Wanted to say thanks for looking in on my blog and a special thanks to those that elevated the discussion by making comments. Have to say, the readership is a remarkably civil group and quite knowledgeable. I think we owe a special debt to Tups for providing much needed expertise on icebreakers. Also want to thank those who engaged with me off line, often bringing items to my attention. Lee has been particularly helpful in this regard.

There were 215,180 “views” in 2018, or about 590 per day That was down 1.32% from last year’s high, but the number of separate visits was up 5.91% over last year’s high, to 54,412 or about 149 per day. There were 316 posts last year, up 14.1% from the previous high in 2015.

Many of the older posts are still being looked at. The top five posts in 2018 were:

1. What Does It Take to Sink a Ship? (March 2011)
2. Three Nations Share German OPV Design (Apr. 2014)
3. Navy Awards FFG Conceptual Design Contracts for FFG(X)–Speculation on a NSC Derivative (Feb. 2018)
4. New 40 mm Gun (Oct. 2016)
5. Case for the Five Inch Gun (Nov. 2012)

The top ten posts ever published on his blog are listed below. I’ve updated the “Top Ten Posts” page to reflect this, along with making some additions and deletions to the list of “Other Posts of Continuing Interest.”

1. What Does It Take to Sink a Ship? (March 2011)
2. OPV to OPC (July (2012) (Since the OPC has been selected, now only of historical interest)
3. The Navy’s New Patrol Boat (May 2012)
   
4. Three Nations Share German OPV Design (Apr. 2014)
5. Case for the Five Inch Gun (Nov. 2012)
6. What Might Coast Guard Cutters Do in Wartime, Part 2, Coast Guard Roles (Feb. 2012)
7. Offshore Patrol Cutter Concepts (June 2013) (Since the OPC has been selected, now only of historical interest)
8. Alternate Weapons for New Large Cutters? (May 2012)
9. 30mm Better than the 57mm? (Aug. 2014)
10. Irelands New OPV, Samuel Beckett (May 2014)

I also started a Chuck Hill’s CG Blog Facebook Page. I try to provide a link there to new posts shortly after they are published here. Occasionally I will provide a link there to other items of interest that I may not post here, but if you only look there you would miss the comments. I will frequently use comments as a way to update an older post.

Looking at the year ahead, I don’t think we need to worry about it being boring. I’m hoping it does not get too exciting. Certainly there are budget uncertainties. Will the icebreaker be funded? Will we get a budget at all? The Geopolitical landscape is changing and not necessarily for the better. The Coast Guard will have a role to play in hopefully keeping the rules based international system in place. Hopefully we will have another year of relative peace.

Happy New Year to all.

Image: Aker Arctic

Its nice when technology makes things better, but it really nice when tech makes things better and cheaper.

MarineLink is reporting Aker Arctic is claiming they have developed new parameters, “strength dimensioning criteria,” that will allow the use of bronze propellers on high ice class vessels, and that an ice class 1A vessel is now operating with bronze propellers designed and supplied by Aker Arctic.

“While bronze is not as strong as stainless steel, it has a number of benefits in marine applications such as good resistance against corrosion and cavitation damage. The material is also easy to work with both during manufacturing as well as when carrying out maintenance and repairs. Compared to a similarly-sized stainless steel propeller, a bronze screw is also cheaper.”

Border Wall, Brownsville, Texas, Immigrant, Crossing, 2009. Photo by Nofx221984

The DOD news service “Stars & Stripes” is reporting that the Department of Homeland Security is deploying Coast Guard medical personnel to the border with Mexico to screen immigrants.

Special forces aboard the Grande Tema on Friday night , photo from Telegraph

The Telegraph, a UK news organization, brings a report of an attempted takeover of a container ship by four stowaways, apparently want-a-be immigrants, and their subsequent capture by British special forces.

Four stowaways who allegedly threatened the crew of a cargo ship with armed bars were detained by police on Friday night after an operation to secure the vessel was launched off the Kent coast.

The crew of Grande Tema, en route from Lagos in Nigeria to Tilbury in ­Essex, locked themselves on the bridge after the stowaways they had discovered broke free from a cabin and started to make their demands.

Read the entire report here.

This is the sort of operation where inserting law enforcement by helicopter makes sense. Fortunately no casualties, unlike some earlier vertical insertions.

Thanks to EagleSpeak for bringing this to my attention.

Got this by email. I am reposting for those of you who may not be on the mailing list. Not too late to join.

From Captain Scott Clendenin, USCG, President, National Cuttermen Chapter of the Surface Navy Association

Colleagues,

I hope this holiday season finds you well.

The Surface Navy Association’s 31st National Symposium will be held at the Hyatt Regency Crystal City Hotel in Arlington, Virginia from 15 to 17 January 2019.

