Today the Coast Guard Compass announced the first fourteen names to be assigned to the Fast Response Cutters (the Bernard C. Webber Class). They are also doing a series explaining the accomplishments of each of the service members the vessels are named for. These are the first two:
The Coast Guard Compass recently identified the latest “Guardian of the Week” as ME2 Nick Antis (MSST Los Angeles/Long Beach) who was recognized as honor graduate upon his completion of the Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) 10 week National Explosives Detection Canine Team Program at Lackland Air Force Base, in San Antonio, Texas, which trains dog and handler teams to detect explosives. This marks the introduction of this capability into the service. Also graduating from the course were ME1 William Porter (MSST Galveston) and ME3 Jason Agar (MSST New York).
The Coast Guard Compass reports a memorial service for Chief Boatswains Mate Richard Patterson on June 16.
Frequent Contributor Bill Welles has a good article recounting the incident if you would like to know a bit more.
Sounds like BMC Patterson might be a good namesake for a Webber class cutter.
On June 3, ABC News accused the Coast Guard of acting in collusion with BP to minimize the estimate of oil being discharged from the wreckage of the Deepwater Horizon. I learned about the report from a blog I visit regularly.
While there is much to talk about regarding ABC’s report, including how statements were taken out of context, whether initial estimates of the discharge rate would have any effect on the fines ultimately levied against BP; whether the inaccuracy of those estimates had in any way reduced the urgency of our response, whether this was about a cover up or simply a media outlet sulking because they were not given access to the best available video.
The thing I found truly gratifying was the view of the blogger and of those who commented on the blog. They trusted the Coast Guard because we had been honest in the past, even, and especially when, it wasn’t pretty.
“I am having a seriously hard time believing that the US Coast Guard, which was at the time under the command of Admiral Thad Allen, was the responsible party withholding this information from the public for BP.”…..”US Admirals, Navy or Coast Guard, don’t put companies before citizens during crisis and emergencies – which is what ABC is basically trying to imply with this reporting.”
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A nice tribute to Admiral Allen over at the “Information Dissemination” web site. The author goes so far as to refer to him as “the most influential Admiral of the early 21st century in the United States.”
Recently ran across a site dedicated to the Spanish American War.
There was a section dedicated to the Revenue Cutter Service. I found the stories I had expected about the HUGH McCULLOCH and the HUDSON. Also found that Captain Satterlee, who commanded TAMPA when she was sunk during WWI had participated.
What surprised me was the level of participation by the light house service. Four tenders were involved in the blockade of Cuba and one of their officers did a little spying, “On 11 June, Lieutenant Victor Blue of SUWANNEE (formerly MAYFLOWER) went ashore to make a visual reconnaissance of Santiago Bay and the ships in it. Guided by a member of the Cuban insurgent forces, he passed through enemy lines and observed the Spanish squadron on 12 June. His report confirmed that all of Admiral Cervera’s squadron had in fact entered the bay, thus enabling the blockade by heavy ships of the Navy to be concentrated at that point, without having to worry about threats to the troop convoys preparing to depart from Tampa. SUWANNEE’s night station among the blockading forces was two miles from Morro Castle as part of a picket line to detect any sortie by (Spanish torpedo boat destroyers) FUROR and PLUTON for a torpedo attack. She missed the battle, however, being one of the ships detached to Guantanamo bay for coaling at the time.”
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