Cape May back from support operation in Haiti

NORFOLK

When Capt. Ben Tidwell and his crew headed to Haiti on Jan. 26 after the island was devastated by an earthquake, it was supposed to be a short trip - down and back in 10 days.

But when they arrived off Port-au-Prince, their ship, the barge carrier Cape May, turned out to be valuable for much more than the Navy construction equipment it carried.

It can produce 30,000 gallons of fresh water a day. Its deck provided a safe place for Navy Seabees to sleep. It has the facilities to repair small craft. And it offered a haven to retreat to if aftershocks threatened more damage.

So the word quickly went out: Don't leave. For the next seven weeks, Tidwell and his 37 fellow civilian mariners played a supporting role in the massive disaster relief operation.

When they returned home to Norfolk International Terminals on Friday, there were no family members and bouquets of flowers waiting on the pier - instead, there was a battalion of Seabees ready to unload their cargo. Tidwell and his crew will spend the weekend working with them before heading home for a break.

Tidwell, who lives in Virginia Beach when he's not at sea, said the crew coped well with the unexpectedly long mission.

"We realized we had a big duty to do," he said. "We accepted it."

In 37 years of seagoing, he said, Haiti "was the worst place I've ever seen."

Rubble was everywhere on shore. And the port, the country's lifeline to critical supplies, was in shambles. The main pier had collapsed, and a giant crane had toppled into the water, leaving only a narrow lane clear for navigation.

Seabees from Amphibious Construction Battalion Two in Virginia Beach used the equipment carried by Cape May to set up a temporary causeway for bringing in supplies. The Cape May specializes in carrying such cargo - it's the only ship of its kind on the East Coast.

The Cape May was one of several ships owned by the U.S. Maritime Administration that were activated to help in Haiti. Now that it's home, it will return to reserve status until it's needed again.

Meredith Kruse, (757) 446-2164, meredith.kruse@pilotonline.com