What Is the Marine Corps Ship Sea Duty Detachment?

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Since 1775, detachments of the U.S. Marine Corps have served aboard naval vessels. The ship sea duty detachment was disbanded in May 2001. However, Marine detachments still serve aboard Navy vessels, and a new training program was instituted in December 2007.

1 Function

A platoon of Marines assigned to ship duty is called a detachment. Marines assigned to ship sea duty were responsible for maintaining the security of ships' nuclear payloads and providing military support to the Navy during maritime battles.

2 Realignment

The U.S. Marine Corps Headquarters' decision to disband ship sea duty was made in an effort to free more Marines for fleet duty.

3 Marines on Navy Ships

Any vessel carrying a nuclear payload is guarded by Marines, as is any vessel transporting Marine air support. When air transport is not feasible, Marines are transported to duty locations on Navy sea vessels.

4 Collaborative Ship Board Training

Designed to maximize interoperability between the Navy and Marine Corps, the collaborative ship board training program sees Marine detachments stationed aboard Navy vessels for the purpose of training and ship familiarity.

Katrina Arthurs began her writing career in 1999. She served as a columnist for the "Edgewood News Herald" then as a reporter and production manager for the "KC Conservative." Arthurs is pursuing her Bachelor of Science in criminal justice at the University of Central Missouri.

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