Souda Bay, Crete, Greece (Jan. 04, 2007) -- Navy mine countermeasures ship USS Gladiator sits on the deck of the Military Sealift Command-chartered heavy lift ship Condock V during a brief port visit while transiting the eastern Mediterranean. MSC chartered Condock V after receiving a request to transport Gladiator from Texas to Bahrain. Moving the mine countermeasures ship in this manner prevents the wear and tear of an open-ocean voyage. The 1,300-ton Gladiator was loaded onto Condock V in early December in a process called "float-on," which is used for cargo too large to lift by crane.

   Condock V filled its ballast talks, submerging its open-air cargo deck under about 32 feet of water.  The 224-foot Gladiator then was maneuvered into position over Condock V's deck with the help of pusher boats and lines.  With Gladiator correctly positioned, Condock V pumped water from the ballast tanks, raising the submerged deck as Gladiator settled onto specially constructed supports.  The process took about 12 hours.  Gladiator is on its way to replace one of two coastal mine hunters being decommissioned and sold to Egypt.  A second mine countermeasures ship will be transferred via heavy-lift on another Condock ship in the near future.

U.S. Navy photo by Mr. Paul Farley