Are We Going to do the Same Thing to the Crew of Healy that was done to the Crew of Polar Star?

Posted on July 28, 2024 by Chuck Hill

The spouse of a Coast Guard Cutter Healy (WAGB 20) crewmember waves goodbye as the cutter departs Base Seattle for a multi-month deployment to the Arctic, June 12, 2024. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Annika Hirschler)

Having recently reread the Acquisition Directorate’s In-Service Vessel Sustainment web page, I found this.

Service life extension program for Coast Guard Cutter Healy will occur in a five-year phased production between 2026 and 2030. Healy is a 420-foot cutter, the service’s only active medium polar icebreaker, which was commissioned in 1999. When completed, the SLEP effort will recapitalize a number of major systems and extend the service life of the cutter until the polar security cutters are operational.

This sounds an awful lot like what was done to Polar Star over a five year period. Healy, like Polar Star, is based in Seattle, but Polar Star’s five year rolling Service Life Extension Program was not done in Seattle, it was done in Vallejo, CA. Vallejo is 776 miles from Seattle. These five phased Yard periods were extremely long, so the ship spent about half its down time far from home. I know they tried to mitigate the effect on the crew, but it had to be bad for crewmembers whose families were in Seattle.

I can’t help but think it would have been a good idea to change Polar Star’s homeport to Vallejo or Alameda (water depth at the Support Center permitting). Vallejo is a lower priced area than Seattle and there is property there from the old Navy shipyard that the city is still trying to develop. Pretty sure the city would be happy to have Healy homeported there.

If Vallejo was not possible, it is 31 miles from Vallejo to Alameda. That is not a particularly long commute in the Bay area, for the relatively short time the ship would be in Alameda, and there are relatively affordable places to live in between.

Is it going to be different for Healy?

I also notice this, that the SLEP is intended to “extend the service life of the cutter until the polar security cutters are operational.” Since Healy is nominally a medium icebreaker, I would have thought the Coast Guard would keep her in service until replaced by an Artic Security Cutter (medium icebreaker). Healy was commissioned in 1999, so I would have thought she would remain in service 40 years, until 2039. A SLEP ending in 2030/31 also suggests another ten years of life. Are we going to have to wait until 2039 for the Polar Security Cutters to be completed?

WMEC 270 SLEP / USCGC Legare Begins Service Life Extension Program at Coast Guard Yard

Posted on July 27, 2024 by Chuck Hill

The Coast Guard Cutter Legare (WMEC 912) weighs anchor near the Statue of Liberty in New York City, New York, March 17, 2024. (U.S. Coast Guard photo courtesy of Legare)

The Acquisitions Directorate (CG-9) website includes a photo of USCGC Legare (WMEC-912) and the caption “270- foot medium endurance cutter Legare begins service life extension program at Coast Guard Yard.” Normally clicking on the caption would lead to a post expanding on the title, but in this case, it takes you to the In-Service Vessel Sustainment Program page. That page gives us this information about the 270 SLEP.

“Service life extension program for the 270-foot medium endurance cutters involves targeted system replacement to address system reliability, supportability, obsolescence and interoperability. This work will include upgrades or replacements to the electrical power generation and distribution system as well as the main propulsion engines. The mission is to facilitate continued operations during transition to the offshore patrol cutter by extending the service life of 270-foot cutters for up to 10 years. Work began on one prototype vessel at the Coast Guard Yard in July 2021 and on the second cutter in April 2022. Full production is scheduled to begin in 2023.”

The intention is not to SELP all 13 WMEC270s, rather they did two limited prototype SLEPS (Seneca, WMEC-906, and Harriet Lane, WMEC-903), and plan to do six full production SLEPs. These 270s should be the last WMECs in commission as they are replaced by Argus class Offshore Patrol Cutters. Harriet Lane’s most visible change was removal of her 76mm Mk75 gun and Mk92 fire control system. A 25mm Mk38 remote weapon station was mounted on the bow on an elevated position. This change is to be applied to all subsequent 270 SLEPs.

Spencer, (WMEC-905) was the first full production 270 SLEP. Spencer was the first 270 to receive new engines. Spencer’s old engines were to be remanufactured and reinstalled on a subsequent WMEC270 SLEP, presumably the newly arrived Legare.

