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Page 1: CLEANUP THE EXXON VALDEZ OIL SPILL - arlis.org

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MILITARY SUPPORT

FOR

CLEANUP

OF

THE EXXON VALDEZ OIL SPILL

Headquarters Alaskan Air CommandOffice of History

1990

Page 2: CLEANUP THE EXXON VALDEZ OIL SPILL - arlis.org

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MILITARY SUPPORT

for

CLEANUP

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THE EXXON VALDEZ OIL SPILL

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~J.!"~~f~. R~OO~~ ~ARYLr ~'" ,;",.~:.I_.~ ulla~)d M:~4~li~;6&t-~~g-}t

-- a special historical study --

by

William S. Hanable

Headquarters Alaskan Air CommandOffice of History

1990

Page 3: CLEANUP THE EXXON VALDEZ OIL SPILL - arlis.org

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FOREWORD

President Bush's 6 April 1989 directive that theDepartment of Defense support cleanup of the largest andmost complex 0 i 1 spi 11 in Amer ican history presenteddaily challenges. The response by members of everyservice -- Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Navy, and MarineCorps -- was outstand i ng through the end of in i t ialcleanup operations in September 1989.

The Administration made the right decision byleaving the burden of cleanup with the spiller, Exxon,while providing special resources and skills availableonly from the military to help Exxon.

lot. The activities thatthe lessons themselves are

They

THOMAS G. McINERNEYLieutenant General, USAFCommander

Page 4: CLEANUP THE EXXON VALDEZ OIL SPILL - arlis.org

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FOREWORD

When the Alaskan Command was disestablished as'a unifiedcommand on 1 July 1975, provisions were made that in theevent of a disaster, Joint Task Force-Alaska would beactivated to coo~dinate military assistance to civilauthor i ties. Al though there was no declaration of' adisaster following the ll-million-gallon Exxon Valdezoil spill requiring the activation of the JTF-AK, anAlaska Oil Spill Task Force was formed at the directionof President Bush under Lt Gen Thomas G. McInerney tocoordinate military support for oil spill cleanup. Inessence it functioned very much like JTF-AK would have.

This report was prepared at the direction of Lt GenThomas McI nerney, Commander, Alaskan Air 'Command andDefense Senior Representative for oil spill cleanup. Hewanted a historical study prepared and all importantdocuments co llected and reta i ned for future use. Thereport focuses on task force acti vi ties and how itmanaged the military's response to the oil spill cleanupeffort.

The report was researched and written by Dr William S.Hanable, and is based on an analysis of the large numberof documents that were produced and interviews with keyparticipants, including Senator Ted Stevens and GeneralMcInerney. Everyone was extremely cooperative andwilling provided documentation and information.

The response to the oil spill proved that within a properframework, an organ i za t ion organi zed, tra i ned andequipped for a war fighting mIssion, can quickly andef.fect i~ use its resources to support the c i vi 1 sectorin......... t6"e o~ need.

e CloeHistorianAir Command

ii

Page 5: CLEANUP THE EXXON VALDEZ OIL SPILL - arlis.org

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Table of Contents

Foreword by Lt Gen Thomas G. McInerney, Commander,Alaskan Air Command i

Foreword by John Haile Cloe, Command Historian,Alaskan Air Command ' ii

Executive Summary vi

AcknowledgementSe ~.~ vii

Chapter I - Background

Nature, Purpose, and Scope .........•••.•.•....... 1

Limitations 1

Historical Perspective .........•.••...........•.. l

Military Assistance in Civil AffairsThrough the End of Wor ld War I I ..•............... 1

Post-World War II Military Assistancein Civil Affairs 2

Grounding of the Exxon Valdez ......•... ~ 3

Mission of JTF-AK 2 ••• .o ••••••••••••••••••• 7

Plan for JTF-AK Mobilization ..............•...... 7

Organization of JTF-AK ...............•........... 9

Chapter II - President Bush Directs Military Involvement

Political Considerations 11

Military Capabilities •.........•............•... ll

Alternatives Considered 14

Fu nd i n9 16

Chapter III - Staff Operations

Planning 19

Command, Control, and Communications .•.......... 23

Logisticse 31 • ••••• ••••••••••••••• 0 •••••••••••••• 24

iii

Page 6: CLEANUP THE EXXON VALDEZ OIL SPILL - arlis.org

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Med i cal ~ CI .-' •••••••••••••••••• 28

Public Affairs 29

Protocol 30

Chapter IV - Field Operations

Airlift 33

Command, Control, and Communications 33

Reconnaissance 37

ColI ec t i ng 0 i 1 37

Ship-borne Berthing 4l

Medical Evacuation Support 50

Chapter V - Perspectives

End of Season Accounting 53

Lessons Learned 54

Conclus ion 56

Chronology 59

References 65

Index 71

Map

Map

Photo

Chart

Photo

Photo

List of Illustrations

Photos, Maps, and Drawings

Extent of the Oil Spill as of 7 April viii

Prince William Sound, Alaska 4

T/V Exxon Valdez after the spill 6

Military Organization for Cleanup Support S

A MAC C-5 delivers oil cleanup cargo 13

A Navy skimmer offloads collected oil 13

iv

Page 7: CLEANUP THE EXXON VALDEZ OIL SPILL - arlis.org

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1-1

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111-2

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Cols Wilson and Clark discuss "OSCAR" .••.•. 18

Col Plumb, Adm Robbins, Gen McInerney,Col Kakel confer in Prince William Sound ... 32

Vice President Quayle, Adm Robbins,and Gen Mclnerney ................•.......... 32

Dredge Essayons .....••............••....... 36

Dredge oil recovery technique ....••....•.•. 40

USS Juneau .; 43

Cleanup workers on the beach .....•...•..... 43

Adm Robbins listens to LDA explanation ..••• 49

LDA demonstrations ...••.•.....••.•........• 49

AKARNG "Skycrane" helicopter ......••....•.. S8

U.'S. Army "Blackhawk" helicopter ..••.•...•. 58

Dredge Yaquina .........................•... 70

Tables

Key Personnel - JTF-AK .............•.••.•••• 9

Permanent Cell - JTF-AK •.••.....••••...••.. 10

DOD Assessment Team .....•..........•.••.••• 20

JTF-Deployed Team ...............•.....•.... 20

Airlift in Support of Oil Spill Operations.as 0 f 11 Ap r i 1 1989 •...................•... 27

Airlift in Support of Oil Spill Operationsas of 30 April 1989 ..•.............•••...•• 33

DOD Cost Summary as of 14 September 1989 •.• 53

v

Page 8: CLEANUP THE EXXON VALDEZ OIL SPILL - arlis.org

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Twelve days after the Tanker Vessel Exxon Valdez ranaground on Bligh Reef in Prince William Sound, Alaska,and spilled 11 m~llion gallons of oil, President Bushdirected the Department of Defense to assist in cleanupof the oil. Coast Guard Commandant Paul A. Yost wasplaced in charge of the cleanup effort. Coast Guard ViceAdmiral Clyde E. R6bbins was designated Federal On-SceneCoordinator. Secretary of the Army John O. Marsh Jr.was designated as Executive Agent for Department ofDefense cleanup assistance. Lt Gen Thomas G. McInerney,USAF, Commander, Alaskan Ai r Command, was des igna tedDefense Senior Representative in Alaska, to coordinatemilitary support for the cleanup. Alaska Oil Spill JointTask Force was established as staff to Gen McInerney.Funding arrangements provided for recovery of approvedcosts from the lJ 311K II Fund established by the Federalwater Pollution Control Act.

Critical questions arose as to the type of militarysupport to be provided. A Washington suggestion thattroops be sent to the oil-soaked beaches to assist withcleanup was successfully opposed by Defense Departmentofficials and Gen McInerney. Instead, the militaryprovided airlift, command and control, communications,equipment, landing craft for ship-to-shore transportationand in-shore operations, medical support, oil skimmers,and ships for berthing civilian workers.

Over 1,000 military personnel were active in cleanupsupport activities. Air Force airlift moved over 1,000tons of cargo. Alaskan Air Command modified its automatedcommand and control system to provide an Oil SpillComputer Automated Response (OSCAR) resource-tracking andcommunications system. Army Corps of Engineers dredgesproved to be the most successful means for recoveringfloating oil. Army and Marine helicopters providedmedical evacuation support. Six Navy amphibious assaultships rotated to provide berthing for hundreds ofcivilian cleanup workers and Army National Guard, ArmyReserve, and Navy landing craft transported the workersfrom the ships to the beaches.

The spill response tested existing plans formilitary assistance in civil emergencies and sharpenedinter-service cooperative techniques. Overall, militarysupport for oil spill cleanup was beneficial but costly.

vi

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Acknowledgements

I am deeply indebted to the many people who took the time tohelp me with this history. Foremost among them is my boss, JohnHaile Cloe, who patiently guided me through the process ofpreparing my first historical study for the Air Force. Equallyhelpful were Senator Stevens; Gen McInerney, and key members of hisstaff such as Cols Tom Wilson and Mort Plumb, Cdr John Tobia, andMajs Billy Lashlee and Gary Russey; and Col William W. Kakel,C6mmander of the Alaska District, u.s. Army Corps of Engineers, allof whom took time from their busy schedules to share their thoughtsand to review a draft manuscript.

In addition to those who contributed by sharing their directexperience and knowledge, others helped in tracking down facts andphotographs. BM2 Robert Travis, Coast Guard historian, and Lt MikeCrickard, Coast Guard Public Affairs Officer, of the Federal On­Scene Coordinator's staff provided valuable assistance in trackingdown facts and photographs. SSgt Kevin Bishop of Detachment 5,1369th Audio Visual Squadron also helped with photographs, as didJohn Killoran, Public Affairs~ Officers for the Alaska District,u.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

wsh

vii

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Page 11: CLEANUP THE EXXON VALDEZ OIL SPILL - arlis.org

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Chapter I

BACKGROUND

Nature, purpose, and Scope

This special study provides historical perspectiveon the employment of Joint Task Force-Alaska (JTF-AK) tomanage the armed forces' response to the Exxon Valdez oilspill.

Limitations

This narrative addresses activities of all armedforces units under the control of JTF-AK. There is alsoinformation about activities of the Alaska Air and ArmyNational Guard, although President Bush did notfederalize either for spill response. It does notinclude operations of the U.S. Coast Guard operating asa service of the U.S. Department of Transportation.

Historical Perspective

Alaska's remoteness, geographic vastness, and smallpopulation have created many opportunities for militaryassistance with civil affairs. These began witharrangements for transfer of Alaska from Russian toAmerican jurisdiction.

Military Assistance in Civil AffairsThrough the End of World War II

Russia transferred its interests in Alaska to theunited States in 1867. After the transfer, the UnitedStates Army administered the new territory from 1867 to1877. Then the Navy governed Alaska from 1879 to 1884.Both services conducted major geographic and scientificexplorations in these years.

Late in the 19th century the Army imposed order onturbulent gold rush camps and rushed food to supposedlystarving gold seekers. At the beginning of the 20thcentury, the Army and Navy constructed the foundationsof Alaska's current telecommunication system. Armyofficers then oversaw construction of a vast network ofover land tra i ls and The Alaska Ra i 1 road. The Navy

1

Page 12: CLEANUP THE EXXON VALDEZ OIL SPILL - arlis.org

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patrolled offshore waters to prevent fish trap piracy.It also conducted aerial photography and ship surveys formapping in Southeast Alaska and the Aleutian Islands, andsupportrd development of coal mines in SouthcentralAlaska.

The World Wa~ II era saw construction of scores ofmilitary bases. The war also brought expansion ofAlaska's road and airfield network, communicationsfacili 2ies, ports, and pipelines to accommodate militaryneeds. '

Post-World War IIMilitary Assistance in Civil Affairs

In the post-war era, federal expansion of Alaska'sinfrastructure continued to accommodate militarycontingencies while the military helped civil authoritiesin civil emergencies and natural disasters. Suchassistance included continuing help with Search andRescue incidents by Air Force, Army, and Navy units.Most notable, however, was massive aid furnishedfollowing the 24 March 1964 earthquake in SouthcentralAlaska. In the aftermath of the earthquake, the AlaskanCommand directed joint service efforts that providedairlift, communications, engineering, medical, search andrescue, and security assistance. The military providedsimilar relief in supressing forest fires in 1966 and inthe wake of a disastrous flood in Fairbanks during the

1 Hanable, William S. and Vincent Ponko Jr., TheNavy in Alaska, 1867-1941: an historic resource stU'dY(Anchorage: The Institute for Public History, 1983);Uni ted States Army Alaska [USARAL], The Army's Role inthe Building of Alaska, USARAL Pamphlet 360-5, 1 April1969.

2 Dod, Karl C , The Corps of Engineers: The WarAgainst Japan, united States Army In World War II series(Washington: Center of Military History, united StatesArmy, 1987), pp. 33-37, 276-339; Rpt (U), PublicInformation Office, Headquarters Alaskan Sea Frontier andSeventeenth Naval District, "A History of the Alaskan SeaFrontier and Seventeenth Naval District, 1946-1958,"OPNAV Report 5720.5, 1 September 1959.

2

Page 13: CLEANUP THE EXXON VALDEZ OIL SPILL - arlis.org

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summer of 1967. 3 With these precedents, it was naturalfor Alaskans to turn to the mi 1 i tary for help whenconfronted with the largest oil spill in the history'ofNorth America. That spill took place as a result of thegrounding of the supertanker Exxon Valdez.

Grounding of the Exxon Valdez

The Exxon Valdez, a two-year-old ~87-foot-long

tanker operated by the Exxon Corporation, ran aground onBligh Reef in Prince William Sound, Alaska, at 0004 on24 March 1989. The vessel carried over 53 milliongallons of oil. The grounding ruptured eight of theship's 11 cargo tanks. Eleven million gallons of oilspilled from these4 tanks into the ocean within five hoursof the grounding.

Prince William Sound, where the spill occurred, isthe northernmost embayment of the Pacific Ocean. Over1,500 nautical miles (NM) northwest of Seattle, the soundstretches east to west from Point Whitshed to Cape Puget,a distance of 150 NM. It extends about 100 NM north tosouth, from Hinchinbrook Entrance to College Fjord.

The sound is a rich marine environment, with largepopulations of marine mammals, sea birds, fish, andin ter -t:ii da 1 creatures. Because of th is, it is thelocation of intense commercial fishery and heavyrecreational use. Offshoots of a northward flowingcounter-clockwise ocean current, known as the AlaskaCoastal Current, flush through the sound. They enter itseastern channels and spill back into the ocean near CapeJunken at the western edge of the sound. From there, thecurrent runs southwest along Alaska's coastline, which

3 Rpt (D), Headquarters, Alaskan Command, "OperatingHelping Hand: The Armed Forces React to EarthquakeDisaster," undated; Rpt (D), Alaskan Air Command,"Highlights of History, Alaskan Air Command and ItsPredecessors," undated.

4 Rpt (D), National Response Team, "The Exxon ValdezOi 1 Spi 11, A Report to the Pres ident from Samuel K.Skinner, Secretary, Department of Transportation an~

William K. Reilly, Administrator, EnvironmentalProtection Agency," May 1989, p. 3.

3

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is also ~avily used by marine and terrestrial plants andanimals.

Sound

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5 Alaska Geographic Society, Where the MountainsMeet the Sea, Vol. 13, No. 1(1986), p. 5.

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The North Slope crude oil spreading into thepristine environment was deadly. It also wastransforming itself into an increased volume of toxicmatter. A typical crude oil has a density of about 0.85.This fact, combined with winds, wave action, and currentsspread the oil rapidly. As a result, some toxins wereremoved. After about 24 hours,an emulsification of oiland seawater led to formation of a highly viscousmaterial containing about 70 percent seawater. ThispoisonOstuct to anything it touched, including birds andsea otteJ:;s.

Rapid containment and retrieval of spilled oil isthe only effective method for cleanup. But within hoursof the spill it became clear that the oil industry wasnot prepared to quickly contain and retr ieve the oil.The sheer magnitude of the spill would have made cleanupd i ff icul tin any case. I ndustry cost-cut t i ng furthercompound~d the problem. Equipment shortages, equipmentunder repair, and untrained personnel allowed time topass as the oil flowed away from the immediate vicinityof the ship. Industry plans called for a containmentbarge to be based at Valdez, the nearest port to thespill site.' The plans said the barge would b&on-scenewithin five hours. When the spill did occur, the bargeleft for the spill only 10 hours after the grounding andarrived on-scene two hours later. By 0730, the spillwas four miles long and 1,000 feet wide. By the end ofMarch the spilled oil had spread over 1,000 miles ofPrince William Sound, affecting 350 miles of beach. Itsleading edge was pushing out of the sound into thesouthwest-flowing Alaska Coastal Current where it bega9to contaminate several hundred more miles of coastline.

Newspapers and television programs satura,ted thepubl ic wi th pi ctures of oi l-covered sea otter s,petroleum-soaked dead birds, and beaches awash in oil.The pictures combined with reports of the oil industry'sinability to stem the flood o£ oil to create a nationalsense of publ ic outrage. The Coast Guard, des igna tedFederal On-Scene Coordinator (FOSC) by the National Oiland Hazardous Substances Pollution Contingency Plan for

6 Science, "Oil Spills," 244, May, 12 May 89, p.4905.

7 National Response Team, May 1989, p. 12; Map,National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, "ExxonValdez," 1 Apr 1989.

