Coast Guard Cutter Galveston Island receives fuel from Bertholf in an astern refueling evolution. U.S. Coast Guard photo.
The Coast Guard Compass has a new post “From the Bridge of the Bertholf: Hawaii Patrol.” There are a couple of things I really like seeing in the report, first that they are working in the Western Pacific EEZ, and second that they are working jointly with patrol boat Galveston Island.
A larger cutter operating with a smaller one (or two) opens up a lot of options potentially almost doubling the effectiveness of the large ship, with the smaller cutter providing another 24/7 radar and lookout node, as well as an independent high endurance boarding platform to cover a different geographic area. The Fast Response Cutters with their larger crew and better seakeeping should make this an even more attractive option. (In the article they are doing an astern refueling. I would think that an alongside method could be developed that would be quicker and safer.)
As I noted earlier, the Fourteenth has by far the largest EEZ (5,800,889 sq kM), even larger than the Seventeenth’s EEZ surrounding Alaska (3,770,021 sq. kM). My impression is that we don’t spend enough time patrolling there and when we do, we always seem to find egregious violations.
Chuck Hill's CG Blog 
Astern Refueling is. CTQM requirement. Just because they astern refueled a WPB after conducting a MPb after an ALPAT does not mean that BERTHOLF was sked by PACAREA for a “joint patrol”. Maybe you should check your facts and better yet get a clue about what the 3120 says before putting out inaccurate and misleading info!
This is what the article said,
“Tactically, the partnership with Galveston Island is a powerful one. Bertholf is able to offer the patrol boat fuel, groceries, laundry and manpower while capitalizing on the patrol boat’s local law enforcement experience. This greatly extends the traditional range of operations for the patrol boat which normally patrols nearer shore in our layered security or defense in depth construct. Bertholf and Galveston Island were able to conduct a surge operation covering an astounding 300,000 square miles and boarding nearly half of all fishing vessels encountered far offshore.”
Sounds like more than just one refueling.
Looks like Mr. Scorpion should read what the Coast Guard said themselves. Being that Chuck was pointing out an interesting idea something that might help add a dynamic tactic to surprise and increase abilities. If we always do things the same way then our enemy will be able to get around us easily.
Yeah, that’s it. A proceedure we routinely do operationally and as a periodic training requirement that the CG has been doing now for decades is really “dynamic”. Maybe you should actually spend some time on a 110 sometime?
“Our enemy”? This is PAC Fisheries here. Try the decaf you jackass.
I am actually disgusted by your ENEMY comments.
One of the many PR problems we as a service have had with the public in the past many years has been brought about by heavy-handed LE tactics and the failure by some to realize that the taxpayers we serve are anything but our enemy!
I can recall when fishermen from several New England seacoast communities thought WE were the enemy. They did have some poor attitudes about the laws they lobbied for and thought only applied to foreign permitted fishermen.
I will have to say the Mainers were the best to work with even when there was the Canadian Confusion Zone.
I like how enemy can be taken out of context. I was using that term more in line with that when we go out we never just do one thing like fishers we have many responsibilities. That’s why I was talking about tactics I have grown up in the Coast Guard around terrorism and drug patrols. So when I say enemy thats what I mean.
To say disgusted is a bit much because I was using a fairly common and generic line. But if you take offense I am sorry. Being that I always treated everyone I encountered with tons of respect and would never have been considered heavy handed since I was given a few awards from my friends in shipping and fishery communities.
As for dynamic tactic I was not writing about the fueling. What I am talking is the fact of using a big cutter to bring a bunch of smaller units its a area and flood the area with a force that otherwise could not have made a transit. The NYPD does a similar flood tactic. I regret that I did not clarify my word choice clearly.
As for calling me a jack ass because of a minor context issue on a blog. I remind you that we live by Honor, Respect and devotion to duty. You never know the rank, person, experience of who you are commenting with and we all think we are bigger fish then we really are so respect is best.
That’s nice. Some of us have not just “grown up” and “been around” the Coast Guard, instead we are actually in it .
BS check! Calling the public the “enemy” is not generic nor common among us at all. If you were one of us you would understand.
Read more and post less, you might actually learn something.
I think you are taking one point to far. I have served in the Coast Guard and am serving in the Coast Guard. You take one post and keep it as the end of all things.
The generic line I was “If we always do things the same way then our enemy will be able to get around us easily”. Like I said I made a mistake in my phrasing because I was not calling the public my enemy. I was talking about drug runners, patrols in Iraq and things like that. So like I said I made a mistake in my wording. Instead you continue to act like a child.
I also like how you don’t use your real name to make post. If you are so confident in your post and comments why not use your name. And I don’t need you to tell me whether or not I served you make far to many personal stabs first at Chuck now me. If you had Honor or Respect you would act differently.
I am glad to admit my “enemy” comment was misused as I should have clarified my point instead of using the word “enemy”. But since I have admitted my mistake can we move on get back to the original topic. Or will we carry on like little children over a mistake I admitted too. Through I am sure you have never said anything wrong or have ever been impolite to someone.
But nice blog name.
S. B. I think you should take Patrick at face value. He is correct, I think it’s a stretch to insinuate he isn’t in teh CG you are, I think you are rude and your comments have done nothing to add to the value of this subject. And, you never do know who is replying do you… Take your own advice, modified to be ‘read and understand more before you post.’