This is a long process. Work on Harriet Lane lasted 15 months, so I expect we will have at least one 270 in the Yard being SLEPed for the next five years.

U.S. Coast Guard Heavy Icebreaker Returns to the U.S. (but Not to Homeport) Following Completion of Antarctic Mission

Posted on April 6, 2024 by Chuck Hill

The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Polar Star (WAGB 10) sails under San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge after its 138-day deployment to Antarctica for Operation Deep Freeze 2024, March 31, 2024. The cutter will soon enter a Northern California drydock for phase four of its five-year service life extension program to prepare the cutter for the following year’s Operation Deep Freeze, which is the annual logistical support mission provided by the Department of Defense to the National Science Foundation, managed by the U.S. Antarctic Program. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Seaman Autumn Riewestahl)

Below is a Coast Guard News release. Note that while Polar Star has returned to the US, she did not return to Seattle, her homeport. Once again Polar Star will spend much of her inport time, probably the majority, away from homeport. Last year, in 2023, it was 19 weeks. The year before that, 2022, it was at least 146 days. I couldn’t find the figure for 2021, but I am sure it was similar. The decision not to change the ship’s homeport to the Bay Area, when they knew how much time the ship would spend away from homeport seems to me, cruel and unusual. I hope we never do this again.

This deployment marks the Polar Star’s 27th journey to Antarctica in support of Operation Deep Freeze, an annual joint military service mission to resupply the United States Antarctic stations, in support of the National Science Foundation (NSF) – the lead agency for the United States Antarctic Program (USAP). This year also marks the 64th iteration of the annual operation.

The Polar Star crew departed Seattle bound for Antarctica on Nov. 15, 2023, traveling more than 27,500 miles through the North Pacific, South Pacific, Indian, and Southern Oceans, as well as the Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska, which included stops on four continents.

While en route to Antarctica, the Polar Star made three logistical stops in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, Sydney, and Hobart, Australia. In Hobart, the cutter and crew hosted the U.S. Ambassador for Australia, Caroline Kennedy, Australian members of parliament, Australian and Tasmanian government representatives, and local industry partners.

After arriving in Antarctica, the cutter broke a 38-mile channel through fast ice up to 12 feet thick, creating a navigable route for cargo vessels to reach McMurdo Station. The Polar Star and crew executed three close-quarters ice escorts for cargo vessels through difficult ice conditions to guarantee the delivery of nine million gallons of fuel and 80 million pounds of cargo to advance scientific endeavors in the most remote region of the world. The cutter departed the Antarctic region on Feb. 14 after 51 days of operations in support of Operation Deep Freeze 2024.

On the return journey, the Polar Star evaded a severe bomb cyclone in the Southern Ocean and had stops in Auckland, New Zealand, Yokosuka, Japan, and Dutch Harbor, Alaska. The Polar Star’s stop in Yokosuka consisted of a media visit and formal reception hosted aboard the cutter, where the crew conducted professional exchanges with senior maritime representatives from the United States, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand, underscoring the importance of collaboration within the Indo-Pacific to promote security and stability across the region.

“The successful completion of this mission stands as a testament to the relentless commitment and selflessness exhibited by our crew,” said Capt. Keith Ropella, Polar Star’s commanding officer. “Despite adverse weather, difficult ice, and formidable mechanical challenges, the crew of Polar Star not only achieved their mission but did so with remarkable expertise and teamwork, proof of their devotion to duty and dedication to their shipmates.”

Operation Deep Freeze is the annual logistical support mission the Department of Defense provides to the NSF, which the USAP manages. This includes strategic and tactical inter-theater airlift and airdrop coordination, aeromedical evacuation support, search and rescue response, sealift, seaport access, bulk fuel supply, port cargo handling, and transportation requirements supporting the NSF. This unique mission demonstrates U.S. commitment to the Antarctic Treaty and scientific research programs. The Polar Star and crew contribute to this yearly effort by breaking the solid ice channel to clear the way for supply vessels.

