U.S. NAVY SALVAGE REPORT DEEPWATER HORIZON ... - ESSM

Chapter 3: Tasking and Funding
6/09/10 Final SUPSALV protective boom laid totaling 63,200 feet.
7/15/10 BP installed capping stack on well. Leak secured
7/29/10 Demobilization of SUPSALV’s offshore skimmers begins
8/16/10 Demobilization of SUPSALV’s near-shore skimmers begins
9/13/10 First return shipment of equipment
9/20/10 Last equipment completes decontamination. Navy issues final SITREP.
10/04/10 Last SUPSALV personnel and equipment depart Gulf Region.
Table 3-1. Key Deepwater Horizon Events and Dates
3-3 Beach and Gulf Response Task
As mentioned in Chapter 1, SUPSALV’s support to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill was initiated
based on 27 April 2010 verbal orders and a 28 April message confirmation. Specifically, the On-
Scene Coordinator, USCG Sector New Orleans, requested immediate SUPSALV support in
response to the pollution incident in the Gulf. The specified requirement was for oil spill control
and recovery equipment and operating personnel.
This request immediately generated “Prepare for Shipment” orders for both CONUS ESSM
facilities for major portions of SUPSALV’s deployable OSR gear. Two SUPSALV Oil Pollution
Program Engineers and senior ESSM staff immediately deployed. They arrived in the Gulf and
began preparing for the equipment arrival. En route, the destination for equipment and personnel
was changed from Houma, LA to Gulfport, MS. SUPSALV directed trucks to the Naval
Construction Battalion Center, Gulfport, MS before further redirecting them to State Pier,
Gulfport, MS, which would soon become the official “Navy Asset Staging Area”.
SUPSALV’s earliest tasking was to prevent damage to Mississippi’s off shore islands. This focus
was later expanded to provide coverage west to Venice, LA, the central Gulf coast of Mississippi
and Alabama, and east to Pensacola, FL. As the operation continued, SUPSALV began
deploying its Vessel of Opportunity Skimmer Systems (VOSS) in support of source control
operations.
SUPSALV managed these operations from the State Pier in Gulfport where they installed
command vans and maintenance vans and stored the equipment until it was issued. A collection
of USCG tasking messages and Requests for Assistance (RFA) documents are provided as
Appendix B.
3-4 Well Head/Houston Engineering Tasking and Underwater Survey Task
SUPSALV Deputy, Michael Dean, reported to the BP Crisis Center in Houston on 2 May to be
the conduit for Department of Defense assistance requests. He and CAPT Keenan rotated in
that role throughout the duration of the incident. In this role, the SUPSALV representative meet
daily with BP engineering teams and identified what role Navy could play in supporting the
operation. One of the tasks identified and later accomplished was for SUPSALV to perform an
underwater survey of the oil rig to aid in the Justice Department investigation.
3-2