Ship to Take Cargo to Saudi Arabia

The first cargo ship to leave Port Hueneme for Saudi Arabia will head to sea Thursday morning carrying 200 pieces of heavy-construction equipment, including bulldozers and cranes painted desert tan to blend with the country’s miles of sand.

About 500 Seabees--a uniformed force of civil engineers and construction tradesmen--and civilians have been loading the Greenridge around the clock since it arrived at the base from Oakland on Sunday, said Capt. H.L. Lara, supply officer for the Naval Construction Battalion Center at Port Hueneme.

The 507-foot vessel, based in New Orleans, will take 31 days to reach Saudi Arabia, with one stop in Singapore for fuel, said Joseph Forrington, a civilian who will be captain of the ship when it sets sail.

A ship crew of 22 and eight Seabees from Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 5 will accompany the 6,000 tons worth of generators, trailers, asphalt distributors and other equipment when the vessel leaves port at 8 a.m., officials said.

Cranes lift the equipment onto the vessel--it does not accommodate drive-ons--after the ship is fueled and prepared for use, Lara said.

Lara said about 12 civilians began painting over the equipment’s Army green more than three weeks ago when “we knew the potential” for its use.

Since the crisis in the Middle East began last month, about 23 air flights have taken equipment overseas from Port Hueneme, said Lt. J.M. Lara of the Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 5.