The Polar Star is now in Vallejo, California, for phase four of its five-year Service Life Extension Project (SLEP). SLEP was awarded to Mare Island Dry Dock, LLC to recapitalize targeted systems, including the propulsion, communication, and machinery control systems, and conduct significant maintenance to extend the cutter’s service life. The Coast Guard will mitigate the risk of lost operational days due to unplanned maintenance or system failures by replacing obsolete, unsupportable, or maintenance-intensive equipment. Each phase is coordinated so that operational commitments, like Operation Deep Freeze missions in Antarctica, will still be met.

The Seattle-based Polar Star is the United States’ only asset capable of providing access to both Polar Regions. The cutter is a 399-foot heavy polar icebreaker commissioned in 1976. It weighs 13,500 tons, is 84 feet wide, and has a 34-foot draft. The six diesel and three gas turbine engines produce up to 75,000 horsepower.

“Coast Guard Yard removes two 27-ton engines as part of medium endurance cutter service life extension program” –CG-9

Posted on November 22, 2023 by Chuck Hill

Coast Guard Cutter Spencer approaches the pier at Coast Guard Yard in Baltimore. Service life extension program work on the medium endurance cutter will last 15 months. U.S. Coast Guard photo.

Below is a news release from the Acquisitions Directorate (CG-9). Included is a statement that USCGC Campbell will be the next WMEC to undergo SLEP. Check out the video linked below.

Workers at Coast Guard Yard in Baltimore remove a 27-ton main diesel engine from Coast Guard Cutter Spencer. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Lt. Charles Lortz, In-Service Vessel Sustainment Project Residence Office Baltimore.

On Nov. 8, personnel at Coast Guard Yard in Baltimore achieved a milestone in the 270-foot medium endurance cutter service life extension program (SLEP) by safely removing the two main diesel engines from Coast Guard Cutter Spencer. The engines each weigh 54,000 pounds – or 27 tons – and this is the first lift of this weight that has been conducted at Coast Guard Yard in more than a decade. This also is the first time Yard personnel have removed an engine from a 270-foot medium endurance cutter.

To gain the necessary access, workers removed the extendable aircraft hangar and cut through two decks. View a time-lapse video of the process here.

While Coast Guard Cutters Seneca and Harriet Lane served as prototypes for the electrical and structural work and installation of a new gun weapons system, Spencer is the first Coast Guard Famous-class medium endurance cutter to receive all major SLEP work items, including replacement of the main diesel engines. The SLEP work will sustain the cutters’ capabilities, enabling them to meet mission needs until they are replaced by offshore patrol cutters. This program is part of the In-Service Vessel Sustainment (ISVS) Program, the Coast Guard’s strategic class-by-class evaluation of its vessels to determine what major maintenance and upgrades are necessary for each class of cutters to reach or extend their service lives.

Spencer has been in service since June 1986, and the original engines provided nearly 90,000 hours of operational service prior to their removal.

As the next phase in the SLEP, two new ALCO 251 engines will be installed. The engines removed from the Spencer will be remanufactured by Fairbanks Morse Defense and installed on the next medium endurance cutter to go through the SLEP, Coast Guard Cutter Campbell.

Coast Guard Yard is the service’s sole shipbuilding and major repair facility and part of the Coast Guard’s core industrial base and fleet support operations.

For more information: In-Service Vessel Sustainment Program page

“Coast Guard begins production phase of medium endurance cutter service life extension program” –CG-9

Posted on July 19, 2023 by Chuck Hill

Coast Guard Cutter Spencer approaches the pier at Coast Guard Yard in Baltimore. Service life extension program work on the medium endurance cutter will last 15 months. U.S. Coast Guard photo.

Below is a release from the Acquisitions Directorate, CG-9.

I would note that all six ships getting this service life extension are “B class” 270s, built by Robert Derecktor Shipyard, Middletown, RI, numbers 905, 907, 908, 909, 911, and 912. Unlike the first four “A class,” these have a stronger flight deck, capable of supporting H-60s.

This release clarifies a lot about the SLEP program, but there are still some unknowns.

Reportedly the 76mm Mk75 gun and presumably the associated Mk92 firecontrol system will be removed. A Mk38 gun mount would presumably replace the 76mm, but it is not clear if any additional radar would be added to replace the air search and approach control functions that were provided by the Mk92. “Harriet Lane served as the gun weapons system prototype,” but I have not seen any post conversion photos of Harriet Lane that might show us the new sensor/weapon combination. Harriet Lane is expected to change homeports from Norfolk to Honolulu early in FY2024. Harriet Lane is an “A class” 270.

