Sea Basing Ensuring Joint Force Access from the Sea (2005) / Chapter Skim
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4 Open-Ocean Cargo Transfer to and from a Sea Base
4 Open-Ocean Cargo Transfer to and from a Sea Base
Pages 44-58
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From page 44... ...
. To some extent, current commercial and military capabilities permit such transfers in nonport environments during times of relatively benign sea states.
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From page 45... ...
Various studies of the Sea Basing concept have considered solutions to the open-ocean cargo-transfer problem that include some combination of the use of the following: · Vertical-lift or short-takeoff-and-landing (STOL) aircraft, · Stabilized cranes for skin-to-skin transfers, · Mobile landing platforms (MLPs)
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From page 46... ...
Any assessment of the technology that will be necessary to achieve the desired cargo-transfer and -handling performance goals for a sea base is inherently dependent on the assumptions that are made concerning the design and attributes of the sea base, the sea-base-to-shore connectors, and the logistic resupply ships and aircraft that will service the sea base. Critical design factors will include such things as the following: · Hull size and shapes of the sea base, the sea-base-to-shore connector vessels, and the logistic resupply vessels that service the sea base; · The availability and effectiveness of roll-mitigation systems; · An ability to operate in deeply ballasted conditions that minimize roll, pitch, and heave motions; 2AO, Auxiliary, oiler; AKE, Auxiliary, cargo and ammunition ship; AOE, Auxiliary, oiler and supply ship (fast combat support ship)
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From page 47... ...
CURRENT STATUS OF THE SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY BASE AND TECHNOLOGY GAPS Although limited to lower sea states (below Sea State 3) , most of the cargotransfer capabilities desired for a sea base exist in commercial and/or naval practice.
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From page 48... ...
This chapter will explore the technical problems of transferring cargo among ships of the sea base, and from the sea base to connector ships that will take the cargo to shore. Stabilized Cranes for Skin-to-Skin Transfers Stabilized cranes for skin-to-skin cargo transfers exist, but their use is generally limited to benign sea-state conditions.
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From page 49... ...
The limiting factors appear to be the following: · The need to develop an ability to provide a precise, short-term prediction of the motions of a receiving platform relative to the motions of the delivery platform, and · The need to improve the response time of guy wire tensioning equipment designed to damp the pendulous motions of cargo being transferred. Wire Line Transfers The Navy has had a ship-to-ship wire line transfer capability for many decades.
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From page 50... ...
Although wire line transfer capabilities exist on current USN/USNS vessels, it is not clear that all of the connectors being considered for use with the sea base will have a wire line connector capability. Certainly, current LCACs do not have such a capability, nor do the current TSV/HSV designs.
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From page 51... ...
for incorporating additional features within the design that will make at-sea cargo transfer more efficient over a wide range of sea states. A decision to configure the MPF(F)
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From page 52... ...
The key issues in the sea base context are the following: · The locations and functions of RO/RO ramps will drive the designs of the core sea base ships as well as the designs of high-speed connectors, and · If the ramps are to be used for open-ocean cargo transfers, they must be tested at sea in realistic environments prior to committing the sea base and connector ships designs to them. Integrated Landing Platforms An integrated landing platform may be defined as a large floating platform (or raft)
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From page 53... ...
Mobile Landing Platforms/Float-on/Float-off Heavy-Lift Ships For several decades, the Navy and Marine Corps have had a capability of ship-to-shore transfer of cargo and equipment using landing craft, air cushion. LCACs ride on a high-pressure air cushion and can transport militarily significant payloads at relatively higher speeds than are normally achieved with conventionally designed monohulls.
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From page 54... ...
Although the well deck can be pumped dry to eliminate the effects of water sloshing, the high-sea-state-induced pendulous motions of cargo suspended from the ship's internal gantry will force termination of operations. In principle, the technology of stabilized cranes and dynamic guying systems that are employed for skin-to-skin cargo transfers could be used with the internal gantries of well deck amphibious ships.
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From page 55... ...
For example: · The degree of ship-roll compensation incorporated into the MPF(F) vessel or sea base design may determine how difficult it will be to design a stabilized crane that can transfer a TEU in Sea State 4; · The size, displacement, and number of ILPs carried by the sea base will strongly influence the design, number, and total cargo throughput of the chosen connector vessel; and · The design of the flight deck and possible inclusion of an electromagnetic catapult will determine the feasibility of using STOL aircraft in lieu of develop
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From page 56... ...
Briefers made vague allusions to future retrofits of new technology, but no thought appears to have been given to the implications of such technology on the overall design of the sea base, on the design of the sea-base-to-shore connector fleet, and on the requirements for the design of logistic vessels for resupply of the sea base. TASKS FOR THE FUTURE: THE WAY AHEAD The committee does not believe that additional studies are required at this point in order to achieve enhanced high-sea-state cargo-handling capabilities.
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From page 57... ...
Managing at-sea loading and off-loading of the sea base requires a complex mix of capabilities for dealing with prevalent sea-state conditions in the most likely littoral environments. While existing capabilities and technologies permit some at-sea transfers in nonport environments during a wide range of sea-state conditions, the implementation of a joint sea basing for force projection necessitates a coordinated development and testing of open-ocean loading and offloading capabilities for large cargo packages in conditions as severe as Sea States 3 and 4.
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From page 58... ...
improved capabilities to transfer military cargo from a sea base to the high-speed surface connectors that move cargo from the sea base to shore. Recommendation: The Department of the Navy should identify one large vessel to be used as a testbed for resolving the known problems, including those related to connectors and internal cargo handling, involved in at-sea cargo transfer at Sea States 3 and 4, or two such vessels if required for an integral flight deck in order to explore issues associated with potential future heavy-lift aircraft.
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