Harpers Ferry (LSD 49) - Naval Cruise Book

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Un-lXM jnJ VW njir . t nc Lci: :• .i .--«» ihcir tum lor aixtrss to ihc as the shr,- Vlj »d i ci-i durwf the ix mp r- c« »cf A ■. ■ , cjtcii hjckU iJ lo (he ship M- lurbuhtit dM i)» in t I ' -ifcr M x in K ' unsK Amphibious Operations 15

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AMPHIBIOUS OPERATIONS Amphibious operations arc the sole reason for HARPERS FERRY ' s exist- ence. The ship is the cargo variant to the LSD 41 Whidbey Island class of Dock Landing Ships and is capable of carrying up to two Landing Craft Air Cushion (LCAC) and 15 Amphihious Assault Vehicles (AAV). During the deployment. LCAC 43 and 79 from Assault Craft Unit 5 de- ployed with HARPERS FERRY. The LCAC were essential to each and every exercise the ship conducted, sending the Marines of the I 1th Battalion Landing Team and over five tons of their equip- ment ashore for the beginning of Exer- cise Eager Mace in the desert of Kuwait. .Amphibious warfare is one of the most crucial elements in the United States Navy ' s ability to project power overseas. HARPERS FERRY has proven successful at accomplishing any and all objectives assigned to her. Right-LC 79 cruises along on the Hiiy to another beach. Anyone who has ridden an LCAC knows why trips are called nights. Lel ' l-. n LC XC is guided onto the beach at .Assault Craft Ihiit .■ headquarters near Camp Pendleton. Bottom Lel ' t- lt ' s a lish. it ' s a tank . well, it ' s sort of both. An AAV splashes and heads lor land. 1 4 • Amphibious Operations

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UNREP Underway replenishment at sea is one of the most im- portant points of a deploy- ment. During HARPERS FERRY ' S six months at sea. she traveled over 10,000 miles, visited three conti- nents and seven different countries. With all of that traveling, one thing that was absolutelv crucial was fuel. H. RPERS FERRY aver- aged one UNREP e c r y other week for the duration of the cruise. She re-fueled at night, early in the morning, in clear, beautiful weather and horrible pouring rain. While the Captain had ul- timate control over ail deci- sions made while refueling. one of the most important tasks for the exercise was that of Conning Officer. On deployment, the Captain al- lowed several Chiefs and 1st Class Petty Officers to take the conn, as well as the CO Troops. Capt. Brown. Con- sidering that this was a task usually reserved for naval line officers, this was quite a breakthrough. But Refueling at Sea (RAS), like every other major evolution, was an all-hands operation. Right-HARPERS FERRY in the midsl o a peaceful RAS. ot all were this calm. Left-Man y times while HARPERS FERRY went through UNREP. our Am- phibious Task Group flag- ship. USS ESSEX, would re- fuel on the opposite side. fcfl-. s the picture shows, when the UN- REP ship refueled both ESSEX and HARPERS FERRY. It was very close quarters for thou- sands of men. Right-Here, members of ?rd Division haul the distance line, which allowed the Captain and the Con- ning OITicer to see how close the UN- REP ship was. I6.UNREP