USNS Concord visits Saipan from Southern Leyte

USNS Concord, the fifth ship in the Mars class of combat stores ships, was recently on the island after a four-day relief assistance in Southern Leyte in the Philippines, where it participated in rescue efforts for the hundreds who were buried alive in a mudslide.

Cargo mate Michael White said the merchant marine ship helped in distributing more than 53,000 lbs of fresh fruits, vegetables, dry goods, and medical supplies to two navy warships supporting the disaster relief effort.

USNS Concord was the first ship in her class to be transferred to Military Sealift Command on Oct. 15, 1992. It is one of Military Sealift Command’s five Combat Stores Ships and is part of the 36 ships in the Naval Fleet Auxiliary Force.

The combat stores ship, said White, delivered the goods specifically to the navy warships USS Essex and USS Harpers Ferry.

“We also delivered some food and $40,000 worth of medical supplies to St. Bernard, Leyte, including bandages, antibiotics, gloves, and other medicines,” said White.

The merchant marine ship docked at the Saipan seaport last Saturday, bringing with it over 139 crewmembers. White said the stopover was purely recreational after a long deployment. It was the second time the ship had visited Saipan since 2002.

According to the naval newspaper Seahawk published last Friday, the USNS Concord left Japan on its way to rendezvous with the USS Essex Forward-Deployed Amphibious Readiness Group supposedly near Subic Bay in the Philippines, but USS Essex headed out to Leyte for the humanitarian mission.

USNS Concord then changed its course to meet USS Essex to provide assistance to the tragedy stricken area. The merchant marine ship then met with the forward-deployed ARG ships USS Essex and USS Harpers Ferry.

Some food and all medical supplies Concord delivered were immediately sent to St. Bernard and taken to Guinsahugon town to help the victims, according to Seahawk.

USNS Concord is composed mostly of crewmembers that also participated in relief operations in Banda Aceh, Indonesia last year. The crew prepared blocks of ice and collected clothing donations, among others.

Yesterday, Capt. Robert Holley held an early dinner for the CNMI dignitaries and toured them around the combat store ship. Associate Judge David Wiseman and Saipan Chamber of Commerce executive director Christine Parke led the Saipan delegation during the afternoon tour.