5

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.~. ' '__'__ "~~~~·~_'~~'",·""c~,-""..... _.• ·=z""""",,_J·~="•.'='''-'=='".__' '''%_~·_''''''''''",,~'·'''C ~·~-~._~ .__~~r~.,"",,,,,,,l~.,,,",,,,~",,,>,,J,;,,.,·"_;,,",;,,,,,,=,~,,,,:<·-!':--_"","",JI'-,"j=,m."",!O,",~L="~'~"',_~~~ ~·~",""-,,,,::,·;."-,,,O.,>"=·"","".,j---",~,,,,*'t'l~>L""'-~t'!<""-":('"i"'''\~.'>:<;&~''I<.''''''''''''-'-'',,'=>n'=__'~".•_~---

(,

o

on-water spill rifPonse, had been on site within one hourafter the spill.'

DespCite the Coast Guard's rapid reaction andexpertise in dealing with pollution situations, publicand politicians demanded a more dramatic federalresponse. As a result, on 6 April 1989, President Bushdirected the Department of Defense to provide whateveraid necessary to cleanup the spill. JTF-AK became oneof the principal facilitators of that assistance.

The Exxon Valdez, after the spill. (USCG Photo)

8 40 CFR 300.

6

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o

Mission of JTF-AK

JTF-AK carne into being in 1975 as a result of thedisestablishment of the Alaskan Command, which hadformerly overseen the activities of all military forcesin Alaska. Concurrent with that disestablishment, theJoint Chiefs of Staff provided for a joint task forcethat could be activated under the command of Commander,Alaskan Air Command (AAC). The task force's role was tocoordinate response in the eve~t of hostilities, naturaldisasters, or emergencies. Although exercisedregularly, JTF-AK had not been mobilized for real-worldevents prior to the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill of 24 March1989.

Plan for JTF Mobilization

da ted 1MilitaryAlthough

prescribedAlaskan Oi 1

JTF-AK Opera t ions Plan (OPLAN) 9639-83,October 1983, is titled and addressesAssistance to Civil Authorities (MACA).outdated, its policies, procedures, andrequirements proved useful guides during theSpill Cleanup.

There were two major differences in what OPLAN 9639­83 anticipated and what happened. First, the plananticipated a situation in which the Federal EmergencyManagement Agency (FEMA) would be in charge. The AlaskanOil Spill, as an on-water incident, drew the Coast Guardin as Federal On-Scene Coordinator (FOSC). The FOSC wasinitially the Coast Guard Commander Steve McCall, MarineSafety Officer at Valdez. Then Rear Admiral EdwardNelson Jr., Commandant of the 17th Coast Guard District,followed McCall. After 19 April, Vice Admiral Clyde E.Robbins, commander of the Coast Guard's Pacific Area,served as FOSC. I n a second difference, the plananticipated a situation in which JTF-AK would beactivated. JTF-AK was not activated. This would haveinappropriately involved the Joint Chiefs of Staff inresponse to a c i viI emergency. Instead, Secretary ofDefense Cheney established a special Alaska Oil SpillTask Force (AOS-TF). In practice, this meant that thesame personnel who staffed JTF-Alaska staffed the taskforce dealing with the oil spill. The Oil Spill TaskForce, however, reported to the Department of the Army's

9 Hist (S/Decl 31 December 2005),Command, 1 Jul 74-30 Jun 75, p. 32,unclassified.

Alaskaninfo used

Airis

7

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Directorate of Mibitary Support rather than to the JointChiefs of Staff.

T

SECRETA~Y OF THE ARMY

, DIRECTOR OF MILITARY SUPPORT

DEPT OF DEPT OFCOMMANDER

RANSPORTATI ON LIAISON COORD MILITARY AND------ - - -

US COAST GUARD JOINT TASK FORCE VETERANS AFFAIRS

I US ARMY US AIR FORCEI I

I US NAVY US MARINE CORPSI

MILITARY AIRLIFT COMMAND ALASKA

ELEMENTS CORPS OF ENGINEERS

I I

\COMMC JOINT STAFF I CDR 6ID(L) II I I I

IMC STAFF IUNITS I 6ID(L) STAFF II UNITS

------1)

____OPCON

COORDINATION

Military Organization for Oil Spill Clean Up Support

10 Intvw, Hanable w/Maj Billy Eugene Lashlee, USA,Joint Operations and Training, JTF-AK, 26 Jan 90, SD 001;Intvw, Hanab1e w/Lt Gen Thomas G. McInerney, USAF,Commander, Alaskan Air Command, 5 March 1990, SD 002.The Alaska oil spill Task Force (AOS-TF) was occasionallyreferred to as the Alaska Oil spill Cleanup Task Force(AOSC-TF) .

8

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__________._.=~,__..."=.;"'"""=''''. ~~-....""...,.=="_"_"'-E=:>r"..="__"'_"_'= <_~._...,~""",::> ..,~_~."'"'h·=-~=~_==~"'=""',<b""""'="_. ~"'...,.~'.""''''=,.';t_tt,'''''~'''''''~,_".~~~ ..........,.~ ..~''""'' ....'e-__~~_~_==~,,~"",J'.ti,,"""", ...,,""'.._____l.._ _

~ESOUP.~S lmRAmUmd M~m~~m~ait

Organization of JTF-AK

When Pres ident Bush directed mi 1 i tary ass istance forthe Exxon Valdez oil spill response, JTF-AK was in theprocess of transition. Staffed by a permanent cell ofsix, with other billets filled on a shadow basis by AACand 6th Infantry Divis ion (L ight) (6th LID) personnel,the JTF was in the process of losing all but its naturaldisasterllfunction" to the newly-authorized AlaskanCommand.

Key personnel on the Task Force, including thosedual-hatted, and permanent cell personnel at the time ofthe spill are shown in Tables I-l and 1-2.

Key Personnel - JTF-AK

position

CommanderDeputy CommanderPersonnel, J-lIntelligence, J-2Operations, J-3Logistics, J-4Plans, J-5Communications­Electronics, J-6

Name

Lt Gen Thomas G McInerney, USAFCol Thomas A. Wilson II, USACol Bruce 0 Creller, USAFCol William L, Cogley, USAFCol Morton V. Plumb Jr., USAFCol Eric L. Redifer, USAFCol Neil R McCoy, USAF

Col Harvey L. Dent, USAF

Table 1_112

11 Hist (S/Declas OADR) , Alaskan Air Command/AlaskanNORAD Region/Joint Task Force-Alaska [AAC/ANR/JTF-AK].January-December 1985, Vol. I, p. 30; Hist (S/DeclasOADR), AAC/ANR/JTF-AK, January-December 1988, p. 30, infoused is unclassified.

12 Hist (S/Declas OADR), AAC/ANR/JTF-AK, January­December 1988, p. 370, info used is unclassified.

9

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n

Permanent Cell - JTF-AK

Position

Deputy Chiefof Staff

Director ofJoint Operations

Chief, JointExercise Plans

Chief, JointOperationsand Training

Secretary

Chief, JointOperationsAdministration

l~ame

Lt Col H.W. "Bud" Cummings, USAF

Col Morton V. Plumb Jr., USAF

Lt Col Roger A. Ayres, USAF

Maj Billy E. Lashlee, USA

Debra S. Davis, Civ

TSgt William Greene III, USAF

Table 1_2 13

Political events led JTF-AK, which had not been activatedexcept for exercises since its formation in 1975, tobecome involved in the Alaska Oil Spill Cleanup (AOSC).

13 (U) "Alaskan Air Command Staff Directory," April1989.

10

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5 Jan 90, interview withNews let ter , Senator Ted

______"_~_••~,~·~...il>".oc"=___==='1:.=="=,,,.""'."_.,,~c.l,,=·'<_...,"'~_·o __.__==,,,,,c,,,,~·,,-,,,·.,,,,,-~ ..~=.~_._"_.__,__"L.-......~,,,,~.,,J;.",,,·,,,,~.,,,,,;·? ....--"""_="""'-""'''''·='''''''~;_-'''-'c,~ .... _.~ ~~,~,.,,..--'':O':2c;:,'''.J"",!'_~,p"'''=''«'_~.'=-=-~"''-'l'':~~~yr.",="",;",~""_,=""",,""~.~": ...",,,...,,,,=~,~_. __

Chapter II

PRESIDENT BUSH DIRECTSMILITARY INVOLVEMENT

Political Considerations

Senator Ted Stevens (R-AK) toured Prince Williamsound and the Alaska coastline southwest of the soundduring the last week of March. Maj Gen John C.Schaeffer, Adjutant General of the Alaska National Guard,accompanied Stevens. On his return to Washington, Sen.Stevens arranged an appointment with President Bush forhimself, Senator Frank Murkowski (R-AK), and CongressmanDon Young (R-AK). The three Alaskan legislators pressedthe leader of their partYl/or federal assistance indealing with the oil spill.

Military Capabilities

At the time President Bush directed militaryassistance for the oil spill clean up, some DOD assetshad already been deployed to help in the clean up work.

Alaska Air and Army National Guard units were amongthe first military entities to respond to the oil spill.Because they were not federalized, they did so as stateforces. The State Adjutant General, Maj Gen John W.Schaeffer, Alaska Army National Guard (AKARNG), made areconnaissance trip to assess the situation on 25 March.He designated Lt Col Willard H. Masker~ AKARNG, as theofficer in charge of coordinating support efforts. Atthe peak of state military involvement, approximately 125people from Air and Army Guard units andl~e Alaska NavalMilita were involved in spill response.

As a result of Gen Schaeffer's assessment, theAlaska National Guard focused its spill response effortsat Valdez. It also sent representatives to emergencyoperations centers in Seward and Kodiak. On 28 March,

14 Senator Ted Stevens,William S. Hanable, SO 003;Stevens, Apr 89, SO 004.

15 hOC . .Memo, Beans, Josep P., eputy ommlssloner, Deptof Mi 1 and veterans Affa irs, State of Alaska, "ExxonValdez Oil Spill ~ummary Report," 6 Oct 89, in Hq ALCOM,"After Action Report," undated, SO 005.

11

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Guard units had established an Air Coordination andControl Center at Valdez. By this time, the usual rateof 8 to 10 arrivals and departures at the Valdez airporthad risen to 100 per day. By 4 April, the rate had risento 250 per day. In additjon to a coordination center,the Guard also sent an Aerial Port Team to onload/offloadcivilian and miljtary aircraft. The Guard alsodispatched refueling equipment and personnel, andfirefighting equipment and personnel to Valdez. The ArmyGuard began to provide airlift with its helicopters andsmall fixed-wing aircraft while the Air Guard began tomove spill response equipment with its C-130s (Hercules)transports. The Guard also sent tactical satelliteradios with Air Guard operators to facilitatecommunications to remote areas in Prince William Sound.In addition, Guard teams provided public affairs supportto the state I s disaster response agency, the AlaskaDivision of Emergency Services. As regular militaryforces became more ipgol ved in sp i 11 response, Guardactivities decreased.

The U.S. Navy also became involved prior to 6 April.Naval Sea Systems Command, under pre-ex isting agreements,had begun support operations on 25 March. Two Navy MarcoClass V skimmers were airlifted from Travis AFB toElmendorf AFB on 26 March. Five additional skimmers andsupplies of boom went to Alaska from West Coast stocksat the beginning of April. By 10 April the Navy had 94contractor personnel conducting clean up operations underthe supervision of a GS-14 civilian employee. Ultimately22 Navy skimmers worked the Alaskan oil spill. Navysalvage experts also came to Alaska. The Pacific FleetSalvage Officer arrived in Anchorage on 10 April andsalvage experts from the Naval Sea Systems Commandfollowed. with the skimmers came rigid hull andinflatable towing boats, hydraulically-powereds~bm7rsible pumps, fend~rs, a~d a,support sYl~tem of shop,rIggIng, command, and co~munlcatlons vans.

16 Beans, 6 Oct 89.

17 Memo, Chief of Naval Operations to Department ofthe Navy, "Navy Participation in Alaska Oil Cleanup," 10Apr 89, in Memo, Dept of the Army, Office of theSecretary, "Alaska Oil Spi 11 Cleanup SupportInformation Memorandum Number 5," 18 Apr 89 (hereaftercited as DOMS 005, etc.), SD 006; DOMS-014, 26 Apr 89.Note: all DOMS Info~tion Memos are in Source Document006.

12

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_,. . ~,._~,=~,"'.,_=""'''_..~~'''_'''"''''_''~'.;.'.~,~~~,,~~_~~ ..__ .'._..,~·._"~·;=.''''-''''''',.''''''''''o·''''''-''",_',,,"'''':_,,,- -~,_ .. ~---"",,,=,,,J'_~"'"';~=;-c.,,~·,,,,,-,_,",,,,,,-,,."_,r,;""'" """__'·"""'·'·__ =.~.".7S "_~"'.'·,~C~c"",~J1:C~E""".,_~ ....,,~._ ..__,, __~__ --,"""<..,~~~.""-""""""~-",""',=,j_,~~""=,,,,,=--,,- .•~,,,,,,=:!=,:,-,.=1C~"_~"' __""_~=><~, ..""...~__~

A Military Airlift Command C-5 delivers oil spill cleanupcargo to Elmendorf Air Force Base for trucking to thecoast. (USAF Photo)

A U.S. Navy skimmer offloads collected oil to a bargevia a vaccum truck. (USAF Photo, April 1989)

13

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Alternatives Considered

As a result of the visit by the AlaskanCongressional delegation and a public outcry about theallegedly apathetic federal response to the disaster,President Bush directed Gov. John H. Sununu, his chiefof staff, to solve the problem. Gov. Sununu assigned theresponsibility to Richard Breeden, Assistant to thePresident for Issue Analysis. By 0940, Washington time,on 6 April, Breeden had recommended that the U.S. Navy,primarily SEABEE's, provide and prepare floatingfacilities for logistics, equipment storage,communications, and dormitory service. The U.S. AirForce, thought Breeden, should provide airlift andpersonnel for clean up. The U.S. Army, he said, shouldprovide 1500 troops for on-the-ground clean up duty. ThePresident, he recommended, should announce that he wasdi recting the Secretary of Defense to make equipment,faci 1 i ties, and personnel avai lable to ass ist in theclean up. Breeden presented his plan to Gov. Sununu, whotold him to cal~ the Defense Department "to be sure DODwas on board."

Some of Breeden's recommendations contradicted whatothers thought about appropriate military involvement inspill response. The military itself believed puttingtroops on the beach would be costly and inappropriate.Civilian bureaucracies were concerned that masses oftroops working in remote areas would add to, notameloriate, oil-imposed injuries. Congressional figuressuch as Stevens, Murkowski, and Young and some Alaskansdidn't want troops to cancel out employment and contractopportuni ties that clean up efforts might present forAlaskans. Despite this opposition, the idea of puttingtroops on the beach continued to come up and each timewas squelched. Rumors abounded, prophesying that up r§5,000 soldiers might be put to work wiping oiled rocks.

Without accepting the details of Breeden's plan,Secretary of Defense Richard B. Cheney agreed that the

18 dd' . d . 1 .Memo, A lngton,Davl S., Specla Asslstant tothe Secretary of Defense, to the Secretary of Defense,"Whi te House Plan for DOD Participation in Alaska OilCleanup," 6 Apr 89, in DaMS 001, 6 Apr 89.

19 Stevens, 5 Jan 90; Intvw, Hanable w/Col ThomasA. Wilson II, USA, Deputy Commander and Chief of Staff,JTF-AK, 23 Jan 90, SO 007; Intvw, Hanable w/Col WilliamW. Kakel, USA, District Engineer, Alaska District, U.S.Army Corps of Engineers, 13 Feb 90, SO 008.

14

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,-_.•.•,-__.~_~~'••••_.~,_., '_'"'""~_'~M~."", ••,~ ,_.".•.•"""==,.,,,,.~.J ..,~.~~_.,~~~".,.....__.'_. "~=."m'~M,"~ .,.....~=.=,~b=~~~===..._~,,.__..,._..... ,_.__. .

~

Department of Defense should support oil spill clean up.He directed Secretary of the Army John o. Marsh Jr. toserve as the department's focal pointo for oil spillresponse. Th is was in keepi ng wi th stand i ng doctr i nethat the Department of the Army is the military'sExecutive Agent for disaster support." At 1330 on 6 April1989, the Army activated its Directorate of MilitarySupport Task Force (DOMS-TF) in the Army OperationsCenter in the Pentagon. Maj Gen James D. smith, USA,directed the task force, which was to Z&ordinate DOD oilspill response at the national level.

The DOMS-TF met with Coast Guard staff in Washingtonon 6 April. The Coast Guard envisioned DOD assistanceas including berthing vessels, helicopter and small boattransportation within the operations area, and short andlong distance communications. During the discussion,participants noted that if troops did clean up work, theywould ruin one uniform a day and that armed personnelwould be needed2rith each working party to stand watchas bear guards.

Also on 6 April, Secretary Cheney designated Lt GenMcInerney as the Department of Defense SeniorRepresentative [in Alaska] and Commander, Alaska Oilspi tl Jo i n t Task Force (AOS-TF or AOSC-TF). The taskforce was to coordinate DOD oil spill response in theAlaskan theater. Thus Adm Robbins, as FOSC, was incharge of the total oil spill response and Gen McInerneywas in charge of DOD support for oil spill response.Al though clear af ter -the-fact, at the time thi sarrangement caused some confusion. This was especiallytrue among those who after 6 April assumed that PresidentBush had placed the military in charge of oil spillresponse. Gen McInerney decided to have JTF-AK functionas the Alaska Oil Spill Task Force, although the JointChiefs ~~ Staff (JCS) had purposely not activated JTF-AKitself.

