Navy considers sidelining supply ships due to staffing shortages: Reports

    NORFOLK, Virginia (WTKR) -- Family and friends of crew members on the USNS Supply were eager to get on board and greet their loved ones when the ship returned to Naval Station Norfolk in July after an eight-month deployment.

The Supply is part of the Military Sealift Command, which is headquartered at Naval Station Norfolk.

“The Navy doesn’t operate without the MSC ships," MSC-Atlantic Commodore Capt. Jamie Murdock said at the Supply's homecoming.

These ships bring fuel, food, ammunition, spare parts and more to the fleet while at sea.

According to multiple national news outlets and the U.S. Naval Institute, the Navy is considering putting 17 MSC ships into extended repair because of staffing shortages among civilian mariners.

Whether the Supply or any other Hampton Roads ships are among the 17 was unclear Monday.

“There’s not an active duty naval officer, I think, and those of us that are retired, that aren’t concerned about the state of the United States Navy," retired Vice Adm. Herm Shelanski said.

Shelanski said having to sideline ships is sad, but believes given the circumstances it’s the right thing to do.

He also points out, though, this is just a temporary fix for a bigger problem.

“I think nationally, we’ve realized our focus on the maritime, both in industry and personnel, is sort of at an all-time low," said Shelanski.

He worries this could create a cycle of ships having to work longer and spend longer in maintenance which could potentially leave no ships available at a given time.

“You have to be able to fix them quicker and turn them around quicker. Because yeah, you could get into a bad cycle where now you've got nothing left. That’s the point where, if we find ourselves in, that’s a national security issue that we’ve got to really be concerned with," Shelanski said.

Military Sealift Command is a fleet of around 125 ships crewed by 5,500 civilian mariners that primarily serve to supply Navy ships around the world.

MSC’s website lists over 40 positions currently available.

“On this ship, we’re used to working long deployments," USNS Supply crew member 2nd Officer Zack Ferguson said.

At the Supply’s homecoming in July, crew members talked about working on the ship.

"It was especially challenging this time in a hostile world," said Ferguson. "We weren’t able to set off the ship for long periods of time. But we all worked together as a team and handled it very easily."

"It's a kind of tip of the iceberg focus now on the depth of the issues that are happening in our maritime industry, our maritime people. All of the above. It's getting into a cycle where we're doing the best we can with what we have ansd we're making decisions based on needs of today but tomorrow's coming very quickly. If it happens and we're not around then our national security's certainly going to suffer," Shelanski said.

News 3 reached out to MSC Monday for information about the reported plan to sideline ships, but MSC couldn’t comment.

The USS Lewis Puller and the USS Herschel "Woody" Williams, both stationed overseas, had been reported as two MSC ships that could be sidelined. The names of the other 15 had not been reported as of Monday.