THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, October 31, 1995 TAG: 9510310314
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: D1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY CHRISTOPHER DINSMORE, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 96 lines
For the crew of the Cape Race, when the activation call came June 23, it was just like practice.
Every two weeks the 10-person crew fires up the engines of the big Ready Reserve Fleet roll-on/roll-off ship to rehearse for deployment. So when Cape Race was ordered into operation, the crew was prepared and the ship was ready in a record 23 hours.
Cape Race, berthed at Moon Engineering Co. Inc. in Portsmouth, was one of two U.S. ships called up in June to support the deployment of NATO's Rapid Reaction Force in Bosnia. Known as Operation Quick Lift, it was the first time U.S. cargo ships were used to support a deployment that didn't involve U.S. troops.
The U.S. Maritime Administration honored the ship and its crew Monday with the Distinguished Ship Award for the exemplary performance of their mission in an onboard ceremony keynoted by U.S. Transportation Secretary Federico Pena.
In his speech, Pena lauded the Cape Race's crew and extolled the virtues of the 93-ship Ready Reserve Fleet.
``We own the vessels and maintain them to provide prompt sealift support for our military forces,'' Pena said. ``I believe it's as essential to the nation's security as an M-16 rifle or an F-16 fighter.''
Pena's was the first visit by any U.S. Transportation Secretary to a ship of the Ready Reserve, which was created in 1976.
Cape Race is only the fourth vessel to receive the award from MARAD, the Transportation Department agency that oversees the Ready Reserve Fleet and other maritime and port-related issues.
``We don't just hand these out,'' said Michael Delpercio Jr., director of MARAD's Office of Ship Operations. ``If a ship performs its mission flawlessly, we'll give the award.''
It was the third time the award has gone to a ship managed by New York-based OMI Ship Management Inc. for MARAD. OMI manages 10 Ready Reserve ships, nearly all of which are berthed in Hampton Roads, said William Hogg, OMI president.
OMI manages all three of the roll-on/roll-off ships berthed at Moon Engineering in Portsmouth - the Cape Race, Cape Ray and Cape Rise. Vehicles, such as trucks and tanks, can drive into the cargo hold of a roll-on/roll-off vessel.
MARAD bought the Cape Race in 1993 and had it converted to Ready Reserve status at Bethlehem Steel Corp.'s Sparrows Point shipyard in Baltimore. The 683-foot-long ship has 138,890 feet of deck space. At its service speed of 18 knots, it could make six round trips between Norfolk and Japan without refueling.
When the Cape Race was tapped for operation June 23, the crew started the engines and got other ship's systems on line. OMI boosted the crew from its reserve level of 10 to the full operating compliment of 28. Chief Engineer Paul Musotto, who lives aboard the vessel, had to hurry back from Baltimore where he had renewed his engineer's license that morning. After a quick sea trial and fueling, Cape Race sailed empty to Germany five days after being called up.
``When the call comes, we can be there in less time than we ever thought possible,'' said John E. Graykowski, MARAD deputy administrator.
In Germany and then in England, Cape Race loaded trucks, ambulances and other rolling stock as well as ammunition to be delivered to the port of Ploce in Croatia. It returned to England for another load destined for Ploce and Split in Croatia. The whole operation took two months and the Cape Race moved 14,000 tons of vehicles, construction gear, supplies and ammo.
Pena and other officials at the ceremony used the opportunity to tout the importance of maintaining a U.S. merchant fleet.
Unlike the government-owned Ready Reserve, the private U.S. merchant fleet is actively engaged in commercial shipping. Such ships are considered an important piece of the nation's ability to move cargo in a national emergency.
But the American-flag commercial cargo fleet has dwindled in recent years as owners, citing high labor costs and expensive regulations, have chosen to operate their ships under foreign flags of convenience with foreign crews.
``We should all think about how important maritime activities have been, are and are going to be to our nation,'' said U.S. Rep. Owen Pickett.
Pena called on Congress to pass the Clinton Administration's Maritime Security Program, which includes subsidies to support the operation of a ``bare minimum'' of 50 U.S.-flag cargo ships. This is a nonpartisan issue, Pena said, calling it an investment in the nation's economic and military security.
``How can we have just about every good shipped into and out of our country shipped on a foreign flag vessel?'' Pena asked. ``If the American people understood this, they would be outraged.'' ILLUSTRATION: LAWRENCE JACKSON
The Virginian-Pilot
[Color Photos]
ABOVE: A man leaves the Cape Race, right, after the ship and its
crew was honored Monday with the Distinguished Ship Award. BELOW:
U.S. Transportation Secretary Federico Pena praised the virtues if
the 93-ship Ready Reserve Fleet.
KEYWORDS: READY RESERVE FLEET by CNB