TSV missions have included hauling two Patriot missile battalions from Qatar to the Kuwaiti naval base in a joint effort with the LSVs in theater.
The TSV also moved the 101st Airborne Division military police from Djibouti to Kuwait, making the 2,000-mile trip in two and a half days. The LSV would have needed 10 days to make the voyage and could only hold equipment, requiring the troops to fly separately, said Chief Warrant Officer Bill Slusher, the TSV navigation officer. The TSV also carried 500 tons of ammunition from Jordan's Aqaba Port to Kuwait.
"The primary mission for the TSV is to lift soldiers with their equipment together, along with food, water and fuel," Slusher said.
Since the vessel is experimental, the Army wants to know how it has performed in theater. Both enlisted and officer crew members meet regularly to conduct after-action reviews of the vessel's performance.
"We're basically the crew to say whether to keep it or scrap it," said Rondon. "We get together with the officers and come up with solutions instead of just saying something doesn't work."
Slusher said, "Operationally, the boat the Army ultimately wants will be bigger. The goal is to carry two Stryker units. This one (the Spearhead) carries only one."
The Stryker is a new eight-wheeled, 20-ton armored troop carrier designed to replace older tracked vehicles.
Slusher said minor modifications would be made to the TSV crew berthing. And, of course, the rainbow carpet would have to go.
The TSV is more like an aircraft than an LSV when calculating for cargo, said Chief Warrant Officer Patrick May, the TSV commander, known as the vessel master. "When we carry more fuel for longer distances, we have to carry less cargo. With an LSV, it's not necessary to take that into account."
Another difference from the LSV is docking. With a shallow draft of 3.4 meters, the TSV can get into ports an LSV cannot. It also can unload its cargo from directly astern or at up to a 45-degree angle off its rear corner if necessary.
May, who skippered an LSV for much of his 19-year military career, explained how the TSV is docked compared to an LSV.
"On an LSV, when docking and undocking, a sailor yells commands to the helmsman. With the TSV, we lose sight of the pier within 25 meters, so we have docking cameras and spotters on the stern and bow. I use a joystick to dock the vessel. It is a very maneuverable craft, once you get used to it."
The vessel has cameras in the engine rooms, as well as 900 sensors continuously monitoring the vessel's systems. The TSV has about twice as many sensors as an LSV, yet with the same size crew.
Shifts on the TSV are four hours on, eight off, said 1st Sgt. Michael Kelly, a senior navigator with the 469th. Since the ship was originally designed for fairly short trips in a much cooler climate than Kuwait, where summer temperatures often are in the 120s, maintenance has been high, according to Kelly.
"There is always a roving engineer on duty down below deck. We have an alarm about every other day. Usually it's a sensor tripped because of the heat, but we're required to check it out," Kelly said. "Heat has taken its toll here, especially on the air-conditioning system and refrigerators."
Kelly explained the 469th is a self-contained unit, as is the crew of the TSV. "All the administration functions a regular unit would have, we do as well," he said. "We have e-mail, fax and phone capabilities onboard."
Kelly, with 21 years as an Army sailor, has nearly completed traveling around the world in Army watercraft. He will complete the last leg of his circumnavigation when the TSV returns to Hobart in November for further modifications.
