MILITARY BRIDGE OPERATIONS: julho 2013

sábado, 27 de julho de 2013

Marines deploy improved ribbon bridge

CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. – The steady hum of a helicopter grew louder as it approached the harbor. A heavy payload underneath weighed the helicopter down until it dropped the steel structure into the blue Pacific water. Immediately, the Marines went into action.

Marines with Bridge Company, 7th Engineer Support Battalion, 1st Marine Logistics Group, conducted improved ribbon bridge training aboard Camp Pendleton, Calif., July 16, 2013.

During the exercise, five IRBs were transported and delivered by a CH-53E Sea Stallion and dropped into Oceanside Harbor. Being one of only two bridge companies in the Marine Corps, it was the first time for the West Coast battalion to have the IRB deployed in this manner.

“The purpose of today’s training is to show the capabilities of air operations in conjunction with the bridge platoon itself and its capabilities for the MLG,” said Staff Sgt. Timothy J. Liners, Bridge Co. gunnery sergeant, 7th ESB, 1st MLG. “The setup within the basin area was pretty swift. I can definitely say that this platoon has worked hard to lead up to this moment.”

The IRB is a transportable and floating bridge that is easily deployable on any calm body of water. It can be used as a ferry to transport military equipment and vehicles across water or act as a bridge between land to continuously transport Marine forces, which can aid in anything from combat missions to humanitarian operations.

“These bridges are easily deployable in water to support the mobility of other units,” said Cpl. Alexander D. Krieger, a combat engineer with Bridge Co., 7th ESB, 1st MLG. “We can ferry tanks or whatever you want, or even make bridges to span rivers.”

Using Bridge Erection Boats, a small twin-jet aluminum vessel that can push the bridges, ropes and a few tools, the Marines were able to deploy, move and assemble the bridges into a five-piece IRB raft that includes three interior pieces and two ramps on the ends.

This was the first experience with the IRB for many of the Marines. It allowed cross-training between the different occupational specialties within the company.

“The training today was a really good time,” said Cpl. Alexander C. Alberter, a combat engineer with Bridge Co., 7th ESB, 1st MLG. “I really enjoyed it. I learned a lot and it was something I’ve never done before.”

After the five-piece bridge was finished, the Marines maneuvered the bridge to the shore in order to test its integrity. Tactical vehicles were driven on the bridge and shuttled into the bay in order to demonstrate its capabilities. After the Marines could see the structure was sound, the disassembling process began.

As the sun was setting over the Pacific Ocean, the Marines finished their training. For the first time off the west coast, an IRB raft was constructed via helicopter insertion and a new set of Marines were trained to become the Marine Corps' next bridge team.

Bridge on Pan American Highway collapses

When the bridge collapsed, it brought down a tanker which was carrying more than 6,000 gallons of gasoline. A huge quantity of the liquid spilled on to the road, but 18 firefighter units arrived and prevented the gas from catching fire.An overloaded truck caused the San Pedro bridge on kilometer 31 of the Pan American South highway to collapse over the weekend, El Comercio reports.

“First we ensured that we rescued everyone who was trapped inside their vehicle, then we contained the flammable liquid in order to avoid a bigger disaster,” Mario Casareto, communications chief for the fire department told El Comercio.

The driver of the gas truck was initially trapped inside the large vehicle until he was freed by the fire department and brought to San Pablo de Surco hospital.

The driver told Canal N news that he felt the bridge shaking as he drove over it.

The driver of the overloaded truck in question was intercepted about 15 kilometers down the road and admitted to using the bridge despite of being over capacity. He was later taken to the Lurin police station.

Traffic on the highway was restored on Sunday after 20 hours of work by Rutas Lima to move the fallen section of the bridge. The fallen slab of road is currently resting beside the highway.

According to RPP, as of this morning traffic began traveling in both directions once again.

Bridge that collapsed in 2008 remains unrepaired

The collapsed bridge on Garudachala river that served the people of Koratagere taluk in Tumkur district and Doddaballapur taluk in Bangalore Rural district.

Even as the government has, yet again, said that a comprehensive sand policy will be out soon, the collapsed bridge on Garudachala river connecting Koratagere taluk of Tumkur district with Doddaballapur taluk of Bangalore Rural district stands testimony to the damage done by illegal sand extraction.

This important bridge collapsed in 2008 due to rampant sand extraction around it and has remained unrepaired till date. It has virtually divided the Byragondlu village into two parts causing inconvenience to people, forcing them to travel an additional 10 km.

