Our niece is a new officer in the Navy and will be leaving later in the summer for a deployment. We would like to send her a care package once in a while. How long does it take roughly for a care package to arrive when sending to someone while they are at sea? Thanks for any advice.

Two to three weeks to a carrier was my experience.

First, they need to be within about 1,500 miles from an airfield which the COD can land/take-off from and there needs to be a carrier in your daughter’s group (unless she is on the carrier)

Then another few days from the carrier to the smallboy.

If they’re blue water ops (out of the COD’s range, longer.

If near a US base (think Guam, Singapore, Abu Daubi, and there for a while, maybe a week. If in the Med, then near Rota or Sig

During Desert Storm, it was, initially, four weeks.

When the USS Cole was bombed (i was on the Tarawa), nothing until we returned to the gulf.

Letters will always take priority, buy there is email now, and then packages. It a weight thing.

Lol, mail he said…..

I was due to meet my new ship in Cartagena Columbia in mid 97. When I got there my ship was gone. But I was taken from the airport to another CG ship in the bay. I spent a week or so with them. They arranged a transport by small boat and I brought along a red duffel bag of mail.

I received a hero’s welcome.

As I discovered, we never got mail until we returned to homeport . Each and every afloat, we managed to miss the mail. This turned out to be the “norm”.

I’m sure things are different in the USN, but I found that it was like this across the entire east coast. Our helos didn’t go to shore often, we were U/W for 3 months only stopping for a BSF (brief stop for fuel) in GTMO and one two day stop somewhere in there for liberty. Logistics was -don’t lose or break anything cause you ain’t getting a new one till we get home.

While they're in transit (Leaving their Home Port until they arrive in the area they will be patrolling) will take the longest, my longest was 11 months. Once in theater I was receiving things in 3 to 5 days. Of course there's always the odd chance that during a VERTREP of mail the Helo will pickle the load into water.

I don't know if they have improved things since my time (1986-2012), but it used to take a couple of weeks to get to us on a carrier.

Appreciate the info, gents.

quote:

Originally posted by LS1 GTO:

...First, they need to be within about 1,500 miles from an airfield which the COD can land/take-off from and there needs to be a carrier in your daughter’s group (unless she is on the carrier)...

Looks like the Osprey is taking over the COD mission, I do not know if they can land on ships other than carriers and LHDs.

The CMV-22B will be capable of transporting up to 6,000 pounds of cargo/personnel to a 1,150 NM range.

https://www.navair.navy.mil/product/CMV-22B-Osprey

C-2 range is not listed:

https://www.navair.navy.mil/product/C-2

She is on the Carney (Destroyer). After SWO Nuke school eventually she'll be on a carrier.