Free Republic

The ability to deploy twenty-three ships in five days, including four that had been identified in March 2019 as “Not Mission Capable,” is a questionable achievement. The ships that sailed on Saturday can transport 3.3 million square feet of cargo, 24 barges, 7,000 containers, and provide a repair base for a Marine Corps aviation wing. However, the successful departures do not mean all is well with the surge sealift fleet. It is not definitively known what caused the delays or how the ships performed once clear of the sea buoys.