There were two reasons for this. First, theChiefs did not need to be involved in response to aemergency. The existing DOMS structure was aappropriate chain of command. In an~ event, the

20 DOMS 001, 6 Apr 89.

21 DOMS 001, 6 Apr 89.

22 26 Jan 90; Wilson, 23 Jan 90.Lashlee,

15

Jointcivil

moreJoint

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.~•.""""",-~"".=-=,--"=,~-co,"="~=_=.=-"=.=~,_·-"""",,,-;,rj-,",,""-"'-'",,,,.,,,,,- •..• '"_,""'o,·""<"x;''''.!J"",="~,,,,.-.-, __• ~._._~.~--O-hb'''~'''';;''''t"."~"'-==~'",,-'''''''''''''-~.'::o'J-''''-·'_''·~=L'''''~.__

Chiefs were also busy with2jllilitary emergencies in

foreign areas such as Panama.

Second, everyone knew that oil spill assistancewould be costly. Somee costs would be reimbursed byExxon, the spiller, and some would not. If JTF-AK wasactivated by the JCS, non-reimbursed costs would becharged to JCS. If JTF-AK was not act i va ted, non­reimbursed costs might be charged ~~ AAC's already scarceoperations and maintenance funds.

Funding

Funding arrangements were quite different fromnormal military procedures. In peacetime, the militaryuses budgeted funds. In a national security emergency,the mi 1 i tary rel ies on after-the-fact appropr iated funds.In the instance of the oil spill response, the militarywas to be reimbursed by the offending party. Exxon wasto make contributions to the "311K" (referring to asection of the Federal ~~ater Pollution Control Act) fund.From these contributions, the FOSC would reimburseresponai ng agenc ies for approved expend i tures. Th i ssituation became complicated when Exxon indicated itwould pay only for costs over and above normal operatingcosts. That is, Exxon would pay for a Reservist calledto active duty for spill response, but not for a Regularwhom the Department of Defense would have paid anyway.While Exxon intended to pay only for these "incrementalcosts," Department of Defense Comptroller Sean O'Keefeadvised DOD agencies to bill for every cost relating tothe oil spill. As a result, AAC later estimated itsrecoverable costs at $28 milli~ versus a DOD estimateof $54 million for total costs.

Besides funding considerations, JTF-AK was alreadyin place. A known organization, it had components and

23McInerney, 5 Jan 90.

24 . 1 hMemo (U), WIlson, Co Tomas A. II, USA, DeputyCommander, JTF-AK, "Memorandum for Record, II Subject:Summary of Actions/Information re DOD Response to AlaskaOil spill, 7 April 1989, SO 009; Cloe, John H., CommandHistorian, AAC, Notes from 7 Apr 89 staff meeting.

25 Anderson, Capt R. E., USCG, "Exxon Cost Recovery, II

27 Apr 89, SO 010; Intvw, Hanable w/CMSgt Kenneth L.Moore, USAF, AAC, DCS/Comptroller, 3 Jan 90; Lashlee, 26Jan 90.

16

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staff on hand. Use of JTF-AK for oi 1 spi 11 responsewould take advantage of the existing organizationalstructure, use existing addresses and phone numbers, andmi n imi ze con~usion. Recently exerc ised in Br im Frost 89,JTF-AK was fresh in people's minds and had an existingplan, COMJTF 9639 that outlined procedures for militarysupport in civilian emergencies. Using JTF-AK wouldalso, said an AAC staff paper, eliminate the need toe~pl~in w~~ JTF-AK was not used for one of its purportedmISSIons.

Arguments against using JTF-AK included thepossibility of strengthening support for continuing JTF­AK's existence as a part of the about-to-be-formedAlaskan Command (ALCOM). There was also the DODdirective on military assistance to civil authorities andactivation of JTF-AK. It specifically excluded oilspills as reason to activate JTF-AK. The talking paperended its recitation of pros and cons for activating JTF­AK by stating that if the organization was referred toonly as "JTF," most people woul~7 no~t know if·· thereference was to JTF-AK or AOS-JTF.

In the end, the JCS did not change their positiori~

JTF-AK did not mobilize. Gen McInerney did'use the JTf­AK staff to constitute the Alaska Oil Spill Task Forcestaff. Consequently, the JTF-AK name was used in rno~t

oil spill actions taken by the staff. Those staffactions are an important element of the history ofmilitary support for the Alaska Oil Spill Cleanup.

26 Point Paper, AAC/DCSP, "Point Paper on Activationof JTF-AK, 7 Apr 89, SD 011.

27 Point Paper, 7 Apr 89.

17

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o

('

Col Thomas A. Wilson, USA, Deputy Commander, JTF-AK, andCol Robert D. Clark, USAF, Vice Commander, AAC, talkabout computer tracking of oil spill cleanup resources.Alaskan Air Command· s ··OSCAR n system helped managers tocontrol ships and cleanup workers. (Photo by Bill Roth,courtesy of Anchorage Daily News)

18

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"

Chapter III

STAFF OPERATIONS

Planning

Maj Gen Smith alerted Gen McInerney by telephone onthe evening of 5 April that the military might be calledin to support oil spill response. ~he next morning, theAAC commander saw President Bush on the 0630 newsannouncing that he (~en McInerney) wou~be in charge ofmilitary support operations in Alaska.

Gen McInerney made a personal visit to PrinceWilliam Sound within three hours of the President'sannouncement that the military would support oil spillclean up. On arr i ving at Valdez, the general and hisstaff found an atmosphere of hysteria. National newsteams immediately shoved microphones and cameras into thegeneral's face. The Coast Guard's National Strike Teamand Navy skimmers were on-scene, and Exxon seemed not towant additional federal help~ It was2~lear that commandand control was the biggest problem~

As a result his first trip to the scene of the oilspill, Gen McInerney made several recommendations toWashington officials. First, they should be preparedfor an extended operation lasting until the Alaskanwinter set in. Second, they should consider using troopsonly as a last resort, after all available localresidents had been hired for clean up work. Third, theyshould know that early deployment of medical evacuation(medevac) assets might be desi rable. Fourth, they shouldtask the Navy to provide representatives with salvageand oil spill expertise to the DOMS Task Force AssessmentTeam. As a result of his investigations, Gen McInerneyconcluded that it was important that responsibility forcleanup rema in wi th Exxon. The Department of Defensecould hel130 I ts strengths could rei nforce the weaknessesof Exxon.

After his first visit to Prince William Sound,Gen McInerney then detailed several of his staff officers

28 McInerney, 5 Jan 90.

29 Kakel, 13 Feb 90.

30 McInerney, 5 Jan 90.

19

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o~

cto serve on the DOD assessment team. Col Wilson chair~~

the team. Table 111-1 lists the members of the team.

DOD ASSESSMENT TEAM

AgencyJTF-AKJ'l'F-AKDOMS-TFJTF-AKJTF-AKJTF-AKHq USACEPortlana USACEUSACEUSACEUSACEAK USACEAK USACEAK USACEHq DAUSA Health SvcsCommandUSCG

LogisticsCommunicationsCINCPAC LNOTeam ChiefDredgingContractingEnvironmentalOperations

positionTeam ChiefOperations

Surgeon GenIndustrialHygienist

WiltshireLCDR Glenn

NameCol Tom WilsoncCol Mort PlumbLTC Don WillhouseLTC Richard LasherCPT John McAleenanCDR John TobiaJohn ElmoreBob HopmanBill DoranJim ReesePaul ZepernickLTC Roy CarlsonGUy McConnellTom CarterMaj Paul ButeauLTC Morin

Table 111_132

Additionally, Gen McInerney detailed three officersand two enlisted personnel to the Coast Guard operationin Valdez. This team was in-place on 8 April 1989providing logistics, airlift, public relations, and OSCARsupport to the FOSC and the Exxon logistics operationscenter. Table 111-2 lists members of the JTF-deployedteam.

JTF-DEPLOYED TEAM

NameLt Col Robert K. StanberryCapt Monica M. AloisioCapt Greg T. HellestoMSgt steven E. PattersonMSgt William H. Reavis

positionJTF Liaison to FOSCJTF Pub RelationsJTF LogisticsJTF TransportationOSCAR Installation

OfficeJTF-AKAK:./PA~,/tG{

NC;tGrNC;O.iR

Table 111-2

31 News Release, Hq AAC/PA, "JTF Winds Down OilSpill Acti~ity Response," AAC Release 89-9-3, 20 Sep 89;DOMS 002, 10 Apr 89.

32 DOMS 002, 10 Apr 89.

20

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While the DOD Assessment Team worked and the JTF­Deployed Team established the DOD presence in valdez,JTF-AK set up a Crisis Action Team (CAT) at Elmendorf tomonitor events. The CAT presented daily briefings andsituation reports, and processed requests from theFederal On-Scene Coordinator for Department of Defensesupport. The CAT would also control the B~~ckhawk

helicopters that were to be deployed to Seward.

Initially, two CATs were organized. Beginning 6April, the teams stood 12-hour shifts. Maj Billy E.Lashlee, USA, and Maj Gary R. Russey served as CATChiefs. Augmentees requested at the beginning of Aprilwere in place by 24 Apr i 1. Then a th i rd team wasestablished. Twelve-hour shifts continued, but the thirdteam a llowed personnel to take time off. P r i or to 34hethird team, CAT personnel had worked without break.

In support of the CAT, the JTF Logistics Staff (J4)established a Logistics Readiness Center (LRC) under thecontrol of Capt Karol A. Kolehmainen. The center'sprimary mission was to work all logistics-relatedactions. As the Department of Defense role during theearly phase of the cleanup was primarily that oflogistics, the LRC became a significant extension of theCrisis Action Team. The five member staff manned the LRC18 to 20 hours per day, seven days a week, unJ~l relievedby augmentation personnel on 25 April 19B9.

Orders for DOD resources had to be originated by theCoast Guard or Exxon, and approved by the FOSC. Therequests could follow two routes. First, requests fromExxon in Valdez would be processed by the Exxon Chief ofLogistics and then validated by the Coast Guard logisticsrepresentative. The requirement was passed to thedeployed JTF logistics representative who would forwardthe request to the CAT. Likewise, requests from othergovernment agenc i es opera t i ng in Va Idez (AlaskaDepartment of Emergency Services and Alaska Departmentof Env i ronmen tal Conserva t ion) directed the i r requests

33 I ntvw, Hanable w/Maj Gary R'. Russey, USAF, 1 Feb90, SO 012.

34Creller, Col Bruce 0., USAF, Hq JTF-AK,

DCS/Personnel, "Alaska Oil Spill After Action Report,1I4 Oct 89, Hq ALCOM, "Alaska Oil Spill After ActionReport,1I undated; Russey, 1 Feb 90.

35 Hellesto, 3 Apr 89.

21

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for support andThe second routeoutside val~Gz.

to the CAT.

information to the deployed JTF team.involved requests from other agencies

These requests werd forwarded directly

Orders at first came via telephone, then byfacsimile, and finally by electronic mail. OSCAR (seebelow) became a critical part of CAT operations. Iteventually included the CAT, Coast Guard offices inValdez, Juneau, and Washington, D.C., and DaMS. Guidedby Gen McInerney, JTF-AK took the attitude of gettingwhat was needed to do the job. Requests that could notbe sa~}sfied from DOD assets in Alaska were referred toDaMS.

The DOD Assessment Team, augmented by JTF-AKspecialists, left Elmendorf AFB at 0900, 10 April, by C­130, to survey areas affected by the oil spill. CoastGuard and Exxon officials at Valdez briefed the team.Then the members made an aerial reconnaissanqe of PrinceWilliam Sound. Afterward, team members met with theirCoast Guard and Exxon counterparts at Valdez forindividual discussions. Navy representatives followedon 11 April to discuss a request for berthing ships forclean up workers. The DOMS-TF Assessment Team alsorevisited Valdez on 11 and 12 April. The DOD AssessmentTeam determined where the Department of Defense might beof assistance in responding to the oil spill and to besure that the FOSC was aware of such capabilities. By13 April, the team had completed its on-site work andbegan to prepare a report for Mr. John W. Shannon,Ass~st~nt ~~cretary of the Army for Installations andLOgIstICS.

Even with military support gearing up, nationalauthorities began to doubt that Exxon would be able tosuccess fully manage the oi 1 spi 11 cleanup. Thi sledNational Command Authorities (NCA) on 24 April to direct

36 Hellesto, 3 Apr 89.

37 Lashlee, 26 Jan 90; Russey, 1 Feb 90.

38 Memo, JTF-AK, Deputy Commander, to Hq AAC, ViceCommander, "DOMS-TF Assessment Survey, II 9 Apr 89, SO 013;Situation Report (SITREP) 002 [hereafter JTF-AK 002, 003,etc.], JTF-AK, 10 Apr 89; JTF-AK 003, 11 Apr 89, JTF-AK004, 13 Apr 89, SO 013; Wilson, 23 Jan 90. Note: allJTF-AK SITREPS cited hereafter are in SO 013.

22

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Gen Mc I nerney to prepare a deta i led conti ngency plan.The p 1an was topr 0 v ide for mil ita r y t ak e 0 v e r 0 f 0 i 1sp ill clean up management, yet not rel i eve Exxon offinancial responsibility. The general tasked his staffto provide annexes for such a plan by 0900 on 25 April.JTF-AK completed the p~~n on 28 Apr i 1 and sent it byFederal Express to NCA.

Command, Control, and Communications

Anticipating extensive naval involvement in cleanup activities, Gen McInerney quickly asked that a navalflag officer be assigned as task force deputy commander.As a result, Rear Adm (LH) Edward B. Baker, Commander,Amphibious Group Three, San Diego, CA, was designatedDeputy Commander, Alaska oil Spill Task Force. Adm Bakerarrived at Valdez on 24 April to assume his duties.Enroute he stopped at Elmendorf AFB for briefings. GenMcInerney also sent Lt Col Robert K. Stanberry, USA, U.S.Army Forces Command liaison officer to JTF-AK, Capt GregT. Hellesto, AAC Chief of Logistics Plans, MSgt StevenE. Patterson, AAC Airlift Manager, and AAC DeputyDirector of Public Affai~O Capt Monica M. Aloisio to beon-the-ground at Valdez.

In the meantime Coast Guard direction of oil spillclean up had been clarified. When he announced increasedfederal participation in the clean up, President Bush hadplaced Coast Guard Commandant Admiral Paul A. Yost incharge. Adm Yost immediately went to Alaska accompaniedby Vice Adm Clyde E. Robbins. The admirals arrived inAlaska on 28 March. After in i t i ally establ i sh i ng acommand center at Elmendorf AFB, the admirals went on toValdez. There, Adm Robbins assumed FOSC duties with CaptRene Roussel delegated authority as Assistant FOSCWestern Alaska

4lfor act i vi ties to the wes t of Pr i nce

William Sound.

On 14 April, Gen McInerney conducted a videoconference wi th Secretary of the Army Marsh and DOMSofficers. He provided them with his current assessment

39 JTF-AK 014, 22 Apr 89; Cloe, John H., CommandHistorian, AAC, Notes from 24 Apr 89 staff meeting; JTF­AK 020, 28 Apr 89.

013,

40

25

41

DOMS 003, 11 Apr 89; DOMS 007, 14 Apr 89, DOMSApr 89.

JTF-AK 002, 10 Apr 89; DOMS 009, 19 Apr 89.

23

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of the clean up s i tua t ion. He also spoke 42trong lyagainst using troops for actual clean up work.

Besides the long distance coordination, a luncheonhosted by Adm Yost on 19 April atcElmendorf AFB providedface-to-face communication between the penior militaryofficers and key civilians. Besides Adm Yost, Vice AdmRobbins, Gen McInerney, Rear Adm Ba~er, stateCommissioner of Environmental Conservation Dennis Kelso,and mayors of

43everal communities affected by the spill

participated. ,

The following day, another political figure,Sen Murkowski also had personal contact. with GenMcInerney. After talking with the gen~ral, Sen Murkowskisuggested that the information presented be madeavailable to the media. Then on 21 April, Gen4~cInerney

briefed Sen Stevens on spill cleanup efforts;

A teleconference on 28 April followed th~ sen?torialbriefings,. Secretary of the Army Marsh, Maj Gen Smith,Mr Breeden, Mr Addington, Rear Adm Sipes, Brig Gen Kellyand Brig Gen Shelton participated from DaMS. Lt GenMcInerney, Col Wilson, Col Clark, Col Plumb, Cdr Lucha2sCapt Anderson, and Col Kakel participated from JTF-AK.

On 29 April, Gen McInerney, Col William W. Kakel,Alaska District Engineer for the Corps of Engineers, andCol Plumb flew to Valdez. There they joined Adm Robbinsfor a tr ip to the USS Juneau. After the ship vi sitGen McInerney and 4gis staff toured the Exxon operationscenter at Valdez.

Logistics

The orientation of Department of Defense oil spillresponse to logistics placed a significant burden on thesmall logistics staff at Alaskan Air Command. Joint TaskForce-Alaska trad i t ionally pulled its log i st ics cadrefrom AAC and depended entirely on augmentation for all

42 JTF-AK 006, 14 Apr 89.

43 JTF-AK 011, 19 Apr 89.

44 JTF-AK 011, 20 Apr 89; JTF-AK 013, 21 Apr 89.

45 JTF-AK 020, 28 Apr 89.

46 JTF-AK 021, 29 Apr 89.

24

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logistics and engineering support. In response totasking to support the Federal On-Scene Coordinator,Col Eric L Redifer, Deputy Chief of Staff for Logistics,established a Logistics Readiness Center and sent twopeople to Valdez for on-s i te 1 iai son. The Log i st icsReadiness Center initiated logistics status reportingwi th in Alaska, focus i ng on assets and rna ter ials thatmight be required for cleanup operations. Additionally,the LRC coordinated efforts to acquire and ship equipmentand materials requisitioned by the Federal On-SceneCoordinator and Exxon.

