AMO Currents - AMO members assist in salvage, recovery efforts for South Korean ferry <i>Sewol</i>

AMO Currents - Posted: May 21, 2014

AMO members assist in salvage, recovery efforts for South Korean ferry Sewol

By Captain Glenn Macario
Master, USNS VADM K.R. Wheeler

The crew of the USNS Fast Tempo included Third Assistant Engineer Chris Gilman, Wiper Braulio Ente, Kings Point Deck Cadet Mike Zarycki, Second Mate Chris Kali and Third Mate Joe Newhouse.

Three AMO members served a small part in the U.S. Navy's assistance operation for the recent South Korean ferry disaster.

The U.S. Navy salvage ship USNS SAFEGUARD had been providing assistance on site, including use of her recompression chamber, and had not pulled into port for over 30 days. A large amount of supplies and mail were accumulating in Busan while trash was accumulating on the SAFEGUARD. CDR Thomas Plott, Commanding Officer of MSCO-Korea, needed a way to get the supplies out to the SAFEGUARD and the trash off without taking SAFEGUARD off station. He and his operations officer, Mr. Xavier Monroy, approached the USNS WHEELER to see if her 160-foot-long support boat USNS FAST TEMPO could hold all of the cargo and make the run. After a quick discussion with the WHEELER, it was determined that FAST TEMPO would be perfect. Permission all the way up the chain of command to MSC Headquarters in Washington, DC was granted in less than 24 hours.

On May 12, FAST TEMPO left USNS WHEELER's side in Busan and moved down the dock, where a 20-cubic-meter dumpster was secured to her aft deck along with 20 sacks of mail and 17 pallets of supplies, including critical spare parts for the SAFEGUARD's recompression chamber.

Crewed by AMO members Second Mate Chris Kali (in command), Third Mate Joe Newhouse, and Third Assistant Engineer Chris Gilman, along with SIU Wiper Braulio Ente and Kings Point Deck Cadet Mike Zarycki, the FAST TEMPO departed Busan at 1800 on May 12, arriving alongside SAFEGUARD 14 hours later. The transfer of supplies off and trash on was completed in two hours. The TEMPO then conducted a transfer of personnel from SAFEGUARD to the Mokpo pilot boat and returned to Busan, arriving at 0600 on May 14. After unloading the dumpster, the TEMPO went back alongside the USNS WHEELER.

The crew of the FAST TEMPO is drawn from the officers and unlicensed crew from the USNS WHEELER and they performed flawlessly during this high profile evolution. The USNS WHEELER is operated for MSC by TOTE Services, Inc. and is manned in all licensed positions by AMO.