Supplying Fuel, Keeping the Fleet Afloat

The Argentine supply ship ARA Patagonia (B 1) participates in exercises alongside dock landing ship USS Pearl Harbor (LSD 52) to mark the beginning of UNITAS. Navies from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Spain and the United States are participating in UNITAS Atlantic 48-2007 from May 2-13 off the coast of Argentina. UNITAS is a combined South American- and U.S.-sponsored annual exercise that incorporates forces from several participating nations. Argentina is hosting this year’s Atlantic phase. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Lenny M. Francioni

By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class (SW) Holly Boynton, U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command Public Affairs Commander, Task Force Four Three (CTF 43) provided supply support to numerous U.S. and partner nation naval ships during a recent exercise off the coast of Argentina. From the end of April through the middle of May, CTF 43 coordinated the successful delivery of over half a million gallons of fuel to ships deployed for UNITAS Atlantic phase 48-07. CTF 43 coordinated the transfer of 530,000 gallons of fuel to and from Armada de la República Argentina (ARA) Patagonia (B 1), an Argentina supply ship, which delivered it to three U.S. Navy ships and one Chilean ship during this year’s UNITAS exercise in the Atlantic, which was hosted by Argentina.

Commander, Task Force 43, Cmdr. Jonathan Christian, said the successful logistic support was based on teamwork. “On behalf of CTF 43, I would like to extend a special thanks to everyone who made this very non-standard onload and offload of U.S. fuel onto a foreign naval ship happen, from the professionals of Defense Energy Support Center and Naval Operational Logistics Support Center, to our fuel broker World Fuel Services, our dedicated husbanding agent Silversea, and the hardest working ship in the Argentine Navy, Teniente Olivieri,” said Christian. UNITAS 48-07 was conducted from May 2 through May 13, off the coast of Argentina and included navy units from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Spain and the United States.

The exercise was designed to train each navy in a variety of maritime scenarios, with each operating as a component of a multinational force to provide the maximum opportunity to improve interoperability. The logistics support provided by CTF 43 and each partner was key to exercise execution and its successes. U.S. Task Group 40.0, under the command of Capt. Randy Snyder participated in the exercise as a part of its Partnership of the Americas 2007 deployment. Included in TG 40.0 are Destroyer Squadron 40, USS Pearl Harbor (LSD 52), USS Mitscher (DDG 57), USS Samuel B. Roberts (FFG 58), and Chilean Frigate Almirante Latorre (FFG 14).

Partnership of the Americas 2007 is being carried out under the operational control of Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command, led by Rear Adm. James W. Stevenson, Jr.