Staffing of the logistics center became a criticalissue as the cleanup progressed. The five people in theLogistics Plans Division had to staff the LRC 18 hoursa day, seven days a week. Because the LRC operation andJTF-AK support were additional duties, all of theLogistics 4~lans Divisionis normal work had to bepostponed.

On 9 April, JTF-AK began coordinating the firstrequests for mi 1 i tary support that it processed. Therequests included. airlift for a forklift needed inKodiak, use of the Army and Air Force recreation campsat Seward for wildlife decontamination, and provision offour t~9five 200-bunk barges or ships to berth clean upcrews.

JTF-AK processed two additional support requests on11 April. Both were major. One, originated by JTF-AKitself, was for UH-60A (Blackhawk) helicopters tosupport Coast Guard and DOD assets deployed in PrinceWilliam Sound. The Blackha~ks were to be use~for Searchand rescue and medical evacuation. Although the FOSCspecifically rejected the Blackhawks, the JTF staffregarded them as essential to provide adequate medicalevacuation capability in the event of mass casualties inoil spill operations. The twin-engine helicopters hadto come from Army assets at Fort Benning, Georgia, sinceAir Force Search and Rescue helicopters in Alaska couldnot be spared for oil spill work. Concurrent with this,two UH-IH (Iroquois) and two CH-47 (Chinook) helicoptersdeployed to Fort Richardson to backup the Blackhawks.The second major request, originated-by the FOSC, was fora platform that could support on-going Coast Guard clean

47 3 Apr 90.Hellesto,

48 Hellesto, 3 Apr 90.

49 JTF-AK 001, 9 Apr 89.

25

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(\

up activity. The staff identified the U.S. Army Corpsof Engineers dredge Yaquina at Portland, Oregon, as beingthe closest available vessel for the latter purpose.

The Logistics Readiness Cente:J: and deployedlogistics staff also coordinated another 'significantaction. This was the reception and unloading of anammunition resupply barge at Valdez during the height ofcleanup activity. Receipt of the barge was impor~~nt toreplenishment of Department of Defense munitions stocksin Alaska, Once the barge was unloaded, Exxon plannedto use it to move material in support of ~he cleanup.The deployed logistics team developed and coordinated areceipt plan that involved night off-load of the bargeduring slack hours. The plan also included coordinateduse of both the container and city docks at Valdez. Theplan was coordinated with the logistics and senior staffsof Exxon, the Coast Guard, and JTF-AK. Major Greg Patzof the Military Traffic Management Command office atElmendorf assured that the debarkation contractor met allrequired timelines. In fact, the off-load took onlYs6ixhours to complete instead of an estimated 12 hours.

When staff research revealed that commercialberthing ships were not available, Gen McInerneyrequested two LPD (La~ding Platform Dock) or LSD (LandingShip Dock) class naval vessels. The Navy ships were notonly to shelter workers but also to provide command andcontrol and logistic support for clean up operations.Support requested for the ships included two NavalLiaison Officers to augment the JTF staff, two CH-46 (SeaKnight) helicopters, three LCM-8 and as many LCM-6landing craft as the Navy could locate and transport onthe ships. The request for the ships specified that aTactical Air Control Detachment should be embarked tomanage flight operations to and from the vessels. Inaddition to requesting the Navy ships, Gen McInerney alsoasked that the Essayons, a U.S. Army Corps Of Engineersdredge, also near Oregon, deploy to Alaska. The Essayo~T

could team with the Yaquina in oil-skimming operations.

Exxon, while enthusiastically receiving the benefitsof military airlift for equipment it wanted, was moreskeptical about other proffered military resources.There was no need said Exxon's man in charge, Otto R.Harrison, for the Corps of Engineers dredges Essayons andYaquina. The current fleet of skimmers and natural

50 Hellesto, 3 Apr 90.

51 JTF-AK 006, 14 Apr 89.

26

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weathering were accomplishing a marked reduction inspilled oil in Prince William Sound. As for offshoreoil, the Russian ship Vagdabgursky was enroute. He alsoasked for more information about the proposal to ~Znd twolarge Navy ships to house people and equipment.

While Exxon, the Coast Guard, and JTF-AK discussedthe desirablity of larger items and their availability,airlift continued.

Airlift in Support of Oil Spill Operationsas of

11 April 89

Type Aircraft Number of MissionsCumulativeTonnage

C-5C-141C-130C-12

Total

1544

16

39

Table 111-3 53

92897,

4Passengers Only

1029 tons

Much of the materiel airlift consisted of boom andbooming supplies and 200 Lightweight DecontaminationApparatus (LDAs) sent to the spill.

Nine of the LDA units were in Alaska. Joint TaskForce-Alaska requisitioned additional units through theDirectorate of Military Support from Air National Guardand Air Force Reserve organizations throughout the UnitedStates. By 28 April, 100 LDAs had reached Valdez andmore were enroute. Originally intended fordecontamination after nuclear-biological-chemicalwar fare, the un i ts were capable of genera t i ng pressur i zedstreams of water heated up to 248 degrees Farenhei~4

They could also operate as a cold water flush system.

52 Ltr, Harrison, Otto R. to Vice Adm Paul Yost, 10Apr 89, SD 014.

53 JTF-AK 010, 11 Apr 89.

54 JTF-AK 010, 11 Apr 89, JTF-AK 004, 12 Apr 89,JTF-AK 020, 28 Apr 89.

27

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MSgts Walter E Crawford, William A. Schneider, andSSgt Michael A. Burns, Disaster Preparedness Specialistsfrom Elmendorf AFB, arrived at Valdez on 15 April withfive LDAs. Then they went to Eleanor Island in PrinceWilliam Sound to test the units. SSgt Richard Picard,also from Elmendorf, followed on 23 April to unpack andservice LDAs being shipped into Valdez. The LDAs provedhighly effective in removing oil from contaminatedbeaches. They heated seawater into steam that drove oilfrom rocky beaches into the water where it could becollected by skimmers. After the test, the FOSCrequested 150 additional LDAs for clean up work. Theywere made available to Exxon after an agreement had beenworked out holding the government harmless ~gr injuriesor damage that might result from their use.

The surge of logistics requirements eventuallyrequired a total of 38 Air Force augmentees ~rom outsideAlaska to assist in-place staff. The Logistics ReaginessCenter operated from 25 April to 15 October 1989.

Medical

Pr i va te emergency med ical technicians and nursesprovided most medical care for civilian oil spillresponse workers, DOD medical survey teamS went toPrince William Sound in May and June of 1989. The teams'observations resulted from requests by the D~partment g~

Labor and Alaska's senatorial delegation to Congress.

Co 1 Ri chard A. Cha r la t, Director of Profess ionalServices, Office of the AAC Surgeon, traveled to PrinceWilliam Sound with a small medical team for an initialevaluation on 18 May. He and Col Peter F. Hoffman, AACCommand Surgeon, made a second tr ip on 27 June. Theyfound the personal protective clothing in use adequate,

55 J'l'F-AK 008, 16 Apr 89, JTF-AK 009, 17 Apr 89,JTF-AK 014, 22 Apr 89.

56 Redifer, Col Eric Lo, USAF, Assistant Chief ofStaff, Logistics, Hq JTF-AK, "Exxon Valdez Oil SpillSummary Report," 27 Oct 89, in Hq ALCOM, "Alaska OilSpill After Action Report," undated.

57 Point Paper, Charlat, Col Richard A., USAF (MC),Director of Professional Services, Office of the Surgeon,AAC, "Medical Surveys of Exxon Valdez Oil Spill CleanupOperations,lI 21 Jul 89, in Hq ALCOM, IIAlaska Oil SpillAfter Action Report," undated.

28

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except for a lack of protect i ve goggles. Th is, theysaid, was the cause of the ten percent of medicalcomplaints diagnosed as chemical conjunctivitis. Withrespect to other preventative measures, the AAC medicalstaff expressed concern about proper refrigeration offoods taken to the beach, warm water washing facilitieson the5~each, and fire hazards from smoking in berthiQgareas.

The lack of on-scene medical oversight by licensedphysicians and lack of mass casual ty evacuationcapability for a workforce of thousands also concernedthe mi 1 i tary surgeons. Medical back-up for pr iva teemergency medical technicians and nurses was provided byshipboard DOD physicians and dentists who deployed withthe clinic on Navy berthing vessels. The USAF RegionalHospital at Elmendorf maintained two 20-member MedicalRapid Response Forces on 24-hour alert for three monthsof the spill response activity for mass casualtycoverage. It was not until the third month of spillresponse that Exxon provided a medica~farge staffed witha physician in Prince William Sound.

The remoteness of spill operations and lack ofsurgical capability in Prince William Sound communities

. also created problems of medical support during VicePresident Quayle's visit to the oil spill cleanup area.Because there was no surg ical capabi 1 i ty nearby, theElmendorf hospital dispatched a surgical team to a Navyberthing vessel. The team consisted of ananestheologist, orthopedic surgeon, general surgeon, andoperating room nurse and equipped with an gBesthesiamachine to stand-by during Mr. Quayle's trip.

Public Affairs

The oil spill generated high interest by nationaland statewide media plus sensitivity by local residentsto accusations that the military might interfere with jobopportunities. This made public affairs a particularlyimportant part of DOD's oil spill response.

58 Charlat, 21 Jul 89.

59 Phonecall, Hanable w/Col Richard A. Charlat, USAF(MC), Director of Professional Services, Office of theSurgeon, AAC, 28 Mar 90.

60 Col Charlat, 28 Mar 90.

29

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The Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense forPublic Affairs designated Lt Col Michael G. Conley, USAF,AAC Director of Public Affairs, as senior Defenserepresentative on public affairs matters rel~ting to.theoil spill response, The AAC Public Affairs office, thenbecame responsible for coordinating DOD public affairsactions with the FOSC, determining public affairs assetsavailable in Alaska augmentation requirements, andprovi~ing public affairs support to the DOD AssessmentTeam.

Capt Aloisio, sent to Valdez earlier, remained until17 April when replaced by Maj Sherell Mock, USA, from the6th Infantry Division (Light). Lt Cdr Joe March, US~,

of Naval Base Seattle, joined Mock at Valdez on 20 April.When the USS Juneau arrived, March embarked andcoordinated media visits to the ship. SSgt DaveHaulbrook of the 21st TFW replaced Mock on 29 Apri 1.Naval Reserve Captain Ronald L. Toth replaced March on14 May. When Capt Toth departed on 13 July, DOD publicaffairs activities were place%2 in the hands of theFederal Media Center in Valdez.

Protocol

The oil spill response also increased protocolactivity. Of the 423 flag rank and civilian equivalentvisitors to Alaska in 1989, about 25 percent wereassociated with the Prince William Sound Oil spill. Tg3oil spill visitors included Vice President Dan Quayle.

Vice President Quayle first visited the oil spillactivity on 4 May 1989. He was returning to the UnitedStates after a trip to the Far East. His party arrivedin Cordova at 1805 where they were met by Secretary ofTransportation Skinner; Mr. Richard Breeden, Assistantto the President; Adm Yost; Gen McInerney; and MayorErling Johansen of Cordova. From Cordova, the party flewto the USS Juneau and changed into protective clothing.From the USS Juneau, the party went via Fishing Vessel

61 Conley, Lt Col Michael G., USAF, pirector ofPublic Affairs, Hq AAC, "On-Scene Coordinator's Reportfor the T/S EXXON VALDEZ Oil Spill," 13 Sep 89, in HqALCOM, "Alaska Oil Spill After Action Report," undated.

62 Conley, 13 Sep 89.

63 Hist (S/Decl OADR), Hq AAC/ANR/JTF-AK, Jan 89­Dec 89 (Draft), info used is unclassified.

30

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Rebecca to an oil-soaked beach. The Vice President spentabout ten mi nutes on the beach. There he tal ked wi thcleanup workers and tested one of the hoses used to wash·the 0 i 1 off the beach. After returni ng to the USSJuneau, Vice President Quayle addressed the crew. Thenthe Vice Presidential party flew by helicopter toElmendorf where he boarded his aircraft ~rly on 5 Mayfor the return flight to Washington, D.C.

The Vice President's second oil spill trip came inSeptember 1989. Although President Bush had beenscheduled to inspect the oil spill response, otherpriorities kept him from coming. Vice President Quayle,again traveling to the Far East, stopped at Elmendorf fortwo and a half hours on 18 September. Adm Yost and GenMcInerney greeted the Vice President and his party, whichincluded Secretary Skinner. Then Mr. and Mrs. Quayle,Secretary Skinner, and several others were taken to JTF­AK headquarters for a briefing and meetings with localpolitical leaders. Before leaving, Vice President Quaylereaffirmed the support of the Bush administration for thecleanup effort and t~~t Exxon had promised they wouldcomplete the project.

64 Hist draft, January-December 1989.

65 Hist draft, January-December 1989.

31

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(left to right) Col Morton V. Plumb Jr., USAF; Vice AdmClyde E. Robbins, USCG; Gen Thomas G. McInerney, USAF;Capt Carl Weegar, USN confer in Prince William Sound.(USAF Photo, April 1989)

Vice President Dan Quayle, Adm Paul A. Yost, Commandant,USCG, and Lt Gen Thomas G. McInerney, USAF, DefenseSenior Representative for the Oil Spill Cleanup Support,at press conference. (USAF Photo, May 1989)

32

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Chapter IV

FIELD OPERATIONSfor

MILITARY SUPPORT

Airlift

Air Force C-5A Galaxy 77034 from Travis Air ForceBase, CA, made the first Air Force flight in support ofthe oil spill response on 27 March, carrying over 159,000pounds of cargo. C-5B 70041 followed on 30 March withthree fenders, a communications van, and 11 pallets ofmi scellaneous equipment. Alaska Ai r National Guard C­130 Hercules flights 61}lpplemented this strategic airliftfrom outside Alaska.

Airlift Supportas of

30 April 1989

Type Aircraft

C-5C-14lC-130C-12

Total

Number ofMissions

1744

30

50

Table IV-l

CumulativeTonnage

992.397.04.0

Passengers

1093.3

Command, Control, and Communications

sophisticated communications technology was amongthe most valuable military contributions to oil spillclean up management. The communications links extendedboth from the JTF-AK headquarters into the field and fromthe headquarters back to Washington, D.C.

66 Ltr, Smith, L.J., Exxon Logistics Coordinator,Valdez, Alaska, to Federal On-Scene Coordinator, PrinceWilliam Sound, 17 Apr 89.

33

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A communications team from Scott AFB, IL, arrivedat Elmendorf early in April to establish a communicationslink between Adm Yost and Gen McInerney. About the sametime, technicians installed a video-conferencing systemso that Gen McInerney g9uld communicate face-to-face withWashington officials.

Accordi ng to Col Wi Ison, the v ideo-conferenc i ngsystem was "the single biggest thing that contributed toour [JTF-AK] ability to deal with6d-t, and our havingcredibility in Washington..•.. " The Coast Guard,however, refused to accept the video-conf~rencig~

capability as a legitimate oil-spill response expense.The Guard's fiscal officer, Capt R.E. Anderson, told JTFrepeatedly that the Coast Guard did not want the sytem.Even so, the Coast Guard later acknowledged that GenMcInerney had "used it very effecti vMY regarding theOOMS request for a contingency plan."

Communications with the huge flotillas of fishingboats that Exxon began to dispatch from ports such asCordova, Valdez, Seward, Homer, and Kod i ak crea ted amajor command, control, and communications problem.Var i at ions in equ ipment and opera tor capabi 1 i ty, andnatural conditions unfavorable to transmission madecoordination of the flotillas' work difficult.

To help wi th this problem, Alaskan Air Commandoffered a modified version of its Alaska Command andControl System Military Automated Network (AC2SMAN)system known as "OSCAR" (Oil Spill Computer AutomatedResponse) . OSCAR aided the Coast Guard and Exxon incommunicating with and deploying the hundreds of aircraftand vessels responding to the oil spill. It alsoprovided an electronic mail system and graphic displayof the location and status of oil spill resources. Datacould be entered into OSCAR from laptop computers in thefield or from personal computers in administrative

67 JTF-AK 005, 13 Apr 89.

68 Wilson, 23 Jan 90.

69 JTF-AK 046, 25 May 89.

70 Memo, Capt R.E" Anderson, USCG, to Capt Zawadzki,USCG, "Cost Reimbursement to 000,11 9 May 89, SO 015.

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offices. OSCAR ultimately was operational at Elmend9ffAFB, Anchorage, Valdez, Juneau, and Washington, D.C.

Early on, Washington offices of the Army's Corps ofEngineers had begun to tout the usefulness of two Corpsdreges, the Essayons and the Yaquina for spill recoverywork. Col Kakel at first recommended against sending thedredges to Alaska. Then he changed his mind when hereal i zed that they could serve as command and controlplatforms. Otto Harrison of Exxon also changed his mind.He wrote to Adm Robbins, the FOSC, requesting use of boththe Essayons and the Yaquina, stating that Exxon wasprepared to pay incremental costs for the ships. Thiswas to cause some problems. Both dredges were " pro jectfunded, II and no operating funds were available for theirnormal costs. Thus the Corps needed to be paid for the$28,000 daily cost for 7tpe Yaquina and the $61,000 dailycost for the Essayons.

