APS Conducts West Africa Training Cruise '08

By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class (SW/AW) Elizabeth Merriam,
Africa Partnership Station Public Affairs

MONROVIA, Liberia (NNS) -- Over a four-day period Sailors and Marines
conducting the West Africa Training Cruise (WATC) 08, under the command
of Africa Partnership Station (APS), successfully built and used the
Improved Navy Lighterage System (INLS) for it's first sea trial.

"WATC '08 started from numerous events put together under one exercise
that falls under APS," said Lt. Col. Roy Edmonds, lead planner, Marine
Forces Europe. "Sailors and Marines from 4th Marine Logistics Group and
Naval Beach Group 2 are here to demonstrate sea basing capabilities by
bringing together multiple building block like structures and putting
them together to create a mobile platform at sea."

The INLS is a redesign of a floating dock system originally used during
World War II. Composed of smaller component links the system pieces can
lock together to create ferries, causeway piers, or roll-on, roll-off
discharge facilities to transport cargo and equipment from ship to
shore
while leaving a minimal footprint tailored to the individual mission.

The construction began aboard container & roll-on/roll-off ship USNS
Lance Cpl. Roy M. Wheat (T-AK-3016) when various commands from Naval
Beach Group 2 worked together to crane the links off of the ship and
combine them into their final structures.

"Usually when we do stuff like this it's pier side in Jacksonville and
it is different doing this on water," Boatswain's Mate 3rd Class
Antoine
Salik, crane operator, Navy Cargo Handling Battalion 1 said. "On the
pier you have no pitch and roll it's just lift and put it on the pier,
unlike how it is out here on the ship but we adapt and over come."

Once the construction on the INLS components was completed the
discharge
facility was transported to container & roll-on/roll-off ship USNS 2nd
Lt. John Bobo (T-AK-3008) where it was loaded with Marine Corps
vehicles.

"Putting together a mobile platform at sea that we can lift on, lift
off
Marine Corps vehicles is similar to the capability that is provided to
us through causeway ferries. Now we can move those vehicles from one
platform to another platform while altogether sustaining the force at
sea," Edmonds said. "What this does is it gives us really a robots'
capability to operate off shore and move equipment and personnel to
ports that we can operate out of."

The vehicles were then transported to the staging deck aboard
amphibious
dock landing ship USS Fort McHenry (LSD 43) where the ship's crew and
the members of Assault Craft Unit 2, piloting the roll-on, roll off
discharge facility, would attempt to dock an INLS structure in a well
deck for the first time.

"We got to play a significant role in proving our capability, to take a
written concept like ILNS and make it a successful executable operation
for moving equipment and personnel from ship to sea base to shore,"
Fort
McHenry 1st Lieutenant, Lt. Diane Middleton said.

"I think the reason it went so smoothly is the cooperation and teamwork
between the Marines and the Navy. I am lucky in having an experienced
deck department with experienced line handlers, who have done
operations
like this before with a landing craft unit (LCU). They have the mindset
that it's just a longer LCU, and they're able to take that and
incorporative it with ILNS, and that is why I think this evolution went
very well," Middleton continued.

Once the Sailors secured the discharge facility in the well deck
members
of the 4th Marine Logistics Group simply drove the vehicles off the
platform rolling directly into the staging area.

While Fort McHenry's crew worked with the discharge facility, John Bobo
moored next to the INLS causeway. As part of the exercise, Marines
reloaded the platform and the discharge facility and departed Fort
McHenry to rendezvous with John Bobo, again exhibiting the ability of
the INLS to dock with an amphibious vessel to transport cargo from ship
to ship the once the roll-on, roll-off discharge facility and causeway
ferries were attached to the causeway, High Speed Vessel 2 Swift moored
next to John Bobo, where ready receive Marine vehicles were transported
to ship to shore.

This is the first time INLS has been used successfully at sea to
transport cargo from ship-to-ship and ship-to-shore. During the rest of
WATC the INLS will be used to aid in transporting humanitarian
assistance supplies to Monrovia as part of the APS contribution to the
area.

As part of the Navy's new global maritime strategy, Africa Partnership
Station is a U.S. Naval Forces Europe-led initiative, executed by a
multinational staff aboard Fort McHenry and Swift.

Commander Task Force 365 and training teams from various U.S. and
European military commands, as well as governmental and nongovernmental
organizations are embarked on board Fort McHenry to enhance cooperative
partnerships with regional maritime services in West and Central Africa
and the Gulf of Guinea on a seven-month deployment.

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APS Conducts West Africa Training Cruise '08

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