JACKSONVILLE, Fla. --
When a piece of aviation support equipment requires repair aboard a maritime prepositioning ship at sea, U.S. Marines in Jacksonville are ready to respond.
After shipboard maintenance contractors identified a loss of tire pressure on a wheeled crane, two Marines—aviation ground support equipment mechanics—departed Marine Corps Support Facility Blount Island, driving roughly 25 miles along the St. Johns River for retraining and certification.
They completed refresher training in tire and wheel maintenance with the Navy at Naval Air Station Jacksonville, strengthening the Marine Corps’ ability to sustain equipment aboard ships positioned worldwide for rapid-response operations.
Marine Corps Sgt. Christopher Canaleshall and Sgt. Sarah Soucie, aviation mechanics designated as quality assurance representatives with Blount Island Command, reported April 30 to the Fleet Readiness Center Southeast.
The training requalified them to repair the crane’s tire issue, enabling them to deploy on short notice, if needed, and assist contractors at sea.
Blount Island Command works closely with Military Sealift Command to sustain maritime prepositioning ships, which carry equipment and supplies forward so Marine units can respond quickly without waiting for gear to deploy from the United States.
Maintaining that readiness continues after ships depart Jacksonville.
Marine Corps maintenance contractors—many of them veterans—conduct preventative maintenance, perform semiannual startups and apply modifications at sea to ensure equipment remains ready for immediate use in austere and contested environments.
Marine Corps Gunnery Sgt. Travis Garn, quality assurance chief for the aviation branch, coordinated the training with NAS Jacksonville to expand capability across afloat and ashore sites.
“This is a display of our joint force capability in that we’re able to work and train together,” Garn said. “When we’re out with a Marine expeditionary unit, we work hand-in-hand with the Navy.”
“We’re increasing operational readiness, ensuring we can move quickly in a contingency,” he added.
The training—described by Garn as a competency review for mechanics—also allows Marines who primarily serve in quality assurance roles to maintain proficiency in their core occupational specialty.
“We’re getting qualified so whenever gear goes down on a ship, they can send one of us,” Soucie said. “The ability to be a 911 response within the maritime prepositioning force offers a good change of pace.”
“Doing stuff like this gets us back to the basics of our military occupational specialty,” she said.
By leveraging nearby naval infrastructure and expertise, Blount Island Command is strengthening aviation sustainment through local partnerships that enhance efficiency and expand capability.