I also wonder if the SLQ-32 electronic warfare systems will be retained? Will the gun be the same 25 mm we have on the Webber class, or will at least some get the 30mm Mk38 mod4?

Coast Guard begins production phase of medium endurance cutter service life extension program

July 14, 2023

The service life extension program (SLEP) for the 270-foot Famous-class medium endurance cutters (MECs) moved to the production phase July 1 with the start of industrial work on Coast Guard Cutter Spencer.

Four main areas are being addressed during this SLEP, encompassing electrical, weapons system, engine and structural areas. Coast Guard Cutters Seneca and Harriet Lane served as prototypes for the electrical and structural work; Harriet Lane served as the gun weapons system prototype. Work on Seneca ran from July 2021 to March 2022; Harriet Lane work began March 2022 and is scheduled to be completed in August 2023.

Spencer will be the first hull to receive all major work items, including new main diesel engines. The work is scheduled to last 15 months.

SLEP work on the 270-foot MECs is planned through spring 2028 on five additional hulls: Legare, Campbell, Forward, Escanaba and Tahoma. The work involves targeted system replacement to address system reliability, supportability and obsolescence. SLEP work is completed at Coast Guard Yard concurrently with regular maintenance activities to achieve overall schedule and cost savings. The work will facilitate continued MEC operations during the service’s transition to the future offshore patrol cutter class.

In-Service Vessel Sustainment is the Coast Guard’s strategic class-by-class evaluation of its vessels to determine what major maintenance and upgrades are necessary for them to reach or extend their service lives.

For more information: In-Service Vessel Sustainment Program page

“First 47-foot motor lifeboats delivered following design modification to service life extension program” –CG-9

Posted on June 30, 2023 by Chuck Hill

U.S. Coast Guard photo.

Below the line is the latest Acquisitions Directorate report on the 47 foot MLB life extension program. Previous reports containing additional information are:

47 Foot MLB Service Life Extension Program, Dec. 2020
“47s in for the long haul” –CG-9, July 2021

First 47-foot motor lifeboats delivered following design modification to service life extension program

June 29, 2023 —The Coast Guard’s In-Service Vessel Sustainment (ISVS) Program in partnership with the Boat Acquisition Program completed service life extension program (SLEP) work on a ninth and 10th 47-foot motor lifeboat (MLB) in June.

The SLEP work package for these two MLBs incorporated design modifications to address operational test and evaluation (OT&E) findings. The extra time and resource investment to develop and refine solutions from the OT&E findings for these two boats should reduce future MLB SLEP durations.

Based on the OT&E findings, the additional work completed on these MLBs encompassed a reconfiguration of the open and enclosed bridge areas, revised console configuration on the open bridge and revised exterior lighting. Further repairs under the SLEP included engine control system modifications to improve speed and responsiveness in hazardous surf conditions as well as extensive hull plating replacement.

For efficiency, the SLEP work is being conducted in two locations, one on each coast, and each facility worked on one of the MLBs incorporating the OT&E production modifications.

On the West Coast, the work was completed in Bellingham, Washington, on June 14, 2023. This MLB was the first post-SLEP boat delivered to Station Umpqua River along the Central Oregon coast.

On the East Coast, the work was completed in the newly opened facility in Portland, Connecticut, on June 9, 2023. This boat is the second post-SLEP MLB delivered to Station Barnegat Light, New Jersey.

SLEP work extends an asset’s service life by replacing obsolete, unsupportable or maintenance-intensive equipment with standardized configuration. The 47-foot MLB SLEP was initiated to extend the useful life of the MLB fleet by 20 years through 2047. The SLEP timeline remains on schedule to place up to 107 MLBs back to full operational capability prior to 2030.

For more information: In-Service Vessel Sustainment Program and Boat Acquisition Program pages

“Coast Guard Cutter Cypress arrives in Kodiak, replaces SPAR”

Posted on December 6, 2021 by Chuck Hill

Progress on the WLB In Service Vessel Sustainment Program.