Both ships had advanced communications gear andradar designed to track up to 100 ships when the dredgesoperated in busy harbors. Coincidentally, Kakel'sheadquarters in Anchorage had just installed a powerfulhigh-frequency, single-sideband radio in its EmergencyOperations Center that could be used to communicate withthe vessels. The Alaska District then quickly obtaineda computer terminal that could report the dredges'locations via OSCAR. As a result, the Alaska Districtwas able to maintain contact with its dredges for all buttwo days of the time the dredges were deployed to the oilspill. This communications link fed a Corps' CrisisManagement Team, which functionedj3ostly on a 24-hour-a­day basis from 6 April to 9 June.

71 Shepherd, Col John L., USAF, Director, C4IPrograms, Hq AAC, "Alaska Oil Spill After Action Report,"18 Oct 89, in Hq ALCOM, "Alaska oil Spill After ActionReport," undated.

72 Ltr, Otto R. Harrison to Vice Adm Clyde Robbins,March 31, 1989; Memo, Capt R.E. Anderson, USCG, to FOSCValdez, "COE Dredges," 26 Apr 89, SD 016; Kakel, 13 Feb90.

73 Kakel, 13 Feb 90; "Cr i sis management team directsoil spill response," p. 1; "Radio communications provevi tal in emergency response," p. 8; "Compu ter programslink Corps to Joint Task Force information, II p. 8; Espirtde Corps, Vol. 13, No.1, January 1990, p. 1, SD 017.

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c"

Once the Federal On-Scene Coordinator had requestedthe two vessels, the Yaquina arrived from Portland on 19April and the Essayans from the same location on 21Apr il.

u.s. Army Corps of Engineers' Dredge Essayons.and Yaquina turned out to be among the mostdevices for collecting oil. (U.S. ArmyEngineers Photo, 1989)

36

EssayonseffectiveCorps of

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When the dredges arrived, they came under Col Kakel'soperational control. He placed Corps of Engineers I

officers aboard the dredges as mission commanders, withthe vessel masters charged with assuring safe andefficient vessel operations. Kakel charged his missioncommanders to be pro-active, seeking out missions ratherthan waiting to be called. Essayons and Yaquina were toset standards. As a result, the dredges served whereverthey operated as command and f40ntrol platforms forconcentrations of fishing boats.

Reconnaissance

Locating the oil continued to be a problem.Although aerial infrared sensors could locate it, visualobservation from aircraft or surface vessels wasd iff i cul t. Float i ng beds of plankton bloom could bemistaken for oil by inexperienced scouts and the oiloccasionally submerged several inches below the surface.One of the best means for visual observation turned outto be a helicopter operating from a surface vessel.When this was discovered, the FOSC 7Squested a UH-l forfour days to monitor oil movements.

Air Force photo reconnaissance units in Alaska forsummer exercises also made passes over the oil andsatellite imagery was attempted. Finally, all partiesagreed to use infrared imagery from the Coast Guard'sAireye and Exxon flights as the "official" determinationof the oil's location.

Collecting Oil

Recogni tion of the values that the Essayons andYaquina offered for command, control, and communications,was soon matched by a desire to have them do somethingabout the oil itself. As noted above, Navy skimmers wereon-scene within a few days after the 24 March oil spill.They immediately ran into problems. Within a few daysof the spill, much of the oil had weathered into a thick,peanut butter-like mousse. While the skimmers could

74 Kakel, 13 Feb 90.

75 Heaton, Capt Charles, USA (CE), Alaska District,U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, "Alaska Oil Spill - LessonsLearned, Inability to Locate Oil," undated, in Hq ALCOM,"Alaska Oil Spill After Action Report," undated; JTF-AK007, 15 Apr 89.

37

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collect this material, it clogged their gearalmost impossible to pump out of the skimmers'tanks,

and wasstorage

A Mark I skimmer carried aboard the Yaquina met thesame difficulties as had the Navy and Exxon skimmers'.Likewise, attempts to suck ~ floating oil with thedredges' pumps and drag heads was unsuccessful. Pumpswere too slow, and soon choked on the thick mousse andthe debris trapped in it. The drag heads reached toodeeply into the 10-inch-thick floating mousse. Thiscaused them to acquire too high a volume of sea water inproportion to the mousse picked up.

Experimentation by the dredge crews resulted in amajor breakthrough in skimming technique. Chief MateJimmy Holcroft of the Yaquina suggested inverting thedrag heads, placing them just underneath the oil, andsucking the oil down into them. Within 15 minutes of thefirst trial of this method on 19 April, 63,000 gallonsof oil had been deposited in the Yaquina's hoppers. Off­loading the collected oil, by this time of a consistencysimilar to wet concrete, then became a problem. Thisproblem was eventually solved when the Corps ofEngineers' 96ews were able to reverse the dredges' draghead pumps.

Preparations for serious off-shore skimming beganaround 21 April. The Essayons, in the vicinity of PortDick to the southwest of Prince William Sound, began tofit out for skimming operations. The Soviet shipVaydagbubsky, largest skimmer in the world, was south ofPort Dick and also fitting out. The Russian ship adaptedthe new techniques developed by the Yaquina, but wasnev~r as 1fccessful because of differences in basicequIpment.

During the next few days both ships collected oiloffshore from the south coast of the Kenai Peninsula.They were frequently interrupte~fY bad weather and onlyrecovered small amounts of oil.

76 Edwards, Dawn M., Task Force Castle (Portland,OR: Public Affairs Office, North Pacific Division, U.S.Army Corps of Engineers, 1989), p. 11, SD 018; Kakel, 13Feb 90.

77 JTF-AK 013, 21 Apr 89.

78 JTF-AK 019, 27 Apr 89.

38

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Measuring the amount of oil captured turned out tobe yet another problem. As skimming operationsprogressed, interest soared in quantifying the amount ofoil recovered. Measuring captured oil in hoppers usinga "dipstick" technique similiar to measuring the oil inan automobile engine, dredge crews discovered that theoil was compacti9~ and compressing out the water suckedup with the oil. c

By 19 May, Col Kakel was recommending that theEssayons be released. Although the dredge had collected1,680 barrels of oil between 23 and 26 April, she hadcollected only an additional 498 barrels between 26 Apriland 19 May. The Essayons was be i ng used as a shorebarge, accepting debris removed from beaches. The dredgeitself was collecting no oil. The time was past, saidCol Kakel, when use of the dredge was cost effective.Coast Guard author~5ies disagreed and Essayons remainedon oil spill duty.

The Yaquina, too, was ready to move on. Once herhoppers had been off-loaded to an Exxon sludge barge, theFOSC released the smal S1r dredge. Release for theEssayons came on 31 May.

When the Coast Guard released the dredges, clean uphad to be faced. Environmentalists in the dredges'homeport state of Oregon had already been aroused bytentative plans to take the Exxon' Valdez there forrepairs. The Corps wanted the ships spotless before theyentered Oregon's Columbia River. Both ships moved toSeward. Clean up crews hired by Exxon found that thesludge in the hoppers had hardened to an asphalt-likestate. At the same time, organic material --carcasses,vegetation, etc.-- trapped in the sludge were decayingand producing poisonous and hazardous gasses. For theEssayons the problem was particularly difficult. Whileopera t i ng in Shel i kof Strai t, the larger dredge hadaccepted debr i s from stra it beaches that added to theunmanageable properties of the sludge. The Yaquina wasable to sail for Portland after 12 days of scrubbing, but

79 Kakel, 13 Feb 90.

80 Memo, Col William W. Kakel, USA (CE),"Recommendation to disengage Dredge Essayons," 19 May 89;Memo, Capt J.L. Crowe Jr., USCG, "Relief of ACOE DredgeEssayons," 19 May 89.

81JTF-AK 047, 26 May 89, JTF-AK 050, 31 May 89.

39

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the Essayons, after arriving ~~ Seward on 1 June, wasable to leave only on 17 July.

c

Skimming Configuration

u.s. Army Corps of Engineers' developed technique forusing dredges to skim oil. (Drawing courtesy of AlaskaDistrict, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers)

82 Kakel, 13 Feb 90; "Oil Easier to pump in thanscrape out,ll p. 1, and Edwards, Dawn, llInnovations turndredges into successful oil skimmers," in Esprit deCorps, Oil Spill Special Edition, Vol. 13, No.1, January1990, p. 4.

40

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In all, the two Corps of Engineers dredges hadcollected q total of nearly 300,000 gallons of spilledoil. The Essayons did so at a cost of $195,768 and tft3Yaquinarat a cost of $145,685, with labor not included.

Ship-borne berthing

As Col Wilson and his JTF-AK planners turned theirattention from oil collection to shoreline clean up, theysaw a need to have berthing platforms for clean upworkers. The anticipated thousands of be'ach clean upworkers could not be accommodated in Va ldez. Even ifthey could, transporting them to beaches 30 miles or morefrom Valdez would waste time and other resources. Theworkers needed to be based near the locations to becleaned up. Doing this would also narrow the span ofcontrol for Exxon, s08fhat all work did not have to bedirected from Valdez.

Initial considerations included use of Navy berthingbarges. Research revealed that the only suitable Navybarge was needed at San Diego for the crew of a shipundergoing overhaul. other Navy berthing barges weregutted and unsui table. Troopships were not aconsideration because the only such ships were inmothballs- This left Navy amphibious assault ships asthe most likely type of "floati ng hotel" that theDepartment of Defense could provide. The nearest werein the Nav~5s Amphibious Group Three (PHIBGRU THREE) atSan Diego.

Once the decision was made to send amphibiousassault ships to serve as floating hotels, considerationswere: where to place ships, which ships were to be sent,and how long the ships sent should remain on station.The solutions to these considerations had to balance oilspi 11 clean u~6 needs, Navy needs, and read i nessconsiderations.

83 "Corps spends $529,669 to cl~anup oil spill," inEsprit de Corps, Vol. 13, No.1, January 1990, p. 6.

84 Wilson, 23 Jan 90.

85 Intvw, Hanable w/CDR John A. Tobia, USN, CINCPACLiaison Officer to ALCOM, 25 Jan 90, SD 019.

86 Tobia, 25 Jan 90.

41

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________,.__.__.. •. ,'-=c<>"_=,""==",.:c""''''''==,,., ~ ....c...,..~·,""'.,_,""= .....,,_;.·"~"-<''''__.,''',,,'-.-"',t-t,'~·_',,,',c_"'__='''''' "'''·' __'~;''''''.· .__ '"o,~~~""~"""",.k",,,,,,,,,,,,,'''-',",=_''k~T_·~,~.,,,,",,,,,,,."~t.J,,,">1:'j),,'n,,,_,,,·· ""--:'''~',''''''-';''''''._;._..~-,__.~~""",.',·e.",~,,'''m,~~'''';f,t:?",~-,-""~J·' T~=..,.",,,,,,,,,,,,,~,,,,,,,,,,",,,,,,,,~.~~u.~t'''''''~~-''',,,,,~......~__• _

Cdr John A. Tobia, united States Commander-in-ChiefPacific (USCINCPAC) Naval Liaison Officer to AAC, andCapt Robert Ianucci, Chief of Staff for the Commander,PHIBGRU THREE, traveled to Valdez in early April and metwith city and Exxon officials regarding placement ofships. Dockside services in city were inadequate, andcity officials indicated that large numbers of sailorson shore on liberty would be disruptive in Valdez'semergency situation. Also, placing ships in Valdez wouldmean that accommodated workers would have to commute toarea of clean up operations. These problems led to adecis~on s9 anchor the ships near the clean uplocatIons.

Of available amphibious ships, USS Juneau was mostsuitable from a scheduling standpoint. Nearly 600 feetin length, the USS Juneau has a normal crew complementof 457 and can embark 840 troops. It was known that anyship used would have severe impact on planned operations.There were also readiness issues. Concurrent with theoil spill, world events such as the Panama crisisinfluenced deployment decisions. Ship cycling scheduleswere also important. Navy policy is that ships deployedfor 50-plus days will not be redeployed for 12 months.Assignmemt of ships to oil spill duties for extendedperiods could have had &Pple effects for years onPHIBGRU THREE operations.

Finding a second ship was even more difficult thanfinding the first. USS Fort McHenry (LSD-43) had justcome off 6-month deployment. Smaller than the USSJuneau, the USS Fort McHenry is over 600 feet long butdisplaces only 15,726 tons and can accommodate only 500troops. As authorities debated whether one or two shipswere needed, USS Fort McHenry deployments to Pr inceWilliam Sound were announced and cancelled several times.This had an immediate impact on c~~w morale and long-termimpact on planned training, etc.

B7 Tobia, 25 Jan 90.

BB Msg, CINCPACLFT, Pearl Harbor, HI, to JTF-AK,Elmendorf AFB, AK, "AIaska Oil Spill Public AffairsGuidance," 161753Z Apr B9; Tobia, 25 Jan 90.

89 CINCPACFLT, l6l753Z Apr B9; Tobia, 25 Jan 90.

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USS Juneau, one of a series of Navy amphibious assaultships sent to Prince William Sound to serve as commandand control platforms and berthing ships for cleanupworkers. A decontamination barge is tied alongside, asare a landing craft and a contracted vessel use to moveoil spill workers. (U.8. Army Corps of Engineers Photo)

Cleanup workers on the beach. After a shift on thebeach, the oil-soaked workers returned to the berthingships after showering and changing clothes ondecontamination barges. (U. 8. Army Corps of EngineersPhoto)

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The formal request from Exxon for two amphibiousassaul t sh ips and the i r land i ng craft to support oi 1spill clean up went forward on 14 April 1989. "Highlevel" review of the proposed deployment resul ted ind i spa tch of only USS Juneau, commanded by Capt 'T. A.Willandt, USN. Four days later, the USS Juneau departedSan Diego enroute to Prince William Sound. In additionto its own crew and normally assigned small poats, theship carried two U.S. Marine Corps CH-46 helicopters fromMarine Corps Air Station, Tustin, California; two LCM­8s, each with a crew of five; six LCM-6s, each capableof lifting 34 tons or 80 troops; and five Draconbladders. By 28 April, USS Juneau was anchored 1400 yardsnorth of Smith Island (60-32.5N/147-22.2W) in PrinceWilliam Sound with 466 Exxon personnel embarked. Thefollowing day, the Blackhawk ~1>licopters began conductingdeck landing qualifications.

One day's work illustrated the enormity anddifficulty of the work to be done. When weatherpermitted full crews to be placed on beaches, the USSJuneau reported that 1470 gallons of oil washed off thebeaches had been collected by sk immer. Another 338gallons of oil had been soaked up by individuals wipingrocks. Overall, on 29 April, 310 civilians hired byExxon cleaned a 400-foot by 60-foot area. After they hadworked all day, t~~ estimate was that the area was about30 percent clean.

Air operations were almost continuous from the deckof the USS Juneau and the amphibious ships that succeededher in Prince William Sound. Regular flight operationsfor CH-46s making administrative and logistical runs fromone ship to another and to Valdez and Anchorage occurredfour to six times daily. Visitors arriving byhelicopter, civilian helicopters making refueling st~~s,

and medical evacuation flights added to the bustle.

90 CINCPACFLT, 161753Z Apr 89; Msg, DaMS JTF,Washington, D.C., to JTF-AK, Elmendorf AFB, AK, "AlaskaOil Spill Assistance, II 180300Z Apr 89; JTF-AK 011, 19 Apr89; JTF-AK 020, 28 Apr 89; JTF-AK 021, 29 Apr 89.

91 JTF-AK 022, 30 Apr 89.

92 7 Msg, USS Fort· McHenry, to COMPHIBGRU THREE,IIAlaska oil Spill After Action Report, II No DTG, 5 Oct89, in Hq ALCOM, IIAlaska oil Spill After Action Report, II

undated.

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,On 27 April, the JTF learned that the Secretary of

Defense had approved use of the USS Fort McHenry and thatthe Commandant of the Coast Guard had authorized the FOSCto request use of the second ship. CoordinatioQ betweenJTF-AK, the FOSC, and COMPHIBGRU THREE resulted in aload-out that included 6 LCM-6s, 4'LCM-8s, 1 CH-46, andall personnel needed to support the boats. Th~3LSD alsocarried her own boats and 2,000 feet of boom.

The USS Fort McHenry, commanded by Cdr G.S. Rhodes,USN, sailed north on 28 April. She arrived in PrinceWilliam Sound on the morning of 4 May. There she joinedthe USS Juneau off Smith Island. She remained withinsignalling distance of the USS Juneau for the durationof Vice President Quayle's visit to the oil spill scene.When the Vice Presidential visit was completed, the USSFort McHenry got underway for Valdez where she wouldembark 320 Exxon/VECO workers. When the workers wereaboard, the USS Fort McHenry steamed to Green Island (60­19N/147 -21W) to beg i n cleanup operations. After shiporientation for the civilian workers, the LCMs carriedcivilian workers based on the USS F09~ McHenry to theirfirst day of beach cleanup on 9 May.

After the USS Juneau and then USS Fort McHenry wereordered to Alaska, there were several key aspects ofoperations. These included liaison functions,relocations, changeovers, civilian-military relations,and crew training and morale.

Each ship sent two liaison officers to JTF-AK towork with the CAT. The liaison officers providedexpertise on air operations, communications, logistics,and other naval activities for the JTF/CAT staff whichconsisted primarily of Air Force and Army officers. Inthe long-term, the oil spill activity providedinteroperability experience both for the JTF/CAT staffand for the liaison office9~' typically 0-2s, 0-3s, andsenior enlisted personnel.

93 ..'Msg, COMDT COGARD, Washington, D.C .. , to FOSC,

Valdez, AK, "Use of Add DOD Forces Valdez Spill," 24l847ZApr 89, SD 020; JTF-AK 019, 27 Apr 89.

94 JTF-AK, 017, 25 Apr 89; JTF-AK 019, 27 Apr 89;JTF-AK 026, 4 May 89; JTF-AK 027, 5 May 89; JTF-AK 028,6 May 89; JTF-AK 029, 8 May 89, JTF-AK 031, 9 May 89.

