Category Archives: News

Going Green, Navy, Marines, and Yes the Coast Guard Too

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US Naval Institute featured a column from the New York Times that talked about the Navy and Marine Corp going green for reasons any war fighter can understand, including trimming back on a vulnerable logistics tail.

The Coast Guard is also seems to be moving in the same direction. The description of the OPC includes a link to a 16 page (pdf) presentation (powerpoint?) on how the service would like to apply  “green” technologies and concepts to the Offshore Patrol Cutter (OPC).

“Trade Studies and White Papers developed the following areas of
interest for OPC:

“Hull design-Requires early/upfront considerations

  • Fuel Use and Fuel Storage (carbon footprint)
  • Noise (along with prop)

“Outfitting –Modification possible throughout lifecycle

  • Marine Sanitation System
  • Solid Waste Treatment
  • Marine Diesel Engines
  • Oily Water Separators

“Consumables –Provides greatest number of opportunities

  • Lighting
  • Batteries
  • Hull Coatings
  • Fluids and Lubricant”

They might be considered under “fuel and Lubricants,” but bio-fuels weren’t called out specifically. The emphasis seemed to be on controlling emissions and effluents rather than “sustainability,” but if the Navy is going to Bio-fuels, you know we will need at least the capability as well.

The control of engine and prop noise might have a side benefit if these ships ever need to tow a passive towed array sonar.

More on New Chinese WHEC

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Some new information and an artist rendering of a 128.6 m (424 ft), 5,418 ton, 20.4 knot cutter to be delivered to the Maritime Safety Administration (MSA) in May of 2012. (Most of the recent construction has been for the Chinese Maritime Surveillance (CMS).)

The post also includes a link to an August 2010 post that explains the five different agencies that perform Chinese maritime law enforcement.

Virtual Tour Two New French Naval Vessels

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They are not as well done as the virtual tour of the National Security Cutter Bertholf we found earlier but you might find them interesting.

The two ships are FS Mistral, a 21,300 ton amphibious assault ship (LPH), and FS Forbin, a 7,050 ton AAW missile frigate. The Mistral class have gained some ill fame lately because the Russians are buying four of them, two to be built in France and two to be built in Russia with French help and technology transfer.

If you haven’t seen it there is also a small virtual tour of the Great Lakes icebreaker Mackinaw.

Chinese F/V Sinks after Ramming S. Korean CG Vessel

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D. E Reddick provided this information as a comment on an earlier post regarding tensions between Japan and China. I thought it deserved a separate posting.

“Now a Chinese fishing trawler has rammed a South Korean Coast Guard vessel. One Chinese fisherman died, two Chinese fishermen are missing, and four SK coast guardsmen have been injured. The 63 ton Chinese trawler capsized after ramming the larger SKCG vessel. Reportedly, there were 50 Chinese trawlers fishing within SK territorial waters at the time of the incident. The video from Al Jazeera (English) demonstrates just how violently the Chinese crew were acting during the incident.

“RTT News – Chinese Fisherman Killed In Clash With South Korean Coast Guard

http://www.rttnews.com/Content/MarketSensitiveNews.aspx?Id=1510141&SM=1

“A video and text report from Al Jazeera – Chinese trawler in Yellow Sea clash

“A routine check goes awry after Chinese fishermen stop South Korean coast guards from boarding trawler in Yellow Sea.”

http://english.aljazeera.net/video/asia-pacific/2010/12/20101218175020549693.html

Counting the Cutters

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Every year the Navy addresses the Congress and tells them how many ships they have and how many ships they need to do their missions. These numbers do not include Coast Guard ships, but perhaps they should.

The numbers of ships the Navy requires is, to at least some extent, based on the number of Cutters in the Coast Guard.

Protecting a nation’s coast and its ports is normally the most basic and immediate task of any navy. For the US Navy this has hardly been a consideration. Overt threats are kept at arms length by projecting power at great distance, pushing the defensive perimeter far from our shores. But for covert threats, there is also the presumption that those threats will be addressed by the Coast Guard. If there were no Coast Guard, the Navy would have to provide these ships, distracting form their forward strategy.

Additionally war plans anticipate the use of cutters for tasks other than defense of the US coast. If there were no Coast Guard, the Navy would also need to supply these ships.

What would including the Coast Guard do for us? It would

  • Identify national security implications of a shortfall in Coast Guard assets
  • Identify assets that could be either Coast Guard or Navy and result in more explicit consideration of trade-offs
  • Identify capabilities the Navy would like to see in Coast Guard vessels and recognition of the benefits of marginal improvements in cutters toward the national defense

In terms of personnel the Coast Guard is now larger than the Royal Navy. In effect it is the Navy’s closest and most reliable ally. The economic advantages of close coordination are compelling.

We have heard references to a “National Fleet.” Perhaps it is time to apply the concept to procurement planning as well as operations.

Adm Papp Interviewed by Homeland Security Today

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There is an interview with Admiral Papp in the November 2010 “Homeland Security Today” that is available on line here.

When asked about his vision for the Coast Guard, Admiral Papp laid down four principles:

  • steady the service
  • honor our profession
  • strengthen our partnerships
  • respect our shipmates

It appears his primary concern is to strengthen understanding of a common Coast Guard Culture, integrating the changes initiated by the last two Commandants, rather than making sweeping of his own. To use his analogy, to publish a watch, quarter, and station bill. As might be expected he discusses budget cuts, the BP oil spill, recapitalization, counter-terrorism and counter-drug operations, and the Arctic. He also talks about developing a career path for marine safety. Its an impressive interview.