when augmented by Navy divers, assist in the recovery of downed ships and aircraft.  Ammunition ships ensure that Navy battle groups are the highly mobile "sea bases" they must be to deter aggression and protect U.S. interests. MSC's six ammunition ships, such as USNS Flint and USNS Mount Baker, efficiently move tons of ammunition through a combination of at-sea, side-by-side line transfers and vertical lifts via helicopters.  The NFAF Program also manages the operation of the Navy's two hospital ships -- USNS Comfort and USNS Mercy -- designed to provide emergency, on-site care for U.S. combat forces. Comfort and Mercy, which each contain 12 operating rooms and a 1,000-bed hospital facility, are normally kept in a reduced-operating-status. When called into action, they can be ready to sail in five days with a crew of 70 civilian mariners and a medical staff of more than 1,200 military medical personnel.  The Naval Fleet Auxiliary Force began in 1972 with the transfer of the fleet oiler Taluga to MSC after a series of tests showed civilian crews could operate the Navy's fleet support ships more efficiently than Navy sailors. The impressive cost savings resulting from the use of MSC civilian crews continues to grow each year as Military Sealift Command assumes more of the Navy's combat logistics role. In the next few years, MSC expects that trend to continue, as additional Navy resupply ships and missions are transferred to the command. In the years to come, the Naval Fleet Auxiliary Force will continue to be a vital, highly-productive and important support element for the U.S. Navy. NFAF plays an essential part in the Navy's ability to position itself "Forward...From the Sea."      |
Well, we're HOPING Mt. Hood is 'extinct!'
Breaks my heart, NOT!
By the time I was old enough to ask, he was no longer talking about any of it, except to say that America did very well! He locked all his papers away and they now sit in my brother's attic. LOL
LOL! I don't think "slapping" is used in that context anymore. Probably went out of fashion in the late 1700's or early 1800's.
Nope. CA is so big, that there are significant areas I've not been to, especially in the south.
Dec. 18, 2002 — The Military Sealift Command auxiliary combat stores ship USNS Spica (T-AFS 9) approaches USS Harry S. Truman. Underway Replenishment is the method by which provisions, ammunition and fuel are transferred from one ship to another at sea. The technique enables a fleet or naval formation to remain at sea for prolonged periods of time. U.S. Navy photo by Photographer’s Mate 2nd Class John L. Beeman. [021218-N-9851B-017].
At sea aboard USS John F. Kennedy (CV 67) Feb. 24, 2002 Ð Eurocopter AS 332 Super Puma transport aircraft lift cargo from the U.S. Military Sealift Command (MSC) ship USNS Spica (T-AFS 9), for delivery aboard ship during a vertical replenishment in the Mediterranean Sea. The Kennedy is scheduled to relieve USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) and will conduct missions in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.
AT SEA ABOARD USS THEODORE ROOSEVELT (CVN 71) Jan. 22, 2003 -- The guided missile cruiser USS Anzio (CG 68) conducts an underway replenishment (UNREP) at sea off the starboard side of the Military Sealift Command oiler USNS Arctic (T-AOE 8), while Theodore Roosevelt conducts a simultaneous replenishment operations. Roosevelt is conducting training exercises in the Caribbean Sea. U.S. Navy photo by PH2 James K. McNeil.
Underway Replenishment. This is how we refuel the ship. The two ships steam next to each other. Fuel lines are pulled across using good old fashioned man power. We receive fuel for the ship and aircraft via UNREP.
USS Cole ought not have been placed in harm's way with its needless refueling in terrorist lair Aden, Yemen.
Richard Miniter, Losing Bin Laden: How Bill Clinton's Failures Unleashed Global Terror, Regnery, 2003, page 223, describes the October 2000 White House Situation Room meeting with Cohen, Albright, Reno, Leon Fuerth, Gore's National Security Advisor--
Having managed to evade every opportunity to kill or capture bin Laden from 1993 on, the gaggle of geese now hemmed and hawed and eschewed action of any kind in the wake of the deadly attack on Cole.
A billion-dollar platform was placed in the unsecured harbor, with its watchstanders holding unloaded weapons, allowing a small craft to approach and ram the vessel midships--without so much as a "what-the-"
Unrep is the word which would have made this debacle moot.
Did you know John Kerry served in Vietnam?
John Kerry said, "If you liked Clinton, you'll love John Kerry."
John Kerry voted against the B-1, B-2, F-14, F-15, F-117, Patriot, Apache, Aegis, MX, et cetera et cetera et cetera.
John Kerry voted to cut billions from intelligence, called all American fighting men "war criminals, murderers, and rapists."
Pending the release of the Kerry military records, dental records, fingerprints, proctological exam and botox unrep report, we deem this preppie unfit to shine the boots of our "band of brothers".
With or without Max Cleland the failed grenade juggler cut from the cast of "Jackass".
U.S. Merchant Marine in Vietnam
I recall my older wiser brother USMMA '65 describing the precautions surrounding delivery of ordnance to Vietnam.
This link has a few:
The following were among the 46 precautions to be taken by the crew of the SS President Garfield (and other ships) during the particularly hazardous 35 mile river transit to Saigon:
Bridge personnel in helmets and flak suits.
Sandbags around bridge. Wheelhouse doors and windows open.
Grenade screens secured on portholes.
Engineers to go to full engine speed at first indication of attack without notifying bridge.
Only necessary persons on duty in Engine Room or on open deck. Off duty crew spread out in alleyways.
Purser standing by with medical kit.
Fire fighting equipment ready. Bilge and ballast pumps warmed up, ready to use.
Towing wires ready for tow without assist from ship crew. Both anchors ready for dropping.
And watch out for John Kerry firing .50 caliber shells at mothers with children.
You don't say.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
