Did You Know the M14 Did This?

Now, 50 years later, the M14 is still shooting at sea, although rarely in anger.

UNREP is one of those unique capabilities that builds a war-winning strategic advantage.

To get the process started, the ships maneuver into position, matching course and speed, side-by-side.

M14 firing a line to a US Navy ship

That sounds easy enough at first, until the reality of the undulating ocean waves sinks in.

Mother Nature is often downright uncooperative.

Once the ships are aligned, the M14 comes into play, and the Line Gunner is on deck.

M14 launching a phone and distance line from the USS Abraham Lincoln

The Mk 87 is similar to earlier grenade launching cup-style dischargers.

A safety retaining pin fits through the latch and locks the Mk 87 to the M14.

The loop line connects the shot line to the projectile.

Sailors use an M14 to to fire a shot line

The line is wound around a wooden spindle in a way to prevent fouling when the projectile is fired.

The line is orange colored and water-proofed to be buoyant for at least 24 hours.

Aboard the USS Yellowstone:In the North Atlantic in the winter, the winds are often quite high.

Replenishment line being sent to USS Blue Ridge

Throwing a line from one ship to another while underway is all but impossible.

That is where the line gunner comes in.

I do recall my Master Chief was there the first time I shot.

Sailors prepare an M14 line thrower in 1983

The higher the wind, the higher the drift.

I got the first shot over on my first try.

I dont know if my first shot was pure luck, or if I was a natural.

Sailor on the USS Freedom fires shot line to replenishment oiler USNS Guada

Handling more than 100 UNREPs, I think I only missed three or four times.

Aboard the USS Curtis Wilbur:The training is nothing special; mostly on the job.

The gunners assistant is important too, as they pinch the line spool when the projectile lands on deck.

Gunner’s Mate Seaman Jesse Savage fires a shot line from the guided-missile destroyer USS Gonzalez

To get the supplies from one ship to the other, lines were run across.

To shoot the line over, there was really no aiming that I remember.

The rubber projectile was heavy enough that a sort of lobbing was used.

An M14 equipped with a MK87 line throwing kit aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln during November 2004

The entire ship secured from UNREP until the emergency was resolved.

The Chiefs condition was so bad that he was transported in a litter across from ship to ship.

The Gunners Mate who fired the line was extremely distraught, I remember.

US Navy line-throwing team preparing to fire with M14

Over time, you got the feel for it.