UNDERWAY REPLENISHMENT NWP 4-01.4 - Historic Naval Ships ...

NWP 4-01.4Personnel shall not enter the drop zone norattempt to steady the load while the helicopteris over the ship. The load spotter shallbe clear of the drop zone before the loadpasses over the deck edge.Premature release of the load before there isslack in the sling legs can cause the polependant to damage the load or cause personnelinjury.10.10.6 Clearing the Drop Zone. As soon as thehelicopter departs, assigned personnel release the pendanthook(s), open the net, and cut any banding orstrapping on the load.Never cut nets.WARNINGCAUTIONCAUTIONCargo handlers, who have been standing by, clear ofthe drop zone, move in, pick up a portion of the cargo,and leave the drop zone. The last ones remove the pendant,empty pallet, and all loose debris from the dropzone to a staging area. There they stack the pallets andfold the nets for later return to the UNREP ship. Removedebris from the drop zone to a staging area and retainit there until dumping of trash is authorized.WARNINGPersonnel clearing stores must take extraprecautions to remove banding, paper, andother debris from the drop zone — prior tothe next helicopter’s approach — to precludeinjury to personnel or damage tohelicopter engines and rotor blades.NoteA loaded helicopter shall not be waved offsolely because the drop zone has not beencompletely cleared of the previous load. Ifspace is available for additional drops, temporarilysecure the load being worked: pullthe net up over the load and thread a hoistingsling leg or safety hook through the net’srings or corners. All personnel shall thenclear the area while the next load is beingdeposited.If the UNREP ship furnishes pallet jacks, it will delivermost of the loads using adjustable pallet slings insteadof nets. This facilitates inserting the forks of thepallet jack into the pallet and pumping up the pallet,clear of the deck, for expeditious removal from the dropzone. Netted pallets can be moved with two palletjacks; however, cargo handlers should be prepared tobreak down the load by hand if the net under the palletinterferes with operation of the pallet jack.10.10.7 Returning VERTREP Equipment andRetrograde. As pallets, nets, triwalls, cargotainers,and hoisting slings accumulate on the receiving ship,cargo handlers assemble them into loads for return tothe UNREP ship. In addition to taking up much-neededspace on the receiving ship, pallets are needed back onthe UNREP ship for making up new loads for deliveryto the next ship on the VERTREP schedule. Retrogradeshall be returned at the request of the delivery ship. Ifthe UNREP ship furnished pallet jacks, make up returnloads consisting of cargotainers or pallets clear of thedrop zone and move them to the drop zone intact whenready for return. Since netted pallets are difficult tomove with pallet jacks, it is best to assemble them in aload on the drop zone in between deliveries. (See Figure10-19.)NoteIf the helicopter starts an approach before thereturn load is completely assembled in thedrop zone, pull the net up over the load andtemporarily secure it by threading a hoistingsling’s leg or a safety hook through the net’srings or corners. All personnel then clear thearea to await the helicopter’s departure.10.10.8 Preparation for Return10.10.8.1 Pallets. (See Figure 10-20.)1. Stack pallets to make up a load between 16 inchesand 68 inches (40.6 cm and 172.7 cm) high. From4 to 14 wooden pallets or 6 or more Mk 3 metalpallets may be stacked to make up a load.2. Secure the load with the appropriate size pallet sling.3. Attach a hoisting sling (two attachment points)to the load.10-26 ORIGINAL