The 689-foot Chavez, the newest of the Lewis and Clark-class of dry cargo/ammunition ships operated by Military Sealift Command, continues the Lewis and Clark-class tradition of honoring legendary pioneers and explorers. The ship honors Cesar Chavez, an American farm worker, labor leader and civil rights activist who co-founded the National Farm Workers Association, which later became the United Farm Workers.

Chavez, a well-known Mexican-American civil rights activist, used non-violent tactics that made the farm workers’ struggle a moral cause with nationwide support.

“It is fitting that this ship is named for Cesar Chavez, for among the core values embraced by him were innovation, determination, sacrifice and service to others – core values shared by Military Sealift Command – core values that are the basis of service for this great ship and her crew, now and into the future,” said Navy Rear Adm. Mark H. Buzby, commander, MSC, to an audience of more than 7,000 people who attended the event.

Ceremony attendees included the ship’s sponsor Helen Fabela Chavez, widow of the ship’s namesake, and nearly 500 other members of the Chavez family; the ceremony’s keynote speaker, the Honorable Juan M. Garcia III, Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Manpower and Reserve Affairs); the Honorable Jerry Sanders, mayor of San Diego; distinguished guests from the U.S. military and maritime industry; and NASSCO employees who built the ship.

“USNS Cesar Chavez exemplifies the latest innovations in marine technology with its integrated electric power propulsion and ship systems,” said Buzby. “This ship will go to sea better prepared than the ships that preceded her because the team that built her learned new lessons with every ship of the class and incorporated those lessons learned, along with energy-saving technologies into the next hull. USNS Cesar Chavez is the culmination of that extraordinary process. She is the ultimate T-AKE!”

Chavez is the 14th and final dry cargo/ammunition ship, and is slated for use by MSC’s Combat Logistics Force, or CLF. CLF ships deliver ammunition, food, fuel and other supplies to U.S. and allied ships at sea, enabling the Navy to maintain a worldwide forward presence.

Two T-AKEs are being assigned to MSC’s maritime prepositioning ship squadrons, which are deployed to strategic locations worldwide, carrying U.S. Marine Corps cargo ready for rapid delivery to Marines ashore.

“Being the first master of this ship is a real honor for me,” said Capt. Keith Walzak, Chavez’s civil service master. “I’m excited to lead this great crew and to follow in the footsteps of the example set by a great leader, Cesar Chavez.”

Chavez is scheduled for delivery to MSC in November.

MSC operates approximately 110 noncombatant, civilian-crewed ships that replenish U.S. Navy ships, conduct specialized missions, strategically preposition combat cargo at sea around the world and move military cargo and supplies used by deployed U.S. forces and coalition partners.

For more information, visit www.navy.mil, www.facebook.com/usnavy, or www.twitter.com/usnavy.

For more news from Military Sealift Command, visit www.navy.mil/local/MSC/.

Mercy is crewed by 70 civil service mariners working for MSC who operate and navigate the ship while Navy planners and medical personnel plan and execute the mission.

Mercy was scheduled to depart May 1, but a mechanical problem delayed the ship’s departure for two days.

Pacific Partnership 2012 is a mission that will take medical, dental, veterinary, engineering and civic assistance projects to Southeast Asia and Oceania. Pacific Partnership missions build on relationships that have been developed during previous missions, for example Mercy’s participation in international relief efforts following the December 2004 tsunami that struck Southeast Asia, and Mercy’s 2006, 2008 and 2010 humanitarian and civic assistance deployments to the region.

Pacific Partnership 2012 is led by three different element commanders: Navy Capt. James Morgan, mission commander for Pacific Partnership 2012, and commander of San Diego-based Destroyer Squadron Seven; Navy Capt. Timothy Hinman, commander of the medical treatment facility, who is responsible for the hospital and providing medical care aboard Mercy and ashore; and Capt. Jonathan Olmsted, Mercy’s civil service master who has overall responsibility for the ship and the safety of its nearly 1,000 passengers.

“Having participated in Pacific Partnership 2009, I know firsthand what an impact we have on the local populations we visit,” said Olmsted. “In building these relationships, we’ll have a better understanding of how multiple militaries and civilian organizations can work together to overcome the adversity of a natural disaster.”

Throughout the 2012 Pacific Partnership mission, the 894-foot Mercy will serve as a platform from which U.S. and partner nation militaries and non-governmental organizations will coordinate and carry out humanitarian and civic activities in each country. Japanese landing ship tank Oosumi (LST 4001), carrying a complete medical team, helicopters and representatives from Japanese volunteer organizations, will join Mercy during its stops in the Philippines and Vietnam.

MSC’s civil service mariners are vital to the mission’s success. They navigate the ship to each mission stop and provide the freshwater and electricity needed to run the shipboard hospital and to support the mission personnel living and working aboard.

In addition, the civil service mariners play a critical role in mission success by operating two 33-foot utility boats to transport patients and mission personnel between ship’s anchorage and shore. Mercy is too large to pull pierside at any of the mission stops. The operation of these small boats, which can carry more than twice as many passengers as Mercy’s two embarked helicopters, will greatly increase the number of people who will benefit from the mission.

