With my eyes still closed, I stretched my arms wide as I made an attempt to sit on my bed. But I hit my head on what seemed like an aluminum metal covering the bed on which I was lying. The excruciating pain forced me to open my eyes in time before I fell from the 3-storey bunk bed. Just then, I snapped out of my slumber, only to realize I was not in my bed.

I was sleeping on one of the 15 beds in the packed female berthing on one of the fastest US Naval Ships, specifically Spearhead Joint High Speed Vessel-1. Amazing!

 

I searched my thoughts to get a vivid account of how I got to where I was. Then, I recollected my flight from the Kotoka International Airport to Takoradi on Monday, 16^thFebruary, 2015 to partake in this year’s African Maritime Law Enforcement Partnership (AMLEP) project.

AMLEP is an international security cooperation exercise that is conducted by US Naval Forces Africa in collaboration with the Ghana Navy, Marine Police and Fisheries Commission to help African countries to improve their maritime safety and security.

What even made my journey to Takoradi much more complete was the enjoyable ride my colleague Beatrice Senadju (GTV) and I received from the Ghanaian Naval Officer, Linda Oboh.

She transported us to the Sekondi Western Naval Command to meet Lieutenant Maxwell Akollor and his 3 other US Navy colleagues. They facilitated our boarding onto the US ship.

I stood still as I spotted the huge grey vessel, almost 338-foot-long aluminum rectangular raft. I’m told it is designed to transport approximately 600 tons of military troops and equipment at an average speed of 35 knots, a feature that qualifies it as one of the fastest ships

The name “Spearhead” which means “the leading force in a military drive” was given to the ship by the US Army. The ship is crewed by 22 civilian Mariners. It has sleeping accommodation and washrooms for about 42 crew members and 104 mission personnel.

Before I proceed with the story of my stay on the ship, let me take you on a quick tour of the USNS Spearhead Joint High Speed Vessel-1.  

Spearhead is a 2 storey ship. The ground floor is where the 20,000-square-foot mission bay is located. Support and other deliveries for humanitarian operations are kept here. This is also the area where boats used for marine operations can be found.

And before it eludes me, let me whisper to you that there’s a gym located at the mission bay area. It has all the equipments you’d find in any modern gymnasium – ellipticals and cross trainers, treadmills, exercise bikes. Well, they have them all  and that’s why I spent most of my time working out while I was onboard. …. Awwww….I already miss my workout sessions on the vessel.

The laundry is cited on the first floor of the ship. I was happy to have friends who were hospitable enough to even help out whenever I had to do my laundry.

The second floor is where “three-twelve” is located. This is a place of relaxation for people onboard the ship. It is called “three-twelve” because it can accommodate 312 people at a time.

On the immediate right is berthing and washrooms for males and females

Just behind “three-twelve” on the immediate left is the Kitchen called the “Mess”. This is where meals are cooked and served.

I must confess I never missed breakfast, lunch and dinner not because the food was exceptionally sumptuous, but because the US embassy had already paid for the meals. It took quite some time for me to adjust to some of the foreign menu like “lasagna…. meal made with pasta, cheese and other spices”.  However, knowing how choosy I could be with food, I armed myself with some Fante Kenkey, Black pepper and fried fish….that at least nourished me throughout my 8-days stay on the ship.

Urvan was the cook on the ship. He was such a friendly and accommodating dude….. It still beats my mind that he actually went beyond his strength to prepare Jollof rice for the Ghanaian team on board.

Adjacent the Mess is a small clinic. This is where doctors onboard attend to crew members who get seasick or wounded.

The vessel also has an aviation flight deck where a wide variety of aircraft can land and take off.

 

And now to the “Bridge” where the ship is navigated from. It is located a few metres from the fly deck. This is where the captain and other important engineers who run the ship are.

Frankly, I was reliably taken care of by Joyce Asiedu of the American Embassy and Lieutenant Sonny Lorrius, the Africa Partnership Station 2015 Public Affairs Officer on the vessel. They fed me with all the information I needed about AMLEP.

Another interesting thing that happened on the ship is my style of walking… I kept banking left and right because of how boisterous the sea was. Civilians like me could not walk straight. I keep staggering like a drunk; yes…for lack of a better word, a drunk; trying to seek refuge in any firm object I sighted before I fell on the floor completely.

Conclusively, I would for forever remember the spicy meat, fish, potato chips and drinks. But most importantly, I’ll never forget that sizzling moment where I had to navigate the ship for some seconds …..yes…I captained the ship for some seconds.