U.S. 5TH FLEET AREA OF OPERATIONS (Nov. 21, 2017) — The amphibious dock landing ship USS Pearl Harbor (LSD 52) completed a nighttime connected replenishment (CONREP) with the dry cargo and ammunition ship USNS Alan Shepard (T-AKE 3), Nov. 14.
During the CONREP, Pearl Harbor received more than 110,000 gallons of diesel fuel, 18,000 gallons of aviation fuel and 67 pallets of dry goods from Alan Shepard.
“The ability to replenish at sea is one that allows the U.S. Navy to operate forward for extended periods of time,” said Cmdr. Benjamin Miller, Pearl Harbor’s executive officer. “It’s something we’ve been very good at for a long time, and it extends our reach immensely.”
Extra preparation was required in order to execute the evolution after sundown, which included tagging the phone and distance line, setting up the lifejackets and hard hats and attaching glow sticks to the lifejackets.
“Preparation for this CONREP is important because if we don’t have all of the pieces we need in the right places, a lot of things could fall apart,” said Seaman Miguel Mendez, assigned to the ship’s deck department. “If everyone is prepared and aware then we can be ready for any situation.”
This night CONREP was the first Pearl Harbor had completed during this deployment and the first since coming out of extended docking phase maintenance availability in 2016.
“After a two-year yard period and a completely new deck department, we successfully executed a highly demanding nighttime CONREP going until 2 a.m. with zero mishaps,” said Boatswain’s Mate 1st Class Deshawn Byers, a native of New York, assigned to the ship’s deck department. “I have never been more proud of our deck department.”
Pearl Harbor is part of the America Amphibious Ready Group (ARG) and, with the embarked 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), is in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations in support of maritime security operations to reassure allies and partners, and preserve the freedom of navigation and the free flow of commerce in the region.
The ARG and 15th MEU provide senior U.S. military leadership and partners with a flexible force which can rapidly respond to contingencies and crises within a region. With ships, aircraft, troops, and logistical equipment, the ARG/MEU is a self-contained and self-sustained task force capable of conducting a wide range of military operations including humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.