MARAD 03-01
Thursday, October 18, 2001
Contact: John
Swank
Tel.: (202) 366-5066
U.S. Secretary
of Transportation Norman Y. Mineta Celebrates
25th Anniversary of the Maritime Administration’s Ready Reserve
Force
BALTIMORE
-- U.S. Secretary of Transportation Norman Y. Mineta joined military, state and
local officials, and maritime union representatives today to celebrate the 25th
anniversary of the Maritime Administration’s (MARAD) Ready Reserve Force (RRF).
During
a ceremony onboard the 697-foot cargo ship CAPE
WRATH docked at Baltimore Harbor, Secretary Mineta stressed the partnerships
that keep the unique fleet of specialized cargo ships ready to serve the
nation’s armed forces.
“Our
industry and labor partners make the Ready Reserve Force a reliable,
cost-effective source of sealift,” said Secretary Mineta.
“We are proud of its accomplishments, confident of its capabilities,
and determined to continue its record of service and success.”
Noting
that the ceremony had been postponed following the September 11 attacks,
Secretary Mineta added, “America’s merchant marine, maritime industries, and
merchant seafarers have come through for us every time our nation has needed
them. We know they stand ready to
do so again.”
Created
in 1976 during America’s bicentennial year, the RRF supports rapid, massive
movement of military supplies in support of military and humanitarian
operations. There are 76 ships in
the RRF. Military equipment such as
tanks, trucks, jeeps, and humvees can be driven or towed onboard the CAPE WRATH
and 30 similar ships. Other RRF
ships also have special capabilities valuable to the military, such as the
ability to pump fuel to inland points up to four miles away or to unload goods
from its cargo holds and those of other ships without the help of equipment on
shore. MARAD, which owns the ships,
contracts with private ship operating companies to manage them, using seafaring
union members as crew. When
activated for military missions, the ships are under the operational control of
the Navy’s Military Sealift Command (MSC).
“The
Ready Reserve Force is a high-value sealift asset that is key to our
military’s rapid response capability,” said MSC’s Commander, Rear Admiral David L.
Brewer III. “For 25 years, these
ships have ensured that we can respond quickly and decisively in a crisis –
getting combat equipment and supplies to deployed U.S. forces around the
world.”
Today’s
event also honored MARAD’s strategic sealift partners in the RRF program,
specifically the U.S. maritime industry, including ship managers, ship
construction and repair facilities, and maritime labor organizations.
The
CAPE WRATH is one of five RRF ships presently in Baltimore; a sixth is being
upgraded in a Jacksonville, FL. shipyard. Other
RRF ships are located along the U.S. Atlantic, Gulf and Pacific coasts with some
stationed overseas.
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