NORFOLK, Va. — News 3 is following through on our reporting about the Navy considering sidelining numerous ships because there aren’t enough people to work on them.
Thursday, we learned more about the Navy’s plan.
But there were still some questions, including what impact the move could have here in Hampton Roads.
Watch: For the first time in years, US Navy on track to reach recruiting goal in 2024
“The number’s accurate," Rear Admiral Philip Sobeck said when asked by a reporter during a virtual roundtable discussion to talk about reports the Navy plans to sideline 17 MSC ships.
Sobeck is the commander of Military Sealift Command, the Navy’s fleet of supply and transport ships. The fleet has around 125 ships and around 5,500 civilian mariners who work on them.
Which ships, specifically, will be sidelined and when was still being worked out as of Thursday.
Watch: USNS Supply returns to Norfolk after eight-month deployment
The MSC fleet is headquartered at Naval Station Norfolk.
As News 3 has reported, the possibility of ships being sidelined started making headlines back in August.
At the time, News 3 talked with retired Vice Admiral Herm Shelansky. He worried sidelining ships could create a cycle of the remaining ships having to work longer and spend longer in maintenance, which could leave no ships available at a given time.
Watch: Navy considers sidelining supply ships due to staffing shortages: Reports
“That’s a national security issue that we’ve really got to be concerned with," said Shelansky. "I think nationally we've realized our focus on the maritime is sort of at an all-time low."
I asked Sobeck about this.
He said ships will be sidelined strategically and new efforts are being made to recruit and retain mariners.
Watch: Secretary of Navy, Labor promote maritime industry during visit to Newport News
“We are going to put those ships in extended maintenance in the best place so they are ready to come out in better condition than when they came in," Sobeck explained. "We want to make sure that every ship we have is maximized to its utmost and our operational tempo is metered in a way that we can fight and deliver what we need to deliver for our force but we also can sustain the ships and in doing so sustain our mariners and build that as well."
The civilian mariners who work on the sidelined ships will be moved to other ships, but which other ships was also unclear Thursday.
