WestPac High Speed Vessel Marks Five Years of Service

, NAHA PORT, OKINAWA, Japan: She supported dozens of Marine Corps training and humanitarian operations throughout the Pacific region, carrying more than 70,000 service members and 300,000 tons of cargo and supplies. 
 
To celebrate these and many more accomplishments in her five-year life, American service members climbed aboard the WestPac Express High Speed Vessel with Japanese Self Defense Forces and vessel crew members for a commemoration ceremony Oct. 23 at Naha Port. 
 
Brig. Gen. Peter J. Talleri, the commanding general of 3rd Marine Logistics Group, spoke at the ceremony and praised the WestPac Express crew and Austal. “These men certainly have both a great commitment to the HSV and unlimited talent,” Talleri said. “During all this time, they have demonstrated unmatched commitment. These five years of service are truly a testament to the quality of Austal and a reflection of the fidelity and dedication of the HSV's crew.” 
 
Since the HSV's inaugural mission, the ship has been a great asset to the command of III Marine Expeditionary Force, said Gunnery Sgt. Marvin E. HernandezGarcia, the III MEF HSV operations chief. Service members have been transported to support exercises such as Foal Eagle and Cobra Gold as well as the humanitarian operations following the devastating tsunami that struck Thailand in late 2004. 
 
The HSV affords commanders the benefit of being able to move large amounts of personnel and supplies quickly, HernandezGarcia said. 
 
“The most obvious benefit is that the WestPac Express provides III MEF with a lift capability that is reliable and responsive,” he said. 
 
The vessel can deploy an infantry battalion of up to 890 Marines and sailors, 63 vehicles and 27 containers of cargo to mainland Japan in 30 hours. To deploy the same load by air would require 16 Air Force C-17 aircraft lifts to accomplish, HernandezGarcia said. 
 
The other capabilities of the HSV were demonstrated in a noncombatant evacuation scenario in 2004, HernandezGarcia added. 
 
“400 U.S. civilians were transported from South Korea to Iwakuni, Japan,” he said. “This evolution was conducted in a safe, expedient and flawless manner that (further demonstrated) the HSV's capability to perform all of III MEF's missions.” 
 
The HSV was custom built for III MEF's mission by Austal Ships, an Australian company. 
 
III MEF provided guidelines for the ship, and Austal sent a team to determine what kind of ship the Marine Corps needed. They looked at the types of supplies, personnel and missions Marines dealt with, according to John Rothwell, the executive chairman for Austal Limited. 
 
Rothwell said Austal could possibly produce more ships for III MEF in the future.