Hello, I’m Casey Bell, the Cargo Mate aboard USNS Mercy (T-AH 19) – a duty that came to as a pleasant surprise. In October of 2011, I was on the USNS Guadalupe. I had been aboard for eight months and was preparing to detach. I was looking forward to taking two months off from work and recharging my batteries.
One day, out of the blue, in late October the Master of the Guadalupe asked me if I would be interested in representing USNS Mercy on a pre-deployment survey from November through December for the upcoming Pacific Partnership mission scheduled for the summer of 2012. As the Mercy representative, I would travel to the four countries the Mercy would visit and gather information for the ship.
As my planned vacation flashed briefly in my mind (very briefly); I said yes. I was very interested. And just like that, I was part of Pacific Partnership 2012.
As the Cargo Mate, I am in charge of ten deck department personnel. We are tasked with running the bandaid boats at the mission ports, mooring and anchoring the ship, and handling cargo both coming and going from the vessel. The guys I work with are highly motivated. I couldn’t ask for a better group of Sailors. I always feel confident that no matter what is tasked, both planned and unplanned, we will get the job done safely and efficiently.
Since accepting the position of Cargo Mate and completing the pre-deployment survey, the ship has sailed more than 10,000 miles, visiting ports in Hawaii and Guam, and conducting 14 day missions in Indonesia and the Philippines.
At the moment of writing this blog, the Mercy is currently anchored off the coast of Vietnam and the city of Vinh, executing its mission with the host country. In a week the mission in Vietnam will be complete and the ship will head for its last mission stop, the seaport of Sihanoukville located on the southern coast of Cambodia.
So far the mission has been challenging to say the least. In Indonesia, the Mercy steamed overnight and visited a different island every day. Every morning deck department would get up at three thirty in the morning and lower the boat platform over the side of the ship and secure it at the open hatch just above the water line. Then we would launch our two “Band-Aid” boats and run them all day shuttling mission personnel to and from ashore. We would also ensure the safe transport patients to and from the ship daily. At seven in the evening we would raise and secure our boats and then raise the and secure platform. The days were long, but extremely satisfying.
While in the Philippines, and now in Vietnam, the Mercy has been at anchor vice steaming. Off the town of Calbayog, on the island of Samar, the Mercy was within a mile and a half of shore, which made for a short 15-minute Band-Aid boat trip.
Anchored off the city of Vinh in Vietnam, the Mercy is over five miles from shore, making for a 40-minute long Band-Aid boat – which is quite a difference. In rough seas the ride can be taxing on the crew and passengers, and with a quick turnaround, it can quickly become tiresome for the crew. Their perseverance and positive attitude makes me proud to work with all of the deck crew.
Besides working with the deck department personnel, I am also one of the liaisons between the Mercy crew and the mission planning personnel. I attend daily mission planning meetings and work with the DESRON staff to ensure that operations go according to plan. Many friendships have sprung up, and I am glad to have met and worked with the different departments attached to the Mercy.
Pacific Partnership and the USNS Mercy have given me the opportunity to work with some exceptional people and be part of something that I’ll remember for the rest of my life. I am looking forward to completing the mission in Vietnam and Cambodia and returning home safely to family and friends.
Thank you for taking the time to give us an inside look at one part of the whole mission that is being carried out. Your cargo is precious…people and stuff. Your planning, organizing, hard work and constantly thinking ahead must be top notch, and vital to the success of the mission. Keep up the great behind the scenes work. May God give you continued strength and wisdom.
I worked the deck crew on the USS Canopus AS-34 in Rota Spain in the later 60′s. All the work related above is hard and demanding Boatswain Mates work. My highest praise to all of you for the humanitarian things the US does for the needy of the world. SSRudzinski
Thank you for inspiring me today. I was deployed once to Djibouti, Africa and remember those hot long days. Keep working hard, and know the hard work is noticed!
I’m not on the ship anymore, however I was on during PI. Once after a MEDCAP and waiting in the HOT humidity, I was in line for a bandaide boat. As luck would have it, the boat filled and I was destined to wait another half hour. I made a pleading look at Casey…he paused a second and decided to wave me and another female over. I was over the moon. I also felt I had one of the best positions because we got to stand sort of near Casey and let our faces and sweat soaked hair flap in the wind. ( I totally understood the whole dog with the face and tongue sticking out of the window picture right at that moment. Yes, though tempting, I refrained from letting my tounge hang out :0). Thanks, Casey for assisting 2 damsals in distress! Mahalo, Hokulani Porter FNP student UH Manoa, Hawai’i
came a long way since we were chilln’ @ nelsons 3OB eh? oops sorry 2OB