Author Archives: Chuck Hill

U.S. Coast Guard wraps up support for Operation Kurukuru 2024, joins Niue in celebrating 50th Constitution Day –USINDOPACOM

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Members of an HC-130J Hercules airplane crew from Coast Guard Air Station Barbers Point and Coast Guard Fourteenth District staff pose for a photo with members of the Royal New Zealand Navy at Hanan Niue International Airport in Alofi, Niue, Oct. 19, 2024. The U.S., New Zealand, Australia, the Cook Islands, Fiji, France and Japan were among the countries represented at Niue’s 50th Constitution Day celebration. (U.S. Coast Guard photo, courtesy U.S. Embassy New Zealand)

Below is a news release from USINDOPACOM. I was a little surprised this was not on the Coast Guard News website, but maybe it will show up after the long weekend.

The country in whose waters this operation took place, Niue, is an independent nation in free association with New Zealand.

The population was reported as 1681 in 2022. Niue is considered part of the Realm of New Zealand. They have no armed forces of their own, but their people have New Zealand citizenship and have served in the New Zealand armed forces.

I was not able to find the size of Niue’s exclusive economic zone, but it should be close to the area enclosed by a circle with a radius of 200 nautical miles, or 125,664 sq nautical miles (431,015.5 sq. km) or about 1600 times the land area. Wikipedia notes,

“In 2022, Niue declared its entire EEZ to be a marine park, though enforcement of that declaration would be a challenge. The entire Fisheries Division was reported to have only five staff and there were no locally based patrol boats. Enforcement would depend on stronger support from the New Zealand Defence Forces, though its ability to maintain a continuous presence was limited.”

Since some fish are migratory, protecting their fish from illegal, unregulated, and unreported (IUU) fishing, also protects our fish so we have an interest.

Thanks to Paul for bringing this to my attention.

Nov. 9, 2024

U.S. Coast Guard wraps up support for Operation Kurukuru 2024, joins Niue in celebrating 50th Constitution Day

By Chief Warrant Officer Sara Muir, U.S. Coast Guard Forces Micronesia / Sector Guam

SANTA RITA, Guam  –  The U.S. Coast Guard recently concluded its support for the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) Forum Fisheries Agency’s (FFA) Operation Kurukuru, a vital annual operation led by Pacific Island countries across the region’s vast maritime territory from Oct. 21 to Nov. 1, 2024.

This coordinated effort, conducted over two weeks, covered approximately 23.3 million square kilometers, reinforcing regional resilience and promoting sustainable fisheries management across the Pacific. The Coast Guard’s support underscores the United States’ enduring commitment to its Pacific partners, who rely on these rich marine resources for economic stability and food security.

“Our role in Operation Kurukuru is supporting our Pacific neighbors in protecting what matters most to their communities,” said Capt. Jennifer Conklin, lead for Operation Blue Pacific. “From coordinating patrols to participating in Niue’s 50th Constitution Day celebration, the Coast Guard is here to lend our expertise and resources wherever we can make a positive impact. It’s also a chance to celebrate each Pacific Island country’s unique culture and proud sovereignty. By working together, we strengthen regional bonds and show our commitment to supporting a Pacific that thrives on its own terms.”

Throughout the operation, the USCGC Frederick Hatch (WPC 1143) crew from Guam and an HC-130 Hercules aircrew from Air Station Barbers Point, Hawai’i, worked alongside Pacific Island countries’ personnel, strengthening capabilities through patrols, data sharing, and shiprider operations. In Palau’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and despite heavy weather, Frederick Hatch conducted a bilateral patrol with a Palau Marine Law Officer aboard under the Palau-U.S. bilateral agreement, building on previous efforts to enhance enforcement and address local maritime challenges and discussing plans for future joint steaming with Palau’s patrol boat crew PSS H.I. Remeliik II. The team also completed inspections of two fishing vessels on the high seas under the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Council (WCPFC) authority, identifying potential violations and gathering critical data that enables targeted enforcement of sustainable fishing practices.

“Working alongside Palau and our Pacific partners, we build skills together, ensuring a secure and sustainable future,” said Lt. Niki Kirchner-Hope, commanding officer of USCGC Frederick Hatch, who helped lead coordination efforts in Palau. “When we team up with Palauan shipriders, it’s not just about enforcement—it’s about trust, shared responsibility, and protecting the ocean for everyone.”

The U.S. Coast Guard’s HC-130 aircrew conducted extensive aerial surveillance throughout the high seas pockets off the Federated States of Micronesia, key fishing zones. It delivered valuable data to help guide surface assets across the region. The aircrew logged over 45 flight hours and flew more than 11,400 nautical miles, monitoring for illegal fishing activities while also standing by to assist with search and rescue (SAR) operations when needed.

“The HC-130 is truly a workhorse for our missions in the Pacific,” said Conklin. “With its incredible range and versatility, it allows us to cover immense distances, monitor vast areas, and respond quickly to emerging needs, whether that’s surveillance or search and rescue. It’s the ideal aircraft for supporting our partners in this part of the world, where a single search or patrol can span thousands of miles of open ocean.”

This dual role is an example of the U.S. Coast Guard’s unique mission profile in the Pacific, where cooperation and responsiveness are crucial to supporting isolated communities across immense distances.

Both the Hercules and the Frederick Hatch crews were diverted during the operation to support the Chuuk Disaster Control Office’s (DCO) request for assistance in searching for three men reported overboard from a small vessel in Chuuk Lagoon. The crews searched for three days before the DCO suspended efforts.

As part of the operation, the U.S. Coast Guard team joined Niue’s Constitution Day celebrations, marking 50 years of self-governance and deepening diplomatic ties. U.S. Coast Guard representatives met with Niue’s leaders to discuss advancing maritime law enforcement collaboration and future cooperation. The Coast Guard’s Hercules aircrew also hosted a static display for local students, allowing over 100 visitors to learn about the United States’ commitment to Pacific maritime security and environmental protection.

Niue, often called the “Rock of Polynesia,” is a small island country in the South Pacific known for its dramatic limestone cliffs, lush coral reefs, and warm, clear waters. With a population of just over 1,500, Niue is one of the world’s largest coral islands and boasts a rich Polynesian heritage. Despite its remote location, Niue has established itself as a leader in marine conservation, with 40 percent of its EEZ designated as a protected area.

“During Niue’s Constitution Day, our crew had a fantastic time hosting the static display,” added Conklin. “The local students were full of excitement and curiosity—seeing their enthusiasm up close was a special reminder of why we’re here. Moments like these show the importance of the connections we build, not just through our missions but by being part of these communities.”

Participation in the FFA operations is a critical element of the Coast Guard’s Operation Blue Pacific and Operation Rematau initiatives, which aim to strengthen maritime security across Oceania, foster regional partnerships, and counter illegal activities threatening Pacific Island countries’ well-being. By supporting the PIF and working with partners to detect, deter, and disrupt illegal fishing, the U.S. Coast Guard helps ensure Pacific Island communities can continue to benefit from the ocean’s resources. The efforts conducted at sea with partners from the Freely Associated States also build on relationships strengthened under Operation Irensia in Guam in June, which brought together maritime personnel from the Republic of Palau, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Royal Australian Navy and Australian Defence Force Pacific Maritime Security Program.

“As the Coast Guard, we have a unique role here, helping build resilience against maritime threats while respecting the lead of our Pacific Island partners,” said Conklin. “By working together, we’re making the region safer, stronger, more secure and more prosperous.”

-USCG-

About Operation Kurukuru
Conducted in the combined area of the 15 participating PIF members’ EEZ and the adjacent high seas pockets, Operation Kurukuru emphasized boarding activities at sea and in port, cooperative surveillance engagements, the utilization of remote sensing data to drive intelligence-led operations, and the use of all available Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA) tools to provide timely and effective MDA information to members. These members include Australia, Cook Islands, Fiji, Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Nauru, New Zealand, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu. The operation also saw active participation from the Pacific Quadrilateral Defense Coordination Group (Pacific QUADs) countries—Australia, France, New Zealand, and the United States, demonstrating international collaboration in the fight against IUU fishing.

About USCGC Frederick Hatch
The Frederick Hatch is the 43rd 154-foot Sentinel-class fast response cutter named for a surfman and lighthouse keeper who was a two-time Gold Life Saving Medal recipient. They are also the 2023 Hopley Yeaton Award winners for small cutter excellence.

About U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Barbers Point
U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Barbers Point provides critical air support across the Pacific, enhancing maritime safety, security, and environmental protection. Located on the western tip of Oahu, Hawaii, the air station conducts search and rescue, law enforcement, and disaster response missions over vast and remote areas, including the Hawaiian Islands, American Samoa, and the Western Pacific.

About Operation Blue Pacific
Operation Blue Pacific is the U.S. Coast Guard’s strategic effort to support a peaceful, secure, inclusive, and prosperous Pacific region. Focused on partnership, capacity-building, and enhancing maritime governance, the operation emphasizes collaboration with Pacific Island countries to address shared challenges such as illegal fishing, search and rescue, environmental protection, and regional security.

For further details on the U.S. Coast Guard efforts, please contact District 14 Public Affairs at hawaiipacific@uscg.mil.

For further details about FFA or Operation Kurukru, please contact Ernest Ta’asi, FFA Communications Officer, at ernest.ta’asi@ffa.int.

This Day in Coast Guard History, Veterans Day, November 11

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Based on the Coast Guard Historian’s timeline, https://www.history.uscg.mil/research/chronology/
With inspiration from Mike Kelso

November 11

1881  The crew of Life-boat Station No. 14, Eleventh District (Racine, WI) rendered service during the severest storm of the season.  The life-saving crew noticed several vessels running north for safety under bare poles and two of them made safely into the harbor.  Observing this, the master of the schooner Lavinda tried to make the same haven, but the vessel became unmanageable, struck the south pier, immediately became waterlogged, and in five minutes was a wreck.  The life-saving crew sprang for the lifeboat and put out to her assistance.  They got alongside and managed to run a line from the wrecked vessel to the station tug H. Wetzel, which had steamed out to her relief.  The tug soon towed her into the harbor.

USCGC Tampa (Coast Guard Cutter, 1912) photographed in harbor, prior to World War I. Completed in 1912 as the U.S. Revenue Cutter Miami, this ship was renamed Tampa in February 1916. On 26 September 1918, while operating in the English Channel, she was torpedoed and sunk by the German Submarine UB-91. All 131 persons on board Tampa were lost with her (111 Coast Guardsmen, 4 U.S. Navy personnel, and 16 passengers consisting of 11 British Navy personnel and 5 civilians.), the largest loss of life on any U.S. warship in combat during the First World War. U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command Photograph.

1918 The Allied powers signed a cease-fire agreement with Germany at Rethondes, France on November 11, 1918, bringing World War I to a close.  Between the wars November 11 was commemorated as Armistice Day in the United States, Great Britain, and France.  After World War II, the holiday was recognized as a day of tribute to veterans of both world wars.  Beginning in 1954, the United States designated November 11 as Veterans Day to honor veterans of all U.S. wars.  Over 8,000 Coast Guardsmen served during the World War I and 111 were killed in action with the enemy.

Cutter Yocona towing environmental bouy (EB-16) off of San Diego underway for deployment. May 19,1975.

1955  CGC Yocona rescued the crew of the sinking fishing vessel Ocean Pride some 50 miles off Cape Lookout, Oregon.  When 60 to 70 mph winds and heavy seas with 30 feet swells made it impossible to launch lifeboats, Yocona came close aboard the sinking fishing vessel to allow all of its crew members to jump on board the cutter to safety.

The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Healy (WAGB 20) cuts a channel through the multi-year pack ice and snow as Healy transits the Arctic Ocean to the North Pole, September 27, 2022. This is the third time the icebreaker has traveled to the North Pole since its commissioning in 1999. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Deborah Heldt Cordone, Auxiliary Public Affairs Specialist 1.

2022 CGC Healy returned to its homeport of Seattle following its historic 17,000-mile, 124-day deployment in the high Arctic latitudes that included a transit to the North Pole. Healy and its crew traversed the ice-packed Arctic Ocean to the top of the world, reaching the geographic North Pole on 30 September 2022. This was only the second time a U.S. surface vessel had reached 90 degrees north unaccompanied.  In July and August 2022, after a port call in Seward, Alaska, Healy traveled into the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas, going as far north as 78 degrees, while supporting an Office of Naval Research-sponsored team from the University of Washington Applied Physics Department and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. The embarked team worked with Healy crew to conduct various evolutions, including deploying and recovering sea gliders, underwater sensors and acoustic buoys, throughout the marginal and pack ice zones as part of the Arctic Mobile Observing System. During transits to and from the Arctic, Healy participated in flight operations in Kotzebue Sound and off the coast of Kodiak Island, Alaska, with Air Station Kodiak MH-60 helicopter aircrews, conducted passing exercises with the CGC Kimball (WMSL 756), and completed patrols of the international maritime boundary line between the U.S. and Russia. In September and October, after a port visit to Dutch Harbor, Alaska, Healy transited north again to conduct multidisciplinary, internationally collaborative research as part of the Synoptic Arctic Survey. The embarked National Science Foundation-funded team collected samples and data to study environmental changes across the Arctic Ocean. Upon reaching the North Pole, Healy conducted two days of science operations and the crew enjoyed several hours of ice liberty. After disembarking all science personnel during a second logistics stop in Dutch Harbor at the end of October, Healy made a final port call in Juneau, Alaska, where friends and family of crewmembers were given the opportunity to sail on the cutter during its final underway leg through the inside passage to Seattle

This Day in Coast Guard History, November 9/10

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Based on the Coast Guard Historian’s timeline, https://www.history.uscg.mil/research/chronology/
With inspiration from Mike Kelso

November 9

1970  The installation of the Coast Guard’s Control Data Corporation 3300 Computer System at Headquarters was completed.  A period of system acceptance testing was satisfactorily completed and the computer system was then accepted for use by the Coast Guard.

November 10

Photograph of the Marine Corps War Memorial, which depicts the second U.S. flag-raising atop Mount Suribachi, on Iwo Jima. The memorial is modeled on Joe Rosenthal’s famous Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima.

1775 The official birthday of the U.S. Marine Corps: On this date in 1775 the Second Continental Congress passed a resolution to create a “Corps of Marines.”  Although they were disbanded in 1783 and were not re-established permanently until July 11, 1798, the Marine Corps recognizes November 10, 1775, as its official birthday.  The Marine Corps’ motto is Semper Fidelis (Always Faithful).  On October 21, 1921, Major Edwin McClellan, Officer-in-Charge, Historical Section, Headquarters Marine Corps, sent a memorandum to Major General Commandant John A. Lejeune, suggesting that the original birthday on November 10, 1775, be declared a Marine Corps holiday to be celebrated throughout the Corps.

1913 Lightship No. 82 was lost with all hands during a gale while on station near Buffalo, New York.  Six crewmen were aboard when the lightship went down.  LV-82 was commanded by Hugh M. Williams, Master.

1975 The Great Lakes ore-carrier Edmund Fitzgerald, caught in an unexpected storm on Lake Superior, sank with a loss of all 29 hands.  Coast Guard units helped conduct a search for the ship and survivors although all efforts proved to be futile.

Coast Guard Cutter Reliance patrols the Western Caribbean in support of the Joint Interagency Task Force – South October 2014. The cutter’s crew worked with an aviation detachment from the Coast Guard Helicopter Interdiction Tactical Squadron based in Jacksonville, Fla., to detect and interdict suspected smugglers. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Clinton McDonald)

2014 CGC Reliance returned to its homeport at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, Kittery, Maine, following a nine-week patrol in the Caribbean Sea supporting the Joint Interagency Task Force-South.  During the deployment, the 75-member crew of Reliance was responsible for conducting counter drug operations in support of U.S. and international law.  Reliance sailed with an aviation detachment from the Coast Guard’s Helicopter Interdiction Tactical Squadron based in Jacksonville, Florida.  The cutter worked directly with federal and international partners at JIATF-S and the Coast Guard Seventh District to combat transnational organized crime networks operating in the Caribbean Basin.  Reliance’s efforts directly contributed to the prevention of 14 metric tons of contraband from reaching American shores.  During the Reliance’s 63-day deployment, the cutter traveled over 6,000 miles, conducted three law enforcement boardings and conducted more than 100 helicopter launch and recovery evolutions while operating throughout the Western Caribbean.

“Coast Guard accepts delivery of 58th fast response cutter, first to be homeported in Kodiak, Alaska” –CG-9

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Coast Guard Cutter John Witherspoon, the service’s 58th fast response cutter, in Key West, Florida, where the Coast Guard accepted delivery on Nov. 7, 2024. The cutter will be homeported in Kodiak, Alaska, after it is commissioned. U.S. Coast Guard photo.

Below is a report from the Acquisitions Directorate (CG-9).

The news release indicates there is only one additional Homeport (Seward, AK) currently planned.

I think the statement that there will be three of the class in Kodiak is new. Previously I had heard two. There are three in Ketchikan. The Wikipedia page indicates that while Frederick Mann (WPC-1160) will go to Kodiak initially, ultimately it will go to Seward, so three in Kodiak may be temporary.

One of the 67 cutters, USCGC Benjamin Dailey (WPC-1123) had a serious fire while in a shipyard and has been scrapped, so there is one fewer than you might assume. That explains why this is #58 but only 57 “are in service.”

I did a post in May speculating on where additional members of the class will be homeported. Since then, we learned that the three additional FRCs I expected to go to D14, will be going to Guam. If my projections are correct, the Coast Guard will be contracting for at least two more FRCs, five if the Coast Guard establishes a base for three in America Samoa. The revised program of record calls for 71 FRCs which would, given the loss of one, mean the Coast Guard will have procured 72, five more than currently contracted, so I think the projections are pretty close.

Bollinger typically delivers four FRCs a year, so we can probably look forward to seeing the final FRC, WPC-1172, commissioned in 2028.

Nov. 8, 2024 —

The Coast Guard accepted de358 livery of the 58th fast response cutter (FRC), Coast Guard Cutter John Witherspoon, on Nov. 7 in Key West, Florida. John Witherspoon is the first of three FRCs to be homeported in Kodiak, Alaska.

The cutter’s namesake, John Gordon Witherspoon, became the first African American to command a medium endurance cutter. When he assumed command of Coast Guard Vessel Traffic Services-Houston/Galveston, he became the first African American to command afloat and ashore units. A well-respected, compassionate and admired leader, he served as a popular mentor to an army of “teaspoons,” an affectionate term for those who sought sage counsel from Witherspoon about advancing their Coast Guard careers.

Witherspoon enlisted in the Coast Guard in 1963 and rose to the rank of quartermaster first class within eight years. Witherspoon eventually set his sights on becoming a commissioned officer and successfully received a waiver for the two-year college education requirement for Officer Candidate School. He was commissioned as an ensign in June 1971.

During his service, Witherspoon received the Coast Guard Meritorious Service Medal, two Coast Guard Commendation Medals and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People Roy Wilkins Renown Service Award.

Witherspoon passed away in 1994 at the age of 54. In honor of his service and guidance to many, the Coast Guard established the Captain John G. Witherspoon Inspirational Leadership Award after his passing, which is given to officers who demonstrate his qualities of “honor, respect and devotion to duty.” The following year, the National Naval Officers Association created the Captain John G. Witherspoon for Excellence in Leadership and Mentoring Award. And in 2003, Witherspoon was inducted into the Caldwell County School’s Hall of Fame in North Carolina.

The Sentinel-class FRCs are replacing the 1980s Island-class 110-foot patrol boats, and possess 21st century command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance equipment, with improved habitability and seakeeping. A total of 67 FRCs have been ordered to date to perform a multitude of missions that include drug and immigrant interdictions, joint international operations and national defense of ports, waterways and coastal areas. Each FRC is named after an enlisted Coast Guard hero who performed extraordinary service in the line of duty.

Fifty-seven of the 67 FRCs that have been ordered are in service: 13 in Florida; seven in Puerto Rico; six each in Bahrain and Massachusetts; four in California; three each in Alaska, Guam, Hawaii, Texas and New Jersey; and two each in Mississippi, North Carolina and Oregon. In addition to Kodiak, future FRC homeports include Seward, Alaska.

For more information: Fast Response Cutter Program page

“Coast Guard’s “Queen of the Fleet” turns 80” –CG News

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USCGC Smilax (WLIC-315)

Below is a news release from CG News.

This announcement leaves me with mixed feelings, pride and amazement that the crews could keep the old girl on the job this long and dismay that it was necessary.

When I was on Duane, she was “Queen of the Fleet”, and it was considered something of a wonder that at 48 years old she was still reliable and “ready to answer all bells,” but now, ships over 50 years old are all too common.

At least, replacements have been contracted for the many overage inland tenders.

Nov. 7, 2024

FEATURE: Coast Guard’s “Queen of the Fleet” turns 80

Coast Guard's 'Queen of the Fleet' turns 80

Coast Guard's 'Queen of the Fleet' turns 80 Coast Guard's 'Queen of the Fleet' turns 80

The USCGC Smilax (WLIC 315) celebrated its 80th anniversary on Nov. 7, 2024, during a ceremony attended by current and former crewmembers in Atlantic Beach, North Carolina.

Commissioned Nov. 1, 1944 during World War II, Smilax is the oldest active Coast Guard cutter. It has been recognized as the “Queen of the Fleet” since 2011 when the USCGC Acushnet (WMEC-167) was decommissioned after 67 years of service. This title is symbolized by its gold hull number.

“As long as I’ve been in the Coast Guard, the Smilax has always been regarded as the Queen of the Fleet,” said Chief Petty Officer Jordan Bickford, the executive petty officer of the Smilax. “It’s been a goal of mine to stay and serve in the Aids to Navigation (ATON) afloat community throughout my career. It’s truly an honor to now serve aboard the Smilax, contributing to its legacy.”

The Smilax was built in 1943 by Dubuque Boat & Boiler Works in Dubuque, Iowa. When most other ships were being built in 40 days, the Smilax was built over the course of a year and cost approximately $194,238, making it the most expensive ship in its class.

It was originally homeported in Fort Pierce, Florida but moved to a new homeport in New Smyrna Beach, Florida from June 1, 1954, to Nov. 9, 1965.

After being fitted with new engines and receiving a 70-foot barge, the Smilax was re-classified as a WLI-315, making it an inland buoy tender responsible for short range ATON along the coastal and inland waterways, particularly in shallow waters or areas that larger tenders cannot reach.

It moved to a new homeport in Brunswick, Georgia on Nov. 9, 1965, before being re-classified again as a WLIC on Oct. 1, 1979. As a WLIC, or inland construction tender, the Smilax became responsible for constructing, repairing and maintaining fixed ATON within inland waterways. It remained there until July 1999, when it moved to its current homeport in Atlantic Beach, North Carolina.

“One ship, one crew, everything says Smilax and they all work together,” said retired Chief Warrant Officer Scott McAloon, former commanding officer of the Smilax, 2010 to 2014. “Everybody’s dirty in a set of coveralls, and it’s just such a fun ship to be part of. These construction tenders, they’ll humble you. From ship driving to getting out on the deck and working, it’s a real special thing.”

Smilax plays a crucial role in maintaining navigation aids in Oregon Inlet, Hatteras Inlet, Ocracoke Inlet and Beaufort Inlet. It oversees 1,226 fixed aids and 26 buoys across the Outer Banks to ensure safe passage for various types of vessels. It also operates a 70-foot barge equipped with a crane capable of lifting heavy aids, making it well-suited for the shallow and shifting waters of the region.

Throughout its history, the crew of the Smilax has engaged in various missions beyond navigation support. They have assisted with search and rescue operations and even salvaged cannons and barrel hoops from the Queen Anne’s Revenge, the legendary pirate ship captained by Edward Teach, better known as Blackbeard.

The cutter represents a vital federal presence on inland waterways and is part of an aging fleet dedicated to maintaining the U.S. Aids to Navigation System.

“The crew is keeping the ship going,” said retired Chief Petty Officer Matthew Hux, former Smilax crewmember. “She keeps going because of all of you and the legacy that comes behind you. So thanks to you, and thanks to my old shipmates.”

-USCG-

This Day in Coast Guard History, November 7/8

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Based on the Coast Guard Historian’s timeline, https://www.history.uscg.mil/research/chronology/
With inspiration from Mike Kelso

November 7

1950  The Coast Guard announced that it would open a limited number of Organized Reserve enlistments to male veterans of other services and to males without previous military service in an effort to bring Coast Guard port security training units up to authorized strength without delay.  Heretofore, such enlistments had been offered only to former Coast Guardsmen.

Mara Hope, Water sprayed on fire at Mara Hope, Tanker ship, Port Neches

1984  The tank ship Mara Hope suffered a fire in her engine room that quickly got out of control.  She had lain idle at the Coastal Marine Shipyard on the Neches River for more than a year, but the owners of the Liberian tank ship had crewed the vessel and were working to reactivate the ship when the fire broke out.  Coast Guard personnel and a 32-footer from MSO Port Arthur soon arrived on scene as did a 41-footer from Station Sabine.  Local firefighters also assisted.  It took almost three days to get the blaze under control.  The ship was declared a total loss.  There were no serious casualties.

November 8

U.S. COAST GUARD MANNED COMBAT TRANSPORT LEONARD WOOD CARRIES FIGHTING MEN AND VITAL WAR MATERIALS TO THE ENEMY-HELD INVASION SHORES

1942  Operation Torch, the Allied landings in Vichy-French-held North Africa, commenced.  Coast Guard-manned Navy vessels participated in the assault, including the attack transports USS Leonard Wood, Joseph T. Dickman, and Samuel Chase.  Coast Guardsmen also manned the landing craft on the Navy’s USS Arcturus, Charles Carroll, Joseph Hewes, William P. Biddle, and Exceller.

1957 After making contact with CGC Minnetonka on Ocean Station November Pan Am Flight 90944 Romance of the Skies was not heard of again. Wreckage of the aircraft was later found approx 90 miles of the ocean station.  No survivors were found.

AMACO Virginia Ablaze

1959  The tanker Amoco Virginia, with a cargo of aviation gasoline, exploded and caught fire at Houston, Texas.  U.S. Coast Guard units in the Galveston-Houston area assisted local and Federal agencies in extinguishing the blaze.  For 10 more days, Coast Guard air and surface units controlled a dangerous situation by spreading foam to reduce the fire hazard of leaking aviation gas, directing harbor traffic, pumping out the damaged vessel, and moving her to a safe dock.

“… foam to fight was on its way. At about 7:00 A.M. the U.S. Air Force at Ellington Air Force Base sent ten 55-gallon drums of foam to the scene and another ten barrels at 9:30 A.M. The Coast Guard Houston Port Captain, with approval from the Eighth Coast Guard District office in New Orleans, bought more chemical foam from commercial sources. A veritable air lift was begun to bring foam into Houston through Ellington Air Force Base with the first plane in the airlift arriving at Ellington at 11:59 A.M. Later that afternoon Air Force and Navy aircraft arrived with foam at almost ten minute intervals. This foam air lift continued for seven hours, stopping at about 7:00 P.M. when the Houston Civil Defense spokesman advised no further need for foam. The fire had been brought for the second–but final– time under control. This foam air lift consisted of 47 flights, hauled more than a half million pounds of foam, involved more than 400 Air Force and Navy personnel, and used some 42 Air Force and Navy vehicles.”

Aerial view of St. Paul. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, photographer not specified or unknown – U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Digital Visual Library.

1979  The crew of Coast Guard LORAN Station St. Paul Island, Alaska, rescued the crew of the Japanese factory fishing vessel Ryuyo Maru NR Two which had run aground near Tolstoi Point on St. Paul Island during a storm.  The Coast Guardsmen used a makeshift breeches buoy to affect the rescue of all of the 81 crewmen aboard the fishing vessel.

“Philippine Coast Guard to Receive 40 Patrol Boats from France in $438 Million ODA Project” –USNI

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A Suriname Coast Guard FPB 98 patrol boat (Credit: OCEA)

The US Naval Institute News Service reports,

France is set to provide 40 patrol vessels and logistical support to the Philippine Coast Guard following the approval of a $438 million aid project to enhance Manila’s maritime security capabilities across the country’s waters.

The French official development assistance-funded acquisition project of 40 Fast Response Crafts, approved during Tuesday’s National Economic and Development Authority Board meeting, will effectively quadruple the Philippine Coast Guard’s fleet.

The craft are reported to be 30-35 meters in length. 20 are to be built in France and 20 in the Philippines.

There are no specifications for the patrol boats included in the article, but it does state that OCEA is expected be the French shipbuilder that will provide the design and build the first 20. OCEA has already committed to building a shipyard in the Philippines and has previously built vessels for the Philippine Coast Guard (here and here).

There is a good chance the new patrol boats will look a lot like the one pictured above, a class built for Suriname, Algeria, Ukraine, and French Customs. They are powered by two 3,660 HP Caterpillar diesels using waterjets. Specs on the Algerian boats as follows.

  • Displacement: 100 tons
  • Length: 31.8 meters (104’4″)
  • Beam: 6.3 meters (20’8″)
  • Draft: 1.2 meters (3’11”)
  • Speed: 30 knots
  • Range: 900 nmi @ 14 knots
  • Crew: 13

These will be faster and more maneuverable than most of the China Coast Guard and maritime militia vessels that contest Philippines sovereignty in the South China Sea. If they can stand up against Chinese water cannon, they should be a valuable asset.

The Philippine Coast Guard is still not arming even their largest vessels with anything larger than .50 caliber.

DOD Arctic Strategy, 2024, a Critique

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Screen grab from page 2 of the DOD Arctic Strategy, 2024

Here is a link to the new DOD Arctic Strategy here. I found it disappointing. There isn’t much strategy here. I would sum it up as–we are going to keep doing what we are doing, but we are going to do it better. (See critique below.)

“This strategy will strengthen the ability of the United States to build integrated deterrence and effectively manage risk to U.S. interests in the Arctic region by enhancing our domain awareness and Arctic capabilities; engaging with Allies, partners, and key stakeholders; and exercising tailored presence.”

About the US Coast Guard:

The US Coast Guard or USCG was mentioned in three places, once in a caption of a picture of USCGC Healy and these two paragraphs.

DoD will partner with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), including through the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG), which plays a vital role in maintaining U.S. presence in the Arctic region and supporting domain awareness. The USCG is responsible for operating and maintaining the United States’ icebreaking capability, and DoD will continue to support the USCG’s long-term acquisition of at least eight polar icebreakers that will provide needed icebreaking capability for both military and civilian purposes, including PR/SAR. While disaster response is not a force sizing or shaping requirement, DoD remains ready to support DHS and the Federal Emergency Management Agency in the event of disaster, terrorist attack, or other mass-casualty incident in the Arctic when directed by the President or when requested by a lead Federal department or agency and approved by the Secretary of Defense.

Service-specific, Joint, Interagency, and Combined Exercises. Security and stability in the Arctic depend, in  part, on the Joint Force’s ability to respond rapidly and   effectively to threats in the region. Exercises increase interoperability with Allies and partners, validate plans, train our ability to rapidly deploy to all parts of the Arctic region, and provide an opportunity to test equipment in Arctic conditions. As such, the Joint Force will continue to exercise frequently in the Arctic through Service specific training, joint exercises —to include with USCG— and
combined exercises with our Allies and partners. DoD will
ensure CCMDs with Arctic equities work toward global integration through joint exercises and ensure key exercise lessons inform capability requirements and strategic planning.

That’s it.

About Icebreakers: Icebreakers are mentioned twice, it the paragraph above and here,

The PRC seeks to bolster its operational expertise in the Arctic, where its presence, while limited, is increasing. The PRC operates three icebreakers—the Xue Long, Xue Long 2, and Zhong Shan Da Xue Ji Di—which enable the PRC’s dual civil-military research efforts in the Arctic. Over the course of the PRC’s 13 Arctic research expeditions to date, the vessels have tested unmanned underwater vehicles and polar-capable fixed-wing aircraft, among other activities. People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) vessels have also  demonstrated the capability and intent to operate in and around the Arctic region through exercises alongside the Russian Navy over the past several years.

Critique:

“DoD will reach this end state through a monitor-and-respond approach.”

In other words, we will be reactive rather than proactive. 

The threat to Europe in the Polar regions is just part of the long running NATO defense problem. No real change there, except the formal extension of NATO into Sweden and Finland.

The Air Threat over the Pole to North America is looked after by NORAD. Apparently, NORAD does not look after Greenland, but that does not seem to be a central problem.

Ground operations in the Arctic are always going to be difficult. There may be small unit operations but no need to worry about an invasion of North America coming over the pole. NORTHCOM is exercising both land and air assets that would be needed to deal with realistic threats.

The North Slope oil fields and the associated pipeline are probably a target if we become engaged in a long-term conflict that involves combat in or over the arctic. The oil fields are not mentioned in the strategy,

What has changed?

The opening of the Arctic Ocean to maritime commerce has made it a possible avenue for logistics between Russia and China with the potential for militarily valuable shipments moving both ways between the Russian Arctic coast on one end and the Russian Pacific Coast, North Korea, or China on the other. The weakness of Russian transcontinental land transportation systems makes the Northern Sea Route particularly important.

The door to be shut or left open is the Bering Strait.

Bering Strait. 44 Nautical miles (82km) wide, with the Diomede Islands in the center.

The “strategy” mentions the Bering Straits only as a choke point,

The Arctic includes multiple strategically significant maritime chokepoints. Reduction in sea ice
due to climate change means chokepoints such as the Bering Strait between Alaska and Russia and the Barents Sea north of Norway, are becoming more navigable and more economically and militarily significant.

We would certainly want to deny use of the Strait by our enemies and ensure that we and our allies have the option to transit through the Strait.

The planned deep-water port in Nome (currently on hold) will be essential to forces that might be used to control access to the Bering Strait. We would also want to make sure St Lawrence Island and Little Diomede remain in US hands. The US might also want to seize Big Diomede. None of these strategic locations are mentioned in the plan.

Diomede Islands: Little Diomede Island or Kruzenstern Island (left) and Big Diomede Island or Ratmanov Island in the Bering Sea. Photo is from the north. Photo by Dave Cohoe.

But who is in charge?

First look at the map at the head of this post. They have divided the Arctic so that operations there are under three different Unified Combatant Commands, USEUCOM, USINDOPACOM, and USNORTHCOM. In other words, no one below the President is in charge over the whole area.

These are the Unified Combatant Commander’s Areas of Responsibility. What is not made clear in this graphic is that all of Russia including the larger Asian part is under USEUCOM.

Perhaps most critically, the Pacific interface with the Arctic is under all three COCOMs.

  • USEUCOM is responsible for the Russian land areas in spite of the fact that the Bering Strait is 4521 statute miles from the COCOM’s headquarters in Stuttgart, Germany, and that is the shorter distance West from Stuttgart across the Atlantic and over the US, rather than over Russia. –This has got to be wrong.
  • USNORTHCOM has the Bering Strait and the Eastern half of the Bering Sea but normally they have no significant naval force. Their primary responsibility is the air defense of the US and Canada.
  • USINDOPACOM, which has the naval assets in the Pacific that might be used to attack Russian assets in Asia has responsibility for only the Western half of the Bering Sea below the Bering Strait.

This division of responsibility, placing Russian Asia under USEUCOM, also means that if the US should be at war with both China and Russia, then at least officially, conducting the war in the Pacific would be under two or perhaps three different COCOMs. I doubt this would actually work this way.

“USACE cancels solicitation for Nome’s port expansion project, future uncertain” –KNOM.org

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USCGC Alex Haley moored in Nome, AK.

KNOM.org reports,

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) says plans to build the country’s first deep draft port in the Arctic are too expensive.

USACE canceled its port expansion contract solicitation on Wednesday, October 16. It cited two key factors: the proposed pricing exceeded both the cost limits set by U.S. law and the available funding for the project.

Plans were to dreg to 40 feet. Sounds like they may need to be another Congressional action before work can proceed.

Rendering provided by the City of Nome shows how the Port of Nome, Alaska, would have appeared following an expansion project that would have cost more than $600 million.  (PND Engineers Inc./City of Nome via AP)

“CIA Has Secret ‘Nonviolent’ Way To Disable Large Ships: Report” –The War Zone

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“The Tholian Web,” Star Trek episode 3:9 written by Judy Burns and Chet Richards and directed by Herb Wallerstein, first broadcast on November 15, 1968.

As I have often pointed out, the Coast Guard does not have a quick, reliable way of forcibly stopping a medium to large ship. This capability seems an implicit requirement to do the Coast Guard’s missions. The War Zone reports, the CIA may have such a device.