Plimsoll mark. Photo by Wualex

Here is a short well written article about how ships are marked. “The Secret Language of Ships” which appeared in the Hakai Magazine.

Thanks to gCaptain for bringing this to my attention. 

CoastGuardNews reports that Vice President Pence is scheduled to attend the Graduation of the Coast Guard Academy class of 2018 on Wednesday, May 23rd.

Milkor high-speed 12 meter interceptor

NavyRecognition brings us a report of a proposed craft based on an innovative full form, a hydrofoil assisted catamaran.

There is more info on the design from the originator here.

They claim a 54 knot top speed. They also claim five days endurance, but it doesn’t look like that is a reasonable expectation for normal operations, since it has a crew of only four and only two bunks. It is only 12 meters (40 feet) long with a beam of 4.8 meters (15.7′).

Still this new tech is not just vaporware. The Corps of Engineers has taken delivery of a survey vessel using this technology, S/V Ewell.

All aluminum S/V Ewell has a 61 ft 4 in length overall and 24 ft beam.

“Designed and built to Lloyd’s Register Special Service Craft rules, the Ewell is equipped with twin 985 bhp MAN V8 propulsion engines which each turn a Hamilton waterjet allowing for quick mobilization and response at high speeds in excess of 34 knots and survey speeds up to 10 knots.”

Like most aspects of Naval Architecture, there are compromises. This hull form is for vessels that can be kept light and will spend a lot of time at high cruise speeds.

A final note: The MILKOR design includes a 40mm grenade launcher as its main armament. Having tested a 40mm grenade launcher as a naval weapon, I found they are unsuitable for use against another vessel. They might be OK for laying down suppressive fire against an enemy on shore, but their long time of flight and high trajectory means they are very inaccurate against moving point targets.

At Naval Base San Diego, Coast Guard Vice Admiral Fred Midgette, Commander, Pacific Area, Commander, Coast Guard Defense Force West answers questions during a press conference where he announced that 39,000 pounds of cocaine had been seized during the Coast Guard Cutter Waesche’s current deployment, Thursday, Oct. 27, 2016, in San Diego. The Coast Guard cutter on Thursday off-loaded narcotics that were confiscated in 25 separate busts that took place off the coasts of Central and South America over the past fiscal year. (Howard Lipin/The San Diego Union-Tribune via AP)

The San Diego Union-Tribune reports an address by Pacific Area Commander and Commander Coast Guard Defense Force West, Vice Admiral Fred M. Midgette, discussing the need to address operating budget short falls.

Incidentally, VAdm. Midgette has spent some time afloat.

“Vice Admiral Midgette has served afloat on both coasts and the Great Lakes, earning designation as a Coast Guard Cutterman and a U.S. Navy Surface Warfare Officer. He has commanded four Coast Guard cutters and served afloat on the CGC TANEY (Portsmouth, VA); USS FIFE (San Diego, CA); CGC POINT LEDGE (Fort Bragg, CA); CGC POINT WINSLOW (Eureka & Morro Bay, CA); CGC KATMAI BAY (Sault Ste. Marie, MI); CGC HARRIET LANE (Portsmouth, VA); CGC FORWARD (Portsmouth, VA); and America’s Tall Ship – the Coast Guard Barque EAGLE (New London, CT). He is the 14th Gold Ancient Mariner of the Coast Guard – an honorary position held by an officer with over ten years of cumulative sea duty who has held the qualification as a Cutterman longer than any other officer.”

Nice to see a 327 sailor made good.

Based on a Wisconsin Public Radio report, it sounds like the Coast Guard authorization bill has been stalled in the Senate over a provision that would have given the Coast Guard sole responsibility for ballast water regulation, taking the EPA out of the business of regulating this potential source of invasive species.

The US Naval Institute News service has a report on the Commandant’s appearance before Congress, Tuesday, apparently April 17. (The Commandant did not wait until the last minute to prepare his taxes like I did.)

The commentary seems to suggest there is the possibility of a block buy for all three Heavy Polar Icebreakers.

He discusses not only the Icebreakers but also the budget in general, importation of narcotics, both cocaine and other types, and the need to restore the strength of the Coast Guard Reserve.

The Commandant also reportedly put in a plug for ratification of the UN Convention of Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

There is a misstatement in the report. ” He said Russia is now building two corvettes for its navy to add to the far northern operations of its Border Guard’s 44 icebreakers already in operation, giving it the largest maritime presence in the north.” However it was originally stated, the Russians may have 44 icebreakers, but they do not all belong to the Border Guards–the Russian equivalent of the Coast Guard. I doubt the Commandant would have made that mistake.

US Naval Institute has a report on a panel discussion on the Arctic held as part of the annual Sea-Air-Space Symposium. Read it here.

DefenseNews has a report on Vice Commandant Adm. Charles D. Michel’s remarks at the Sea-Air-Space symposium. Read it here. 

The US Naval Institute is again having its annual Coast Guard Essay Contest. I would have provided a link to the USNI page about the 2018 contest, but there does not seem to be one (I keep getting 2017 contest info), so I am repeating information from my print copy of Proceedings below.

The Challenge: Advance new thinking about the U.S. Coast Guard’s critical role in the 21st century. No issue is too big or too narrow as long as it makes the Coast Guard stronger. This does not mean author’s cannot be critical and take on conventional wisdom and current practices. In fact, we encourage you push the “dare factor.”

The Reward:

—$5,000 First Prize

—$2,500 Second Prize

—$1,500 Third Prize

Eligibility + Submission: Open to all contributors–active-duty military, reservists, veterans, and civilians.

Deadline: 30 June 2018

Email to: essay@usni.org with “Coast Guard Essay Contest” in subject line

Include: Word count on the title page. Provide bio and contact information in separate attachment.

Winners will be announced in July and published in a future issue of Proceedings.

Word Length: 2,500 words maximum, excluding notes and sources.

If you are interested you might want to take a look at the advice offered here: “Writing for the National Security Audience–From the Heart”

I’m just passing this along. Its copied from an e-mail I received as a Surface Navy Association member. The point of contact is Bill Erickson, CAPT, USN(Ret), Executive Director, Surface Navy Association, (703) 960-6800. Would have been nice if the National Cuttermen Association Chapter, Surface Navy Association website had mentioned this.

The 6th Annual Maritime Security 2018 East, to be held 2-4 April 2018 in Norfolk, Virginia, is the sixth installment in the Maritime Security East program series.  As the twenty-fourth maritime security conference hosted by Homeland Security Outlook since 2011, Maritime Security 2018 East furthers a commitment to address the needs of governments, law enforcement, and critical infrastructure to counter the challenges of securing coastlines, inland waterways, and their critical infrastructure.

The Surface Navy Association is proud to be a lead sponsor for this event and will be hosting the luncheon on 4 April 2018. 

Further information along with registration information for the event can be found at http://www.maritimesecurityeast.com/  and luncheon information can be found on SNA’s homepage at http://navysna.org. This event is a great way to learn about port security in the Hampton Roads area for a very reasonable cost.