lanham@aristotle.ils.nwu.edu (Ryan Lanham) (08/08/90)
From: Ryan Lanham <lanham@aristotle.ils.nwu.edu> What are current Roll On Roll Off support capabilities of the fleet in the unlikely event of moving large numbers of tanks to a port of limited capabilities? How many RoRo's does the Navy own, how many Abrams can fit on one, and how fast do they go? Ryan Lanham Northwestern University
terryr@ogicse.ogi.edu (Terry Rooker) (08/13/90)
From: terryr@ogicse.ogi.edu (Terry Rooker) In article <1990Aug8.030526.26015@cbnews.att.com> lanham@aristotle.ils.nwu.edu (Ryan Lanham) writes: > >What are current Roll On Roll Off support capabilities of the fleet in the >unlikely event of moving large numbers of tanks to a port of limited >capabilities? How many RoRo's does the Navy own, how many Abrams can fit >on one, and how fast do they go? > First, it is a matter of moving more than just tanks. A division has numerous other vehicles that are also required, not to mention other supplies. Granted the tanks are the heaviest and most problematic. The Marines use maritime pre-positioning ships to hold the equipment of a Marine Expeditionary Brigade. I believe it takes 6 such ships to hold the equipment for 1 brigade, In the context of the current crisis, I believe the MP squadron in Diego Garcia is enroute to the Persian Gulf. A MEB is much larger than an army brigade, and includes organic air assets. On the other hand, the Marines do not have as many heavy vehicles as the Army, so 6 ships per brigade is probably a safe figure. The Navy has 13 MP ships, all of which are earmarked for the Marines. After they have off-loaded the first batch, they could always come back for more. There are 9 RoRo ships active, of which 8 are converted SL-7's with a top speed of 33 kts. Combat Fleets credits them with holding 183 (!) M-1 tanks. They are roughly the size of the MP ships. In addition there are 13 RoRos in the Ready Reserve, but they would take 5-30 days to reactivate. In addition, crews would have to be found, an increasingly difficult proposition as the American merchant marine declines. The problem with most RoRo is that they need special port facilties to off-load. That is one of the biggest objections to using them. You just can't park them at any berth and drive the tanks off. Not to mention the weight of the tanks exceeding the load limits of the pier or wharf. Nevertheless, they can obviously move a lot of equipment quickly. Finally there are the ultimate RoRos, although not usually considered as such; the LSTs. These vessels are designed to drive up to the beach or causeway and discharge the vehicles directly onto the shore. They can also carry causeway sections if the beach gradient is too shallow. There are 20 of them, and each can carry 20 tanks. That isn't many but they have to be beachable, and they are designed to support the initial assault, and tanks are not much good below the high-tide line :-) The final answer to how many tanks can be lifted relies on how many of these vessels are in service and available. For a fleet there are usually 30-50% of the vessels not available immediately. As a rough guestimate, using the RoRo's ONLY for the heavy vehicles, break-bulk or container ships for the lighter vehicles and cargo, and moving the personnel primarily by plane, there might be enough in-Navy lift for 2 divisions. That would entail a complete stop to the normal oprations of these ships which may not be possible. The Persian Gulf is a small body of water, and these ships would make tempting targets. Sinking just a couple could remove the teeth from an armored division. Assuming such protection could be arranged, the Navy could probably lift 1-2 divisions in a pinch. -- Terry Rooker terryr@cse.ogi.edu
terryr@ogicse.ogi.edu (Terry Rooker) (08/14/90)
From: terryr@ogicse.ogi.edu (Terry Rooker) In article <1990Aug8.030526.26015@cbnews.att.com> lanham@aristotle.ils.nwu.edu (Ryan Lanham) writes: > > >What are current Roll On Roll Off support capabilities of the fleet in the >unlikely event of moving large numbers of tanks to a port of limited >capabilities? How many RoRo's does the Navy own, how many Abrams can fit >on one, and how fast do they go? > Previously I posted the numbers of RoRo ships the Navy has. Apparently, they feel the need to move LOTS of heavy equipment. There was an article in the Sunday Oregonian (12 Aug 90) that the National Defense Reserve Fleet ships maintained in Portland, Or were being readied for sea. They also said that similar vessels in Puget Sound were being readied. Since these ships are part of the Suisin Bay fleet, it only stands to reason that others are also being mobilized. In another article a Navy Nurse at Bremerton said she was one of 150 active duty medical personnel from Bremerton that were transfered to Oakland to man one of the Hospital ships. This report was not confirmed by the Navy or DoD. They do admit to activating the 2 T-AH's for duty in the Persian Gulf. Since these vessels have no peacetime crews it makes sense that the Navy will move people from the stateside hospitals to man the medical billets. -- Terry Rooker terryr@cse.ogi.edu
beckerd@grover.cs.unc.edu (David Becker) (08/15/90)
From: beckerd@grover.cs.unc.edu (David Becker) terryr@ogicse.ogi.edu (Terry Rooker) writes: >The final answer to how many tanks can be lifted relies on how many of >these vessels are in service and available. Today's NY Times had a report covering the sealift of the 24th armored division and Navy lift capacity in general. The ships were only refered to as fast transports. I assume these are Roll on/Roll offs. The first ship out is carrying 1 brigade, listed as 150 tanks. Two more are loading. A forth is there waiting and four more fast transports are sailing for Savanah. The Times said these 8 ships were all the fast transports the Navy had even though Congress had tried to get them to buy more. The 8 ships together carry 1 armored division and take two weeks to get to the Middle East. Several ships from the sealift reserve were also being activated. They will take twice as long to get over there. -- David Becker Gotta love a machine that hangs on beckerd@cs.unc.edu your every word.