Transporters meet twin challenges of time and tide.

Wind, weather and geography combine to make the port of Anchorage one of the most dynamic for transporters.

That was the experience when the 956th Transportation Co. loaded 19 vehicles and 15 containers aboard the Cape Hudson for an Army training mission in Hawaii. Despite the challenges, the vessel was loaded and sailed for Hawaii on schedule--a mere 30 hours after arrival.

The March 22-23 action was the second time in five years that the Deployment Support Command's Anchorage-based company was used as a strategic port to deploy Army unit equipment.

The port experiences tides averaging 30 to 35--the second highest in the world, said Maj. Katherine Derrick, Commander. Coupled with sub-freezing temperatures and 20- to 40-mph wind gusts, the ship's hydraulic systems operated slowly and with difficulty.

"Temperature at the pier was minus 20 degrees when the wind chill was factored in," said Derrick.

Because of the tide, the ship's ramps could only be used for an hour and a half in the morning and four hours in the afternoon.

The big challenge for the MTMC transporters was shipping the helicopters.

This marked the first time CH-47 Chinook helicopters had been shipped from the port of Anchorage. Four of the massive aircraft were shipped from the 4/123rd Aviation Battalion, Fort Wainwright. UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters had moved through the Port of Anchorage before--the last time being 10 years ago.

The helicopters were flown to the port March 15, where they were shrink-wrapped and readied for loading.

The shrink-wrapping process of cocooning the helicopters in white protective plastic took four to six hours per aircraft.

Unfortunately, high winds on March 18 and 19 blew the wrapping off three of the helicopters. The protective wrapping was replaced.

Unlike past moves, this shipment was not handled by commercial contract.

"We are using our expertise to deploy Alaska-based units on a military-chartered vessel," said Derrick.

The 956th coordinated the vessel loading and contracted locally for stevedores. Soldiers from nearby Fort Richardson provided port support.

MTMC port action was augmented by four members of the Seattle-based 833rd Transportation Battalion. They included: Jerry Manahane and Jerry Gooch; Sue Pearson, Transportation Systems Analyst, and John Seaton, Traffic Manager.

The Port Hudson, chartered by the Military Sealift Command, sailed from the Port of Tacoma, Wash., after picking up an initial shipment of military equipment from nearby Fort Lewis, Wash.

"Loading more than 100 pieces of military equipment provides for valuable partnership building, team work, and training--that's our real prize here," said Derrick.