US Coast Guard cutter Waesche (WSML-751) and crew transit the San Francisco Bay en route to their Base Alameda, California, home port, Aug. 11, 2024. US Coast Guard Photo
US Naval Institute News Service reports,
The Coast Guard is searching for a missing member of the crew of USCGC Waesche (WMSL-751) off the Pacific coast of Mexico near the border of Guatemala…USCGC Stone (WMSL-758) is also operating in the region.
The missing coastguardsman has not yet been identified.
Admiral Linda L. Fagan
Based on the Coast Guard Historian’s timeline, https://www.history.uscg.mil/research/chronology/
With inspiration from Mike Kelso
February 4
The Paraguay Squadron. Harper’s Weekly, New York, 16/10/1858
1859 The United States signed the “Treaty of Friendship, Commerce and Navigation” with Paraguay at Asuncion after the revenue cutter Harriet Lane, as part of a U.S. Navy expedition, forced the opening of the Paraguay and Parana Rivers.
1863 Commissioned officers of the Revenue Cutter Service were to be appointed by the President by and with advice and consent of the Senate. This act contained the first statutory use of term “Revenue Cutter Service.” Previous laws referred only to “revenue cutters”.
Woodcut of Ida Lewis, light-house keeper, Women of the century By Phebe Ann Hanaford 1876
1881 Keeper Ida Lewis, the head keeper of the Lime Rock Lighthouse, rescued two soldiers from Fort Adams who had fallen through the ice “at the imminent risk of Mrs. Lewis-Wilson’s life.” For her heroic actions she was awarded a Gold Lifesaving Medal. She was officially credited with saving 13 persons during her distinguished career with the U.S. Lighthouse Service “and it is understood that the number was probably much greater.”
1982 Attorney General William Smith declared at a press conference that Operation Tiburon was “the most successful international marijuana interdiction effort to date.” The operation began in November 1980, and accounted for the seizure of 95 vessels. It was a combined operation that included elements of the Coast Guard, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Customs Service, and various state and local law enforcement agencies.
M/V New Carissa On February 4, 1999, the M/V New Carissa, a 639-foot bulk freight ship of Panamanian registry, went hard aground in heavy seas about 150 yards off a stretch of remote, undeveloped sandy beach three miles north of Coos Bay, Ore. The ship was intentionally ignited to burn the fuel oil and later broke in two. NOAA photo.
1999 The 639-foot freighter New Carissa ran aground north of Coos Bay, Oregon. Coast Guard helicopter crews rescued 23 crewmembers, but the vessel remained firmly aground and attempts to refloat her failed. A unified command made up of Coast Guard and Navy personnel, as well as marine salvors, attempted to prevent a catastrophic oil spill as the ship began breaking apart. The team decided to set the oil on board the New Carissa on fire so it would burn away before being spilled and fouling the shore. It was the largest “in situ” burn ever tried in U.S. waters and it consumed a significant amount of the oil aboard the New Carissa. The Coast Guard’s annual report for that year noted: “While some oil did spill out of the vessel, the unified command’s efforts greatly reduced the potential environmental damage to the Oregon coast.” The ship eventually broke in two and her bow section was towed to sea and sunk by the Navy.
USCGC DILIGENCE returns to Pensacola.
2014 CGC Diligence returned to its homeport of Wilmington, North Carolina, after completing a 49-day patrol in the North Atlantic Ocean in support of Operation Atlantic Venture. The combined efforts of Diligence and the other Coast Guard assets involved in the operation resulted in nearly 75 vessel inspections that identified numerous violations of federal safety and fisheries regulations.
Based on the Coast Guard Historian’s timeline, https://www.history.uscg.mil/research/chronology/
With inspiration from Mike Kelso
February 3
1801 Treaty of peace with France was ratified on this date, thereby ending the “Quasi-War,” in which cutters of the Revenue Marine had rendered valiant service.
1880 Date of a terrific gale on the New Jersey coast. Six vessels came ashore with 47 persons on board; all but two survived. Nineteen Life-Saving Service crewmen were awarded Gold Life-Saving Medals during the rescue of the persons aboard the wrecked George Taulane.
Escanaba rescuing survivors from USAT Dorchester. USCG Image.