“This is the biggest thing I’ve ever been involved in my life,” said Second Officer Casey Bell, an MSC civil service mariner working aboard Mercy as the cargo mate. “I’m really excited to get going. I’ve spent my career moving ammunition or fuel; now a better name for me is ‘patient mate,’ because I’ll be working to safely move patients and personnel to and from the ship.”

The deployment will also foster new relationships when Mercy stops in three Indonesian islands for the first time in early June.

“I am really looking forward to going beyond what we have done in the past as part of our exchanges,” said Hinman about the medical capabilities of the mission. For previous missions, surgeries were traditionally performed by U.S. and partner nation providers aboard Mercy. “This year’s mission provides opportunities to integrate host nation providers into performing surgeries, both on the ship and ashore, as a true exchange of expertise and practice that will greatly increase medical capacity and build relationships.”

The mission will include personnel from all branches of the U.S. military; U.S. departments of State and Justice; the Agency for International Development; the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association; 12 partner nations; 11 non-governmental organizations and numerous in-country organizations.

MSC operates approximately 110 noncombatant, civilian-crewed ships that strategically preposition combat cargo at sea around the world, move military cargo and supplies used by deployed U.S. forces, conduct specialized missions and replenish U.S. Navy ships at sea.

For more news from Pacific Partnership, visit:
Website: www.cpf.navy.mil/PP
Blog: http://pacificpartnership.wordpress.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook/pacificpartnership
Twitter: http://twitter.com/pacificpartner
See link below for additional media and b-roll:
https://s3.amazonaws.com/Customer-delivery/USNS+Mercy+For+MSC.zip

For more information, visit www.navy.mil, www.facebook.com/usnavy, or www.twitter.com/usnavy.

For more news from Military Sealift Command, visit www.navy.mil/local/MSC/.

The ship is named to honor prominent civil rights activist Cesar Chavez, who served in the Navy during World War II.

Juan M. Garcia III, assistant secretary of the Navy for manpower and reserve affairs, will deliver the ceremony’s principal address. Serving as the ship’s sponsor is Helen Fabela Chavez, widow of the ship’s namesake. The ceremony will include the Navy’s time-honored tradition of the sponsor breaking a bottle of champagne across the bow to formally christen the ship.

Continuing the Lewis and Clark class T-AKE tradition of honoring legendary pioneers and explorers, the Navy’s newest underway replenishment ship recognizes Mexican-American civil rights activist Cesar Chavez (1927-1993), who served in the Navy during World War II. Chavez later went on to become a leader in the American Labor Movement and co-found the National Farm Workers Association, which became the United Farm Workers.

Designated T-AKE 14, Cesar Chavez is the final of the Lewis and Clark dry cargo/ammunition ships, all of which will be operated by the U.S. Navy’s Military Sealift Command. To help the Navy maintain a worldwide forward presence by delivering ammunition, food, fuel, and other supplies to U.S. and allied ships at sea, T-AKEs are serving as combat logistics force (CLF) ships. In support of the enhanced maritime prepositioning ship squadron concept of operations, two T-AKEs are being allocated to the maritime prepositioning squadrons to provide sea-based logistics support to Marine Corps units afloat and ashore.

As part of MSC, T-AKE 14 is designated as a united states naval ship and will be crewed by civil service mariners. This is the first Navy ship named after Chavez. For CLF missions, the T-AKEs’ crews include a small department of sailors.

Like the other dry cargo/ammunition ships, T-AKE 14 is designed to operate independently for extended periods at sea and can carry two helicopters and their crews. The ship is 689 feet in length, has an overall beam of 106 feet, has a navigational draft of 30 feet, displaces approximately 42,000 tons and is capable of reaching a speed of 20 knots using a single-shaft, diesel-electric propulsion system.

Additional information about the T-AKE class of ship is available on line at http://www.navy.mil/navydata/fact_display.asp?cid=4400&tid=500&ct=4 .

For more Department of Defense news, visit www.defense.gov.

For more news from around the fleet, visit www.navy.mil.

The First Officer is responsible for the effective and efficient operation of the Deck Department. Incumbent is required to manage and supervise Deck Department resources; be proficient in the performance of handling various types of cargo and/or navigational equipment, methods, and techniques; and serve as the Training Officer, Damage Control Officer, Security and Safety Officer aboard ship.

Now in its seventh year, Pacific Partnership has become the largest annual HCA mission in the Asia Pacific region. Pacific Partnership is focused on building enduring relationships by working through and with host nations, partner nations and non-government organizations (NGOs) to enhance our collective ability and capacity to respond to natural disasters.

Pacific Partnership 2012 is led by three different element commanders: Capt. James Morgan, mission commander for Pacific Partnership 2012 and commander of San Diego-based Destroyer Squadron 7; Capt. Jonathan Olmsted, of the Military Sealift Command and Mercy’s master; and, Capt. Timothy Hinman, commander of the military treatment facility which is responsible for the hospital and providing care aboard Mercy and on shore.