95 Tobia, 25 Jan 90.

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()

Y'''''''~''=''''_'-",~~"",...l''''·'''''-''''''''_'''''''O·'''''''"_'''·''''''~~~''~i'''!.J"=."'-"=£''-~~'= ~ _

Periodically, the ships relocated as the beachworking areas changed. This presented problems sincePrince William Sound had not been recharted after 1964.That year an undersea earthquake caused significantdisturbance to the ocean floor and made many of. theexisting charts unreliable. As a result, the Navy shipseither relied on a NOAA hydrographic ship or small boa§gwith fathometers to clear passages to new anchorages.

Once the decision was made to rotate ships, COMJTF,FOSC, and Exxon all desired that the turnovers be madewith no interruption of clean up work. This wasaccomplished by having the civilian work crews take alltheir gear with them as they departed for work on theturnover day. The gear was stored on the barges tiedalongside the departing ship. After the workers left,the barges were untied, the new ship replaced thedeparting ship, and the barges were tied up to the newsh ip. At the end of the day, the worker s returned,retrieved their gear from the barges where it had beenstored, and9the turnover was completed with no loss ofwork hours.

Using this system, USS Cleveland relieved USS Juneauon 31 May 1989 and USS Mount Vernon relieved USS FortMcHenry on 9 June 1989. Then on 10 July, USS ogcrenrelieved the Cleveland. The USS Mount Vernon departedwithout relief on 18 July, leaving behind eight landingcraft which were to be leased to Exxon. Working out thelease agreement took a lot of work. The condition of thelanding craft had not been ascertained before theystarted on oil spill operations. Nor did the Navy haveany experience in drawing up similar leases. When thedifficulties were finally resolved, Exxon and the Navysigned a lease agreement on 28 July 1989. The agreementleased 16 Navy LCMs and a sewerage barge to Exxon.Exxon agreed to recondition and return the landing craft

96 Navgram, USS Fort McHenry to COMPHIBGRU THREE,"Alaska Oil Spill After Action Report, II 5 Oct 89;Navgram, USS Duluth to COMPHIBGRU THREE, "Alaska OilSpill After-Action Report, II 5 Oct 89, in Hq ALCOM,"Alaska Oil Spill After Action Report," undated.

97 Tobia, 25 Jan 90.

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and barge to t~] Navy in San Diego when the cleanup workwas completed.

Leasing of the landing craft anticipated departureof the last Navy ship. This was something DOD had beenseeking since late May. Concern over the exposed natureof the shoreline to be cleaned led, however, Exxon andthe FOSC to request that the USS Ogden remaib in PrinceWilliam Sound until 15 September. Concerned aboutoperational schedules and crew morale, the Navy insteadsent USS Duluth to relieve the USS Ogden on 16 Augu§~

1989. The USS Duluth stayed until 16 September 1989.

"Hotel" duty was difficult for the ships. Itprecluded much crew training, some of which anticipatedmajor evaluations scheduled in the near future,~ USSJuneau, for instance, faced an engineering evaluationonly two months after her scheduled return date fromAlaska. The crews had to adjust to strange duties, atanchor in isolated locations. Accommodating largenumbers of mixed-gender crews of civilians, themselvesengaged in dirty, tiring work, required difficultadjustments by the ships' crews. Plumbing problems,etc., resulted from the civilians' unfamilarity withships' systems. An initial attempt to run separatemessing facilities with one for civilians catered by acivilian contractor and one for crew with Navy cooksquickly gave way to civilian contractors and Navy cooksoffering integrated messing. Suprisingly, given theopportunities for difficulty, there were 188 majorconflicts between the civilians and military.

Adm Baker asked that, because of the stressful duty,every effort be made to arrange liberty for ships' crews.Anchorage was the nearest sui table 1 iberty port. Theembarked U.S. Marine Corps CH-46s airlifted libertyparties of 18 three times a week. The parties traveledby hel icopter over three routes. They sometimes wentdirectly to Anchorage by helicopter. When weatherblocked Portage Pass, the preferred helicopter route toAnchorage, the parties traveled to Cordova or Valdezwhere they could be transferred to USAF fixed-wing

JTF-AK 081, 8 Aug 89; JTF-AK 082, 15 Aug 89; JTF­087, 19 Sep 89.

100 USS Cleveland, 042100Z Oct 89; Tobia, 25 Jan 90.

AK

98 JTF-AK 051, 1 Jun 89; JTF-AK 058, 9 Jun 89; JTF­AK 075, 10 Jul 89; JTF-AK 078, 20 Jul 89; JTF-AK 080, 1Aug 89.

99

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aircraft for flights to Anchorage. At other times, thehelicopters flew to ,Seward where the liberty partiescould take Ai r Force or Army buses to' Anchorage. Asenior petty officer was detailed to Anchorage to serveas liberty coordinator. CDR Tobia assisted with. allaspects of the coordination including billeting,transportation, a Host-a-Sai lor program through the ArmedServices YMCA in Anchorage, Chamber 109.f Commercediscounts, etc., for the liberty parties.

Command structure was also an issue. Gen McInerneydesired a Navy flag officer on scene in Prince WilliamSound as his Alaska Oil Spill Task Force deputycommander. While RADM Baker was assigned this duty, hisother responsbilities as commander of PHIBGRU THREE with33 other ships and 22,000 personnel made it impossiblefor him to stay on-scene for protracted periods. He wasable to travel to the Elmendorf headquarters and PrinceWill~am soun'1otour times, but was unable to remaincontlnuously.

Other civilian landing craft leased by Exxon andthose brought by the amphibious assault ships proved veryuseful. The FOSC asked for others if DOD could locatethem, As a result, arrangments were made to " ren t ll

various types of craft from the Army National Guard andArmy Reserve. Army Reserve units in California providedfour LCUs (Landing Craft utility) that arrived in Alaskaon 1 June. Guard units in Alaska and Washington providedadditional landing craft. Eight LCMs came from theWas~ington Nati~a~l Guard and four LCUs from the AlaskaNatlonal Guard.

101 T b' 25 Jan 90.o la,

102 T b' 25 Jan 90.o la,

103 JTF-AK 054, 5 Jun 89.

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Above - Alaskan Air Command Disaster Preparednessspecialists MSgt Walter Crawford, MSgt William A.Schneider, and SSgt Michael A. Burns explain theLightweight Decontamination Apparatus to Vice Adm ClydeE. Robbins, USCG, Federal On-Scene Coordinator.Below - the Lightweight Decontamination Apparatus isdemonstrated. (USAF Photo)

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Medical Evacuation Support

As soon as it was clear that large numbers of.military personnel might be deployed to Prince WilliamSound, JTF-AK planners recognized the need for medicalevacuation support. A staff review indicated that thethree HH-3 hel icop,ters ass igned to the 71st AerospaceRescue and Recovery Squadron at Elmendorf would probablynot be ava i lable for 0 i 1 spi 11 work. Only two of thefour HH-3s were operational, the 71st crews were behindon training sorties, and the available HH-3s werescheduled to sUPfUOit North Warning System tests at BarterIsland in June.

Since the HH-3s were not available, the task forcerequested three Army UH-60A helicopters for medicalevacuation work. Originally it was thought the UH-60Ascould be based at Bryant Army Airfield at FortRichardson. The aircraft were to perform medevac/masscasualty operations if requested by the FOSC, and 6thID (L), JTF-AK, and the FOSC worked out an emergencymedevac/SAR notification system. AAC provided two para­rescue personnel to support the helicopters, which camefrom. thf05498th Medical Company at Fort Benning,GeorgIa ..

Once they arrived, two of the UH-60A Blackhawksdeployed to Seward and a third to the USS Juneau. Asprocedures evolved, the helicopters deployed to the shipsrotated back to Seward every five days. By 1 May, allof ~he l~~ckhawk pi lots had! qual i f ied for d.ecklandIngs.

On 4 May, a civilian patient was evacuated to theUSS Juneau. A civilian helicopter received emergencylanding authorization to deliver a patient whom 187ship I s doctor treated for chemical conjuncti vi tis.The first medevac from USSJuneau came on 9 May when theembarked CH-46 hel icopter took a 65-year-old from thefishing vessel Nunatic to the Valdez hospital following

104 Talki ng Paper, Maj Conway, IIHH-3 Support,"14 Apr 89, SD 021.

105 JTF-AK 006, 14 Apr 89; JTF-AK 009, 17 Apr 89;JTF_AK 018, 26 Apr 89.

106 JTF-AK 023, 1 May 89.

107 JTF-AK 027, 5 May 89.

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an angina attacko l08 The most potentially serious injurycame on 21 May, when another embarked CH-46 took a 31­year-old male beach worker to Valdez hospital. Althougha spinal fracture was suspected, it turned out that thepatient £B~ only a badly sprained back and would fullyrecover.

June 10 was the busiest day for medevacs. A smallcivilian aircraft crashed on the north side of KnightIsland. An Exxon boat recovered the two occupants, amale and a female, and took them to a Coast Guard cutter.The cutter subsequently transferred them to the USSCleveland, where the ship's doctor examined the couple.The female had a broken nose, sprained wrist and neck,and minor lacerations. The male had no visible injuries.The UH-60A embarked on the Cleveland took the couple tothe Valdez hospital. The helicopter also took a civilianworker suffering internal bleeding from t~~xxon bargeGreencreek to Humana Hospital in Anchorage. In anotherincident on the same day, a female civilian worker fellon a barge, struck her head, and became unconscious. TheUSS Mount Vernon's embafffd UH-60A took her to ProvidenceHospital in Anchorage.

A month after the threemedevacs in June, there weretwo more same-day incidents. On 10 July UH-60As took twopeople to Anchorage hospitals. The first was a civilianwho fell down a hi 11 and lacerated her wr ist wi tharter ial damage. The second was a crew member whosuffered fi2st and second-degree burns to 25 percent ofhis body.

Later in July, there were more medevac missions.On 22 July, a petty officer from USS Ogden was flown toSeward and then to Elmendorf AFB. A preliminarydiagnosis of appendicitis turned out to be severegastritis. On 24 July, a civilian was injured in thecollision of two civilian vessels. After being treatedfor broken ribs by a Navy doctor, the patient was taken

108 JTF-AK 031, 9 May 89.

109 JTF-AK 042, 21 May 89.

110 JTF-AK 059, 11 Jun 89.

III JTF-AK 060, 12 Jun 89.

112 JTF-AK 075, 10 Jul 89.

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by the USCG Cutter Rffflute to Valdez for medevac by acommercial aircraft. .

Early in August the medevac helicopters were neededagain. On 7 August, one of the U~-60AS took an Exxonworker aboard USS Ogden to a civilian hospital inAnchorage. The wo~ker had suffered a back injury. Thenon 9 August, a UH-60A supported a Coast Guard mission totransport USCG Marine Safety personnel to i~t~ect an oilspill from a barge in Prince William Sound. Later inAugust, the medevac helicopter took a crew member fromUSCG Resolute to USS Duluth for treatment of a fracturedhand. Later, a female civilian worker was taken from thebarge Resurrection Bay to Valdez because of a possiblemiscarriage. When Exxon reported a male overboard fromi~s tug boat EnsCf1~iant, a Marine CH-46 searched for himwIthout success.

A Marine CH-46 and an Army UH-60A rescued two moredowned flyers on 29 August. The CH-46, enroute toElmendorf AFB, spotted a downed, fixed-wing civilanaircraft and two airmen in the vicinity of Cape Puget.

A Blackhawk with an Army pilot and crew supplemented byan Air Force para-rescue jumper embarked on USS Duluthpicked up the two men and took them back to the ship.After they had remainI~6aboard overnight, a UH-60A tookthem on to Anchorage.

When the USS Duluth left Prince William Sound on 16September, she took the Marine CH-46s with her. The ArmyUH-60As flew to Elmendorf Air Force Base to be preparedfor airlift to their horne station in Georgia. A Milit~i¥

Airlift Command C-5 took them there on 22 September.It was time for an end of season accounting.

113 JTF-AK 079, 25 Jul 89.

114 JTF-AK 082, 15 Aug 89.

115 JTF-AK 083, 22 Aug 89.

116 M USS Duluth, "Proposed Press Release, "sg,300230Z Aug 89; JTF-AK 085, 5 Sep 89.

117 JTF-AK 087, 19 Sep 89.

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Chapter V

PERSPECTIVES

End of Season Accounting

In mid-September, at the end of the first season'sfield operations to cleanup the 11 million gallons of oilspilled by the Exxon Valdez, the Department of Defenseconcluded that it had spent a total of over $58 millionto support cleanup efforts. Of this, the departmentcategorized $18 million as "obligated or collected."

DOD Cost Summary as of 14 September 1989

Component

NavySkimmer OpsSkimmer RentAmphib ShipsLanding Craft

ArmyDredges RentHelos MedevacHelos SpottingLiaison/Admin

Dollar ValueOrders Rcvd

7,471,0006,271,000-0-

760,000

-0--0--0--0-

Dollar ValueTotal Effort

7,256,00010,035,76320,489,000

371,256

10,963,0311,911,0001,102,561

428,234

Amounts<b1ig;t:011 l d

7,256,0006,271,000-0-

760,000

-0--0-

485,997-0-

Air ForceAACMACMisc OrgnLiaison/Admin

GrandTotal

-0­3,800,000-0--0-

18,302,000

1,460,7773,648,871

156,869871,743

58,685,105

92,5903,450,637-0--0-

18,316,224

Table V_1118

These cost figures represented a substantialinvestment of DOD resources. DOD military and civilianper sonnel, drawn from the Ai r Force, Army, Navy, andMarine Corps, had reached a high of 1,413 on 12 June.On the average, 787 DOD personnel were assigned to the

118 JTF-AK 087, 19 Sep 89.

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·~ <.,,,._'~"~.=',=~C'O·="~·=""~'O~;""='''''='''·_·A·." .~.~~"",··,,·~-,,, 'O··,=~=""'.-~..~,.'''''=_'''.''''''~,''''''_'''"''''"""',"'=C'!'L'o' -,"~~._~"'O_,,-.~'_·O'_' O.=O~=il.~"'''''''.==.'-'>o'''''-'''",,,,,--Y-"~,,,,,,,,,,,,,k,",,l""'~'''~~''·''''~-''""''~~ •.':"O:'i''~''''''''j~~W~ll·~,"=""",_",,,.~~,~ , _

cleanup each day between Apr i 1 and September. Theseperso~nel perfor~ed a vf!~ety of functions and operateda varIety of equIpment.

Military Airlift Command (MAC) had flown 156missions in support of the oil spill clean up. MAC'saircraft moved a total of 1,136.5 short tons of cargo.The Navy's Amphibious Group Three had provided sixamphibious assault ships, each for approximately 40 days,as command and control platforms and berthing vessels.The Naval Sea Systems Command had provided 22 skimmersto collect floating oil. The Army Corps of Engineers hadprovided two dredges. These served both as command andcontrol platforms and as innovative oil collectors. TheNavy, the Army Reserve, and Army National Guardcollectively had provided 30 landing craft to transportworkers to beaches and for in-shore cleanup work. TheArmy and Marine Corps collectively had provided sevenhelicopters. Active and Reserve forces provided 251decontami na t ion un i ts to wash 0 i 1 from the beaches.Satellite communication radios, laptop computers,inflatable craft, a sewerage ba!~O' and a C3 computersystem were also made available.

Lessons Learned

Planning. Contingency planning for militaryassistance to civil authorities was adequate. JTF-AKmobilization and support procedures were tested in theAlaska Oil Spill Cleanup. Although an on-shore incidentor disaster was anticipated in OPLAN 9639-83, itsprovisions were readily adaptable to an on-waterincident.

Staff Operations. After action analysis revealedseveral aspects of the Alaskan Oil Spill Clean Up thatshould be considered in similar incidents in the future.Some had to do with employment of assets and others hadto do with administrative procedures.

Two had to do with the employment of large ships.First, rapid and contradictory decisions by resourceusers about the need or lack of need for follow-on ships

119 Rpt, Hq ALCOM, "Alaska Oil Spill After ActionReport," undated.

120 Hq ALCOM, "Alaska Oil Spill After ActionReport," undated.

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played havoc with Amphibious Group Three planning. Itbecame clear that in future s i tua tions, users of DODassets had to accomplish proper employment planning andunderstand the impact of change. Second, the long-term(more than three-day) employment of large ships ininshore waters requires arrangements for off-loading ofsewage. Such arrangements need to be made at the sametime the need for the ships is determined.

Staff responding to the spill also had to developsome innovative administrative procedures which shouldbe retained as part of DOD's institutional memory. Asthe support for the spill response evolved, a need tolease DOD assets occurred. Procedures for doing so hadto be developed. Difficulties arose because some assetshad not b IZ£ surveyed prior to committment to oil spillresponse.

Augmentees were needed to support almost everyaspect of JTF-AK support for the 0 i 1 spi 11 cleanup.Before they arrived, day-to-day staff operations of theAlaskan Command and the Alaskan NORAD Region in severalareas ground to a halt. The oil spill experienceindicat~d tha~ augme~1~es should be mobilized as soon asJTF-AK IS actIvated.

It is also clear from the combined after actionreports that special emphasis should have been placed onmaking the oil spill clean up chain-of-command clear toDOD participants. While all managed to deal with it,some seem to have found it burdensome. A need wasl~3so

expressed for on-the-ground DOD liaison in Valdez.

