Seasheds, a Sealift Enhancement Feature: An Analysis of Methods Employed for Lifting DoD's Outsize Cargo
Abstract
This thesis examines seasheds as a method for carrying non- containerizable military cargo on commercial containerships in the U.S. merchant marine fleet.. Seasheds are enhancement features for containerships that convert them for the purpose of carrying military unit equipment. Seasheds were developed by the Department of Defense during the 1980s to provide carriage of outsize military cargo for strategic deployments, and they have not been utilized for commercial applications. They have been used in only two military employments, Display Determination '89 and Operation Desert Sortie in 1991. Performance reports indicate they successfully handled outsized military cargo which otherwise could not be transported on unmodified containerships. However, the lack of commercial applications hinder their usefulness outside of DOD sealift requirements. Costs and times required to load and unload a containership under the normal sequence of seashed activities are compared with activities required if seasheds were preboarded on a specified containership to enhance readiness of merchant marine fleet containerships by making them more compatible with DOD's sealift requirements. A cost-benefit analysis is performed to assess the time and expenses that could be saved for DOD if seasheds were preboarded on containerships. Examination of Seasheds is recommended for contingencies that require logistics-over-the-shore (LOTS) operations.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 23, 1993
- Accession Number
- ADA274902
Entities
People
- Tommy J. Johnson
Organizations
- Naval Postgraduate School