News Release

U.S. Coast Guard 17th District Alaska

Coast Guard Cutter Cypress arrives in Kodiak, replaces SPAR

A view of the Coast Guard Cutter Cypress is pictured as the vessel’s crew transits from Los Angeles, California, to the ship’s new homeport in Kodiak, Alaska, Nov. 12, 2021. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Amanda Harris.

The Coast Guard Cutter Cypress deck department stands on the buoy deck while the vessel transits from Los Angeles, California, to the ship’s new homeport in Kodiak, Alaska, Oct. 19, 2021. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Amanda Harris.

KODIAK, Alaska — The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Cypress crew arrived in Kodiak, Sunday, after transiting from the Coast Guard Yard in Baltimore, Maryland, upon completion of the ship’s Major Maintenance Availability (MMA).

The Cypress crew transited over 7,600 nautical miles south along the east coast of the United States through the Caribbean and Panama Canal, and North along the west coast of the United States through the Alaskan Inside Passage to their new homeport at Coast Guard Base Kodiak.

The crew began preparing the Cypress for her maiden voyage to Alaska in August and will be returning to Kodiak after four months away from home.

The Cypress will be filling the role of the “Aleutian Keeper,” replacing the Coast Guard Cutter SPAR as the 225-foot Juniper Class Buoy Tender, and will be responsible for servicing aids throughout Kodiak Island and the Aleutian chain. SPAR departed Kodiak in January 2021, entered MMA in February 2021, and will be re-homeported in Duluth, Minnesota at the completion of the MMA.

Commissioned in 2001, the Cypress was stationed in Mobile, Alabama, and subsequently re-homeported to Pensacola, Florida, as the “Strong Arm of the Gulf,” servicing aids to navigation along 900 miles of coastline, stretching from Apalachicola, Florida, to the border of Mexico. The Cypress crew aided in hurricane recovery operations after Ivan, Katrina, and Rita, recovering and re-establishing buoys that hurricanes had moved up to 24 miles off station.

In 2004, the Cypress crew successfully recovered a sunken 38,000 lb. “Blue Angels” F/A-18A Hornet from 40 feet of water in the Gulf of Mexico after a training accident. The Cypress crew had served thereafter as the center point for the annual Blue Angels’ air show at Pensacola Beach until her arrival at the Coast Guard Yard for MMA in August of 2020. In 2010, the Cypress crew responded to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill impacting the Gulf of Mexico, conducting oil recovery operations with specialized oil recovery equipment alongside sister ships Juniper, Walnut, Sycamore, Aspen, Oak and Elm, together recovering over 500,000 gallons of spilled oil and coordinating environmental cleanup activities between numerous federal, state, local, and private entities.

During her 34-day-long transit, the Cypress crew made port calls in Mayport, Florida, Key West, Florida, Long Beach, California, and Ketchikan, Alaska. The Cypress crew took full advantage of the long transit time to conduct damage control training, small boat training, engineering and navigation drills, and worked to build watch proficiency leading to 63 individual qualifications.

The Cypress crew looks forward to returning home to their families, serving their local Alaska community, and returning to the important work of servicing aids to navigation that support the Maritime Transportation System vital to Alaska’s robust maritime economy.

“SOLICITATION FOR 270′ WMEC SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTS (SME)” –ALCOAST

Posted on November 5, 2021 by Chuck Hill

“Coast Guard Cutter Forward and Coast Guard Cutter Bear, homeported in Portsmouth, Virginia, finish an at-sea transfer while underway on a two-month patrol. Coast Guard Cutter Forward returned to homeport on April 10, 2021.” (U.S. Coast Guard photo)

This caught my attention, because I was not sure if the SLEP for 270s had begun. Apparently we are still in the planning stage.

Good to see deck plate users are being asked their opinion.

