Category Archives: NOAA

2018 Aviation Order of Battle–USNI

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Would like to point to a nice summary of aviation assets that is available on line from the US Naval Institute (USNI, unfortunately behind the pay wall–see late addition below). It is the work of a friend, Jim Dolbow, who many years ago encouraged me to blog. He now works for the USNI and is responsible for the two latest editions of the Coast Guardsman’s Manual.

Included are aircraft of the Marine Corps, Navy, Coast Guard, U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) Air and Marine Operations, and NOAA as of 31 July, 2018

Navy and Marine units list aircraft type, squadron, and base but don’t actually list numbers of aircraft.

Coast Guard aircraft numbers, by type, are listed below, but the article goes on to identify number and type at each CG air station. It also notes there are 160 civilian CG Aux. aircraft.

Coast Guard aviation as of 31 July 2018 consisted of 7 different types of aircraft representing 207 airframes based at 27 different locations, including:

(17)     HC-130H Hercules

(9)       HC-130J Super Hercules long range surveillance aircraft

(18)     HC-144 Ocean Sentry medium range surveillance aircraft

(14)     HC-27J Spartan medium range surveillance aircraft

(2)       C-37A Gulfstream V

(45)     MH-60T Jayhawk medium range recovery helicopter

(102)   MH-65D/E Dolphin short range recovery helicopter

I was a bit surprised to find the U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) Air and Marine Operations had more aircraft than the Coast Guard, 97 fixed wing and 128 helicopters (vs 60 fixed wing and 147 helos for the CG). Numbers of each type is provided but no information on basing.

NOAA has nine manned fixed wing aircraft, identified by number and type, all operated out of NOAA’s Aircraft Operations Center at Lakeland Linder Regional Airport, FL.

Late addition:

Just realized the USNI post is only available to USNI members (You really should be a member). Hopefully they will forgive me if I copy and paste a good chunk of the CG portion below.

Current Asset Laydown of USCG Aircraft:

USCG Air Station Cape Cod, MA

(3) HC-144A

(3) MH-60T

USCG Air Station Atlantic City, NJ

(11) MH-65D

USCG Air Station Washington, DC

(2) C-37A

USCG Air Station Elizabeth City, NC

(6) HC-130J

(3) MH-60T

(5) HC-27J

USCG Aviation Logistics Center, Elizabeth City, NC

Aircraft undergoing depot maintenance/support:

(4) HC-130H

(3) HC-130J

(3) HC-144

(2) HC-27J

(6) MH-60T

(10) MH-65D

(2) MH-65E

USCG Air Station Savannah, GA

(5) MH-65D

USCG Helicopter Interdiction Tactical Squadron Jacksonville, FL

(10) MH-65D

USCG Air Station Miami, FL

(5) MH-65D

(5) HC-144A

USCG Air Station Clearwater, FL

(4) HC-130H

(10) MH-60T

USCG Air Station Borinquen, PR

(4) MH-65D

USCG Aviation Training Center Mobile, AL

(3) HC-144A

(4) MH-60T

(9) MH-65D/E

USCG Air Station New Orleans, LA

(5) MH-65D

USCG Air Station Houston, TX

(3) MH-65D

USCG Air Station Corpus Christi, TX

(3) HC-144A

(3) MH-65D

USCG Air Station San Diego, CA

(3) MH-60T

USCG Air Station San Francisco, CA

(7) MH-65D

USCG Air Station Humboldt Bay, CA

(3) MH-65D

USCG Air Station Sacramento, CA

(6) HC-27J

USCG Air Station North Bend, OR

(5) MH-65D

USCG Air Station Astoria, OR

(3) MH-60T

USCG Air Station Port Angeles, WA

(3) MH-65D

USCG Air Station Detroit, MI

(5) MH-65D

USCG Air Station Traverse City, MI

(3) MH-60T

USCG Air Station Sitka, AK

(3) MH-60T

USCG Air Station Kodiak, AK

(5) HC-130H

(6) MH-60T

(4) MH-65D

USCG Air Station Barbers Point, HI

(4) HC-130H

(3) MH-65D

How Much Are Our Fisheries Worth?

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NOAA has an answer according to this report from BairdMaritime. The short answer is “…the commercial fishing and seafood industry including imports generated US$153 billion in sales in 2014, an eight per cent increase from 2013, and supported 1.39 million jobs such as harvesters, processors, dealers, wholesalers and retailers…Domestic harvest without imports produced US$54 billion in sales, a figure similar to 2013, and supported 811,000 jobs…”.

You can see the full report here: Fisheries Economics of the United States, 2014 (pdf)

(Despite the 2014 date, the report was issued in May 2016.)

USCGC Muskeget Torpedoed, Lost with all Hands–Sept. 9,1942

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USCGCMuskeget(WAG-48)

Photo: USCGC Muskeget, seen here before conversion to a weather ship. http://www.navsource.org/archives/09/49/49048.htm

Tomorrow is Veteran’s Day and a friend and classmate sent me another reminder of the sacrifices Coasties have made in the past. It was a story about a ship lost with all hands, but it was not the Cutter Tampa, that most of us have heard about. It was a small, slow freighter built in 1923 and converted to a weather ship and transferred to the Coast Guard in 1942, USCGC Muskeget (WAG-48). Although mostly forgotten, sailing alone in U-boat infested waters, she took with her more Coasties than the Tampa, nine officers, 107 enlisted, plus a Public Health Service Officer and four US Weather Service employees.

The four Weather Service employees are to honored with presentation of purple hearts on 19 November. This will mark the first time Weather Service employees have received the purple heart. It also marks the long association between the Coast Guard and NOAA. Appropriately VAdm. Stosz, Deputy Commandant for Mission Support will be one of the speakers.