Please see the agenda on our website: http://navysna.org/

Last year we had good attendance by our Coast Guard men and women.  I received a lot of great feedback from those  who attended about how great this event is for Coast Guard members and staff.  Unfortunately, many of us did not sign up in advance which was a bit of a burden for the SNA event team.  To remedy this we ask that you please go to the link now to register and sign up for the events that you are interested in attending.  As cuttermen you are certain to find the discussions and exhibits of great interest.

Secondly, this is a great time to join, rejoin, or re up your SNA membership.   Your modest membership fee brings a lot of support to you, your chapter, and cuttermen.  Please help us grow.

Lastly be sure to sign up for the regularly scheduled SNA Symposium Cuttermen’s Call on Thursday Afternoon where the Atlantic Area Commander will address us, followed by a traditional Cuttermen’s  cocktail gathering, all sponsored by SNA.

We hope to see you there!

Vr,

Captain Scott Clendenin, U.S. Coast Guard

President, National Cuttermen Chapter of the Surface Navy Association.

202 372 2003

Felt the need to share this. Very impressive test results against small surface targets. Given how close the targets appeared to the horizon, the targets must have been near the extreme range of the Hellfire or about 8000 yards. This is also about the effective range of the 57mm and the 76mm except that the accuracy is much greater and the time to destroy the target much shorter.

NAVSEA claims a 90% success rate in testing.

BM2 Dale Veverka, a boatswains mate, Seaman George Degener, and MK2 Joshua Post  conduct maneuvers on the Coast Guard Cutter Northland’s “over-the-horizon” small boat during transit to Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, April 9, 2008. for UNITAS exercise. U.S. Coast Guard photo by PA2 Nathan Henise.

The following is a release from the Acquisition Directorate (CG-9)  Apparently they plan to procure a fifth generation over the horizon cutter boat.

The Coast Guard released a request for information (RFI) Dec. 7 to gather information in preparation for the Over the Horizon V cutter boat acquisition.

The planned vessel is a standard configuration boat up to 26 feet long, which is capable of performing missions that require projection of Coast Guard capabilities beyond the parent cutter. It will operate in day and night; in a spectrum of climates, weather conditions and sea states.

The anticipated scope of the contract is near 200 boats delivered over a 10-year-period.

The RFI is available here. The deadline to submit responses is Dec. 14 at 12 p.m. EST.

For more information: Cutter Boats program page   

This is probably the answer to a comment question on an earlier post about a new 7 meter RHIB, that ask what boat would be used on the Offshore Patrol Cutter (OPC).

From the RFI:

Approximate OTH-V Characteristics:
Length: 26 feet (maximum extreme dimensions)
Beam: 9.0 feet (maximum extreme dimensions)
Weight: ~7500 lbs (full fuel, no personnel)
Comms: HF, UHF, VHF, DSC, AIS
Navigation: Scalable Integrated Navigation System-2 with radar
Seating: Shock Mitigating for five, designated for eight additional
Stability: ISO 12217-1
Structure: ISO 12215-5
Propulsion: Diesel Engine with Waterjet propulsion
Top Speed: 40 knots
Range: 200 NM (with 10% fuel reserve)
Interface: Dual Point Davit, Single Point Davit with Sling, Stern Notch

MilitaryTimes reports, 

“The horrific KC-130T plane crash that killed 15 Marines and a sailor last summer was caused by a deteriorating propeller blade that was corroded when it entered an Air Force maintenance depot in 2011, but workers there failed to fix it and sent it back to the fleet unrepaired.”

Reportedly this was not an isolated problem.

The investigation’s report and nearly 2,000 pages of supplementary records portray an endemic level of neglect by the Air Force, which maintains C-130 propeller blades for the Navy.

and I would presume possibly also for the Coast Guard which is still flying the C-130H.

The exact maintenance failures that took place at Warner Robins Air Logistics Complex back in 2011, and who was responsible, will likely never be known.

Before the crash, it was Air Force policy to throw out such maintenance records after two years, according to the report.

The US Naval Institute News Service has the video above and the full text of the investigation (which I must admit, I did not read). This video has a bit more detail than the one accompanying the MilitaryTimes post.

It is of course the anniversary of the Attack on Pearl Harbor that brought America into World War II. Last year Coast Guard Compass published this story of the Coast Guard’s actions on that day and the conflict that followed.

But the Coast Guard has another reason to remember December 7, the loss of the White Alder, along with 17 of her crew of 20. From the Coast Guard Compass, “The Long Blue Line: Buoy Tender White Alder—lost 50 years ago, but not forgotten”

a music video dedicated to the men of USCGC BLUEBELL, a “hidden jewel” in the coast guard. the black hull sailors who got things done, “if we go unnoticed then it just simply means we’ve done our job right”.

If you haven’t seen it yet, the Acquisitions Directorate has some excellent graphics on the current and future inland and river tender fleet, or as the program is now known, the Waterways Commerce Cutter.

If you would like to take a look start here, and check out the “Resources” and “In the News” tabs at the bottom of the page.

USCGC Wyaconda stationed out of Dubuque, IA