Sealift

The USNS Bob Hope, a non-combatant vessel crewed by civilian mariners under the United States Navy's Military Sealift Command, is used to preposition tanks, trucks and other wheeled vehicles and supplies needed to support an Army heavy brigade.

Sealift is a term in military logistics referring to the use of cargo ships for the deployment of military assets, such as weaponry, military personnel, and materiel supplies. It complements other means of transport, such as strategic airlifters, in order to enhance a state's ability to project power. A state's sealift capabilities may include civilian-operated ships that normally operate by contract, but which can be chartered or commandeered during times of military necessity to supplement government-owned naval fleets.

Sealift shipping falls into three broad categories: dry cargo freighters, liquid tankers, and passenger ships. During joint operations, dry cargo ships may transport equipment and supplies required to conduct and sustain the operation; tankers carry fuel; and passenger ships provide troop carrying, noncombatant, or medical evacuation capability.

While ships are slower than their airborne counterparts and may require port facilities to unload their cargo, their larger hauling capacity allows them to transport heavy armoured forces or bulky supplies that only the largest strategic airlifters (such as the C-5 Galaxy) could normally handle, and in much greater quantities.

References

''This article incorporates public domain text from the United States Department of Defense [Joint Publication 4-01.2 Sealift Support to Joint Operations] (pdf document)
[Sealift] - Federation of American Scientists Military Analysis Network

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Sealift

See also

References