Field Operations. The innovative use of Corps ofEngineers dredges to collect floating oil allowed thedredges to remove a great deal of oil. Theireffectiveness was so great that arrangements should be

121 Hq ALCOM, "Alaska Oil Spill After ActionReport," undated.

122 Rpt, Redifer, Lt Col Eric L., USAF, AssistantChief of Staff, Logistics, Hq JTF-AK,~ "Exxon Valdez OilSpill Summary Report," 27 Oct 89, in Hq ALCOM, "AlaskaOil Spill After Action Report," undated.

123 USS Cleveland, 042100Z Oct 89; 498th MedicalCompany, "Alaska Oil Spill After Action Report," undated;Department of the Army, U.S. Army Engineer District,Alaska, undated, incl in Hq ALCOM, "Alaska Oil SpillAfter Action Report," undated.

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made for similar use of dredges in future oil spillincidents. The Alaska Oil Spill Clean Up, however, alsoshowed that the dredges themselves should not be used tostore collected oil. It should instead be pUT~~d

immediately from the dredges to containment barges.c

The operations also showed that the dredges neededspotter aircraft to locate the oil for them, and thatthe.dredge1~daircraft needed compatible communicationsequIpment. 0

Another lesson resulted from heavy use of landingcraft assigned or attached to the large ships. Theships' crews, normally assigned duty as boat crews inaddition to their ship-board duties, were soonoverworked. The oil spill clean up experience indicatedthat dedicated boat crews should have been embarked andthe ships' crews relieved of boat duty. One ship foundthat a minimum of nine fully-trained three-person crewswere needed. The heavy use of the boats also would havem~de the pr~~~ce of a boat maintenance detachmentadvantageous

Embarked helicopter operations on the Navy shipswere successful due to the dedication and professionalismof the Army and Marine aircrews. The oil spilloperations did reveal a need to assure that maintenancepersonnel accompany all helicopters, and that thehelicopters ~e eq~~9ped and the crews trained for over­water operatIons.

Conclusion

Overall, military support for the Alaska Oil SpillCleanup was beneficial but costly. The clean up effortbenefited because the military brought with it the

124 Hq ALCOM, IIAlaska Oil Spill After ActionReport," undated.

125 Rpt, Department of the Army, U.S. Army EngineerDistrict, Alaska, IIExxon Valdez Oil spill Clean-UpExecutive Summary, II in Hq ALCOM, IIAlaska Oil Spill AfterAction Report,1I undated.

126 USS Cleveland, 042100Z Oct 89; Msg, ACU One,IIAlaska Oil Spill After Action Report,lI 2901152Z Sep 89,in Hq ALCOM, IIAlaska Oil spill After Action Report,1Iundated.

127USS Duluth, 5 Oct 89.

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_~ ~~ ='~"""""-'-C"'.""""""''''·'_',.",",7~='''-''''''='.::-.!L''-=~",~-==",,",,-"-~-",_,_~ ."=",=~U,"""};><,~""",••"!!,<.,1I:!P-""""""",,,..,,,·~-==",,-,,,,,,"=~,,_~..~ ,---===,<,e",.,~_·c~ =_='='~"'C"8 ..,.~.__~__--l."~,-,,,";'&.~-""'-·,~·h.~~I!~""'-"'-"it'"=. _

ability to analyze, ~eact, and put ~esou~ces in placequickly. This was the principal military contribution.

The military also contributed unique resources suchas airlift capability; berthing ships; command, control,and communications equipment and systems; decontaminationapparatus, landing craft, medical evacuation equipmentand skills; reconnaissance means; and skimming equipment,including the dredges. While some of these wereavailable from civilian sources, they were not alwaysobtainable in the quantities and timeframes required.Thus these DOD resources met needs that could not besatisfied elsewhere.

In the long-term, the military received in returnthe opportunity to identify lessons learned and prepareto apply them in future military assistance to civilauthorities.

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.,._.. __" ,_·~,-.o"_=","==,~~,.",..,-,·=,-".==_'!tJc",..."'=~"",, ,,._,"__o__,.><_~"~ , ~ ,,, ..._.,.~·,, __,,",,,.... ;,,,,,.~,-""",-=v~""·,_co,,,~,,"~_._.__.__._... ~·,-,--"''''iO.·:',dn.J'b:.;;tC''_''\·~= __ol''=''!i':C'''--'''''."",·_. ~ " _

The Alaska Army National Guard's Skycrane (CH-54),here at the Valdez airport, provided some of themilitary support for oil spill cleanup efforts.Photo, April 1989)

shownfirst(USAF

DBlackhawk" (UH-60A) belicopters from the u.s. Army's49Bth Medical Company deployed to Seward and aboard Navyships to support oil spill cleanup. (U.S. Army Corps ofEngineers Photo)

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Date

24 Mar 89

25 Mar 89

27 Mar 89

28 Mar 89

06 Apr 89

CHRONOLOGY

Event

T/V Exxon Valdez runs aground.

Maj Gen Schaeffer, AdjGen, State of AK, surveysoil spill area.

AK NG, Navy Supervisor ofSalvage begin supportingspill response.

MAC makes its first oilspill response airliftflight.

AK NG establishes AirCoordination and ControlCenter at Valdez airport.

President Bush directsmilitary to expandassistance in spillcleanup.

Secretary of the Armydesignated as DODexecutive agent forcleanup work.Directorate of MilitarySupport (DaMS) activatedin D.C. to coordinate DODresponse.

Lt Gen McInerneydesignated Defense SeniorRepresentative for oilspill cleanup, makesinitial assessment visitto oil spill cleanuparea.

JTF-Alaska Oil Spill(JTF-AOS) activated tocoordinate DOD responsein Alaska with Lt GenMcInerney as commander.

Coast Guard CommandantPaul A. Yost placed in

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_~ "~=",<"~~"~~_._~~,,,=<_,,,, F£~'''''_U'~'~'''"''',''''c_<'''.,,,,,.~ __ ~, __~ -, ~_-'-..~'~"'-"""_=-_----"'''''!=E~~'='_''--''''~''''~._'''~~_"_____ _ __·.""__y"C"' """""'-~""""~,,-"""'....',""",,c'.ct"'03"~l~"""''"'''''''';f'=''''' ,-..o~.~_,~""..,.="="'_""_'lt?.t.'!i::t,,''"=~ ~ ;,~''_,,Ju~''''''''~"_~",!:fi!1_-"'_=""""""~j.o"~-""-~;,= ..\~"_-=,

07 Apr 89

09 Apr 89

10 Apr 89

11 Apr 89

12 Apr 89

13 Apr 89

14 Apr 89

15 Apr 89

17 Apr 89

19 Apr 89

charge of federal spillresponse, Vice Adm ClydeE. ~obbins, USCG, namedFederal On SceneCoordinator (FOSC)

USA~ U-2s do photoreconnaissance of oilspill area.

JTF-AOS begins processingrequests for militarysupport for cleanup.

DOD Assessment Team makesfirs~ of several visitsto oil spill area.

Dredge Yaquina ordered tosupport cleanup.

Medevac helicopters fromFt Benning, Georgia,ordered to supportcleanup.

Dredge Essayons orderedto support cleanup.

Navy amphibious ships USSJuneau and USS Ft McHenryordered to supportcleanup.

First LDAs delivered toValdez and tested.

Army deploys two UH-l and2 CH-47 helicopters to FtRichardson to supportcleanup.

First of several militaryPAOs sent to Valdez.

RADM E.B. Bakerdesignated DeputyCommander, JTF-AOS.

Dredge Yaquina arrivesfor oil spill support.

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_____.•__~..__..~,~....,=.,._"y"~=~ ="''''''_'''_ '-""'''''''''''="'''''''''"'-''''''"''''''-;·'~_'=::;'.'-=<''i'''''''''''''''''''''·'·~·. ~·.,_-"""""",=--,-"=""=~--,.""~"""~=~~.====,",""''""'-''.'';',.,;-,,,,~,~-,;,,,, ..,,,~_......,,~ ,.. ~.o·•.=~"='"'"..'.~'r~·, ..;,li,_.'=_=;Sf·;~""'~'~,o,~'"""'''''"""-'-~,~,~.~=,~."',__~ _

Dredge skimming techniquedeveloped.

Medevac helicoptersairlifted from FtBenning, GA, to ElmendorfAFB.

21 Apr 89

22 Apr 89

24 Apr 89

25 Apr 89

28 Apr 89

03 May 89

Dredge Essayons arrivesfor oil spill support.

USCG requests second USNship.

NCA direct JTF-AOS toprepare contingency planfor full militarytakeover of cleanupactivity.

RADM E.B. Baker Jr., USN,reports as DeputyCommander, JTF-AOS

USS Juneau, first Navyberthing ship assigned,arrives oil spill cleanuparea with nine landingcraft.

All augmentees for JTF­AOS staff in place.

Joint Movement Center andLogistics ReadinessCenter set up tocoordinate logisticsoperations.

Contingency plancompleted, submitted toNational CommandAuthoritites.

Secretary of Defenseapproves use of secondUSN ship.

Medevac helicopters from498 Med Co., USA, FortBenning, GA, deploy toSeward.

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__ '~__-J"""'=""-""_"""""". ""~'----"","-'".,-_""",,,,-,,,,,,,=,,,,.z,,_'_,,,,""7""""'-'"'' ="''-~,~~~ ~,_._=_.'~" ,_"_-''-"''''=-'==o~"'~'~_'_._"d~''''''''''~'''''O."~-_-~:>~,,'=-M'';,"'''.''''''--c:''''.= ~"'C..-,:=""",~n?':",~,"",=- "~_,._._.___ _ .,o_'".•_=,.~,o,"',<,~"d"~,:k~., ...=,""'_',__.,....,,.~""'.'"·,';':il35,r~=,~,=~ _

04 May 89

07 May 89

11 May 89

18 May 89

19 May 89

31 May 89

01 Jun 89

04 Jun 89

08 Jun 89

09 Jun 89

12 Jun 89

USS Ft McHenry, secondNavy berthing shipassigned, arrives oilspill cleanup area with10 landing craft.

Vice President Quaylevisits oil spill cleanuparea.

Last of 251 LDAsdelivered to Alaska.

Army medevac helicoptersbegin shipboardoperations.

USAF medical team surveysoil spill cleanup area.

USACOE dredges releasedfrom oil spill duties.

USS Cleveland relievesUSS Juneau.

Four landing craft fromArmy Reserve inCalifornia arrive oilspill cleanup area.

Eight landing craft fromWashington Army NationalGuard arrive oil spillcleanup area.

Yaquina departs Alaskanwaters.

USS Mt Vernon relievesUSS Ft McHenry •.

Three landing craft fromAlaska Army NationalGuard arrive oil spillcleanup area.

DOD involvement with oilspill reaches high of1,413 personnel.

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·--,"="",<c=""?_,,",.~-,_-,·.-'_,~"~,,,,~,,,=_~. ~_.__.,"'"·",C"-"='·~-"''-~'''''·:''''''··='':-""",","","._. ~~=_<'''''-'''''~"''''.i''-_-==~-'''s~~o,, ··.,-"""j.';""'i>"-c;;"·"""",,,,,~=;,,~."""_.~"',~-:'-""·'!'""'k~~ ,~"_,----""==~'):~.J::~'.o"'~_""_>~~~.~ ..,"",,,,,.=-..,.,C=~"_""~'

10 Jul 89

18 Jul 89

19 Jul 89

28 Jul 89

. 16 Aug 89

06 Sep 89

15 Sep 89

16 Sep 89

18 Sep 89

19 Sep 89

22 Sep 89

28 Sep 89

01 Oct 89

08 Oct 89

USS Ogden relieves USSCleveland.

USS Mt Vernon departswithout relief.

Essayons departs Alaskanwaters.

US Navy executes leaseagreement with Exxon for16 LCMs and seweragebarge.

USS Duluth relieves USSOgden.

All military LDAs shippedby Exxon forreconditioning.

All cleanup operations inoil spill area stop.

USS Duluth departswithout relief.

Vice President Quaylevisits Elmendorf AFB foroil spill briefing.

JTF-AOS deactivates.

Medevac helicoptersairlifted to FortBenning.

Navy sewerage bargedeparts Valdez for SanDiego.

DOMS-TF deactivates.

All leased landing craftshipped by Exxon forreconditioning.

All Navy skimmers andassociated equipmentshipped to depots.

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v9

'paqs11qE~sas1P 2a~Ua~

SSaUTpEa~ s~1~S16o~ 68 ~~O Sl

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________- ~~-~~~~,'=""'"""'='"'=.=·OI.:·"_."''''";,'~,,'_'''''''=,''_;L,·,'=c:=__''''''~,,,=~. ;.~,="~"_'_"'_,_'_=_=oo..,,,"_. <'"~"',."._~.'""'.'=.",,,It""1L...,.,.._"",;>""j.'""T'='E.,"K''''ro''_.,_='''C~'''C·,''',,-.';",,=-'_"_'"'~'~'.~__~_'£·'_~'"""'''''~''''''''·.• ''.L· ~•.__. ~~="=..,:~.J:ol..'"'~,"'-'I1:;,,.,~~-. '-.'_ .,__"",">""'=\<."'._~.._~, ,~

REFERENCES

Research for this study was conducted principallyin files of JTF-AK and through interviews with keypersonnel. Some general references were consulted,particularly for historical background.

Detailed lists of references follow. Thoseidentified as "Source Documents" are attached to thedepository copy of this study filed with the UnitedStates Air Force Historical Research Center, Maxwell AFB,Alabama 36112-6678 (telephone: Autovon 875-5342;Commercial 205-293-5342). The study and copies of thesource documents on microfilm may be purchased from theResearch Center.

The lists that follow are:

Selected Materials Cited But Not Included AsSource Documents

Source Documents Cited and Attached

Source Documents Consulted But Not Cited andAttached.

Selected Materials CitedBut

Not Included as Source Documents

Alaska Geographic Society, Where the Mountains Meet theSea, Vol. 13, No.1 (1986).

Alaskan Command, "Operating Helping Hand: The ArmedForces React to Earthquake Disaster," undated.

Alaskan Air Command, "Highlights of History, Alaskan AirCommand and Its Predecessors,"undated.

"Alaskan Air Command Staff Directory," April 1989.

Code of Federal Regulations, 40 CFR 300.

Dod, Karl C., The Corps of Engineers: The War AgainstJapan, United States Army In World War II series(Washington: Center of Military History, United StatesArmy, 1987).

65

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•. ,."".~,'~_,~_,.__._~__._._<r_~""'"~""','"<"""',·".....'....".,_,,,,s,,"'.·, ",_c"~~,~-,=""..,."""·"_w:?_"·,,,,,,<,,,,,.,,,··,, "···--·" __._. .__,.._~~.·".""';,'.,,"":"''''_..,,~""''''''''',,...''''''.lt =j'"'~."",""~.,.. ....·'A··'"'_~;CC.'·,,-."'"'"-'~"C'L.;C'·;·:.::':·'''-·;:l.t''''-",',""',"'=""~"_ •.. ..~_" ~_.•__".,."''''''',:''''':''''~~,,._,,,~,""=>".,.._~~·'s.o=o..,."''''.·''',."._'""''"'''''''?'''''''.::.'''_..,_'''''= ..=_~~~·,."._,, .,---

Hanable, William S. and Vincent Ponko Jr., The Navy inAlaska, 1867-1941: an historic resource study (Anchorage:The Institute for Public History, 1983)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Map,"Exxon Valdez," 1 Apr 1989.

National Response Team, "The Exxon Valdez oil Spill, AReport to the President from Samuel K. Skinner,Secretaty, Department of Transportation and William K.Reilly, Administrator, Environmental Protection Agency,"May 1989.

Office of History, Alaskan Air Command

History (S/Decl 31 December 2005), Alaskan AirCommand, 1 Jul 74-30 Jun 75.

History (S/Declas OADR), Alaskan AirCommand/Alaskan NORAD Region/Joint Task Force­Alaska [AAC/ANR/JTF-AK] .January-December 1985,Vol. I.

History (S/Declas OADR) ,January-December 1988.

AAC/ANR/JTF-AK,

Public Information Office, Headquarters Alaskan SeaFrontier and Seventeenth Naval District, A History ofthe Alaskan Sea Frontier and Seventeenth Naval District,1946-1958, OPNAV Report 5720.5, 1 September 1959.

Science, "oil Spills," 244, May, 12 May 89.

United States Army Alaska [USARAL], The Army1s Role inthe Building of Alaska, USARAL Pamphlet 360-5, 1 April1969.

Source Documents (SO) Citedand

Attached

SONo. Title

001 Intvw, Hanable w/Maj Billy Eugene Lashlee, USA,Joint Operations and Training, JTF-AK, 26 Jan90.

002 Intvw, Hanable wiLt Gen Thomas G. McInerney,USAF, Commander, Alaskan Air Command, 5 March1990.

66

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~~~ ._._",~.,,"e=---,,,e,,..,,,-.,,..,,,,",,,,,,,,.,,,,,,,,,,_,,,C"·.....~,,,,,,,,,,,=,-'-",,,"''''--"""'=~'~ ,,_"~,~ -'"'''.''!,""'''.'"'''';''-',,.'" <' 'e.'~~_,"~~~"'-"C"!"""'~'''''''''."""""~==-=.",'=.'~''''''~J':'''.''',,,,,,,,·,=,,=-~.~_..._.~_"_c_',.c~,_"e;.; ...;:""~"·...-"==o-.~ __.._. ~ , .""".""."""'"""-'"~",";.''''''''.J,.....;.~"",-""~,,,,,.,," ,",~"",,~,~~,,",,~~=_,"e _

003 Senator Ted Stevens,S Jan 90, interview withWilliam S. Hanable.

004 Newsletter, Senator Ted Stevens, Apr 89.

005 Hq ALCOM, "After Action Report," undated.

006 Memo, Dept of the Army, Office of theSecretary, "Alaska Oil Spill Cleanup Support ­- Information Memorandum Number 5," 18 Apr 89(hereafter cited as DOMS 005 etc.).

