Personnel from Navy Munitions Command CONUS West Division Unit Seal Beach and Naval Weapons Station Seal Beach did double duty Feb. 16-19, conducting simultaneous waterfront munitions operations.

Guided-missile destroyer USS Momsen (DDG 92) was serviced at the station's wharf in Anaheim Bay, while the Military Sealift Command dry cargo and ammunition ship USNS Amelia Earhart (T-AKE 6) was supported at anchorage in Long Beach Harbor.

More than 570 tons of missiles and other munitions were safely transferred during the multi-ship operation.

"For the anchorage event, we use a number of barges to transport munitions between our wharf and the ship," said Craig Allen, Unit Seal Beach ordnance operations department head. "Especially when we are also working with a separate ship docked at the wharf, there are a lot of moving parts."

"This was a highly complex operation," said Unit Seal Beach Director Kevin Miller. "Ensuring the safety and security of the anchorage, barge transit, and barge mooring as well as the need to load or unload barges and ships are additional facets that must be planned for and executed."

"Operations like this give our Harbor Patrol Unit crews the opportunity to exercise our relations with the local outside law enforcement agencies, which enables us to practice joint operations in a waterborne environment," said Master-at-arms 1st Class Christopher Noeth. "We worked with the U.S. Coast Guard, Orange County Sherriff's Department, and Port Police from both Long Beach and Los Angeles."

While a challenge to execute, operations involving ships in port and at anchorage are considered a critical part of the installation's support to the fleet.

"We are sometimes required to support ships that are either too big to fit inside Anaheim Bay, or are carrying a large amount of explosives," said Allen. "Shipments from ammunition ships such as Amelia Earhart are a primary method to resupply overseas locations with weapons and to bring back unserviceable munitions for repair."

"The Navy's Long Beach anchorage is a critical element in fleet planning for these types of operations and a host of other contingencies," added Naval Weapons Station Seal Beach Commanding Officer Capt. Tripp Hardy.

Protected from heavy seas by the Long Beach breakwater, the anchorage has been in use by the Navy since World War II.

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