MV Roy P. Benavidez completed a joint task force operation including U.S. Transportation Command (TRANSCOM) and the U.S. Army, moving military equipment and cargo in a high-stakes scenario from Puerto Rico to Gulfport, Mississippi and then reloading to deliver to Virginia.
As part of TRANSMARINER-26, the “pitch and catch” exercise, as it’s known, was practice for seamlessly moving massive amounts of military equipment from ship to shore in a contested environment.
MV Benavidez is operated by Crowley Government Services for the U.S. Maritime Administration and is manned in all licensed positions by American Maritime Officers.
The operation began at the Port of Ponce, Puerto Rico, in early May, where the 841st Transportation Battalion, 597th Transportation Brigade, Army Transportation Command (ARTRANS), and a detachment of Puerto Rico National Guardsmen meticulously oversaw the preparation, staging, and upload of hundreds of tactical vehicles and containers onto the Bob Hope-class roll-on/roll-off ship MV Roy P. Benavidez. Every item was tagged and tracked, setting the stage for a flawless transfer across the Caribbean.
The real test happens as the vessel docks at the strategic seaport in Gulfport.
The 842nd forward element will spring to action, taking control of the stern ramps and guiding vehicles off the ship with military precision.
Each piece of equipment will be scanned and logged into the staging yards, ready for onward movement to its destination regionally – whether by way of the nearby international airport or the robust rail and highway connectors used to optimize the rapid deployment and seamless sustainment of our forces.
The “catch” is intense in these operations because it represents the critical moment when responsibility for military cargo transfers from one team or mode of transport to another – such as from ship to shore, rail to truck, or port to unit.
Additional cargo was re-assigned/loaded for onward movement to the Newport News Marine Terminal. These continuing missions highlight the MV Roy P. Benavidez‘s essential role in strategic sealift operations, directly supporting U.S. Transportation Command’s ability to rapidly project and sustain military forces worldwide.
“Executing the catch at a Seaport of Debarkation requires more than just being in the right place at the right time,” explained 842nd Transportation Battalion Commander Lt. Colonel Dezerie Jemmott, ” It demands a total integration of joint capabilities a precise understanding of the resources on hand- and absolute trust in our team.”
The “pitch and catch” concept is more than a metaphor – it’s a critical operational reality. In a crisis, the ability to move equipment from origin to destination without delay can mean the difference between mission success and failure.
Turbo Distribution tests this capability under pressure, forcing teams to operate in austere environments, balance speed with safety, and maintain real-time visibility of every asset.
AMO Captain James Gill explains the capabilities of his vessel to U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Manu Davis, commanding general of Deployment Support Command, during a guided tour of the MV Benavidez in Puerto Rico, during exercise TRANSMARINER.
Cargo is loaded onto the Bob Hope-class roll-on, roll-off ship MV Roy P. Benavidez (T-AKR 306) during exercise TRANSMARINER-26 at the Port of Ponce, Puerto Rico en route to Mississippi.
Ready reserve mariners offload the MV Benavidez at the Newport News Marine Terminal in June. The operation represented the final offload phase of TURBO Distribution, the joint U.S. Transportation Command and Maritime Administration rapid-readiness exercise, which validates the military’s capability to quickly activate strategic sealift vessels and deploy combat power.