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Just a reminder of the upcoming Navy League Sea-Air-Space Exposition 2018, scheduled for April 9-11 at the Gaylord National Convention Center, National Harbor, MD.
USCGC Alert (WMEC-630), newest of the remaining 14 ships of its class.
The USCGC ALERT (WMEC-630), one of 14 remaining 210 foot cutters had what must have been a very frustrating cruise. The Navy League’s on-line magazine reports,
“The crew departed Astoria Feb. 5 to conduct a counter-narcotics patrol in the Eastern Pacific when the ship suffered more than 35 equipment casualties within the first 19 days of their patrol, including malfunctions in the ship’s radar, propulsion and fuel systems.
“The ship’s main diesel engine also suffered a crankcase explosion, resulting from a seized bearing on an oil pump, which caused a week-long delay in Panama while the crew inspected the engine. Following the inspection, a decision was made to end the patrol.”
The ship has returned to its homeport, March 16. 39 days away from homeport and nothing to show for it.
As disappointing as this may have been, I applaud the fact that the Coast Guard is making public the difficulties of operating units well past their “best if used by” date. Otherwise everyone just assumes everything is alright. Everything is not alright.
HMNZS Wellington intercepts suspected toothfish poachers
An interesting report that seems to indicate the Chinese are doing something to curb Illegal, Unreported, Unregulated (IUU) Fishing.
I would note that cutting subsidies does not seem to be a severe penalty, while subsidized fisheries in any form appear to be an unfair trade practice.
We also have this report on the effect of IUU fishing in the Caribbean.
Coast Guard Cutter John F. McCormick (WPC 1121)
JuneauEmpire.com has news of something a bit unusual happening in Juneau, a Navy/Coast Guard mine countermeasures exercise.
Doing mine countermeasures in Alaska is not easy for the US Navy because basically, the only navy in Alaska is the US Coast Guard.
There are basically three kinds of mine countermeasures done by USN,
Formerly the mine countermeasures ships were highly specialized, but they are now moving to using LCSs which are based in either Mayport, FL or San Diego, CA. In either case it would take a long time for them to get to Alaska.
The Helicopters, divers, and unmanned systems can be flown there, but they will need support including work space, communications, and ground and water transportation. The divers and unmanned systems will require supporting craft unless the mining is done very close to shore. The less they have to bring the better. That is apparently where the Coast Guard comes in.
It sounds like this is all preliminary to a more complex exercise in 2020.
“…Juneau could be a location of drills in 2020. Along with Anchorage, Kodiak and Seward, Juneau is an option for having an exercise in the water where Coast Guard and Navy personnel have to go in and figure out how to remove mines…”
One of the activities was touring the Webber class John F. McCormick (WPC-1121). Presumably the WPC was brought up from its homeport, Ketchikan, specifically for this purpose. Perhaps they are already familiar with Coast Guard’s buoy tenders, but they could also be very useful in supporting diver and unmanned systems operations.
As for where the 2020 exercise should be done–Cook Inlet–since Anchorage is the only strategic port in Alaska. Exercise results would also probably be more universally applicable if it is done away from the facilities of the District headquarters in Juneau, which are not available elsewhere in Alaska..
Representatives of the coast guards of Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, the Russian Federation and the United States, gathered in Oulu, Finland last week for a series of meetings of the Arctic Coast Guard Forum (ACGF) Experts and Principals. Photo: Finnish Border Guards/Twitter
A short story about the Arctic Council and Arctic Coast Guard Forum.
“It’s grown up, it’s no longer a new forum, it’s now entering fourth year and it’s got a live exercise under its belt, it’s got a couple of tabletop exercises, the delegations are now familiar with each other, there are strong relationships being built and I think that’s a sign of the forum maturing.”
An instruction aimed primarily at active duty personnel who might have been exposed to asbestos and/or lead on cutters built prior to 1991 was discussed in an earlier post. Now we get some guidance for those who have left the service. Thanks to Vince Patton who posted this on his Facebook page. Retirees might want to follow him if you have Facebook.
If you were assigned to Coast Guard cutters that were constructed prior to 1991, you may have been exposed to very low levels of asbestos and lead. Recorded levels of exposure were well below the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) levels that require medical surveillance examinations.
Routine exposure for asbestos and lead would include working on and berthing in a Coast Guard cutter where there may be small exposed areas of asbestos-containing thermal insulation, a number of torn asbestos-containing floor tiles, and lead dust from lead ballast ingots and lead-containing paint.
