U.S Navy Seabees prepare for deployment

Nearly one hundred U.S. Navy sailors began loading the USNS spearhead ship today from the Port of Gulfport.

Two hundred tons of cargo, a ship made out of aluminum, and about 100 Seabees, medical personnel, and Navy divers are all setting sail Thursday on a humanitarian mission to make a difference in Central and South America. CM1 AJ Wymore said, “We will be going down to Colombia and we’re going to be putting a well in for the local population down there. They’ve had a record seven year drought down there and they’re really hurting for water resources. So, we’re gonna go in, put in a deep water potable resource for them.”

Their mission to Panama, Colombia, Honduras, El Salvador, and Trinidad and Tobago is designed to not only build relationships with these partner countries, but to give medical assistance and respond to natural disasters. Commander James Meadows said, “This is the hurricane season coming up and we may possibly be tasked with humanitarian aid and disaster relief in that region while we’re there. It’s very important that we foster these relationships for security purposes.”

The ship is similar to a high-speed ferry, able to carry all the belongings of the passengers and the equipment, but not without a little math. The ship is designed like an iron triangle and has to be balanced carefully. More distance means more fuel and less cargo while more cargo means less fuel and less distance. Lt. Christopher Spring said, “You pick one of those three and if you pick one you have to sacrifice the other two. So this ship is actually built more towards airplane standards. That’s why it’s not even painted, to save weight for cargo.”

Even though leaving home on deployment is difficult, Seabee AJ Wymore says it’s the outcome that makes it all worth it. “Deployment, especially if you’re like me and have a family, that’s always the hard part, leaving the ones you love and your friends behind, but having a view of the bigger picture and what impact we especially as Seabees get to make around the world, that kind of helps soften the blow a little bit.”

The crew is scheduled to return to the Coast in October.