combatreform.org/STRATEGICMANEUVER

1. SEALIFT: CAN IT GET
THERE? IN TIME?
25-35 MPH
Fast RO/RO
Sealift
(FSS)

2. Fast, Shallow-draft “High Speed” Sealift
HMAS Jervis Bay type catamaran ferry

3. HMAS
Jervis Bay
at Dili, East
Timor, 1999
Wakes visible from space when
underway HMAS Jervis Bay
HMAS Jervis Bay Flat-bottom landing craft Break-bulk cargo ship
by warf riddled
with debris,
guarded by Digger
USS BonHomme Richard LHD-6
infantryman @ anchor

4. Unused civilian cargo 747s leased/modified at $10 million each with RO/RO
VS
ramps, 463L pallets as second floor for tracked vehicles can transport: 420-
569 troops or 6 x M113A3 Gavins or 21 x Wiesel 2 AFVs
www.corazon.com/747specsheet.html
The 747-400 can carry more than 57,000 gallons of fuel (215,745 L). This
makes it possible for the airplane to fly extremely long routes, such as
between San Francisco and Sydney. The 3,300 gallons (12,490 liters) of fuel
carried in a tank in the horizontal (tail) stabilizer can take the 747-400 an
extra 400 miles.
8,290 miles @ 500 mph OVER sea mines, submarines, naval blockades,
missiles = one-day direct-delivery to TSB
Energy cost: 57, 000 gallons of fuel, If jet fuel is $1 a gallon; $57,000 total
fuel cost
http://biz.yahoo.com/e/000802/luv.html
"The average price paid for jet fuel in 2000 was $.7995 per gallon compared to $.4192 in 1999, including the effects
of hedging activities."

5. Shallow-draft sealift: HMAS
Jervis Bay 86m class
catamaran
www.incat.com.au/incat/pdf/86m.pdf
www.c7f.navy.mil/news/2000/09/16.html
Costs $66 million each to be purchased
Can carry 569 troops or 15 light armored vehicles
1,500 miles @ 45 mph INTO sea mines, submarines, naval blockades,
missiles, must offload onto a pier = 1.5 days (33 hours)
Uses 125,000 gallons of fuel PER HOUR, only has 33 hour endurance; Fuel
capacity: 4,125,000 gallons Being
refueled
Must refuel 6 x times (think USS Cole) to get from San Francisco to Sydney, to get
Australia, taking 6 days IF enemy does not interdict. back to
Energy cost: 24,750,000 gallons of fuel Australia
from East
Diesel fuel is $1.60 a gallon retail.... Timor...
http://www.cunninghamreport.com/TCRmember/archives/TCR/2000-TCR/2000-01-31-TCR-V5N5.htm
Assuming the best bulk rate of $1 a gallon, is $24,000,000 for a one-way trip
from SFO to Australia

6. If allegedly “High Speed” Sealift
cannot offload because there is
no pierside port to offload non-
swimming vehicles, then its
speed becomes ZERO at
delivering combat power
ashore...
Stryker trucks can’t swim

7. The answer is to:
* Use Cargo 747s to fly TAFV sets
* Make vehicles swim: Amphigavins
to offload faster
* Use LCACs to get non-swimming
vehicles off existing sealift ships
faster

8. Army Pre-positioned Afloat (APA)
shipping over-water delivery to avoid
sea mines OPTION #1 LO/LO
70-ton crane
Pre-po ship
Each APA ship has its own
LCAC hovercraft on a stern
deployment “shelf”
Tanks/AFVs loaded by
cranes into LCACs
Army LCAC with AFVs flies over sea
mines via air-cushion to deliver ground
forces across-the-beach

9. A low cost option would be to switch a couple slow LCU-2000 landing craft for LCACs on the leased FLO-
FLO or put LCACs on T-AKR or T-ACS ships and berth the Navy crews there to operate LCACs from
RRDF barges alongside APS-3 sealift ships. A Float-on/Float-off Ship is a special ship which may be
submerged to allow cargo to be floated on or off, i.e. jack-up platforms and landing craft which may be
carried "piggy-back"-fashion on a flo-flo-ship like the MV AMERICAN CORMORANT (T-AK 2062)
www.msc.navy.mil/inventory/ships.asp?ship=americancormorant&type=FloFloShip
While a LCAC can fly over a 4 foot obstacle, its best to have a gradual ramp edge for it to land onto the
RRDF barges so the non-swimming vehicles can drive onto the LCAC. The CDI Corporation has done
pioneering work developing an Air Cushion Vehicle Landing Platform or ACV-LAP derived from RRDF
barges to get a LCAC interface. The Army has all the parts it needs to configure an ACV-LAP to operate
from the side RO/RO ramps for LCACs to speed M1/M2s and the other non-swimming ground vehicles
ashore at 40+ mph over the water on air cushions. M113A3 Amphigavins would speed themselves
ashore from the stern ramp by swimming or helicopter sling-loading. The Amphigavin and ACV-LAP
combination means Army APS-3 forces can offload anywhere in the world despite deep water port
availability or enemy anti-access strategems.
FLO-FLO LCAC
T-AKR
T-ACS
ACV-LAP

10. OPTION #2 T-AKR LO/LO CRANE OFF-LOAD OF 2 x
LCACs for RO/RO interface using ACV-LAP
LCAC
Army ground
vehicles drive
down side
RO/RO ramps
LCAC
ACV-LAP