Sailors from Naval Beach Group 1, an amphibious support unit based in Coronado, are deploying to Gaza to help provide humanitarian aid to civilians in the war-torn area, according to the Department of Defense (DoD).
Approximately 260 sailors are being deployed to construct a large floating dock that will remain approximately three miles off Gaza’s shore. It is unclear exactly how many sailors are from Coronado.
Naval Beach Group 1 was established in 1948, and since then, the group has participated in a variety of amphibious operations—from combat operations to humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.
Recent operations
In recent years, detachments from Naval Group 1 have participated in Operation Desert Shield, Desert Storm and Iraqi Freedom in the Arabian Gulf, along with operations in Somalia and Japan.
Currently, the group trains detachments to embark in amphibious ships, as well as provide a wide variety of support services at Naval Amphibious Base, Coronado.
In January 2023, Naval Beach Group 1 completed a four-day intensive training exercise in Coronado to practice real-world ship-to-shore logistical transportation missions.
Lt. Grace Kording, a spokesperson for Naval Surface Force, said the Naval Beach Group 1 deployment is to involve “elements from Amphibious Construction Battalion 1, Assault Craft Unit 1, and Beachmaster Unit 1 and augmented by Assault Craft Unit 2 and the Navy Expeditionary Logistics Support Force.”
Assigned to build a floating dock
Sailors from Naval Beach Group 1 have been assigned to build a large floating dock known as a roll-on, roll-off discharge facility as part of the mission being led by the Army’s 7th Transportation Brigade from Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia.
The roll-on, roll-off discharge facility, which measures 72 feet wide by 270 feet long, will remain approximately three miles off Gaza’s shore and enable cargo ships to offload aid shipments at sea prior to being transported to shore.
Once offloaded, cargo will be transported to shore along an approximately 1,800-foot causeway comprising modular sections linked together, known as a Trident Pier, that will be constructed by the Army unit.
The Navy will operate causeway ferries to transport the cargo from the discharge facility to the Army’s floating pier.
In a quote attributed to an unnamed Navy official, the DoD said, “Our capabilities mesh well, and we have already coordinated at the tactical level how we will implement the movement of cargo. This is a routine mission for us, and we’re just falling in together in step to conduct this mission.”
