![]() ![]() ![]() The island is home to the Department of Defense's largest container crane, called "Big Blue" for the pastel blue coat of paint on the metal behemoth. "There's a ramp that goes down in a 45-degree angle that you load the torpedo on with a cable and pulley system that lowers it down into the spaces and you bring it back up," Pulley said. It can take a few days to load one of these vessels, sometimes requiring up to three of the mobile cranes on the island to hoist ordnance into tight spots.įor submarines, a full load-out can take five to six days, depending on how many torpedo tubes the boat has. "There’s nothing that leaves the Northwest region that doesn’t come by NAVMAG Indian Island or isn’t serviced at sea with conventional ordnance that’s supplied by Indian Island," Pulley said.Įach type of ship has specific procedures for loading and unloading ordnance, depending on the size and type of vessel, Pulley said.Īn aircraft carrier has a large open hangar deck with hundreds of personnel who can load large amounts of ammo on pallets or in containers in a matter of about 10 to 12 hours.įor destroyers and cruisers with vertical launch systems, they require a more complex process to load ordnance with specialized handling equipment. Coast Guard patrol boats, commercial barges, container ships and other Navy vessels visit the island each year. The island has a 1,650-foot-long pier with 55 feet of draft available at the average low-tide height of water, making it so the Navy can load munitions onto any vessel in the fleet docked at the island's pier.Īn average of 50 aircraft carriers, ammo ships, guided-missile destroyers, guided-missile submarines, U.S. Naval Magazine Indian Island is the only deep water ordnance facility on the West Coast with no access restrictions, such as shallow bridges or water.
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