Three government services-crewed ships in June were honored as winners of the Military Sealift Command (MSC) Surface Ship Safety Award.MSC reported that fleet oiler USNS Leroy Grumman, combat stores ship USNS San Jose, and fleet ocean tug USNS Navajo—each crewed by members of the union’s Government Services Division—have been selected from 37 eligible vessels as the command’s leaders in safety.
The award, given for the Oct. 1, 2001 to March 31, 2003 competitive period, recognizes the outstanding contributions of ships crewed by civil service mariners to MSC fleet readiness. The award also takes into account increased morale and the efficient use of safety resources. Ships and crews earning the award exhibit consistently excellent safety records and employ proactive accident prevention programs.
In acknowledgment of their respective efforts, crews from each ship received a plaque. Each also was given authorization to display a large green “S” on its bridge bulwark signifying the Surface Ship Safety Award.
MSC also recognized three other ships, including fleet oiler USNS John Ericsson and hospital ship USNS Comfort (both crewed by Government Services Division members) as runners-up for the Surface Ship Safety Award.
“These ships exemplified an aggressive safety program which actively contributed to mishap prevention. They have set the standard in MSC afloat safety for our fleet,” said Vice Admiral David L. Brewer III, MSC commander, in a message sent to all MSC ships.
One winner and one runner-up are chosen from each of the following categories of MSC ships for the award: Naval Fleet Auxiliary Force oilers, NFAF cargo ships and other MSC civil-service mariner crewed ships. The USNS San Jose, the highest-rated ship overall, also earned the 2002 Department of the Navy Safety Excellence Award in the Military Sealift Command category.
MSC normally operates 120 civilian-crewed, noncombatant ships for a variety of missions around the world. That number expanded to about 214 in March as additional ships were activated from reduced operating status or chartered for the command’s support of U.S. forces in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
From January to April 2003, MSC ships delivered more than 21 million square feet of combat equipment and other cargo—the equivalent of more than 300 football fields—to the Central Command area of operations. The command’s fleet support ships also pumped more than 117 million gallons of fuel to U.S. Navy and coalition warships in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
MSC ship missions include underway replenishment of U.S. Navy ships at sea, prepositioning and transport of defense cargo and at-sea data collection for the U.S. military and other U.S. government agencies.
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