Sea Transportation: Preparing Pacific Ports For War
Ezoic
December 19, 2024: For operations in the Pacific around the Okinawa Islands, the Navy must use shallow draft vessels to move around in these waters carrying suppliers and equipment, supply vessels. The U.S. Army also has its own inshore landing craft for operations in and around the Okinawa Islands. The army appears to be in better shape in this respect than the Navy or Marine Corps.
The Okinawa Islands group is located 780 kilometers southwest of Japan. The 113 islands of the Okinawa group extend 970 kilometers east to west and 388 kilometers north to south. In this area only Okinawa, Miyako, and Ishigaki islands have ports. Getting to the other islands requires shallow draft craft because the average water depth is 2.5 meters. The nearest Chinese coast is 388 kilometers away.
The Navy LCU/Landing Craft Utility and LSM/Landing Ship Medium are slow at 21 kilometers an hour. The Army has 36 MSV-L/ maneuver support vessel-light that replaced 1960s era landing craft. MSV-Ls are 36 meters long with a 1.2 meter draft. Max speed when loaded is 37 kilometers an hour.
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