Maybe questions like the need for an multifunction radar, electronic warfare systems, and type and number of weapons are still open. See “Don’t Neuter the Medium-Endurance Cutter Fleet” –USNI

It would be nice if these ships came out of SLEP with some enhancements, not just reduced capabilities. The ability to operate UAS and enhanced EO/IR capabilities come to mind.

united states coast guard

R 051250Z NOV 21
FM COMDT COGARD WASHINGTON DC
TO ALCOAST
BT
UNCLAS
ALCOAST 406/21
SSIC 5102
SUBJ: SOLICITATION FOR 270′ WMEC SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTS (SME)
1. This ALCOAST solicits volunteers to participate in a three-day
270′ Medium Endurance Cutter (WMEC) Service Life Extension Project
(SLEP) Operational Assessment (OA) in Portsmouth, VA from 25-27
January 2022. The OA is a review and analysis of intended work
items to determine the operational capability and effectiveness
expected to be delivered during the upcoming WMEC 270 SLEP. The
OA will be used to identify equipment or process discrepancies that
may degrade mission efficiency, and assesses the effectiveness and
suitability of a system or service during the WMEC 270 SLEP.
2. Background: The WMEC 270 SLEP is essential to maintaining viable
platforms while OPCs are being constructed so as not to have a gap
in offshore operational capacity.
3. The OA is a tabletop documentation review by experienced active
duty members who are currently serving, or have recently served on
WMEC 270s. SMEs will assist the Operational Test Director (OTD) in
determining suitability of system changes during the WMEC 270 SLEP.
An OA report will be submitted to the Vice Commandant and DHS’
Office of Test and Evaluation to assess the WMEC 270 SLEP proposal.
4. The OA mission areas are grouped below.
a. Operations. Comprised of CO/XO, OPS, ET, and OS. This group
will focus on mobility, command and control, and launch and recovery
of cutter boats and helicopters.
  b. Deck. Comprised of 1LT, GM with Mk 38 Mod 2/3 experience, and
Deck BM. This group will focus on anchoring, launch and
recovery of cutter boats and helicopters, and employment of
the new 270 SLEP weapon suite.
  c. Engineering. Comprised of EO, AUXO, ENG, MK, and EM. This
group will focus on launch and recovery of cutter boats, the new
SLEP Electrical Power System, equipment and machinery maintenance
and repair, reliability, maintainability, and engineering casualty
control.
  d. Support. Comprised of F&S, and SK. This group will focus on
logistics supportability.
  e. Aviation. Comprised of helicopter pilots with ship deployment
experience. This group will focus on helicopter launch and recovery.
5. Personnel required. Rate/Rank Required Experience
CO 1 O-5/O-6 270′ WMEC CO
XO 1 O-4/O-5 270′ WMEC XO
EO 2 O-3/O-4 270′ WMEC EO
OPS 1 O-3/O-4 270′ WMEC OPS
AUXO 2 O-1/O-2 270′ WMEC AUXO
HH-65 PILOTS 2 O-3/O-4 270′ WMEC Deployed
ENG 2 CWO NESU/MPA
F&S 1 CWO SUPPO
BM (Deck) 2 E-5/E-6 270′ WMEC
EM 2 E-5/E-6 270′ WMEC
ET 1 E-5/E-6 270′ WMEC/ESU
GM 2 E-5/E-6 MK38 Mod 2/3
MK 2 E-5/E-6 270′ WMEC/MAT
OS 1 E-6/E-7 270′ WMEC
SK 1 E-5/E-6 270′ WMEC
6. Volunteers must be available for the entire three-day event.
SMEs will be provided read-ahead documents in preparation for
their role to ensure the OA is completed within the allotted
time. A detailed schedule of events will be provided via email
after participants have been identified.
7. Interested participants should contact the 270′ WMEC SLEP
Sponsor’s Representative, LTJG Louie Wu, by 10 December 2021 via
email. Member must include a copy of their employee summary sheet
from CGBI in-board view as an attachment and desired mission area
from paragraph 4. Email must be forwarded from your unit CO or XO
to demonstrate command approval for participation. COMDT (CG-9322)
will issue travel orders to members selected to participate.
8. Point of contact: LTJG Louie Wu, COMDT (CG-751), 202-372-2360,
Louie.Wu@uscg.mil.
9. RDML Todd C Wiemers, Assistant Commandant for Capability
(CG-7), sends.
10. Internet release is authorized.

Renovation Completed On Sixth 225-Foot Seagoing Buoy Tender

Posted on August 17, 2019 by Chuck Hill

Below is a post from the Acquisitions Directorate, provided here for convenience. Some history of the project here. There are a total of 16 Juniper class 225 foot buoy tenders so this program still has a while to run.