Now, yes the CG has used large cutter support w/ smaller cutter tactics for a long time; yes astern refueling was a big part of that concept for a long time; yes we now have more clearly defined TTP and training reqm’ts to conduct astern refueling; no we are a long way from developing some sort of alongside refueling procedure for large cutters and small cutters; yes the FRC will enhance this capability if we choose to exercise it with better sea keeping and longer endurence.
Thanks.
On the 210 we did mulepat ops a few times for joint patrols/exercises with the Mexican Navy in ’92-95, always was good to have the large presence (for the CG) of a 210, 110 and 82. We found it more efficient to take either boat in an astern tow to refuel/rewater, never took all that long but then again it was FAC where we were doing it.
There is a whole standardized proceedure we use now for it. USN and the ATGs consider us to be the experts at it. 🙂
Fueling astern as the procedure when the 82s sailed from Subic to their stations in Vietnam. They refueled from an LST. It would not be a bad idea to practice this with the Navy too.
Most forget that fueling astern was the primary mode for the entire Soviet fleet during the Cold War. One of the best thing the Soviet fleet learned from the U. S. was how to refuel and replenish while underway in the same manner as the U. S. I’ve seen many a Soviet destroyer nose up between the sending and receiving U. S. ship and just film the heck out of the procedure. Someone should check there film archive. There may be some great shots.
I suppose side-to-side refueling for USCG WPBs may be fine if at anchor but not knowing the strength of the padeyes that would be necessary for underway refueling this method would be the safest–except in real heavy weather. Not being privy to the rules, but I’d say the WPB should keep about 95% fuel on board.
Since when is the nautical word “groceries” for stores.
“Since when is the nautical word “groceries” for stores.”
New standard pipe:
“Now all ships workers go to the entrance plank to carry groceries down the stairs to the cafeteria.”
Heh heh heh.
The static test load requirement for the fueling spanwire in a probe system is 100,000 Lbs. I think that might pull a 110 apart. It required much reinforcement to backfit the WWII Navy destroyers.
I wasn’t suggesting that a 110 hook up to an AOR and take a spanwire and a 10″ hose that would fill it up in about five seconds, only that the alongside position offers some advantages. The rig can be shorter; communication between the ships can be easier, particularly when you want to do it without radio transmissions; and there would be no danger of the rig fouling the screws of the delivering ship.
Chuck – yes, alongside refueling has its advantages, but alongside replenishment is a risky operation, given that you have two ships running side-by-side that must hold to precisely the same course and speed for a long period of time. One steering error could cause a collision, or part the transfer lines and fuel hoses. I’ve witnessed first hand what happens during a traditional alongside refueling when distances aren’t maintained, and it wasn’t pretty.
The reason the Coast Guard uses astern refueling is because it is safer. I did one unscheduled UNREP on my WPB, and there was no way I would have attempted a side by side refueling without a significant training and workup period.
We tried alongside refueling with the Cyclone Class WPCs we had from the Navy as an experiement back in 2005 and the results were not so great. Like you said and other posters here have alluded too, astern refueling is the way to go. Stick with what has been proven as workable and relatively safe.
in 1982, ( i think), i was on the USS Milwaukee, AOR-2. we were escorting 4 patrol boats that the saudis had built in the US across the atlantic to the Med. we unrepped them numerous times alongside, though we didn’t use the stream rigs, I was part of A-Gang/ Liquid Cargo div and if I remember correctly we used 2 1/2 ” fire hose or something similar.
Eric, was there any line (other than the fuel line) attached between the AOR and the patrol boats or did they attempt to keep the fuel hose out of the water?
The arrangement I seem to remember we used for refueling an 82 was that it rode a line like a boat on a sea painter and we used the HIFR rig, but it was a very long time ago.
chuck, i was just re-reading this post, while i still don’t remember alot of the details, i do remember that i’m pretty sure it was not a sea painter type set up. these boats were alongside at about of distance 150-200 feet or so. these patrol boats were also something like 140- 160 feet long. think of the small patrol combatants you see in the eastern med or that some of the former warsaw pact countries were so fond of.
also the fuel lines, i believe were connected to our small boat refueling lines on the main deck, which could pump either dfm or jp-5 five for the 6 small boats. the normal fueling at sea pumps were 2500 gpm monsters, 6 for dfm and 6 for jp-5, and i just can’t imagine, as a snipe, using those. wish i could remember more.
Being able to refuel smaller vessels is one of the requirements for the OPC, so obviously someone is thinking we will see more of this in the future.
there were other lines involved to keep the hoses out of the water. it was 30 years ago and in the nav bm,s and snipes didn’t cross over into each others areas as much as we did in the guard. we did this with way on and i wish i could remeber more. i had some pictures but they were destroyed when my cellar flooded a few years ago, also lost some great shots unrepping uss new jersey
Can you visualize this ship with a Coast Guard stripe.
Could be intimidating when she comes along side a F/V and tell them to stand by to be boarded.
http://www.navytimes.com/news/2012/06/navy-illegal-fishing-carl-vinson-pacific-062112/
Nice to see the Western Pacific getting a little more attention.
did you say come along side or crush? of course just the thought of that would compell compliance. seriously though, alot of folks forget, or don’t know, that our eez is even out there. i know when i think fisheries, i think north atlantic or north pacific.