Ships manned mostly by civilians.
My first introduction to this little-known military group was in 1958 when I made a luxury cruise from Brooklyn Navy Yard to Bremerhaven, Germany. I don't remember whether is was the USNS Patch or USNS Rose. In either case, all these years later I clearly remember the stink of too many bodies too close together mixed with oil and salt water. I had the thrill of one more trip, returning from Europe to CONUS some years later. I doubt either ship is still in service. (I wrote a piece about this on my blog @ A Soldier's Stories: An Army Ocean Cruise)
But, the MSC is still there providing fuel and supplies to combat sips of the navy.
MSC last year transported twice the ordnance, three times the critical parts and one-third more cargo in Europe and Africa than in 2016, according to data from the command, which operates about 110 noncombatant ships worldwide.
A bit more about them can be found @ With Navy strained, Sealift Command crews eye greater military role
This article is @ Navy’s civilian-run ships playing bigger supply role amid Russia tensions
My first introduction to this little-known military group was in 1958 when I made a luxury cruise from Brooklyn Navy Yard to Bremerhaven, Germany. I don't remember whether is was the USNS Patch or USNS Rose. In either case, all these years later I clearly remember the stink of too many bodies too close together mixed with oil and salt water. I had the thrill of one more trip, returning from Europe to CONUS some years later. I doubt either ship is still in service. (I wrote a piece about this on my blog @ A Soldier's Stories: An Army Ocean Cruise)
But, the MSC is still there providing fuel and supplies to combat sips of the navy.
MSC last year transported twice the ordnance, three times the critical parts and one-third more cargo in Europe and Africa than in 2016, according to data from the command, which operates about 110 noncombatant ships worldwide.
A bit more about them can be found @ With Navy strained, Sealift Command crews eye greater military role
This article is @ Navy’s civilian-run ships playing bigger supply role amid Russia tensions
