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Nothing but smooth sailing for Navy cargo ships transiting to Charleston

Military Sealift Command Release

Release Date: 8/14/2003

CHARLESTON, S.C., -- While most of his New Jersey high school classmates were spending their summers working at grocery stores and fast food restaurants, Tom D'Agostino was spending his time on the Jersey docks working with his grandfather.

D'Agostino's initial training and many years working with ships in port have paid off. He has now served on the Charleston, S.C., and Savannah, Ga., docks as the civilian in charge of the Navy's Military Sealift Command Atlantic Detachment Charleston for 18 years.

During the increased activity at the detachment for Operation Iraqi Freedom, D'Agostino and his small staff put their skills and knowledge into overdrive. Twenty-five ships were loaded at Charleston and Savannah with 3.3 million square feet of cargo -- equivalent to more than 20,970 U.S. Army humvees -- in just the three and half months from January to mid-April.

The Charleston detachment is part of MSC, the ocean transportation provider for the Department of Defense. MSC normally operates 120 civilian-crewed, noncombatant ships around the world daily.

The command supports all branches of the military by transporting combat equipment and supplies; providing underway fuel and supply replenishment for the Navy fleets and providing at-sea platforms for undersea surveillance and oceanographic missions. From strategic locations around the globe, MSC also operates prepositioning ships laden with military cargo that can be rapidly deployed during a contingency.

MSC's global mission is supported by MSC offices and detachments such as MSC Detachment Charleston, one of the busiest detachments in the nation.

D'Agostino and his two staff members coordinate the loading and unloading of almost 30 MSC ships a year. Some of these ships are nearly aircraft carrier size, requiring the loading and unloading of more than 300,000 square feet of tanks and other huge military gear. The total square feet is equivalent to almost eight football fields. In-port operations can take anywhere from a single day to an entire week depending on the ship's size and amount and type of cargo loaded.

MSC tankers come to Charleston to deliver fuel for Charleston Air Force Base's C-17 cargo planes and other military aircraft operating out of bases in the Southern United States. The Charleston area is also where more than 10 MSC ships a year visit for routinely scheduled maintenance and other repairs.

For the incoming ships, D'Agostino takes the lead on a myriad of requirements. This includes working with the operators of commercial and military ports, arranging for the ships' refueling and providing security personnel to protect the ships. He also meets with the ships' captains and the military and civilian personnel who load the ships to go over loading plans to ensure that they are executable, safe and make the most effective use of shipboard space.

Described by colleagues as shy, modest and, possibly, one of the hardest working men at MSC, D'Agostino worked many long hours during OIF, when MSC ships began coming into port to be loaded with equipment from the U.S. Army's 3rd Infantry, 82nd Airborne and 101st Airborne Divisions -- all destined for Kuwait.

D'Agostino, who usually has only one ship loading at a time, coordinated up to three ships at one time during OIF. To get the expanded workload done, D'Agostino worked 16-hour days for several months.

"Our office was one of the busiest during OIF, but everything was handled as business as usual," D'Agostino said.

Rick Caldwell, a supervisory marine transportation specialist at MSC Atlantic in Norfolk, Va., who works with all MSC port operators on the East and Gulf Coast has praised D'Agostino's dedication and unrelenting attention to detail as he manages complex ship operations.

"Tom is able to keep the big picture in mind," Caldwell said. "He is not only looking out for his scheduling needs for the ships, but he also keeps in mind that the ships have to be at other ports at a certain time and works to make that happen."

Wayne Hudson, a marine transportation specialist for prepositioning ships at MSC headquarters Washington, D.C., has worked with D'Agostino since 1995. Hudson said he has never had to worry about the Charleston detachment because he knows that D'Agostino is capable of handling any problem that might arise.

"He runs the ports the way we would like all of them run," Hudson said. "He knows the ships, and he is well respected by our ships' crews and everyone he works with on the docks."

When told of the high praise given to him by his MSC colleagues, D'Agostino said, "Just working the family business.