CHUKSAMET, Thailand, Jan. 28, 2005
– With a shallow draft only about 14 feet and the capacity to
move 530 tons of cargo alone, the WestPac Express can get nearly
an entire reinforced Marine battalion and its gear anywhere it
needs to go, the ship's civilian
captain Ken Kujala said.
Ken
Kujala, captain of the WestPac Express,
stands at the controls of the civilian high-speed vessel.
Originally designed as a passenger ferry, the Navy leases
the vessel and has assigned it to the 3rd Marine
Expeditionary Force. Its usual mission is to move troops and
gear for training exercises. It was recently tasked with
moving communication equipment to Thailand in support of the
tsunami disaster relief effort.
(Click
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"We have the potential (to
transport) almost 970 personnel and all of their "toys","
Kujala, a former U.S. sailor, said.
And it can accomplish that task
quickly, though its top speed is sometimes more theoretical than
actual.
"The ship is, quote, designed
to go 40 knots," Kujala said. "It doesn't quite do that.
Maybe in the perfect conditions, it will do that."
Able to haul everything from
trucks to helicopters, there is only one piece of equipment the
WestPac can't handle. The M-1A1 main battle tank at some 68 tons
is simply too heavy.
Until this high-speed vessel
started its tenure with the U.S. military, it would have taken
five or six days of constant C-130 flights to get everybody and
everything where it needed to be, Kujala said.
Because it has such a shallow
draft, the WestPac can also go where others can't. It only
requires a water depth of 15 or 16 feet to maneuver, Kujala said.
This makes it a very unique asset for the Navy, which is used to
having to stay in deeper waters.
Owned by an Australian ship
company, leased by the Navy and assigned to the 3rd Marine
Expeditionary Force based in Okinawa, the vessel's normal duty is
moving Marines and their gear for training exercises.
Its maneuverability, cargo
capacity, speed and easy loading and unloading make it a valuable
asset to the Navy.
Most recently, those capabilities
were used to transport communications gear from Okinawa to
Thailand to support tsunami disaster relief efforts in the
Southeast Asian region.
The 2,300-mile trip began on Jan.
4 in Okinawa and ended when the WestPac arrived in Chuksamet,
Thailand, on Jan. 9.
Besides the communications gear, a
detachment of 17 Marines, headed by Chief Warrant Officer Perry
Smith, made the trip. Their role upon arrival in Thailand was to
secure the cargo and provide security for the WestPac and it's 14
civilian crewmembers.
Essentially, Kujala said, the
Marines were there to "make the ship self- sufficient."
Designed to handle 530 tons, the
humanitarian mission stretched the vessel's cargo capacity, Kujala
said. The WestPac carried 630 tons of equipment on its trip
between Okinawa and Thailand. "That was absolutely maximum,"
he said.
The WestPac was expected to be
tasked with moving relief supplies to various areas within the
region affected by the tsunami. Generally, those areas wouldn't be
serviceable by other vessels.
Originally designed as a passenger
ferry, the twin-hulled, aluminum catamaran gets 40,000 horsepower
out of its four Caterpillar engines, which operate four water
jets. Because of its lightweight construction material and the
power available, the WestPac is built for speed.
"We operate on water jets
instead of propellers," Kujala said. "So, it's a giant
water ski."
Water ski or not, the WestPac,
home ported in Naha, Okinawa, is technically a commercial ship and
so must juggle commercial rules and regulations with those of the
military. And sometimes it's the little things that no one would
think of that cause the problems.
Because it was designed as a
passenger ferry, there was no reason to accommodate a permanent
crew. Therefore, there was no berthing.
"We had to get an exemption
from the Coast Guard because it doesn't fit normal space
requirements for merchant seamen," he said. "There's a
lot of things like that that everybody kind of had to work
together and say, 'OK, this is the spirit of what we need to do.
Let's just make it happen.'"
There are, however, all the
comforts one would expect on a passenger ferry. The plush seats
and snack bar make for an enjoyable trip. Add the video system and
the vessel's ability to make its own fresh water and you've got a
regular floating barracks.
Unlike regular barracks, however,
the HSV must constantly be aware of the weather. The WestPac must
stay within four hours of a safe harbor in case a storm crops up. Kujala said that 10-12 foot seas
slow these vessels down and are cause to look for a hiding place.
"Considering typhoon season,"
he said, "we go hide a lot."
Previously flagged Panamanian, the
WestPac was reflagged American when it began carrying U.S. troops
about three years ago.
The WestPac's Kujala added that
HSVs could become much more common as the Navy, like the other
services, transforms into the 21st century.
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