Exceptional exposures may have occurred during certain maintenance procedures (e.g. tearing up entire floor surfaces of asbestos-containing floor tiles and torching or sanding surfaces painted with lead-containing paint) without the use of personal protective equipment.
Asbestos- and Lead Related Health Effects
It is very difficult to link lead-related health effects to low level exposures on Coast Guard cutters. Routine exposures to asbestos on Coast Guard cutters could possibly be linked to the following medical conditions:
VA Disability Compensation Process
The VA has a mechanism for veterans to apply for compensation due to a disability that is the result of an injury, disease or an event in military service. If you experience a health effect believed to be due to exposure to asbestos or lead during military service and you desire to apply for VA disability compensation, you will need to provide evidence that supports the following:
Additional assistance may be obtained through a VA employee at a VA National Facility or a Veteran Service Organization (VSO).
You should also look at https://www.benefits.va.gov/compensation/apply.asp.
Documentation of Exposure
Veterans and Retirees may document their exposure due to a permanent duty assignment on a Coast Guard cutter constructed prior to 1991 by providing the VA with the following information:
OR
A Career Summary list of all of permanent duty assignments (if you printed this out from Direct Access prior to separation).
OR
Documentation in your Coast Guard Service Treatment Records (medical records) which states that you had a permanent duty assignment on a specific Coast Guard cutter (if this was recorded).
OR
Military Service Records from the National Archives in St. Louis, Missouri (if you have separated from the Coast Guard prior to 10/1/2006). See https://www.archives.gov/veterans/military-service-records for additional information. Under Information and/or Documents Requested, you should request your entire Official Military Personnel File. The DD-214 will not include information on your permanent duty assignments.
OR
Military Service Records from the Coast Guard Military Records Section/ Personnel Service Center (if you have separated from the Coast Guard on or after 10/1/2006). See http://www.dcms.uscg.mil/PSC/BOPS/PSC-BOPS-C/PSC-BOPS-C-MR/PSC-BOPS-C-MR_PDR/ for additional information. In Section II “Information and/or Documents Requested” of the SF-180 you should request your entire Official Military Personnel File. The DD-214 will not include information on your permanent duty assignments.
We have discussed the Liquid Robotics Wave Glider before, as a way to improve Maritime Domain Awareness, noting it is being used by the Brits for fisheries monitoring and by Boeing in support of the US Navy.
Now NavyRecognition brings us a report that the Japanese are using it to monitor the environment providing real time information
Certainly better information about surface currents could help us in search planning.
The last post, “Relieving Commandant and Vice Commandant Nominees Announced ” marks a milestone for the Blog. It is the 2000th post.
While many of the posts have been simply pointing to items of interest, we don’t seem to be running out of things that merit comment.
The Following is a press release quoted in its entirety:
Homeland Security Secretary Kristjen M. Nielsen announces selection
of the 26th Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard
WASHINGTON — Homeland Security Secretary Kristjen M. Nielsen announced the nomination by President Donald J. Trump of Vice Adm. Karl L. Schultz to be the 26th Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard Thursday.
Vice Adm. Schultz, the commander of the Coast Guard’s Atlantic Area, currently serves as the operational commander for all Coast Guard missions from the Rocky Mountains to the Arabian Gulf, spanning across five Coast Guard Districts and 40 states. Pending confirmation, he is expected to relieve Commandant of the Coast Guard Admiral Paul F. Zukunft in a change of command ceremony June 1, 2018, in Washington, D.C. Adm. Zukunft will retire following the change of command this summer.
“Vice Adm. Schultz will provide the sound leadership and steady hand needed to guide our global military service further into this dynamic and extraordinary era of our Nation,” said Adm. Zukunft.
Vice Adm. Schultz has selected and the president has nominated Vice Adm. Charles W. Ray, the current Deputy Commandant for Operations, as the Coast Guard’s 31st Vice Commandant. Pending confirmation, Vice Adm. Ray will relieve Adm. Charles D. Michel in a change of watch ceremony May 24, 2018, in Washington, D.C. Adm. Michel, the Coast Guard’s first four-star Vice Commandant, will retire following the change of watch.
Below are biographies link above for VAdm. Schultz and VAdm. Ray
Vice Adm. Karl L. Schultz, commander, Coast Guard Atlantic Area, speaks at the Coast Guard Cutter Benjamin Dailey commissioning ceremony in Pascagoula, Miss. Coast Guard Photo
Vice Admiral Schultz assumed the duties of Commander, Coast Guard Atlantic Area on August 4, 2016. He serves as the operational commander for all Coast Guard missions from the Rocky Mountains to the Arabian Gulf, spanning across five Coast Guard Districts and 40 states. In addition to his duties at Atlantic Area, he serves as Commander, Coast Guard Defense Force East, which provides Coast Guard mission support to the Department of Defense and Combatant Commanders. He concurrently serves as Director, DHS Joint Task Force – East, responsible for achieving the objectives of the DHS Southern Border and Approaches Campaign Plan throughout his Joint Operating Area, which covers the Caribbean Ocean and Eastern Pacific Region and Central America.
Vice Admiral Schultz reports to the Atlantic Area having recently served as Director of Operations (J3), U.S. Southern Command in Doral, Florida, where he directed joint service military operations across the Caribbean Basin, Central and South America. Prior flag officer assignments were Commander, Eleventh Coast Guard District, where he was responsible for multi-mission operations from California to Peru, and Director of Governmental and Public Affairs at Coast Guard Headquarters in Washington, D.C., where he was responsible for external engagement with Congress, the media, and inter-governmental entities.
Previous operational assignments include Sector Command in Miami, as well as command tours aboard Cutters VENTUROUS, ACACIA and FARALLON. Staff assignments include Chief of the Office of Congressional and Governmental Affairs; Congressional Liaison Officer to the U.S. House of Representatives; Liaison Officer to the U.S. Department of State, Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs; Assignment Officer at the Coast Guard Personnel Command, and Command Duty Officer in the Seventh Coast Guard District Operations Center in Miami.
Vice Admiral Schultz is a native of East Hartford, Connecticut and a 1983 Coast Guard Academy graduate, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering. In 1992, he was awarded a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from the University of Connecticut, and in 2006 completed a one year National Security Fellowship at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government.
His personal awards include the Defense Superior Service Medal, four Legions of Merit, four Meritorious Service Medals, three Coast Guard Commendation medals, two Coast Guard Achievement Medals, and various other personal and unit awards.
Vice Admiral Charles W. Ray
Vice Admiral Charles W. Ray assumed the duties of the Coast Guard Deputy Commandant for Operations in August 2016. In this capacity, he is responsible for the development of operational strategy, policy, guidance, and resources that address national priorities. This oversight of Coast Guard missions, programs, and services includes: intelligence; international affairs; cyber; the maritime transportation system; commercial regulations and inspections; search and rescue; maritime security; law enforcement; defense operations; environmental response; contingency planning; and the operational capabilities of cutter, boat, aviation, shore, and deployable specialized forces.
Vice Admiral Ray’s previous Flag Assignment was as the Pacific Area Commander. Prior to that he held Flag Assignments as the Deputy Pacific Area Commander, the Fourteenth Coast Guard District Commander, service with U.S. Forces Iraq as Director of the Iraq Training and Advisory Mission for the Ministry of Interior, and as the Military Advisor to the Secretary of the Department Homeland Security.
Vice Admiral Ray is from Newport, Arkansas, and is a 1981 graduate of the Coast Guard Academy. After an assignment as a deck watch officer aboard Coast Guard Cutter ACUSHNET (WMEC167), he was selected for Naval Flight Training and earned his wings in 1984.
Vice Admiral Ray has served at six Coast Guard Air Stations from Alaska to the Caribbean. He was designated an Aeronautical Engineer in 1988 and has served as Engineering Officer at three stations and at the Aviation Logistics Center as the Program Manager for the development of the Coast Guard’s Aviation Logistics Management System. He commanded Coast Guard Air Station Borinquen, Puerto Rico from 2002 through 2005. During the course of his career he accumulated over 5,000 hours of helicopter flight time.
Vice Admiral Ray’s staff assignments include a tour as Chief of the Office of Performance Management at Coast Guard Headquarters followed by a tour as the Chief of Staff of the Fourteenth Coast Guard District. Vice Admiral Ray earned a Master of Science Degree in Industrial Administration from Purdue University and a Master of Science Degree in National Resource Strategy from the Industrial College of the Armed Forces in Washington, D.C.
Vice Admiral Ray’s personal awards include the Coast Guard Distinguished Service Medal, five Legion of Merit Medals, one Bronze Star Medal, two Meritorious Service Medals, one Coast Guard Air Medal, three Coast Guard Commendation Medals, and the Coast Guard Achievement Medal.
Great background information here for understanding the environment of Antarctica. I am told there are now a few more flights than indicated but otherwise the video appears accurate.
Thanks to Lee for bringing this to my attention.
Chuck Hill's CG Blog 