Croatian lift includes vintage American tank

Translog: Journal of Military Transportation Management, Jan-Feb, 2003 by Samuel Miller, Tim Edwards

When the Scan Bothnia arrived in Rijeka, Croatia, for loading of Bosnian peacekeeping cargo, it was the oldest piece that got all the attention.

That cargo was the centerpiece of the operation--a 1950's era, M-47 tank. Found in a muddy field in Bosnia, the vintage tank was headed for the Texas Forces Military Museum, in Austin.

While getting all the attention, the tank also gave us the most work. When the vehicle arrived at port Sept. 12 we found it needed a thorough cleaning to meet the stringent requirements of the U.S. Department of Agriculture for returning equipment. Brown & Root contractors accepted the job as a personal challenge and after many efforts over two days it was finally cleared for loading.

Our challenges continued. We had to determine the tank's actual weight and check out the vehicle's lifting points prior to loading.

Our core mission was to load 138 pieces of cargo for a 25th Infantry Division task force headed home to Schofield Barracks, Hawaii.

As overseas missions go, this was a relatively light load for the transporters of the 839th Transportation Battalion, Livorno, Italy. We've been moving Bosnian peacekeeping cargoes since 1998.

DynCorp contractors supported us in having all the OH-58D Kiowa Warrior helicopters ready for shipment. In addition, the contractors covered all the UH-60 helicopters in white plastic shrink wrap for preservation during the transit at sea.

The Scan Bothnia is a multipurpose ship capable of both lift-on/lift-off and roll-on/roll-off operations. This was only the second time we had the opportunity to lift-on/lift off helicopters since we started the operations in Rijeka.

All cargo was receipted, cleared, staged and prepared for loading prior to the arrival of our vessel.

With everything in place, our deployment support team members, supported by local contractor Jadro Agent, began a 10-hour loading operation of the Scan Bothnia on Sept. 15. We had an immediate challenge. The stern ramp, used to move the UH-60 helicopters, sat at a steep angle. So, we modified the ramp angle to ensure safe passage of the helicopters. Meanwhile, lift-on/lift-off operations went on simultaneously at both the bow and stern of the ship. Break bulk cargo bound for Hawaii was loaded in the bow of the ship while OH-58 helicopters were lifted into the stern hatch.

We got excellent support from the crew of the Scan Bothnia. The ship's crane operator lowered 10 OH-58s smoothly without a single incident. Once both lower holds were filled, they were sealed. DynCorp contractors then began moving UH-60s via the stern ramp while we started lift-on/lift-off operations on the weather deck.

The operation was a great experience for our team members to supervise various ways of loading cargo onto the ship. It also gave us some refresher training on helicopter lift-on/lift-off operations.

By early evening, the last container was lifted into place and all documentation completed. Scan Bothnia sailed that evening for Beaumont, Texas, and then Hawaii.

Among the cargo, was the vintage M-47 tank returning to America. The tank will be restored in a Texas National Guard maintenance shop in Saginaw, and then will be displayed at the museum, in Austin, said spokesperson John Scribner.

We could not have accomplished our port operator duties without the great support of the 21st Theater Support Command, Kaiserslautern, Germany, and many of their subordinate units. The 29th Support Group provided task force command and control. The 2/502nd Aviation Regiment provided helicopter operations. The 14th Transportation Battalion, Camp Darby, Italy, provided rail and line haul assistance.

Our main party, which arrived at the port five days early, included: Lt. Col. Mark Westbrook, Capt. Sam Miller, Sgt. 1st Class Frank Price and Staff Sgt. Rafael Renteria. Our trail party included: Sgt. Maj. Ronald Jackson, Monica Simoncini and Tim Edwards.

Capt. Samuel Miller Operations Officer

Tim Edwards Systems Administrator 839th Transportation Battalion