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CAMP PATRIOT, Kuwait (March 16, 2009) - The
Army's mission to move equipment in Operations Iraqi and Enduring
Freedom is not limited to land and air-based vehicles. Army
watercraft stationed at Camp Patriot, Kuwait move thousands of tons
of cargo every year. The vessels belong to the 97th Medium Boat
Company and the 1099th Heavy Boat Company.
Currently, all watercraft operations are controlled by the 6th
Transportation Battalion out of Fort Eustis, Va. Both the battalion
and its parent command, the 4th Sustainment Brigade out of Fort
Hood, Texas are stationed at Camp Arifjan, Kuwait.
The Logistics Support Vessels are 273-foot landing craft, each
with a crew of approximetly 30 Soldiers, while the Landing Craft
Utility are 174-foot landing craft, each with a crew of 16
soldiers. The crew consists of deck-side operators, engineers,
communications technicians, cooks, and a medic. LCU crews are split
similarly to the LSV's except they do not have communication
technicians.
Vessels support all joint services, Multinational Services, and
Department of Defense contractors in moving cargo. Customers first
determine what cargo they would like moved and submit a Joint
Movement Request to the 311th Expeditionary Sustainment
Command.
The JMR is then routed to 4th Sustainment Brigade Future
Operations Air Drop Tech/Watercraft Operations Cell. The BDE
section is responsible for coordinating with the 6th Battalion
Harbor Master Detachment, ports to be visited, and the customer to
determine when the cargo can be received and delivered.
The section also coordinates diplomatic clearances and
contracted support for the vessels while in foreign ports.
Country and customs clearances are the "bottleneck," as each
country the vessels visit require individual requests that have to
be submitted in advance.
Recently, one LCU served as a dive platform for the 74th Dive
Detachment stationed at Camp Patriot. This opportunity training
allowed the dive supervisors to certify dives without having to
leave their home port.
The vessels have supported several missions with the Kuwaiti
Navy. An LCU transported Kuwaitis and U.S. Army divers to a small
island near KNB for a site reconnaissance in support of a Kuwaiti
exercise.
There is not a lot of additional space on Army watercraft, as
these vessels were developed to be cargo movers. Crews have
staterooms and reside on the vessel during the deployment, whether
in port or at sea, but there is minimal space for passengers.
LSV's have three cooks, LCU's have two and crews are served
three meals a day. During off time, crews relax in the crew mess.
Movies, video games and cards are the popular activities before the
next watch.
When not on mission, crews actively participate in Camp Patriot
intramural sports programs such as flag football, softball and
basketball.
During this current deployment, the Army vessels have moved
1,101 pieces of cargo totalling 12,760 tons over 35,264 nautical
miles. The operation tempo remains high and there have been very
few periods when all vessels are in their home port.
These deployed vessels provide Joint Forces in the area of
operations a safe, cost effective way to move cargo throughout the
theater.
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