The bridge collapsed in 2008 due to illegal sand extraction near the bridge across the Garudachala river. The heavy flow of water into the river, in the absence of sand bed, resulted in the erosion of base soil and weakening of the bridge, finally leading to its collapse.

Farmer Siddalingachar of Machchenahalli of Doddaballapur taluk said: “If we have to go to Doddaballapur, we have to travel 10 km more as the bridge has collapsed.”

Gowramma of Byragondlu said that she was finding it difficult to send her children to school during the rainy season as the whole area near the bridge is filled with water. As a farmer of Byragondlu, Nagarajappa, points out, rampant sand extraction has not only resulted in the bridge collapsing but also has caused extensive damage to agriculture in the region. The groundwater table has fallen resulting in the drying up of coconut and acrecanut trees in the vicinity of 10 km from the river.

Environmentalist C. Yathiraju alleged a nexus between politicians, bureaucrats and the sand mafia. He said that there was a “lack of political will” on the part of the governments to stop illegal sand extraction. He demanded that the government bring in a sand policy and implement it strictly. He said that highly regulated sand extraction is needed to meet the demand.

Executive Engineer of Public Works Department P. Halchikkannna claimed that the bridge collapsed due to many factors and sand extraction was one of them. He said that the construction of the bridge has been handed over to Karnataka Road Development Corporation by the State government

Collapsed Bridge Along I-5 to Get Retrofits for Trucks, More Closures on The Way

A portion of the Skagit River Bridge on I-5 collapsed near Mount Vernon in May after a truck's oversized load struck critical steel supports. This corridor carries 71,000 vehicles daily.

Contractor crews will raise and reinforce the bridge’s overhead structural support system this fall. While this work is underway, crews will also perform maintenance activities, including replacing rivets below the deck and painting.

Currently, the support structure above the travel lanes is curved. This means the vertical clearance over the bridge’s left lanes is higher than vertical clearance over the right lanes. The bridge’s highest vertical clearance is located above the left lanes and measures 18 feet, while the vertical clearance above the right lanes measures 15 feet 6 inches at the fog line.

When crews finish raising and reinforcing the structure by November, the bridge will have an equal 18 foot vertical clearance across all lanes. Several bridge supports will also be retrofitted with reinforced steel components to add strength if the bridge is struck again.

“The truck that caused the Skagit River Bridge to collapse was too tall to be in the right lane, and it struck one of the lowest points on the bridge,” said Jay Drye, WSDOT acting assistant regional administrator. “By raising the vertical clearance above the right lane, we hope to reduce the chances of a similar bridge strike in the future.”

“We expect the volume of oversized loads to continue to grow into the future,” said Drye. “While it’s still the responsibility of the freight hauler to check the vertical clearance of bridges along their route prior to travel, this project will help freight to move through the I-5 corridor with less risk.”

Drivers can expect overnight lane and directional closures of I-5 to complete this work. WSDOT has a camera in place to view the work and will post pictures throughout the construction period.

Workers are building the $6.87 million permanent spans after crews completed work June 19 on a temporary replacement span and reopened I-5 to traffic.

sexta-feira, 26 de julho de 2013

15ª Companhia de Engenharia de Combate

6º Batalhão de Engenharia de Combate

1ª Companhia de Engenharia de Combate Mecanizada

12ª Companhia de Engenharia de Combate

7º Batalhão de Engenharia de Combate

3º Batalhão de Engenharia de Combate - Aniversário da Banda de Música

O 3º Batalhão de Engenharia de Combate – Batalhão Conrado Bittencourt, realizou na manhã desta sexta-feira, 26 de julho de 2013, uma formatura em comemoração aos 37 anos de criação da sua banda de música.

Estavam presentes na solenidade vários dos seus ex-integrantes, os quais fizeram parte da história da nossa querida banda.

A Banda de Música do 3º BE Cmb, foi criada em 24 de junho de 1976, no comando do Ten Cel João Carlos Rotta e sob a organização do então Sargento Roberto Costa de Melo, com a finalidade de abrilhantar as formaturas de nossa Organização Militar e apoiar os demais eventos públicos de Cachoeira do Sul e das cidades vizinhas.

Inicialmente, foram recrutados aqueles militares que tinham aptidão e boa vontade para a música, além dos que já tinham participado de bandas e fanfarras escolares.

No dia 25 de julho de 1976, a Banda participou de sua primeira formatura, executando o famoso dobrado “Cisne Branco”.

A partir dessa data, a Banda vem se destacando pelas apresentanções em apoios prestados à comunidade cachoeirense e em vários eventos musicais, como: Semana do Idoso, Semana da Criança, Fenarroz, Feira das Profissões, Aniversários de Escolas e Universidades, mostras de Fanfarras e Bandas, Dia do Vizinho e Aniversário de Municípios vizinhos.

