Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

“Huge Problem”: The Pentagon’s Rapid Wartime Response Cargo Ships Are Trapped in Baltimore After Bridge Collapse
thelibertydaily.com ^ | 03.29.2024 | Tyler Durden

Posted on 03/29/2024 1:20:35 PM PDT by rxsid

“Huge Problem”: The Pentagon’s Rapid Wartime Response Cargo Ships Are Trapped in Baltimore After Bridge Collapse
By Tyler Durden, Zero Hedge • Mar. 29, 2024

(ZeroHedge)—Two high-speed military cargo ships are stuck in the Port of Baltimore following Tuesday morning’s collapse of the 1.6-mile-long Francis Scott Key Bridge. The major US East Coast port has been paralyzed for several days as the bridge collapse prevents inbound and outbound vessel traffic along the harbor’s channel.

Using the automatic identification system, or AIS, data that tracks commercial vessels, three bulk carriers, two general cargo ships, one vehicle carrier, one tanker, and four Ready Reserve Force vessels (RRF), along with the container ship Dali that struck the bridge, are trapped in the harbor, according to the shipping blog gCaptain.

The three bulk carriers include:

The vehicle carrier is:

The tanker is:

The US Maritime Administration (MARAD) Ready Reserve Force vessels include:

According to the military blog The War Zone, (TWZ), Algol class vessels are “some of the fastest cargo vessels of their general size anywhere in the world.” These ships are part of the RRF, a subset of vessels within MARAD’s National Defense Reserve Fleet (NDRF) that provide surge sealift capability to the Pentagon for overseas conflicts.

TWZ said the activation process of RRF vessels takes about five to ten days. The vessels are operated with a skeleton crew until called upon.

RRF are stationed at major marine ports around the US.

TWZ noted the Algol class vessels have been called into action several times over the last three decades:

Algol class have been called upon multiple times since they entered US service. Just five of these ships were responsible for transporting 20 percent of US cargo sent from the United States to Saudi Arabia during the first phase of Operation Desert Shield in the immediate run-up to the First Gulf War. The ships would go on to deliver 13 percent of all cargo that arrived in Saudi Arabia from the United States in the full course of that conflict.

The US military subsequently used Algols to support operations in Somalia and the Balkans in the 1990s, as well as the opening phases of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq in the early 2000s.

Breitbart News’ Kristina Wong reported on Thursday that “The Department of Transportation will not say how many National Defense Reserve Fleet Ships are Stuck” in the Baltimore harbor.

Baltimore Bridge Mess: DOT Will Not Say How Many National Defense Reserve Fleet Ships Stuck https://t.co/Nz7FPPQ2QT via @BreitbartNews— Kristina Wong 🇺🇸 (@kristina_wong) March 28, 2024

The current readiness of the RRF fleet is unknown. And just like that, part of America’s RRF fleet was taken out not by a missile or suicide drone, but a container ship that allegedly suffered a catastrophic ‘electric issue’. America’s enemies are taking note.


TOPICS: Front Page News; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; US: Maryland
KEYWORDS: baltimore; bridgecollapse; dali; marad; navy; ships; underwaterdemolition
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-4041-6061-80 next last

1 posted on 03/29/2024 1:20:35 PM PDT by rxsid
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: rxsid

The Chinese.


2 posted on 03/29/2024 1:21:27 PM PDT by toddausauras (Trump 2024)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: toddausauras

Well...they certainly have the means and motive.


3 posted on 03/29/2024 1:22:44 PM PDT by rxsid (HOW CAN A NATURAL BORN CITIZEN'S STATUS BE "GOVERNED" BY GREAT BRITAIN? - Leo Donofrio (2009))
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: rxsid

Why are zero of these ships US flagged?


4 posted on 03/29/2024 1:23:02 PM PDT by EEGator
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: rxsid

Just blow the wreckage [after removing the ship of cargo].


5 posted on 03/29/2024 1:24:32 PM PDT by Paladin2
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: rxsid

They already sold off all the emergency oil to power their fantasy fleet


6 posted on 03/29/2024 1:24:32 PM PDT by NWFree (Sigma male 🤪)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: rxsid

Watching all this happen, the collapse of infrastructure and now failing military capability... it’s like I’m back in college reading Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire.


7 posted on 03/29/2024 1:25:51 PM PDT by Ciaphas Cain (Liberalism is a tyranny that MUST be overthrown.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: rxsid
Relax!

As long as China, Russia, Iran, and N. Korea play nice for the next year....we'll be fine.......

8 posted on 03/29/2024 1:27:08 PM PDT by G Larry (Biden Fundraising Failure: More advertising for rotting fish is unlikely to improve sales....)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: rxsid

I’m sure it’s just a coincidence.


9 posted on 03/29/2024 1:31:14 PM PDT by bk1000 (Banned from Breitbart)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: toddausauras
The Chinese.

Looks like a test run to me. Crippling our economy and paralyzing Naval activity in one fell swoop looks like a win-win for them to me. They learned from the Covid market disruptions. As Sun Tzu wrote, the Supreme Art of War is to win without fighting.

10 posted on 03/29/2024 1:31:51 PM PDT by Bernard Marx
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: rxsid

I know some good old boys who could have that channel opened up in 12 hours.

Problem is they don’t use preferred pronouns so the govt probably won’t call them.


11 posted on 03/29/2024 1:32:19 PM PDT by HereInTheHeartland (Have you seen Joe Biden's picture on a milk carton?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: rxsid

All just a terrible coincidence!


12 posted on 03/29/2024 1:32:50 PM PDT by 9YearLurker
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: rxsid

It’s only two of the eight total Algol vessels, and if they really need to leave, the Seabees and the Army Corps of Engineers can likely have the shipping channel clear in a day. It would take much longer to remove all of the wreckage from the river, but clearing *just* the channel enough to get those ships out is doable in an emergency.


13 posted on 03/29/2024 1:33:25 PM PDT by Little Pig
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: EEGator

There are 118,000 ships in the world. Only 115 are US flagged.

Blame politicians and unions.


14 posted on 03/29/2024 1:37:11 PM PDT by cyclotic (Don’t be part of the problem. Be the entire problem)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: rxsid

There is a story that some of the cargo on the container ship had hazardous materials.


15 posted on 03/29/2024 1:37:34 PM PDT by dynachrome ("God grant I don't outlive my wits.")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: rxsid

Well of course. Cause this was just an accident according to the Chinese FBI....


16 posted on 03/29/2024 1:38:40 PM PDT by DouglasKC
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: rxsid

nothing to see here....just coicidence...we’re just paranoid....everything is alright and normal.


17 posted on 03/29/2024 1:44:12 PM PDT by cherry
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: rxsid
In the event of war they would have a channel cleared in 24 hours.

Hell, they did that on a regular basis during WWII clearing Italian and French ports.

18 posted on 03/29/2024 1:44:32 PM PDT by Psalm 73 ("You'll never hear surf music again" - J. Hendrix)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: HereInTheHeartland

Underwater reconnaissance, demolition, and removal of obstructions are all primary elements of the USN SEAL mission. From that perspective, this is just a temporary impediment.


19 posted on 03/29/2024 1:49:12 PM PDT by Bob Wills is still the king (Just a Texas Playboy at heart)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 11 | View Replies]

To: Psalm 73

Anyone hear the adage of all eggs in one basket.


20 posted on 03/29/2024 1:50:24 PM PDT by Mouton (A 150MT hit will not solve our problems now.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 18 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-4041-6061-80 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson