MetalCraft Marine 7 meter “The Watcher” Autonomous Surface Vessel (ASV)
Back in November 2020 we learned about a month long evaluation of unmanned surface systems. Now we have more information on one of the two systems tested.
BairdMaritime reports on the 22 foot (6.7 m) “The Watcher” autonomous surface vessel that is said to be capable of operating autonomously for up to 30 days. Three-liter Volvo 220 HP (164 kW) diesel inboards propel it up to 1,800 nautical miles, while solar panels power the electronics.
MetalCraft Marine 7 meter “The Watcher” Autonomous Surface Vessel (ASV)
This report is part of BairdMaritimes “Welcome to USA Week!” look at the US maritime industry. Check it out.
MetalCraft Marine 7 meter “The Watcher” Autonomous Surface Vessel (ASV)
News Release below. Quite an uptick in recreational boating deaths and injuries.
News Release
U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters
U.S. Coast Guard releases 2020 Boating Safety Statistics Report
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Coast Guard released its 2020 Recreational Boating Statistics Report Wednesday, revealing that there were 767 boating fatalities nationwide in 2020, a 25.1 percent increase from 2019.
From 2019 to 2020, the total number of accidents increased 26.3 percent (4,168 to 5,265), and the number of non-fatal injured victims increased 24.7 percent (2,559 to 3,191). There is evidence that boating activity increased significantly during the pandemic, from reports of increased boat sales, insurance policies taken out, insurance claims, and calls for towing assistance. With the increased exposure (i.e., more boating hours), there was greater risk of deaths, injuries, and accidents. The Coast Guard is analyzing variables associated with boating activity to normalize this accident data.
Alcohol continued to be the leading known contributing factor in fatal boating accidents in 2020, accounting for over 100 deaths, or 18 percent of total fatalities.
The report also shows that in 2020:
The fatality rate was 6.5 deaths per 100,000 registered recreational vessels, the highest in the program’s recent history. This rate represents a 25 percent increase from last year’s fatality rate of 5.2 deaths per 100,000 registered recreational vessels.
Property damage totaled about $62.5 million.
Operator inattention, operator inexperience, improper lookout, excessive speed, and machinery failure ranked as the top five primary contributing factors in accidents.
Capt. Scott Johnson, chief of the Office of Auxiliary and Boating Safety at Coast Guard Headquarters, reflected on a number of cases where boaters had recently purchased the vessel involved in the incident, but had not taken many of the proper safety precautions before getting underway.
Where the cause of death was known, 75 percent of fatal boating accident victims drowned. Of those drowning victims with reported life jacket usage, 86 percent were not wearing a life jacket.
“It’s crucial for boaters to wear a life jacket at all times because it very likely will save your life if you enter the water unexpectedly,” said Johnson. “The Coast Guard reminds boaters to make sure that life jackets are serviceable, properly sized, and correctly fastened.”
Where boating instruction was known, 77 percent of deaths occurred on vessels where the operator had not received boating safety instruction. The Coast Guard recommends that all boaters take a boating safety course that meets the National Boating Education Standards prior to getting out on the water.
The most common vessel types involved in reported accidents were open motorboats, personal watercraft, and cabin motorboats. Where vessel type was known, the vessel types with the highest percentage of deaths were open motorboats (50 percent), kayaks (15 percent), and pontoons (9 percent).
The report is based off on incidents that resulted in at least one of the following criteria: death, disappearance, injury that required medical treatment beyond first aid, damages to the vessel(s) or other property that equaled or exceeded $2,000, or a loss of vessel.
The Coast Guard reminds all boaters to boat responsibly on the water: wear a life jacket, take a boating safety course, attach the engine cut-off switch, get a free vessel safety check, and boat sober.
“The Coast Guard thanks our boating safety partners,” said Johnson, “they continue to demonstrate a committed effort to reduce loss of life, injuries and property damage through education and enforcement.”
HMS Protector returned to Plymouth today (25th April 19) after 4 years away. The Royal Navy’s ice patrol ship will spend a few days at HMNB Devonport before she sails to the North East of England for a maintenance refit. Image: LPhot Paul Hall
“The Royal Navy’s HMS Protector has set a record for sailing closer to the North Pole than any other British surface ship in history.”
and they got some help from the US Coast Guard.
“On board Protector are scientists, engineers and advisors including from the Ministry of Defence and the British Antarctic Survey, as well as two Royal Navy officers who sailed into the Alaskan Arctic aboard the U.S. Coast Guard cutter Polar Star this past winter, and ice-breaking expert Lieutenant Lauren Kowalski, also from the U.S. Coast Guard.”
ARABIAN GULF (Feb. 25, 2021) The U.S. Coast Guard cutter USCGC Maui (WPB 1304) and the Greek navy guided-missile frigate HS Hydra (F452) participate in a passing exercise in the Arabian Gulf, Feb. 25, 2021. U.S. Coast Guard Patrol Forces Southwest Asia (PATFORSWA) is comprised of six 110-foot cutters, the Maritime Engagement Team, shore-side support personnel, and is the Coast Guard’s largest unit outside of the U.S. playing a key role in supporting Navy security cooperation, maritime security, and maritime infrastructure protection operations in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations. (U.S. Coast Guard photo)
The “2021SEA-AIR-SPACE (SAS) GLOBAL MARITIME EXPOSITION” is scheduled August 2-4. In addition there is a two day “Prequal” July 20-21, a STEMEXPO August 1, and a Transition Connection onsite job fair on August 4 (Coast Guard day)
It appears the Coast Guard will be well represented at the event. The Commandant and six other Coast Guard flag officers are expected to attend.
Below is the ALCOAST announcing the event.
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R 231708Z JUN 21 FM COMDT COGARD WASHINGTON DC TO ALCOAST BT UNCLAS ALCOAST 230/21 SSIC 5700 SUBJ: 2021 SEA-AIR-SPACE (SAS) GLOBAL MARITIME EXPOSITION
1. The annual Sea-Air-Space (SAS) Global Maritime Exposition will be held 1-4 August 2021 at the Gaylord National Resort and Conference Center, located in National Harbor, MD. SAS was founded in 1965 as a means to bring the U.S. defense industrial base, private-sector United States companies and military leaders together for an annual educational, innovative, and professional event located in the heart of Washington, DC. Sea-Air-Space is now the largest maritime exposition in the U.S. and continues as an invaluable extension of the Navy League’s mission of maritime policy, education, and sea service support.
2. This year’s exposition will feature U.S. Coast Guard senior leaders participating in panel discussions on Arctic domain readiness; Indo-Pacific security strategy; cybersecurity; diversity and inclusion; illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing; COVID-19 response; and more. This event will provide USCG participants professional development opportunities with the most up-to-date information regarding the current state of the defense industry as well as a vision of the future. Dynamic luncheon and keynote speakers will provide members an open forum to fully disclose up-to-the-minute information relevant to CG missions which will improve CG processes and ensure we set the conditions for a better CG future.
3. In conjunction with Sea-Air-Space 2021, the annual Navy League STEM Expo will also be held at the Gaylord National Resort and Conference Center on Sunday, 1 August. Anyone attending SAS is welcome at the STEM Expo.
4. Subject to command approval, attendance is allowed at no cost to the government. Supervisors should ensure attendance aligns with an employee’s primary duties. Employees who wish to attend for personal interests may use annual leave, accrued compensatory time off or earned credit hours (if available), or leave without pay. Commands outside the National Capital Region may submit no-cost permissive orders for military members who attend.
5. Registration information and exposition details are available on the SAS website: (Copy and Paste Below URL into Browser)
There is no charge to attend SAS for Coast Guard military members or Coast Guard civilian employees.
6. A shuttle will run from Coast Guard Headquarters to SAS and back on a regular basis Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday of the exposition. The shuttle schedule, parking rates, and other logistical details are available at the SAS website.
7. Uniform is Tropical Blue or equivalent for uniformed attendees and business professional for civilians.
Artist rendering of the VT Halter Polar Security Cutter design.
Looks like it is official now, the the Coast Guard is seeking more than three heavy icebreakers (Polar Security Cutters), not in place of one or more of the three medium icebreakers (Arctic Security Cutters) but in addition. This presumably means we are seeking more than six polar icebreakers.
You have probably heard that HMS Defender was confronted by Russian military forces during a transit off Crimea. The Russians claim they dropped bombs in the path of the British Destroyer and that the Russian Coast Guard fired warning shots. The British say it did not happen. I can’t comment on the claim of bombs being dropped, but lets look at the evidence the Russians provided of warning shots, it the form of the photo above.
The gun is the AK-630, a 30mm Gatling gun. It is claimed to be effective against surface targets out to 5,000 meters or about 5,500 yards. It is an awsome weapon at close range, but its absolute maximum ballistic range is 8,860 yards (8,100 m).
HMS Defender, if that is the ship identified as such, is on the extreme horizon and might actually be somewhere beyond the visual horizon. Looking at the Rubin class cutter, it appears that the photo was taken from the Bridge or perhaps more likely, the flying bridge, on deck above to avoid reflections off the bridge windows. That puts the height of eye at about 30, or more likely 40 feet. We can calculate the distance to the horizon.
1.17 times the square root of your height of eye in feet = Distance to the horizon in nautical miles.
From a height of eye of 30 feet, the visual horizon is 6.4 nautical miles or more than 12,800 yards away. If the photo was taken from a height of 40 feet the distance to the visual horizon is 7.4 nautical miles or about 14,800 yards.
So HMS Defender was probably a minimum of 4000 yards or two nautical miles beyond the maximum range of the 30mm. In addition the gun was not pointed at the destroyer so the projectiles landed more than two miles from the Destroyer.
HMS Defender had no reason to believe that the shooting had any thing to do with them.
What we have here is a bite of theater. The Russians claim that fired warning shots while doing it in such a way that the British attached no significance to the firing.
The Drive seems to have come to the same conclusion.
I am afraid all I have is the head line and the lead in to a story behind a pay wall. I expect we will learn more.
“Cutting of steel on the first new Coast Guard heavy polar icebreaker could happen in the coming months, which is close to a year later than originally expected, but the forecast to start production still appears hazy.”
“Russian port operator Rosmorport recently took delivery of Viktor Chernomyrdin, the largest diesel-electric icebreaker ever built by a Russian shipyard….Viktor Chernomyrdin boasts a length of 146.8 metres, a moulded beam of 29 metres, a minimum draught of 8.5 metres, a maximum draught of 9.7 metres, and a displacement of approximately 19,070 tonnes. Because the vessel’s draught is variable, it can sail in inland waterways and other shallow areas aside form its primary area of operations that encompasses the Baltic Sea and the Gulf of Finland.”
This ship is slightly larger than the planned Polar Security Cutter, but is apparently less powerful (33,600 HP compared to 45,200 for the PSC). Using the Coast Guard classification, she is a medium icebreaker. But unlike many other Russian Icebreakers, this one seems to be capable of transiting to Antarctica if required.
Incident Commander Chris Graff of Gallagher Marine Systems and U.S. Coast Guard Commander Efren Lopez, Federal On-scene Coordinator, observe lifting and pollution mitigation operations at the Golden Ray wreck site. St. Simons Sound Incident response photo.
The U.S. Coast Guard and the National Transportation Safety Board signed an updated memorandum of Uunderstanding (MOU). Marine Link has the story.
The Navy League’s on-line edition of their magazine “Seapower” reports on the Commandant’s testimony before Congress on June 23.
As might be expected, there was a pitch for the Polar Security Cutters. I was pleased to see that the Commandant sighted not only a need for greater presence in the Arctic, but also in the Antarctic. Sooner or later, disputed claims will come to the fore there. I don’t think the existing treaty will be continued after its current expiration date, 2048, and we might see conflict before that.
There was also an interesting description of Healy’s next voyage,
“He said the Coast Guard is sending the medium icebreaker USCGC Healy to the Arctic this summer for some scientific research for about 30 days, followed by a transit of the Northwest Passage over the north coast of Canada. Some Canadian researchers, British sailors and others will be on board the Healy for the voyage. Current plans call for a port call in Greenland and then return to Seattle via the Panama Canal.”
There does seem to be a misstatement in the report, probably the reporter confused Dutch and Danish,
“Shultz also pointed out that Coast Guard medium-endurance cutters have exercised with Dutch and French forces in the Arctic region.”
And the Commandant did not stop at recommending three heavy and three medium icebreakers. “… Four to six heavy icebreakers are what we really need, and we need some medium breakers.”
Chuck Hill's CG Blog 