Its Summertime and Pacific Maritime Group is going to the beach. We love it so much we go to the beach all year-round!
Actually, the idea of outfitting specialized landing craft that could access remote beaches to provide supplies and equipment delivery was at the beginnings of the Company. From the Arctic Circle to the Caribbean, to the South Pacific Islands, and right near home in Southern California, our Landing Craft vessels have gently touched on beaches to perform deliveries of equipment, food and stores, vehicles, fuel, water, and other necessities that have few or no other options for transportation.
These versatile craft also perform marine salvage, wreck-removal, oil-spill response, environmental clean-up, dredging support, fireworks, ocean sciences, diving, even as movie and film production props. They are in many ways, the “Swiss Army Knife” of our Fleet.
It takes skill and experience to plan and execute a safe beach landing. Our Captains and Crew have mastered the art of analyzing weather, swell, current, tide, bottom-type and beach terrain to make landings at hundreds of locations over many decades.
Besides the fleet of landing craft we own and operate, we have designed and built or modified dozens of landing craft over the years for customers with very specific needs and expectations.
Our earliest conversions were in the 1980’S using former U.S. Navy LCM-8’s. A recent example of a conversion success story was in 2019 when the Company decided that its current fleet of three landing craft was excess to service demand. It was decided to sell the “Supplier” to the great folks at Sun Dog Charters in Kodiak, Ak.
The Supplier is a rebuilt and substantially modified ex-Navy Landing Craft. PMG’s talented construction division designed and rebuilt the vessel adding a new, two story wheelhouse, CARB compliant engines, a 10 ton crane, transom-mounted anchoring gear and other custom features to maximize the utility of the vessel.
Sun Dog was delighted to acquire the Supplier and put it to work delivering supplies and equipment to remote locations in Kodiak and other Southeast Alaska locations.
Meanwhile, back in sunny California, our landing craft Sea-Scout is busy going back and forth between the Port of Long beach and Santa Catalina Island. There the Sea Scout lands on beaches throughout the Island. We are a CPUC carrier for cargo of all kinds to and from the Island. Building supplies, groceries, even kayaks and camp supplies fill the deck. Add a bulldozer or backhoe. We deliver.
So the next time you head to the beach, don’t be surprised if you see the Supplier or another landing craft enjoying the sunshine and salt air with you.