Coast Guard Cutter Fir departed today from the Coast Guard Yard in Curtis Bay, Maryland, following completion of its midlife maintenance availability (MMA). The MMA is one of several projects that comprise the In-Service Vessel Sustainment (ISVS) Program to enhance mission capability, improve reliability and reduce maintenance costs of the service’s legacy cutter fleet.

Fir, which started undergoing the MMA work in August 2018, is the sixth of 16 225-foot seagoing buoy tenders to undergo this process through the ISVS Program. The work will keep the tenders in service another 15 years and includes an overhaul of the deck equipment and weight handling gear, updates to the machinery control system and HVAC systems, topside preservation and a stability assessment. The 225-foot Juniper-class seagoing buoy tenders were commissioned between 1996 and 2004. Fir will be stationed in Cordova, Alaska, after completing a roughly 7,000-8,000 nautical mile voyage through the Panama Canal and up the Pacific Coast. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Lt. Cmdr. Michael Adams.

For more information: In-Service Vessel Sustainment program page

FY2019 Budget

Posted on February 18, 2019 by Chuck Hill

US Capital West Side, by Martin Falbisoner

With a bit of help from a friend, the actual FY2019 budget documents were located: “The Joint Explanation” and “The Conference Report.”

I found the Joint Explanation easiest to wade through. The Budget breakdown is found on pages 65 to 69 of the 612 page pdf.

Note in some cases I have rounded to the nearest $0.1M

Our total Coast Guard FY2019 budget is $12,015,921,000. This is $91,803,000 less than last year, but $577,720,000 more than the budget request.

The Operations and Support allocation is $7,808.2M. That is $434.9M more than last year (a 5.6% increase), and $215.1M more than requested.

I have provided information on the PC&I budget below including a complete list of line items that I was unable to provide before.

PROCUREMENT, CONSTRUCTION, AND IMPROVEMENTS (PC&I) $2,248.26M

Vessels and Boats

Survey and design: 5.5M
In service vessel sustainment: 63.25M
National Security Cutter: 72.6M (Follow up on ships already funded)
Offshore Patrol Cutter: 400M (Second of class + LLTM for third)
Fast Response Cutter: 340M (Six Webber class including two for PATFORSWA)
Cutter boats 5M
Polar Security Cutter: 675M (First of class + LLTM for second)
Waterways Commerce Cutter: 5M
Polar sustainment: 15M (Polar Star Service Life Extension)

—-Vessels Subtotal: $1,581.35M

Aircraft

HC-144 Conversion/Sustainment: 17M
HC-27J Conversion/Sustainment: 80M
HC-1330J Conversion/Sustainment: 105M
HH-65 Conversion/Sustainment: 28M
MH-60 Conversion/Sustainment: 120M
Small Unmanned Aircraft: 6M

—Aircraft Subtotal: $356M

Other Acquisition Programs:

Other Equipment and System: 3.5M
Program Oversight and Managemen: 20M
C4ISR 23.3M
CG-Logistics Information Management System (CG-LIMS): 9.2M

—Other Acquisitions Programs Subtotal: $56M

Shore Facilities and Aids to Navigation:

Major Construction; Housing; ATON; and Survey and Design: 74.51M
Major Acquisition Systems Infrastructure: 175.4M
Minor Shore 5M

—Shore Facilities and Aids to Navigation Subtotal: $254.91M

The PC&I total, $2,248.26M, was $446.48M less than FY2018, but it was $361.51M above the budget request.

—

R&D was cut by almost a third. This is probably a place to spend more not less.

Reserve Training disappeared as a separate line item, so I can’t tell what happened there.

Also included in the new budget is $5M for the National Coast Guard Museum

Incidentally, the total amount appropriated for the polar security program includes $359.6M (FY2018 and prior) + $675M (FY2019), or $1,034.6M, of which $20M is for Long Lead Time Material for the second ship, and the remainder is for the first ship and other program-related expenses.

With Operations and Support up more than 5% over 2018 and Procurement Construction &Improvement (PC&I) over $2B for the second year in a row, this is the kind of budget we can live with. It just needs to keep happening.

Chuck Hill's CG Blog

Category Archives: In Service Vessel Sustainment