The Island of Ambon:
- Puskesmas Tulehu Public Health Clinic
This small isolated clinic is located about an hour outside the city of Ambon. Though the clinic was open, the building was in dire need of repair. The staff moved out of the building during the renovation, and aided the Seabees in cleaning and moving back in when completed.
PROJECT SCOPE: Install a new corrugated metal roof and ridge cap; replace the existing wood fascia; repair exterior soffit framing and replace damaged soffit. Replace all damaged ceiling panels; replace the existing front and rear doors with new solid wood doors and new locksets; replace two interior doors and install one new frame; replace 18 door lock sets on existing doors; remove five exterior doors and fill openings with masonry brick and stucco. Remove wood slats above new rear double door and fill with plywood; replace wood slats above all windows; create new slats above one closed-in door for ventilation; do minor electrical repairs and replace missing light bulbs. Prep and repair all interior and exterior stucco walls, then prime and paint the entire building inside and out. Remove dirt and debris from sidewalk around building and power-wash all concrete walks, including the main walk to the font of the clinic. Replace damaged tile floors throughout the clinic; pour a new concrete step at the rear of the clinic.
The front of the clinic before
The front of the building after
The side of the building before
The side of the building after (notice the brand-new roof!)
Picture showing the before and after side-by-side
This picture shows the concrete block used to fill-in doors that were removed
Reception area before
Reception area after (Senior Chief VanGorden wants you to notice the large stash of LDS Charity boxes filled with medical supplies that were given to the clinic during the ribbon-cutting ceremony–typical of ALL ENCAP projects!)
Central hallway before
Central hallway after
The Seabees pose in front of the newly renovated clinic
PERSONNEL: 11 SAIL-IN Seabees and 16 ROYAL Australian ARMY engineers; 8 Host Nation VOLUNTEERS; 15 Mercy Volunteers
DURATION: 25 JUL 2010 – 30 JUL 2010
MAN-DAYS EXPENDED: 125
- Tulehu Toilet Facility, Ambon
This small project was developed and begun by the local TNI engineers on the island. The Seabees were asked to aid in completing as much work as possible during their visit.
PROJECT SCOPE: Aid the Host Nation Engineers to build a new toilet facility. Mercy Seabees aided in the following work: run fresh water lines to toilets; run sewer lines from toilets; build a stone and concrete foundation, then stucco-covered brick walls; frame a wood roof and install corrugated metal roofing; install doors; and install squat toilets.
New toilet facility being worked on (the toilets drained out the back into the waterway, and down into the ocean)
Toilet facility almost completed
Typical Asian squat toilet, with faucet to fill bucket for flushing the toilet
PERSONNEL: 3 SAIL-IN Seabees and 2 ROYAL Australian ARMY engineers; 3 Host nation engineers
DURATION: 25 jul 2010 – 30 JUl 2010
MAN-DAYS EXPENDED: 31
- Mamala Stage, Ambon
This project was part of a larger renovation of a local soccer field. The local TNI engineers on the island were building a stage at one end of the field. The Seabees were asked to aid in completing as much work as possible during their visit.
PROJECT SCOPE: Aid the Host Nation Engineers to build a new stage. The Seabees from Mercy aided in constructing concrete walls atop a poured concrete foundation in preparation for installing a new roof.
The new stage was being built near the local Soccer Stadium
The stage as the concrete beams were being installed to hold-up the roof
PERSONNEL: 2 SAIL-IN Seabees and 3 ROYAL Australian ARMY engineers; and 4 host nation engineers
DURATION: 27 JUL 2010 – 28 JUL 2010
MANDAYS EXPENDED: 14
The City of Ambon Pier problem…
Not everything goes perfect on a mission as large and complex as this one. While delivering supplies from the USNS Mercy to the pier in Ambon, the helicopter being used caused some damage to a nearby warehouse.
The Mercy helocopter making a supply run to the pier
The roofing structure and roof of the building had not been secured to the surrounding masonry walls… When the helocopter landed, the ‘updraft’ from the spinning blades lifted the unattached roof right off the building! The Navy met with the owner of the building and came to an agreement very quickly… Fortunately the warehouse was completely empty at the time of the incident.
