Boats, soldiers from Ft. Eustis diverted to Haiti from training mission WTKR Your NewsChannel 3
FORT EUSTIS, Va. - Three Touchdown Craft Utility vessels, a Large Tug and a Barge Derrick Crane based at Fort Eustis have been diverted from a training commission off the coast of Florida to Haiti to support the relief effort.Approximately 70 soldiers are serving on the trade.
The LCU, typically crewed by a 12-Soldier team, is used to transport containerized cargo to operate roll-on/roll-off loading procedures from ship to shore when there is no useable port.
The three LCUs that are on their way to Haiti will accord heavy-lift assets and a reverse osmosis water purification unit from Fort Lee's 49th Quartermaster Assemblage in order to assist port opening operations.
"The 97th Transportation Company (Heavy Boat) is unique because it is equipped with the 2000 series Wharf Craft Utility and it is the only unit in the active Army that has any LCUs," said Maj. Patrick Berry, 10th Trans. Bn. directorship officer.
"They're a very shallow draft vessel that