“It’s an exciting day for the Pacific Partnership team,” said Morgan. “A lot of planning and coordination among host and partner nation governments and military, civilian organizations and agencies, has gone into getting us to this point. We’re ready to deploy and conduct the mission on a theme of ‘preparing in calm to respond in crisis.”

At the invitation of, and in coordination with, the host-nations, Pacific Partnership will conduct tailored civic assistance projects (CAPs), which build relationships and capacity in the areas of medical, dental, veterinary and civil engineering. The mission will also conduct community service and subject matter expert exchanges that reinforce the importance of mutual support and learning about cultures, capabilities, and practices.

“I am really looking forward to going beyond what we have done in the past as part of our exchanges,” said Hinman about the medical capabilities of the mission. For previous missions, surgeries were traditionally performed by U.S. and partner providers aboard Mercy. “This year’s mission provides opportunities to integrate host nation providers into performing surgeries, both on the ship and ashore, as a true exchange of expertise and practice that will greatly increase medical capacity and build relationships.”

Mercy is the lead U.S. vessel and will embark with a joint, combined team of U.S. military and interagency personnel, representing the U.S. Navy, Army, Air Force and Marine Corps; U.S. State Department, U.S. Department of Justice, the Agency for International Development, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association.

Japanese landing ship tank Oosumi (LST 4001), carrying a complete medical team, helicopters and representatives from Japanese volunteer organizations will join Mercy during its stops in the Philippines and Vietnam. Australia, Canada, Chile, France, Korea, Malaysia, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Peru, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand will also deploy teams of personnel as partner nations supporting the mission.

NGOs and international agencies are a critical part of the continuity that maintains and builds capacity with local populations. This year, NGOs participating include the East-West Center, Global Grins, Hope Worldwide, LDS Charities, Oceanit, Project Handclasp, Project Hope, U.C.-San Diego Pre-Dental Society, University of Hawaii, Vietnam Medical Assistance Program, and World Vets, along with numerous in-country organizations.

“Having participated in Pacific Partnership 2009, I know firsthand what an impact we have on the local populations we visit,” said Olmsted, who has overall responsibility for the ship and safety of the nearly 1,000 passengers and crew aboard. “In building these relationships, we’ll have a better understanding of how multiple militaries and civilian organizations can work together to overcome the adversity of a natural disaster.”

For more news from Pacific Partnership, visit
www.cpf.navy.mil/PP; http://pacificpartnership/wordpress.com, www.facebook/pacificpartnership and http://twitter.com/pacificpartner.

For additional media and b-roll, visit
https://s3.amazonaws.com/Customer-delivery/USNS+Mercy+For+MSC.zip.

For more news from Commander, U.S. 3rd Fleet, visit www.navy.mil/local/c3f/.

The ship, which was christened Nov. 12, 2011 in San Diego, honors slain civil rights leader Medgar Wiley Evers, who is remembered for his efforts to end segregation at the University of Mississippi in the 1950s and for his opposition to Jim Crow laws in the 1960s. Since its launch, the ship has been undergoing a series of tests and trials in preparation for its delivery to MSC.

“As USNS Medgar Evers joins the MSC fleet of combat logistics ships today, the food, ordnance and fuel it will provide to the Navy’s combatant ships at sea are critical mission enablers for our globally deployed naval forces,” said Tim McCully, Military Sealift Command Pacific’s deputy commander. “From supporting an aircraft carrier’s 75-plus aircraft and 5,500 crew members, to transporting humanitarian assistance and disaster relief supplies, USNS Medgar Evers and more than 30 other MSC underway replenishment ships bring to life Military Sealift Command’s motto: MSC Delivers.”

The 689-foot long Evers, designated T-AKE 13, is the 13th of 14 new dry cargo/ammunition ships scheduled for delivery to the Navy by the end of this year. The first 11 dry cargo/ ammunition ships are currently operating as part of MSC’s Combat Logistics Force, delivering vital fuel, equipment and supplies to Navy warships at sea. The remaining three of the 14-ship T-AKE class are expected to be assigned to maritime prepositioning squadrons, which strategically place combat cargo at sea for rapid delivery to warfighters ashore.

Evers has a crew of 125 civil service mariners working for MSC and 11 Navy Sailors who provide operational support and supply coordination.

T-AKEs are the newest class of Combat Logistics Force ships being built for MSC. They are replacing some of MSC’s aging, single-mission supply ships such as Kilauea-class ammunition ships and Mars- and Sirius-class combat stores ships as they reach the end of their service lives.

MSC operates approximately 110 non-combatant, civilian-crewed ships that replenish U.S. Navy ships, conduct specialized missions, strategically preposition combat cargo at sea around the world and move military cargo and supplies used by deployed U.S. forces and coalition partners.

For more information, visit www.navy.mil, www.facebook.com/usnavy, or www.twitter.com/usnavy.

For more news from Military Sealift Command, visit www.navy.mil/local/MSC/.