Ready Reserve Fleet: Ship Maintenance and Activations

Abstract

As the size of the United States flag fleet continues to shrink, the Ready Reserve Force (RRF) assumes an even greater importance in national emergencies. There are approximately 100 RRF vessels located throughout the littorals of the United States. The outported vessels are shown in Fig. 1. Other vessels are either located at one of the three Reserve Fleets or have been activated for the Department of Defense. The maintenance of these vessels is critical to their successful activation and operation. The Maritime Administration (MARAD), which is part of the Department of Transportation, has taken action on key areas of concern in the lessons learned from Desert Shield/Desert Storm. This has resulted in improving the reliability and timeliness of the vessels in meeting their activation requirements. One major improvement (started in fiscal year 1996) is the placement of nine-and ten-man crews onboard the majority of the vessels to ensure readiness. In addition, sea trials and dock trials will be conducted more frequently. Some system upgrades are being accomplished for safe, reliable operations. Also, MARAD is reviewing contracting procedures to improve and to simplify the award of ship repair contracts. This paper gives an overview of how MARAD maintains RRF vessels. In particular, it discusses the type and amount of outside support (industrial assistance) needed to both maintain and activate the vessels. There is a wide variety of vessels in the RRF, ranging from break-bulk ships to offshore petroleum discharge vessels. Furthermore, the RRF fleet is strategically located across the United States, requiring a widespread need for industrial assistance in terms of both type and location of services required.