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NMCB 74 Conducts Equipment Download After Completing Successful APS Projects

Navy NewsStand

Story Number: NNS080804-06
Release Date: 8/4/2008 12:24:00 PM

By Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class (SW) Paul Cage, Naval Station Rota Public Affairs

ROTA, Spain (NNS) -- Seabees from Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 74 Det. Rota, conducted an equipment download at the Naval Station (NAVSTA) Rota port facilities after completing several projects in Western Africa as part of Africa Partnership Station (APS) July 24.

In Ghana, Seabees constructed a 3,000 square foot medical facility with a concrete foundation, block walls that were plastered and metal roof. In Liberia, Seabee's rebuilt a one mile stretch of road to a medical clinic, rehabilitated two additional existing medical clinics and one school.

"The deployment went well and was challenging for our Seabees. [In] total, both projects took 2,300 man days of Seabee labor," said Chief Construction Mechanic (SCW/AW) Corey Pugh, Rota Det. officer in charge. "Nevertheless, with their typical 'Can Do' spirit they completed the task of doing their parts to win the hearts and minds of the African people."

Seabees pre-staged transportation assets to the pier to receive the cargo as it came off the vessel, to make sure the offload process went smoothly.

"The offload process is a rather long evolution and requires everyone to have their 'head on a swivel' to ensure it is done safely with no casualties to personnel or equipment," said Pugh.

"We coordinate from onboard the vessel and pier side to make sure that the order of the cargo offloads is as we desire it for ease of transportation of the gear back to Camp Mitchell."

Once the gear is at Camp Mitchell the personnel began the rigorous retrograde process of washing, ordering repair parts for the machinery and repairs as it goes through a bumper-to-bumper maintenance check and inventory.

The primary focus of NMCB 74 in Rota was to logistically support the Seabees attached to APS through the procurement of construction materials and sustainment items.

"We were responsible for the embarkation of those items, various types of construction equipment and table of allowance (TOA) kits in support of the missions APS had in Ghana, Liberia," said Pugh.

The TOA kits are specialized sets of tools particular to a specific type of job. These kits have to be inventoried, replenished and preserved for future missions.

NMCB 74 is almost done with its six-month deployment to Rota. They will be going through turnover with NMCB 4, which is homeported in Port Hueneme, Calif. as they re-deploy back to their homeport in Gulfport, Miss.

"At the completion of the turnover, we will go through an organizational realignment with the rest of our unit, begin our training cycle in preparation for our next deployment," Pugh said.

For more news from Naval Station Rota, Spain, visit www.navy.mil/local/rota/.