No meio militar, a Banda se destaca por sua participação no Dia da Incorporação de novos recrutas, Dia do Exército, dia do Soldado, Semana da Pátria, formaturas rotineiras no quartel e demais eventos cívico-militares.

Por fim, as apresentações da Banda de Música do Batalhão proporcionam brilhantismo a qualquer atividade, seja ela de cunho civil ou militar, emocionando a todos os que a prestigiam. Atualmente, a banda é comandada pelo Cabo José Reginado Barbosa de Freitas e é composta por 16 (dezesseis) militares.

quinta-feira, 25 de julho de 2013

1º Batalhão de Engenharia de Combate realiza trabalhos de Engenharia para a instalação do Hospital de Campanha na Jornada Mundial da Juventude no Rio de Janeiro durante a visita de Sua Santidade o Papa Francisco

segunda-feira, 22 de julho de 2013

River Crossing Operations

HAFFEE, Ark – When describing the terrain and sights of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the words dry, desert, snow, mountain, tank and Humvee may come to mind immediately.

It is often forgotten, however, that these countries’ landscapes also consists of large water sources such as the Helmland and Kabul rivers in Afghanistan and the Tigris and Euphrates rivers’ in Iraq.

With every river, stream or lake comes the obstacle of reaching the sometimes-desolate towns and areas bordering these water sources. Due to these reasons it is not uncommon for terrorists to take cover in these small towns and for the people living there to go unnoticed.

“When you’re talking about war and finding the bad guys, they are not always exactly the easiest to find,” said Staff Sgt. Kristopher McDonald, 671st Engineer Company (Multi Role Bridge).

To ensure that no stone is left unturned and that every citizen receives critical help and attention, there is a need to cross these large water sources. That is where units like the 671st Eng. Co. (MRB) come into play.

The Engineers provide the ability to cross these water sources by providing boats that can assist in creating four-way ramp rafts, also known as six-floats and shore to shore full-enclosure floating roadways.

McDonald’s past deployments in Iraq in 2003 and 2008 required bridges being built to help sustain a presence in hard to reach areas and the ability to provide important supply to troops.

“Waterways can be a huge obstacle for the movement of our troops and their ability to complete their mission,” said McDonald, a native of Monroe, Wash. “There wasn’t always the option to just go around it and even if there was, sometimes it was easier and quicker to just build a bridge.”

To prepare for the possibility that they will be needed overseas, the Army Reserve soldiers are partaking in Operation River Assault here from July 14 until July 24.

The operation is an exercise that combines warrior-skills training with a river-crossing mission, bridging together nearly 1,000 soldiers from a variety of Reserve and active duty units: engineers, medics, military police and dive specialists, as well as support personnel.

Specifically pertaining to the 671st Eng. Co. (MRB) engineers, it provides them the ability to test and familiarize themselves with their boats and equipment on various lakes and rivers. The exercise culminates with a large-scale wet gap crossing exercise on the Arkansas River where they will construct a full-enclosure floating roadway.

They take opportunities like this seriously and take advantage of the ability to train on a fast water river.

“It’s not hard for us to take the boats out for a day and train on the lake at Fort Lewis,” said McDonald, whose unit’s are housed in Clackamas, Ore., and Marysville, Wash. “But to get out on an actual river with (realistic) scenery and typical landscape features can be hard to come by.”

“So we look forward to being able to hone our skills here at Operation River Assault and want to be able to leave here saying we did our very best and didn’t waste the opportunity,” added McDonald.

Even with a presence in Iraq and Afghanistan diminishing, Spc. Josef Bennett believes the training is critical in keeping the Soldiers on their toes for future deployments, wherever it may take them. Bennett is currently serving as an engineer with the 671st Eng. Co. (MRB).

“No matter where you are in this world, there is always going to be water,” said Bennett, a native of Salem, Ore. “This world is a crazy place, so you never know where you might be headed. For those reasons we take every opportunity to get better and ensure we are ready at the flip of a switch.”

Army divers go to great depth for river assault

FORT CHAFFEE, Ark. – Wading into the Arkansas River amidst rainy conditions and smoldering summer heat, a six-man team of U.S. Army divers prepared two Zodiac Inflatable boats to take flight on a reconnaissance mission.

Surrounded by safety buoys, breathing masks and apparatus, computer equipment and various other diving gear, they worked diligently on the shoreline to ensure everything was accounted for.