007 Intvw, Hanable w/Col Thomas A. Wilson II, USA,Deputy Commander, JTF-AK, 23 Jan 90.

008 Intvw, Hanable w/Col William W. Kakel, USA,District Engineer, Alaska District, U.S. ArmyCorps of Engineers, 13 Feb 90.

009 Memo (U), Wilson, Col Thomas A. II, USA, DeputyCommander, JTF-AK, "Memorandum for Record,"Subj ect: Summary of Act i ons/I nforma t ion re DODResponse to Alaska Oil Spill, 7 April 1989.

010 Anderson,Recovery,"

Capt R. E.,27 Apr 89.

USCG, "Exxon Cost

011 Point Paper, AAC/OCSP, "PointActivation of JTF-AK, 7 Apr 89.

Paper on

012 Intvw, Hanable w/Maj Gary R. Russey, USAF, 1Feb 90.

013 Situation Report (SITREP) 002 [hereafter JTF-AK002, 003, etc.].

014 Ltr, Harrison, Otto R. to Adm Paul Yost, 10 Apr89.

015 Memo, Capt R.E. Anderson, USCG, to CaptZawadzki, USCG, "Cost Reimbursement to DOD,"9 May 89.

016 Memo, Capt R. E. Anderson, USCG, to FOSC Valdez,"COE Dredges," 26 Apr 89.

017 Esprit de Corps, Vol. 13, No.1, January 1990,p. 1.

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_~"""<o,,,,,,,-,,·~,,>-,.,,,-""'''''',",''''·.'·'.''''''''''-'=''''='''CO',' --- - -'-::."'''''·''~'..:.''-''''''''''''''~C'"~C~", .. ,, _"'__·"_"'~"_""='"""'''''-"b''''·'''''''-''~'''"'''''''''·.'';'''''''"''"'0-''~''''"e",",'~'~--"' "-'-:Z~"':L,c"""''''''''''___ _ _-' "_~__";~""''''''''''""c~:=,rl,.'''.''''~-·_=,· ...,.."~~'''''=_'_tr.!'~,oo:''.'){.~m =""~,.~"''''.=a.._'.' ~~''"'''''''••'''''''f'

018 Edwards, Dawn M., Task Force Castle (Portland,OR: Public Affairs Office, North PacificDivision, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 1989).

019 Intvw, Hanable w/CDR John A. Tobia, USN,·CINCPAC Liaison Officer to ALCOM, 25 Jan 90.

020 Msg, COMDT COGARD, Washington, D.C" to FOSC,valdez, AK, "Use of Add DOD Forces ValdezSpill," 241847Z Apr 89.

021 Talking Paper, Maj Conway, "liH-3 Support,"14 Apr 89.

Source Documents Consulted But Not Citedand

Attached

022 Plan (FOUA), Hq JTF-AK, Alaska Oil SpillContingency Plan, 25 Apr 89.

023 Br i ef, Hq JTF-AK, "Jo i nt Task Force Clean-UpOperation," 29 Apr 89.

024 Plan, JTF-AK, "Alaska oil spill Plan," 10 Apr89.

025 Schedule, "Trip of the Vice President to SouthCentral Alaska Oil Spill Clean-Up," 4 May 89.

026 Msgs, JTF-AK, Elmendorf AFB, AK, "Cost ReportAlaska Oil Spill Cleanup," No.1, 130030Z May89 thru No. 14, 111745Z Aug 89.

027 Rpt, Hq AAC, "Alaskan Oil Spill Cleanup, DODComponent Report," Oct 89.

028 Background Paper, "Alaska Shoreline Oil SpillClean Up," undated.

029 Plan, Exxon Corporation, "Exxon ShorelineClean-Up Execution Plan," 15 Apr 89.

030 Brief, JTF-AK [?], untitled, undated [oncleanup alternatives].

031 Brief,Plan,"

DOMS-TF,21 Apr 89.

"Proposed DOD Contingency

032 Rpt, Alaska Oil Spill Commission, Spill, TheWreck of the Exxon Valdez, Implicatios for Safe

68

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~,~~",,,,.,,~,,,,,=,~,,,.,'''''''''';.'''''''''''~'''''''.''''''''''o,='''e __~"""""".~_-,=,~, "~"-",~","-."'~"""''''''''''~::':';.tc"""-".",,,,,==.=,,.'"''_;j",~ti~-==_·""";"""".·'~<=''''~ ~ __"~"~""'~,,,. ,,',"'" ~~""':.t"'''a .._''''''_.,._'==_'''''''·,'''''.,,··....,';~~~,;.c,r>''_'',,''''___~_.,,"'' _

Marine TransportationJanuary 1990.

Executive Summar~,

033 Fact Sheet, Ci ty of Cordova, "Cordova FactSheet," December 1989.

034 Briefing Packet, JTF-AK, "Partial Assumptionof Clean Up Activities," undated.

035 Rpt, National Response Team, National Oil andHazardous Substances Cont i ngency Plan, "TheExxon Valdez Oil spill, 18 May 89.

036 F i 1e s, J TF- AK, "0 il Spill 89"

037 Press Clippings

69

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"""'~~~_" __"' ,"---=-""="'"'-"'!to~-=-~='"~"~"""""'~'~"'=""""".",." -~";~"'''''''~'''~~i'--''''J''";·~.""," ..__.~_~.,,,~.,=~~·" ..,"".,~C'!t.:.'=''''';':;1._''"",~·_ ......,..,,=,.,,=C''''''''=-'='-''=>-;'''_.~ •

u.s. Army Corps of Engineers Dredge Yaquina. Chief MateJimmy Holcroft of the Yaquina developed the technique forusing the drag heads of dredges to suck oil up frombeneath the ocean's surface. (U.S. Army Corps ofEngineers Photo)

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INDEX

AAC (see Alaskan Air Command)Addington, David S. 14, 24

"Aerial Port Team 12Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Squadron 50Air Coordination and Control Center 12Air Force Reserve 27,Air National Guard 27, 33Aireye 37airlift 2, 12-14, 20, 23, 25-27, 33, 52, 54, 57Alaska Coastal Current 3, 5Alaska District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 14,

24, 35, 37, 40Alaska Division of Emergency Services 12Alaska Oil Spill Joint Task Force 15Alaska Oil Spill Task Force 7, 8, 15, 17, 23, 48Alaskan Air Command 3, 7-10, 18, 24, 16-20, 22~24,

28-30, 35, 42, 50, 53Alaskan Command 2, 3, 7, 9, 17, 55Alaskan NORAD Region 9, 55ALCOM 11, 17, 21, 28, 30, 35, 37, 41, 44, 46, 54,

55, 56Aloisio, Capt Monica, USAF, 20, 23, 30Amphibious Group Three (PHIBGRU 3), USN 23,41,42,

48, 54, 55Anchorage 2, 12, 18, 35, 44, 47, 48, 51, 52Anderson, Capt R.E., USCG 16, 24, 34,35Armed Services YMCA 48Army 1, 2, 7, 11, 12, 14, 15, 22-26, 35, 37, 38,

40, 45, 48, 50, 52-56Army National Guard 1, 11, 48, 54Army Reserve 48, 54Assessment Team 19-22, 30augmentees 21, 28, 55Ayres, Lt Col Roger A., USAF 10Baker, Rear Adm Edward B. 23, 24, 47, 48Barter Island 50berthing 15, 22, 26, 29, 41, 54, 57Blackhawk helicopters 21, 25, 44, 50, 52 (also see

UH-60A)Bligh Reef 3, 6Breeden, Richard 14, 24, 30Bryant Army Airfield 50Burns, SSgt Michael A., USAF 28Bush, President George 1, 6, 9, 11, 14, 15, 19, 23,

31Buteau, Maj Paul, USA 20C-5 27, 33, 52C-5A 33C-5B 33C-12 27, 33

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'C-130s 12C-141 27, 33Cape Junken 3Cape Pug~t 3, 52Carlson, Lt Col Roy, USA 20Carter, Tom 20CH-46 26, 44, 45, 50-52chain-of-command 55Cheney, Secretary of Defense Richard B. 7, 14, 15Chinook (CH-47) 25cleanup operations 25, 28, 45, 49Cleveland, USS 46, 47, 51, 55, 56Coast Guard 1, 5-7, 15, 19-23, 25-27, 34; 37, 39,

45,51,52Cogley, Col William L., USAF 9College Fjord 3Columbia River 39command and control 19, 26, 34, 35, 37, 54Commandant, of the Coast Guard 7, 23, 45Commander, Joint Task Force-Alaska (COMJTF) 17, 46communications 2, 9, 12, 14, 15, 20, 23, 33-35, 37,

45, 56, 57Congress 28Conley, Lt Col Michael G., USAF 30contingency plan 5, 23, 34Cordova 30, 34, 47Corps of Engineers, U.S, Army 2, 14, 24, 26, 35,

37, 38, 40, 41, 54, 55cost 5, 16, 34, 35, 39, 41, 53Crawford, MSgt Walter E., USAF 28Creller, Col Bruce 0 , USAF 9, 21Crisis Action Team (CAT) 21, 22, 45Crisis Management Team 35crude oil 5Cummings, Lt Col H.W. "Bud," USAF 10Davis, Debra S. 10Defense Senior Representative 15Dent, Col Harvey L., USAF 9Department of Labor 28Department of the Army 7, 15, 55, 56Department of Transportation 1, 3Directorate of Military Support (DOMS) 8, 12, 14,

15, 19, 20, 22-24, 27, 34, 44Doran, Bill 20dredges 26, 35-36, 37-41, 53-57Duluth, USS 46, 47, 52, 56Eleanor Island 28Elmendorf AFB 12, 22-24, 28, 35, 42, 44, 51, 52Elmore, John 20emergency operations centers ,11Ensco Giant, M/V 52Environmental Conservation, Department of, State of

72

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9, 11, 28, 30, 39, 53,

21, 2426, 35-41

31, 3,5-7,

JuneauKakel,Kelly,Kelso,

FederalFederalFederal

AlaskaEssayons, DredgeExxon CorporationExxon Valdez, T/V'

55, 56Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) 7Media Center.. 30On-Scene Coordinator (FOSC) 5, 7, 15-16,

20-23, 25, 28, 30, 33, 35, 36, 37, 39,45, 46-48, 50

Federal Water Pollution Control Act 16Fort Benning, Georgia 25, 50Fort McHenry, USS 42, 44-46Fort Richardson, Alaska 25, 50498th Medical Company 50, 55Greencreek 51Greene, TSgt William III, USAF 10Harrison, Otto R. 26, 27, 35Haulbrook, SSgt Dave, USAF 30helicopters 12, 21, 25, 26, 44, 48, 50, 52, 54, 56Hellesto, Capt Greg To, USAF 20-23, 25, 26HH-3 (Sikorsky helicopter) 50Hinchinbrook Entrance 3Hoffman, Col Peter Fo, USAF 28Holcroft, Chief Mate Jimmy 38Homer 34Hopman, Bob 20Host-a-Sailor 48Ianucci, Capt Robert, USN 42imagery 37Iroquois (UHIH helicopter) 25Johansen, Erling 30Joint Chiefs of Staff 7, 8, 15-17Joint Task Force-Alaska (JTF-AK) 1, 6-10, 14-18, 20­

28, 30, 31, 33, 34, 37, 38, 39, 41, 42,44, 45, 47, 48, 50-55

22, 24, 30, 31, 35, 42-47, 50Col William Wo, USA 14, 19, 24, 35, 37-40Brig Gen 24

Dennis, Commissioner of EnvironmentalConservation, State of Alaska 24

Kenai Peninsula 38Knight Island 51Kodiak 11, 25, 34Kolehmainen, Capt Karol Ao, USAF 21landing craft 26, 44, 46-49, 53, 54, 56, 57Landing Craft Medium 6 (LCM-6) 26Landing Craft Medium 8 (LCM-8) 26Landing Craft utility (LCU) 48Landing Platform Dock (LPD) 26Landing Ship Dock (LSD) 26Lasher, Lt Col Richard, USAF 20

73

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15, 23,

18,

Apparatus 27, 2821, 25, 26, 28

24

Lashlee, Maj Billy E., USA 8, 10, 15, 16, 21, 22leasing 47liberty parties 47, 48Lightweight DecontaminationLogistics Readiness CenterLuchan, Cdr Robert E., USCGMarch, LCdr Joe, USN 30Marine Corps 44, 47, 53, 54Marsh, Secretary of the Army John o. Jr.

24Masker, Lt Col Willard H., AKARNG 11McAleenan, Capt John, USAF 20McCall, Cdr Steve, USCGMcConnell, Guy 20McCoy, Col Neil R., USAF 9McInerney, Lt Gen Thomas G., USAF 8, 9, 15-17, 19,

20, 22-24, 26, 30-32, 34, 48medical 2, 19, 25, 28, 29, 44, 50, 55, 57medical evacuation (medevac) 19, 50-53Military Airlift Command (MAC) 13, 52-54Military Traffic Management Command (MTMC) 26Mock, Maj Sherell, USA 30Morin, Lt Col, USA 20Mount Vernon, USS 46,. 51mousse 37, 38Murkowski, Senator Frank (R-AK) 11, 14, 24National Guard 1, 11, 27, 33, 48, 54National Oil and Hazardous Substances Pollution

Contingency Plan 5National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

(NOAA) 46National Strike Team 19Naval Base Seattle 30Naval Sea Systems Command 12, 54Navy 1,2,12,14,19,22,26,27,29,37,38,41,

42, 46-48, 51, 53, 54, 56Nelson, Edward, Rear Adm, USCG 7North Warning System 50Nunatic, Flv 50O'Keefe, Sean 16Ogden, USS 46, 47, 51, 52Oil Spill Computer Automated Response (OSCAR)

20,22,34,35Operations Plan (OPLAN) 9639-83 7, 17, 54Oregon 26, 39Pacific Fleet Salvage Officer, USN 12Panama 16, 42Patterson, MSgt Steven E., USAF 20, 23Patz, Maj Greg, USAF 26Picard, SSgt Richard, USAF 28Plumb, Col Morton V. Jr., USAF 9, 10, 20, 24Point Whitshed 3

74

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Portland 20, 26, 36, 38, 39Prince William Sound 3-5, 11, 12, 19, 22, 23, 25,

27, 28-30, 33, 38, 42, 44-48, 50, 52Providence Hospital 51public affairs 12, 23, 29, 30, 38, 42Quayle, Vice President Dan 29-32, 45readiness 21, 25, 26, 28, 41, 42Rebecca, F/V 31reconnaissance llj 22, 37, 57Redifer, Col Eric L., USAF 9, 25, 28, 55Resolute, USCG Cutter 52Resurrection Bay, barge 52Robbins, Vice Adm Clyde E., USCG 7,15,23,24,32,

35Russey, Maj Gary R., USAF 21, 22San Diego 23, 41, 44, 47Schaeffer, Maj Gen John W., AKARNG 11Schneider, MSgt William A., USAF 28Scott AFB, Illinois 34Sea Knight (CH-46 helicopter) 26Search and Rescue (SAR) 2, 25, 50Seattle 3, 30Secretary of Defense (see also Cheney, Richard B.)

7, 14, 30, 45Seward 11, 21, 25, 34, 39, 40, 48, 50, 5117th Coast Guard District 7sewerage 46, 54Shannon, Assistant Secretary of the Army John W.

22Shelikof Strait 39Shelton, Brig Gen 24ships 18, 22, 25-27, 35, 38, 39, 41, 42, 44, 46,

47, 48, 50, 53-576th Infantry Division (Light) 9, 30, 50skimmers 12, 19, 26, 28, 37, 38, 40, 54Skinner, Secretary of Transportation Samuel K. 3,

30, 31 -Smith, Maj Gen J.D., USA 15, 19, 24, 33, 44, 45Smith Island 44, 45spotter aircraft 56Stanberry, Lt Col Robert K., USA 20, 23

Stevens, Senator Ted (R-AK 11, 14, 24Sununu, Gov John H. 14Tactical Air Control Detachment 26tactical satellite radios 12Tobia, Cdr John A., USN 20, 41, 42, 45-48Toth, Capt Ronald L., USNR 30Travis AFB, California 12U.S. Army Corps.of Engine~rs (USACE or USACOE) 20,

36U.S. Army ForCes Command (FORSCOM) 23

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u.s, Army Forces Command (FORSCOM) 23u.s. Coast Guard (USCG) 16, 20, 34,35, 39, 52u.s. Marine Corps 44, 47u.s. Navy 12, 14UH-IH (Iroquois helicopter) 25UH-60A (Blackhawk helicopter) 25, 50-52united States Comm,ander-in-Chief Pacific (USCINCPAC)

42Vagdabgursky, Soviet skimmer 27Valdez 1,3,5-7,9,11,12,19-28,30,33-35,39,

41, 42, 44, 45, 47, 50-53, 55, 56video conferencing 23, 34Washington, D.C. 22, 31, 33, 35, 44, 45Willandt, Capt Ted, USN 44Willhouse, Lt Col Don, USA 20Wilson, Col Thomas A. II, USA 9, 14-16, 18, 20, 22,

24,34,41Wiltshire, Ledr Glenn, USCG 20Yaquina, Dredge 26, 35-39, 41Yost, Adm Paul A., USCG 23, 24, 27, 30, 31, 34Young, Congressman Don (R-AK) 11, 14Zeperniek, Paul 20

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