USNS Stockham, at rear, performs a "skin-to-skin" operation with the expeditionary transfer dock USNS Montford Point. A ramp connects the cargo ship to the other vessel, allowing vehicles to drive straight out onto the deck and then onto waiting landing craft. USN
Warzone/The Drive: Marines Riding On Cargo Ship To Pacific Exercises A Sign Of A More Flexible Deployment Strategy
Using the cargo ship helps reduce demand on warships and puts more Marines in more places at any given time.
Members of the U.S. Marine Corps and Navy are conducting the latest iteration of a set of regional exercises throughout the South Pacific while embarked on a container and roll-on-roll-off cargo ship, the USNS Gunnery Sergeant Fred W. Stockham. This isn’t the first time the Marines and sailors have used this mode of transportation for these drills, but it reflects an increasingly important option for deploying Marines and other American forces during various types of combat and non-combat that also helps ease the strain on traditional amphibious vessels and surface combatants.
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WNU Editor: The biggest selling point in using these cargo ships .... it is cheaper.
4 comments:
Well those ships are slow, unarmed and easy prey in time of conflict. I guess it could make sense if the deployment was secret and a surprise upon their landing. I'd like to see the Marines look into large amphibious planes, such as the Chinese are deploying. With thousands of islands and atolls in the Pacific, the ability to deploy Marines or long range fires via amphib plane seems desirable.
Easy prey only to predators. Once air and maritime superiority is won (and usually the land battle continues), a lot of supply stuff and troops need to be sent - but doesn't mean the opponent CAN even bomb a ship like this. Sure, they will try, but I would not expect ships like this to not be protected by 1-2 attack subs when in convoy..
A tactical nuclear blast above one of these convoys would be my tool.
Pretty clever considering how cargo ships vastly outnumber military ships on the high seas, would put the enemy at a state perpetual paranoia in that every ship is a threat.
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