Page 47: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (May 2024)

MILITARY SEALIFT COMMAND CELEBRATES 75 his year marks Military Sealift Command’s 75th Savannah, Georgia, to the Persian Gulf. By the end of the war, anniversary of service to the Navy and Defense 459 shiploads had moved 945,000 pieces of unit equipment

Department. MSC’s celebration recognizes the totaling nearly 32.7 million square feet--enough tanks, trucks, unique service of the crews and ships that have ammunition, and foodstuffs to cover every square foot of 681

T sailed in every ocean football ? elds. Unit equipment sealifted to the United States

While the Navy had specialized ships for logistics before Central Command (USCENTCOM) area of responsibility and during World War II, it wasn’t until 1949, when the De- (AOR) totaled nearly 2.43 million tons.” partment of Defense established the Military Sea Transpor- Today, the MSC ? eet covers a wide spectrum of capability, tation Service (MSTS) to be DoD’s single managing agency and the command’s contracting authority facilitates bringing ad- for ocean transportation needs. DoD transferred a number of ditional or unique vessels when required. The Combat Logistics

Army ships to the Navy and MSTS assumed responsibility Fleet consists of 32 ships that can deliver fuel, food, supplies and for providing sealift and ocean transportation for all military ammunition wherever needed, while ships are underway. The services as well as for other government agencies. CLF includes oilers, fast combat support ships, and dry stores and

In 1970 its name was changed to Military Sealift Command, ammunition ships. And all of them can deliver while connected and in 1987 came under the newly establish U.S. Transporta- alongside or using helicopters. MSC’s strategic sealift ? eet of 24 tion Command, joining Military Airlift Command (replaced by prepositioning ships supports the Navy and Marine Corps, Army,

Air Mobility Command in 1992), Military Sealift Command, and Air Force with vehicles, equipment, weapons and ammuni- and Military Traf? c Management Command (renamed Mili- tion war? ghters will need in the event a con? ict erupts. Another tary Surface Deployment and Distribution Command in 2004). 22 “special mission” ships do everything from tracking missiles

Today, MSC is aligned under Commander Fleet Forces Com- mand, which sees MSC as an integral part of ? eet operations.

MSTS, and later MSC, were vital to the delivery of material and fuel for the war efforts in Korea and Vietnam. More re- cently, MSC led a massive sealift effort for Operations Desert

Shield and Desert Storm.

A report from the Center for Naval Analyses stated that the sealift operation in Desert Shield/Storm was a massive un- dertaking. “All elements of the Navy's sealift assets were in- volved, in addition to a large number of chartered ships, both domestic and foreign.”

According to a U.S. Transportation Command report on the war, “At the height of the sealift, on 31 December 1990, 217 ships--l32 enroute, 57 returning, and 28 loading or unloading- -formed a virtual “steel bridge” across the Atlantic Ocean.

U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Daniel Barker/Released

This equated to approximately one ship every 50 miles from

When the U.S. forces land at Inchon in September 1950, 13 USNS cargo ships, 26 chartered American, and 34 Japanese-manned merchant ships, under the USNS Zeus operational control of MSTS, participate in the invasion. (T-ARC 7), the ? rst

A few months later, MSTS helps evacuate 105,000 U.N. cable repair ship troops; 91,000 refugees; 350,000 tons of cargo; and designed and built 17,500 vehicles--193 ship loads--from encirclement by by the U.S. Navy

Communist forces around the ports of Hungnam and from the keel up

Wonsan, and delivers them to the port of Pusan. joins the ? eet.

1949 1950 1970 1972 1984

Military Sea MSTS renamed A Navy study concluded that it would

Transportation Service Military Sealift be more cost effective to ? eet auxiliaries established to combine Command. such as oilers, stores ships and the Navy’s Fleet Support ammunition ships to MSC to operate

Services, the Naval with civil service mariners (CIVMARs)

Transportation Service, the instead of active-duty Sailors. The ? eet

Army Transport Service, oiler USS Taluga (AO 62) is transferred and the U.S. Maritime to MSC as USNS Taluga (T-AO 62) and

Commission’s War begins providing replenishment-at-sea

Shipping Administration. services to the ? eet.

www.marinelink.com 47

MR #5 (34-49).indd 47 5/3/2024 9:03:41 AM