AMO Currents - New jobs for AMO as <i>USNS Montford Point</i> (T-MLP 1) is christened

AMO Currents - Posted: March 5, 2013

New jobs for AMO as USNS Montford Point (T-MLP 1) is christened

Attending the christening ceremony for the USNS Montford Point in San Diego, Calif., March 2 were American Maritime Officers members Chief Mate Mike Sands (to be the ship's first relieving master), USNS Montford Point Chief Engineer William Maus, USNS Montford Point Captain Kurt Kleinschmidt and First Assistant Engineer Joseph Gelhaus (to be the ship's first relieving chief engineer). With them here are AMO National Assistant Vice President Daniel Shea, AMO National Secretary-Treasurer José Leonard and Ocean Ships, Inc. Vice President of Operations Bob Sheen.

The Mobile Landing Platform USNS Montford Point (T-MLP 1) is moored pier side in San Diego during the ship's christening ceremony. The USNS Montford Point is the first ship of its class and will serve as a floating base for amphibious operations and a transfer point between large ships and small landing craft. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Dominique Pineiro)

The Navy christened the USNS Montford Point, the first mobile landing platform in a series of three being built by General Dynamics NASSCO, at the shipyard in San Diego, Calif., March 2, adding new jobs for the membership of American Maritime Officers.

Ocean Ships, Inc. is the operating company for the mobile landing platforms (MLPs) and AMO represents all licensed officers. The USNS Montford Point is scheduled for delivery in the second quarter of 2013.

"AMO is proud to be onboard as the USNS Montford Point nears completion and is prepared for service," said AMO National President Tom Bethel. "The MLPs are central to the Navy's sea-basing concept and our union looks forward to providing characteristic exceptional service to Military Sealift Command aboard these new ships."

The USNS Montford Point will join MSC's Maritime Prepositioning Force as a seagoing pier in the event that accessibility to onshore bases is denied. As a cornerstone of sea basing, the MLP will serve as a transfer point for a Marine Corps amphibious landing force between large ships and ship-to-shore landing craft. The ship also provides the ability to transfer vehicles and equipment at sea while interfacing with surface connectors to deliver the vehicles and equipment ashore.

During the christening ceremony, Gen. James Amos, commandant of the Marine Corps, delivered the principal address and Rear Adm. Mark Buzby, commander of MSC, discussed the ship, its crew and its potential in service to the military. Also attending the ceremony and addressing the more than 1,000 people gathered for the christening were Congresswoman Susan Davis (D-CA) and Congressmen Juan Vargas (D-CA) and Scott Peters (D-CA).

"I salute the ship's first master, Captain Kurt Kleinschmidt, his chief engineer, Bill Maus, and the rest of the U.S. merchant marine crew," Buzby said. "Their determination will stand this ship and its mission in good stead as they sail anywhere on the globe that the mission sends them.

"This ship, with its unique capabilities, will become the centerpiece of sea-basing, allowing the U.S. Navy to raise forward operations to a new level," he said. "Wherever the call, whatever the need, USNS Montford Point will be part of the Navy's global force for good."

The USNS Montford Point is named for the approximately 20,000 African-American Marine Corps recruits who trained at Montford Point Camp in North Carolina from 1942 to 1949. Their exceptional service prompted President Truman to sign an executive order in 1948 disallowing segregation in the Marine Corps.

"I chose to name the department's new MLP Montford Point as a way to give some long-overdue recognition to these proud Americans who gave so much in the defense of our nation," said Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus. "The courage shown by these Marines helped forge the Corps into the most formidable expeditionary force in the world."

The ship will leverage float-on/float-off technology, allowing the USNS Montford Point to partially submerge, facilitating easy movement of cargo and craft. Additionally, the ship's size allows for 25,000 square feet of vehicle and equipment stowage space and 380,000 gallons of JP-5 fuel storage, the Navy reported.

With this set of capabilities, the ship is able to easily transfer personnel and vehicles from other vessels, such as the large medium-speed roll-on/roll-off ships (LMSRs) onto landing craft air cushioned (LCAC) vehicles and transport them ashore. The platform with its open reconfigurable mission deck will serve as an important flexible and transformational asset to the Navy as it can be reconfigured to support a wide variety of future operations, the Navy reported.

"NASSCO delivers high-quality, mission-ready ships to the fleet and MLP 1 is no exception," said President of General Dynamics NASSCO Fred Harris. "NASSCO's performance on the MLP program is a direct reflection of our design-build strategy. When MLP 1 construction began, 100 percent of the design was complete, nearly all the production planning was complete, and all the material to support production was in the pipeline. The result of this rigorous approach to shipbuilding is a high-quality, affordable vessel that was 91 percent complete at undocking and now more than 97 percent complete at christening. MLP 1 is on track to be delivered under budget and on schedule."