Singapore NEX

Since my Chief left as soon as we moored in Singapore, it was now completely up to me to resupply my almost empty store. In Yokosuka, I could order most of what I wanted by email, not here in Singapore. Keeping in mind that my ship was currently sitting in a Singapore Naval Base, I needed to find transportation over to the US Naval Base. That base was about an hour away.

This was a new process for me, I had just started learning how to obtain supplies from the NEX and commissary in Yokosuka. I made a list of everything I was looking for and reminded myself to keep on open mind because I needed to fill my shelves with whatever my crew wanted. I really opened my horizons on this trip. Some of the items I ordered were ones that had never been sold in the ship's store. I added items like sunflower seeds, fruit cups, mints, and Skyflakes (crackers).

When I was paying for these new items, my Captain and XO walked in. They were a little surprised to see all the boxes stacked up but seemed to appreciate the effort. I was very curious to see how the crew would react to all these new items. The only issue to come up, and I was aware of this before coming to the NEX, was that none of the quantities I bought would last long. The store would only be filled for a week or two at most.

The unanticipated problem was how to get all these boxes to my ship. Normally items are just trucked from a supply center to the ship but since my ship was on a different base, this was a bit more complicated. My SUPPO ended up contacting the husbanding agent and renting a flatbed truck. This was the first time I had any logistical role. The only thing I can say about logistics at this point is that it is a major headache. Hopefully I will get better at putting all the pieces together at the right place, time and price. I think it is just going to take more practice.