MSC's Maritime Prepositioning Ship Squadron One Disestablished
Military Sealift Command's Maritime Prepositioning Ship (MPS) Squadron One was officially disestablished Sept. 28. USNS 2ND LT John P. Bobo (T-AK 3008) made a final port visit to Rota, Spain in late September, marking the official disestablishment of the 28-year-old squadron. The other ships and personnel assigned to MPS Squadron One returned to the United States earlier this year, where they currently maintain a reduced operating status. MPS Squadron One was one of three squadrons belonging to MSC's Maritime Prepositioning Force (MPF)…
MPS Squadron One Welcomes New Commander
Military Sealift Command Maritime Prepositioning Ship Squadron One changed leadership June 16 when Navy Capt. Ricks W. Polk relieved Navy Capt. Michael F. Ott in a ceremony aboard squadron flagship USNS 2ND LT John P. Bobo. The ceremony took place while Bobo was underway in the Baltic Sea near the coast of Estonia. MPS Squadron One is a forward-deployed squadron of four government-owned ships: Bobo, USNS PFC Eugene A. Obregon, USNS LCPL Roy M. Wheat and USNS Sisler. The squadron prepositions cargo and supplies at sea in the eastern Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean and Baltic seas, enabling rapid delivery to shore where needed. The commander of MPS Squadron One has tactical command and control of all four ships in the squadron and is embarked aboard Bobo.
MPS Squadron One Changes Command
The leadership of Military Sealift Command’s 6th Fleet-based Maritime Prepositioning Ship Squadron One, or MPS Squadron One, changed hands May 22 in Corfu, Greece, with the outgoing commander Capt. Clay Saunders being relieved by Capt. William Sheehan during a ceremony held aboard the squadron’s flagship USNS 2nd Lt. John P. Bobo. The ships of MPS Squadron One – MSC ships Bobo and USNS LCPL Roy M. Wheat – are forward deployed year-round in the European and African theaters, strategically prepositioning military cargo at-sea for quick delivery ashore in the event of any fast-breaking military or humanitarian crises. While Bobo and Wheat are noncombatant cargo ships crewed by merchant mariners, the squadron is commanded by a Navy captain and a military staff embarked aboard the flagship.
