Category Archives: News

Piracy Update, July 26, 2011

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The good news is: While the number of attacks is up, the pirates are succeeding less frequently so that the number of seizures is down compared with last year. Armed guards seem to be effective and more countries are allowing them. The bad news is: The situation in Somalia is if anything worse than before. Pirates are now routinely torturing crew members in order to extort ever larger payments from ship owners, and Somali style piracy has metastasized, spreading to the West Coast of Africa. Continue reading →

Escanaba Change of Command

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Some kind words for the Coast Guard from Raymond Pritchett (Galrahn) over at informationdissemination.net on the relief of Commander Edward A. Westfall as CO of Escanaba. Escanaba has been very active in sharing her story. She maintained an active blog that has since migrated to Facebook. We have included reference to her several times here.

Cdr Westfall is going on to the National War College. The crew and the ship are separated now, as the ship is going through a “Mission Effectiveness Project” (MEP) overhaul. The crew is being kept together and will deploy aboard Spencer and Seneca, relieving their regular crews. This should give the Coast Guard some additional experience with multiple crewing before it is attempted on the National Security Cutters.

Sister Service Problems

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The Navy is facing some hard questions regarding the declining numbers and readiness of its surface fleet. This post actually puts the best face on a hearing that has not gone well for the Navy.

Coast Guard implications?

  • I still see the Coast Guard making favorable references to “optimal manning,” but it has become a dirty word in the Navy resulting in deferred maintenance, poor morale, and declining readiness.
  • This is why the Department of Homeland Security can’t blithely say the Coast Guard does not need new ships because the Navy can do those jobs.

Ops in the Western Pacific

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Coast Guard Cutter Galveston Island receives fuel from Bertholf in an astern refueling evolution

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.

New Port Security Boats

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This from Workboat.com

“Kvichak Marine wins 80-boat contract to supply Coast Guard Transportable Port Security Boats for five years
By WorkBoat Staff
6/2/2011

“SEATTLE – Kvichak Marine Industries Inc. was recently awarded a five-year contract by the U.S. Coast Guard for the construction of up to 80 Transportable Port Security Boats (TPSB). This contract was originally awarded to ACB, Bellingham, Wash., before the company shut its doors in November. The all-aluminum vessels are operated by a crew of four and include shock mitigating seats to minimize crew fatigue on extended missions. Ballistic armor protection and up to four mounted weapons provide increased mission capability and crew safety during tactical operations, according Kvichak. The 32’9” vessels will replace the USCG’s current aging fleet of smaller, outboard-powered fiberglass boats.

“Powered by twin Yanmar 315 hp diesel engines with Bravo 1-XR outdrives the TPSB will provide security, maritime law enforcement and search-and-rescue operations in coastal areas worldwide. The TPSB can maneuver in as little as 24” of water and can operate safely in 8’ seas and up to 30 knots of wind.

“Current orders have deliveries beginning in August, with 30 boats schedule for delivery by January 2012.”

(Thanks to Lee for bring to my attention.)

July 7, 1798, The Quasi-War with France

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Today marks the anniversary of the start of the Quasi-War with Republican France in 1798. As most of us know, the Navy was virtually non-existent. The first three frigates were being completed just as the war began. New cutters with more potential as warships were replacing the original ten and Cutters Pickering and Eagle proved particularly useful. Eagle captured or assisted in the capture of 22 vessels and Pickering captured or recaptured 18 including four privateers. Pickering’s capture of the l’Egypte Conquise was particularly notable because the French privateer was much more heavily armed and had a crew reported as large as 350 compared to Pickering’s crew of about 70. Ultimately Pickering was lost with all hands in a hurricane in  September 1800 that also sank the frigate Insurgent which had been captured by the Constellation and taken into US service.

The Coast Guard History web site has an excellent article (pdf), “Benjamin Hiller & the Cutter Pickering in the Quasi-War with France.” William Thiesen, Sea History 122 (Spring, 2008), pp. 24-27; published with the permission of the National Maritime Historical Society.

Perhaps it is time to have cutters named for Benjamin Hiller and the Revenue Cutter Pickering.

 

 

 

Piracy Update, July 6, 2011

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This is coming relatively soon after the last update, but there have been several interesting developments:

As a result of a pirate attack, a 144,000 ton Very Large Crude Carrier has been set afire and abandoned in the Gulf of Aden, 20 miles south of Yemen. The crew of 26 was rescued by the cruiser USS Philippine Sea. This occurred in the area most heavily patrolled by counter piracy forces.

Britain like the Netherlands is considering allowing their merchant ships to arm themselves.

There is a prediction that the pirates will start using heavier weapons. This sort of escalation has been predicted in the past, we’ll see.

Information dissemination has provided a grim and thought provoking post on the future of Africa and Al-Qaeda that touches on piracy, Somalia, and Al Shabaab. It provides a lot of background for USCG efforts in Nigeria, Yemen, and Djibouti and African Partnership station in general.

ADDENDUM:

The UN has informed Reuters there is a financial link between some pirate organizations and Al Qaeda’s affiliate in Somalia, Al Shabaab. Not that the terrorist group is engaged in piracy itself, but rather it seems to be “taxing” Somalia’s most profitable industry. This may be viewed as making it illegal to pay ransom. Comment here and here.

 

VBSS Equipment–Chinese Style

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China Defense Blog reports Chinese Peoples’ Liberation Army Marine Corps (PLAMC) Visit, Boarding, Search, and Seizure (VBSS) teams en route to waters off Somalia will be wearing new, safer equipment.

Notable is that the armored equipment vest incorporates a quick release feature.

“Clear Duty VBSS body armor vest is being tested by the PLAMC for boarding party. It’s made by a local Chinese private company. VBSS stands for Visit, Board, Search, and Seizure operation.

“The CD VBSS is more comfortable and offers quick-release that the standard issued Type 06 body armor lacks. The quick-release is a life saver if a boarding team member fall into the water. All he needed it is just pull the quick-release to remove the vest (which will be loaded down with hard plates, ammo, pistol, comm & other gears) and swim to the surface.

“The vest uses Kevlar material and has large SAPI size hard plate pocket in the front and back. — Timothy Yan” (More detail and photos at China Defense Blog)