(dramatic music).- [Narrator] As we celebrate.more than 225 years.of the US Navy Supply Corps,.let's meet CDR. Mark Bowmer,.USS Bataan Supply Officer,.who makes sure the.ship is ready for sea..And there is plenty to do..- [CDR. Bowmer] We've.got a huge budget,.a $13 million budget to run..Our job is to keep everyone.full mission capable..Our job is to make sure that.we can get the plant turned on.and we can get the boilers.going and get underway..We can get those.aircraft up and flying..Safety's sustained..People are fed..Everything is good to.go, ready to be operated,.and ready to be executed..- [Narrator] Bowmer,.and the ship supply team.support the mission.of the USS Bataan.to enable the Navy.and Marine Corps team.to accomplish a.seamless transition,.from the sea to the land battle.as the lead ship in a group..The Bataan's getting.ready to go underway..We're gonna be heading.out to sea here,.doing local ops.in preparation for.basic Base Certification events,.and also be working on our.Flight Deck Certification..During that underway,.we anticipate providing.routine support to the crew..That routine support.is hotel services,.that'll be food.service, laundry..We'll also probably issue parts..Normally we issue one.or two high priority parts.to the engineers, maintain.material capability of the ship..If aircraft require parts,.we'll also issue.parts to the aircraft..Overall, it's a pretty.routine underway..Supply will run.normal operation..We'll be ready to.support the crew..- [Narrator] The USS Bataan.is an amphibious warfare ship..The second largest class.of ship in the US Navy..It's as long as the height.of a 90-story building,.and moves at 20 knots or.about 23 miles an hour..Bowmer oversees.Supply Corps Officers.and Supply Enlisted Personnel.to perform a wide array.of functions on the ship..- One of the biggest.challenges we have there is.we're not doing a 1,000 Sailors.worth of supplies and laundry..We're doing 3,000.Sailors and Marines..We're providing that.support to the Marines,.getting those Marines.ready to go out.and do the job that.they need to do..Supporting the Marines,.mostly entails.serving food to them,.making sure they're well fed..They're also rested..We work with the different.departments on the ship.to coordinate.berthing requirements..And then we have the.ship store support..We have laundry support..A lot of the hotel services,.if you want to go with.a more generic term,.are provided by the crew and.by the Supply Department..It is a routine requirement..It seems pretty simple.and straightforward,.but it's always a.daunting challenge because.the Marines will face.different environments.and they'll come back.at different times.and we'll have to.adapt to support them..- [Narrator] Reporting to.him are eight Officers,.60 Culinary Specialists,.35 Logistics Specialists and.20 Retail Services Specialists,.performing duties that touch.every Sailor on the ship..From the daily supplies they.use to food, ship store,.postal services and.haircuts, to name a few..- So the Bataan Supply.Department is a mixture of.first tour, second.tour officers,.obviously a lot of chiefs,.senior chiefs, master chiefs..We've got a robust capability..Our capability is very similar.to what you would have on.a carrier, but scaled down..We have HAZMAT capabilities..We have a much bigger.depth of HAZMAT.than some of the smaller.service combatants..- [Narrator] Bowmer and his team.work with every.department on the ship,.supporting them on all levels..From supply transportation,.to and from the beach,.with Landing Craft.Air Cushion, or LCACs,.to spare parts for.repair and maintenance.of the ship's aircraft..- [CDR. Bowmer] So supply.works with the ACU,.The Assault Craft Unit,.to make sure that the.parts are on board.to support the hovercraft,.the LCACs going to.and from the beach..We also use the LCACs to move.parts to and from the beach,.and supplies to.and from the beach..So, there's the.coordination aspect.of keeping the equipment up,.the weapons systems up,.as we would call them..If we need to get.someone to shore.because there's emergency,.maybe they're traveling.because of a medical reason..We can use the LCACs for that.If we're not using.the helicopters..- [Narrator] When the USS.Bataan aids civilians in crises,.Bowmer and the ship's supply team.have to be prepared.for anything..- [CDR. Bowmer] So, one of.the missions that Bataan.has been called.to do in the past.is humanitarian assistance.and disaster response..The mission is a very.difficult mission because.you never know what you're.gonna find when you get there..- [Narrator] The USS Bataan.surged to Haiti within 48 hours.to help after the.devastating 7.0 earthquake,.- [CDR. Bowmer] One of.the greatest capacities.on the ship is making water..So, if you think about.a disaster event,.you can't be certain that the.water is not contaminated,.that the water is safe to drink..So, we can make the water here,.fill it up in a Water.Bladder or a Water Buffalo,.and bring them water..So, that's a huge thing for a.relief effort is to have water..- [Narrator] During.this mission,.1,100 USS Bataan.Sailors and Marines.provided 1,000 pallets.of relief supplies.and transported hundreds.of patients via LCACs.to other ships and.hospitals for medical care..- [CDR. Bowmer] So, if we're.providing relief supplies,.we'd obviously have to use.our stores, break those out,.maintain awareness of our.inventories, our paper products,.- [Narrator] This was a huge job.to feed and shelter.displaced Haitians,.and took over 10 weeks..Another challenge was.turning the USS Bataan.into a floating.hospital with 600 beds..- [CDR. Bowmer] We'll look.at what we've got on hand,.what we can prepare..That makes it easy..What makes it hard.is those events.that are down a little further.South in the Caribbean,.where we have to.possibly bring survivors.back to the ship and.do medical treatment..Medical treatment really.challenges the ship..It brings in other departments,.including the doctors,.the police surgical team..We will support.the medical team..It is not uncommon for.us to get in theater.and they say, hey,.you know what?.We need a hundred more IVs..We're expecting a lot.of dehydrated people..So, then we go chase the IV bags..We gotta find a place.to get them from..We gotta get them here..So, it's really a.two-part equation..It's the procurement and.then it's the delivery..- [Narrator] The Supply.Corps prides itself.on training officers to be.innovative, resourceful,.and ethical..Their jobs can.vary significantly.from one duty.station to another,.requiring logistics know-how.and expert understanding.of financial inventory.and fuels management,.distribution, and procurement..- It's about looking at.that perspective and saying,.is this the right thing to do?.Is this the right decision?.What would this.decision look like?.And really having that sense.of what we want to accomplish..So, sometimes \"Ready.for Sea\" is recognizing.you have the material on board,.and you've staged it, and.you're ready to execute it..And other times.it's about knowing.that bigger team.that's out there,.knowing that whole supply chain,.knowing where you.can reach back,.knowing how to reach back,.and knowing when and where..- [Narrator] A big.thanks to Sailors.like Cdr. Mark Bowmer,.who have contributed to the.rich and successful history.of the US Navy Supply Corps..(upbeat music).