New shipboard jobs are on the horizon for members of the SIU’s Government Services Division, the result of the June 29 transfer of the USS Bridge (AOE 10) from commissioned service in the U.S Navy’s combat fleet into its Military Sealift Command (MSC).Now known as the USNS Bridge, the vessel has a crew of 160 civilian mariners. The federal civil service mariners (CIVMARS) will be joined aboard the Bridge by a small military department of 28 sailors who will perform communication support and supply coordination. An additional 30 or more sailors will augment the crew when necessary to support helicopter operations.
As a Navy ship, the Bridge was crewed by a complement of 544 active-duty sailors.
“The transfer of the Bridge from the Navy’s combat fleet to the Military Sealift Command marked another great day for the SIU,” noted SIU Government Services Division Representative Chet Wheeler. “It means more welcomed jobs for our mariners and stands as a great example of our tremendous working partnership with the Navy. The other point is that everyone benefits from the move.
“The Bridge is the fourth vessel that has been transferred to MSC from commissioned service in the Navy fleet,” Wheeler continued. “Each transition went very smoothly, and all parties concerned deserve a great deal of credit for the ease with which it occurred.”
In its new role, the Bridge will be joining more than 30 civilian-crewed ships providing combat logistics services to Navy fleets worldwide.
A formal ceremony marking the vessel’s decommissioning and transfer took place June 24 at the U.S. Naval Base in Bremerton, Wash.
The Bridge became the last of four U.S. Navy Supply-class fast combat support ships to leave commissioned service for what the Navy termed “an even more active role with MSC.” Navy sources say the transfer of the Bridge and its sister ships, the USNS Rainier, USNS Arctic and USNS Supply, are part of the Navy’s continuing transformation into a more efficient and cost effective fighting force for the 21st century. According to a May 1998 Center for Naval Analysis study, the Navy will save a projected $76 million annually with the change. The transfers also free up more than 100 active-duty Navy officers and nearly 2,000 enlisted sailors to return to the war-fighting roles for which they were trained.
With a top speed in excess of 25 knots, the 754-foot fast combat support ships are ideally suited to travel with U.S. Navy strike groups to provide underway replenishment of fuel, ammunition, spare parts and stores at sea, eliminating the need for the combatants to constantly return to port.
The MSC has awarded a contract for modifications on the USNS Bridge. Work was scheduled to begin late last month and conclude in early October.
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