Operation Iraqi freedom shipment: SDDC conducts simultaneous load out.

For the first time in 13 years, the 833rd Transportation Battalion has loaded two ships simultaneously at the port of Tacoma, Wash.

In five days three "Cape" series vessels were loaded--Cape Orlando, Cape Inscription and Cape Isabel.

The Operation Iraqi Freedom II shipments were the first simultaneous ship loading operations conducted at Tacoma by the unit since Operation Desert Storm in 1991.

"It's really hard to describe just how much coordination it takes to successfully pull off an operation like this," said Lt. Col. Darren Zimmer, 833rd commander. "It takes cooperation and coordination between so many different agencies in many different levels of government and the private sector to set up.

"Once the stage is set, it takes individual effort by each performer to get the job done. I'm really proud of their performance."

The customer was the Washington National Guard's 81st Armored Brigade (Mechanized) (Separate), headquartered at Camp Murray, near Tacoma. The unit had over 1,500 pieces of cargo, including tracked and wheeled vehicles, as well as containers.

The operation had an auspicious beginning Feb. 10 with cold rain and high tides.

The ship loading took place from Feb.15-19.

Work began at once. The mission was to orchestrate the loading and documentation of three vessels in less than five days.

To meet the required time frame, the Cape Orlando and the Cape Inscription were loaded simultaneously at two different terminals, followed immediately by the Cape Isabel. The two terminals, located a mile apart, were the biggest challenge.

"I was very apprehensive at first," said Zimmer. "Because of requirements to meet the latest arrival date, we were asked to accelerate the deployment.

To do that required us to run two terminals at the same time. We used a single operations center, but had to have two security offices, two Worldwide Port Systems, two different reconciliation and receptions--all that stretched our in-house capabilities to the max."

The two vessels were loading in just under 33 hours.

The busiest person at the port seemed to be Phil Fantozzi, the battalion's chief of terminal operations.

Fantozzi blended the players into one team to load the 90,000-square feet of cargo. His management and supervision were an inspiration to all involved.

"This operation was an excellent opportunity to interact with many different members of the Reserve components," said Fantozzi. "All our partners worked very hard and cooperated well to ensure the timely success of the mission."

Because of the work of all partners, success was guaranteed. They included: The Coast Guard, the Navy's Military Sealift Command, the California National Guard, the Marine Terminal Corp., and the Army Reserve's 1395th Transportation Terminal Brigade, of Seattle.