By Karen E. Thuermer, AJOTIn April, three Military Sealift Command (MSC) ships set sail from the Port of Savannah carrying US Army cargo for troops in Iraq. Two of the vessels—the USNS Watson and USNS Charlton, were government-owned, contractor-operated large, medium-speed, roll-on/roll-off (LMSR) ships loaded with thousands of pieces of military equipment, including helicopters, humvees, tanks and trucks. “The ships are moving enough equipment to fill nine football fields,” a MSC Public Affairs press release reported. Operation Iraqi Freedom, now into its fourth year, has placed LMSRs in greater demand. LMSRs, which are nearly as large as aircraft carriers, are enormous compared to their commercial counterparts that haul primarily cars, trucks and farm equipment. The USNS Watson and USNS Charlton both have a displacement capacity of 62,644 long tons. They are two of the 19 LMSR ships in the MSC fleet. “LMSRs are specifically designed to carry oversized combat cargo for US war fighters around the world,” says Tim Pickering, MSC cargo project officer. “Each ship has a carrying capacity of 380,000 square feet.” MSC currently operates 114 non-combatant, civilian-crewed ships worldwide. In addition, the command has access to 50 other ships that are kept in reduced operating status, ready to be activated if needed. Besides being able to carry different configurations of ro/ro equipment, fast loading is important to military operations. “The standard load time for an LMSR is four days. But, depending on the amount and type of cargo, we can often complete it much more quickly,” says Tom D’Agostino, the MSC representative who oversees such operations at three major ports on the East Coast. “We are able to load these LMSRs so quickly because we have a precisely coordinated plan for maneuvering tanks, trucks and other rolling stock through the system of internal ramps linking the ships’ seven wide-open cargo decks.” Single port managementOperating under the United States Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM) and its single port management concept of operations, MSC utilizes 17 strategic seaports around the United States: Port Arthur/Beaumont, Texas; Charleston, SC; Jacksonville, FL; New York/New Jersey; Hampton Roads, VA; Wilmington/Morehead City, NC; Savannah, GA; Corpus Christi, Texas; Honolulu; San Diego, CA; Los Angeles/Long Beach; Oakland/Concord, CA; and Seattle/Tacoma/Port Hadlock. USNS Watson and USNS Charlton utilized the Port of Savannah because of its proximity to the cargo’s source: the Third Infantry Division’s Second Brigade Combat Team and Combat Aviation Brigade of Ft. Stewart/Hunter Army Airfield, GA. While most ro/ro activity traffic occurs at Georgia Port Authority’s Port of Brunswick, Savannah’s large, single common Garden City Terminal and the fact the port can handle large vessels such as the LMSRs were additional key factors. Military ro/ro requirements are not standard fare. Large staging areas are critical given that these ships transport combat equipment and supplies and preposition military supplies in strategic locations around the world. They military must also liaison with contractors who operate the ships. While LMSRs are either government-owned or contractor-owned, and all are contractor-operated. Three companies provide the service: American Roll-On Roll-Office Carrier (ARC), Central Gulf Lines, and Liberty Global Logistics. According to Sandy Santianna, general manager for customer service and pricing at American Roll-On Roll-Off Carrier (ARC), 550 ro/ro vessels exist in the world fleet today. “By 2012 that figure should jump 25% to over 700,” she says. Ro/ro advantagesMost LMSRs have a six-deck interior and a cargo carrying capacity of more than 300,000 square feet. Their ro/ro design makes them ideal for transporting helicopters, tanks and other wheeled and tracked military vehicles. LMSRs can carry enough ammunition, food, water, fuel, equipment and other supplies to sustain up to 20,000 troops of an Arm