When the amphibious landing dock ship USS Harpers Ferry (LSD 49) and her embarked Marine Expeditionary Unit pulls into port in Busan, Republic of Korea (ROK), on this bright, cloudless summer day, the air in the hangar deck is thick with tropical humidity, and an undercurrent of excitement is palpable among thousands of servicemembers patiently waiting in line to come off the ship.
On the pier, a different atmosphere hangs in the air, one with crisp movement coordination and practiced precision. ROK Navy sailors, in their bright orange life vests and blueberry-colored uniforms, manually and meticulously guide the hulking ship safely into the harbor and secure her on the dock. While the visiting Sailors and Marines will be on liberty call after weeks at sea, the work has already begun for Fleet Activities Chinhae (CFAC) Port Operations team.
Tasked with scheduling, coordinating, and providing services to support the movement of U.S. Navy vessels visiting the multiple ports in the ROK, CFAC Port Ops imprint is invisible to the casual observers, and that anonymity is how the team prefers to go about their mission.
“We work behind the scene non-stop to make sure ships visiting Navy Region Korea will be well cared for when they stop here,” said Chief Warrant Officer Maxy Baskin, Bos’n and CFAC Port Ops officer. “We provide full logistics support and related services to our Fleet anywhere on the Korean Peninsula, stretching from Chinhae to Busan, from Jeju all the way to Incheon.”
Covering this large geographic area, Baskin and his lean team, which includes Chief Operations Specialist Octavius Jones, Operations Specialist 2nd Class Gaileann Leatham, Operations Specialist 2nd Class Luijo Tamayo, and Liaison Officer Johnny Song, are directly, or indirectly via host-nation contracts, responsible for a long list of services, such as harbor pilot services, fleet mooring services, ship (surface and submarine) movement planning, utilities and fuel hookup services, just to name a few.
These services are essential to the health of the ship and the well-being of the crew who need this break from their long voyage at sea. Port Ops, acting as the liaisons between the ship and the local husbanding service providers that supply labor, supervision, tools, material, and equipment to remove trash from the ships; handle oily waste and sewage; plan contingencies in case of natural disasters and typhoons; monitors, reports, and cleans up spills on the wharf or in the water.
In other words, “we provide a safe haven for visiting Navy ships and submarines,” said Baskin. “We do our job so the ships and their crews will go on their mission refueled, refreshed, and ready to continue on with their mission.”
The Harpers Ferry soon departs the Land of the Morning Calm, the Sailors and Marines aboard carrying memories of this port call and looking toward the horizon for their next destination. Back on the Busan pier, CFAC Port Ops team waves their farewells and already plans on welcoming the next visiting Navy vessel seeking safe harbor on the Korean Peninsula.