1943 A U-boat torpedoed the transport USS Dorchester off the coast of Greenland. Two of her escorts, CGCs Comanche and Escanaba, responded. The crew of Escanaba used a new rescue technique when pulling survivors from the water. This “retriever” technique used swimmers clad in wet suits to swim to victims in the water and secure a line to them so they could then be hauled onto the ship. Although Escanaba saved 133 men (one later died) and Comanche saved 97, over 600 men were lost, including the famous “Four Chaplains” who gave up their lifejackets to those that did not have one and all four went down with the ship.
Cadet Mary Jane East in dress uniform during rifle inspection on the Academy parade grounds. (U.S. Coast Guard Photo) 11/24/2020
1976 The Coast Guard Academy first announced the appointments of 50 cadets to enter with the Class of 1980, including three women: Cathryn Lis of Bristol, Connecticut; Susan Kollmeyer of Groton, Connecticut; & Cynthia Snead of Melbourne, Florida. The Coast Guard News Release published on February 4, 1976 regarding their announcement noted that: “Of the four largest federal service academies (Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard) the Coast Guard Academy is the first to offer an appointment to a woman.” (USCG News Release No. 7-76; 4 February 1976).
1997 The 660-foot freighter Contship Houston ran aground on a coral reef 12 miles southeast of Key West in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. The vessel, under Coast Guard supervision, was safely floated off the reef some 144 hours later.
Five aircraft carriers and six big deck ampibs at Norfolk Naval Station
I will, for the moment step outside my accustomed role as a retired Coast Guard curmudgeon, and comment on the National Naval Strategy. Please forgive me, but this is the most “bully pulpit” I have. I got to thinking about this when the discussion of the Panama Canal noted that USN carriers cannot use the Canal and would take a very long time to join any naval conflict with China.
There is no longer any tactical or strategic reason that deployment of the US Fleet should be split 50/50 between the Atlantic and Pacific.
Russia is a fading shadow of the former Soviet Union with a smaller GDP than Canada. Our Atlantic Sea lines of communication are essentially secure. Russia is by no means ready to take on all of NATO, They can barely handle Ukraine.
China on the other hand is increasingly aggressive. Their rapidly growing fleet enjoys a home field advantage in the Western Pacific, particularly while half our fleet is based in the Atlantic.
Most of our ships and all of our aircraft carriers should be based in the Pacific.
In Europe, we have plenty of land bases we can operate aircraft from. Nevertheless, Britain, France, and Italy should be encouraged to coordinate their carrier deployments so that one of them is always immediately available
Big deck amphibious ships like LHAs operating F-35Bs and MH-60R ASW helicopters can fill in for what little carrier aviation we need in the Atlantic and Mediterranean.
In the Pacific we have few permanent air bases close to where conflict is likely. Carrier based aircraft can be the difference between victory and disaster.
The situation is starting to look much like World War II, when virtually all US fast carriers were assigned to the Pacific Fleet
Right now we operate aircraft carriers singly, even in the Western Pacific. Singly an aircraft carrier can barely defend itself against Chinese anti-access systems, much less go on the offensive.
Operating aircraft carriers in pairs with augmented escorts gives them a much better chance of both surviving and going on the offensive. One can play defense while the other prepares a massive strike.
Ten carriers in the Pacific would mean we could have a ready pair in the Western Pacific at all times. They and their larger destroyer squadron could even work up together before deployment.
The current distribution of shipyards capable of doing maintenance on aircraft carriers may suggest basing all US aircraft carriers in the Pacific may be impossible. It might be necessary to open a new shipyard. Vallejo might be an option. A fourth USN Pacific operating base on US soil could be advantageous. If a new shipyard is developed in the Pacific, if it were government owned and operated it could speed emergency repairs, avoiding the delays of contract negotiations.
The “What’s Going On With Shipping” podcast is not normally about the Coast Guard but it is about the Marine Transportation System with which the Coast Guard is intimately intertwined so inevitably the Coast Guard will be mentioned from time to time.
A regular reader wanted to share this video. This was his comment.
I did not know where to put this, so I found one of the stories about the 140′ Ice Breaking Tugs in the Great Lakes
Below is a YouTube link of the USCGC Katmai Bay breaking ice up in Sault Ste. Marie as it was escorting a tanker.
Beautiful close up shots of her after the 20min mark, and you can clearly see her bubbler system working as she slices through the ice.
Just wanted to share this, as these 140’s are a unique asset in the Great Lakes – Very well made ships that still look strong (where’s the 140′ Replacement Program Congress!!).
Are we not allowed to post YouTube Links?? In not, please go search on YouTube for: “USCGC Katmai Bay making a path through the ice for Algonova going to the Soo on Jan 31st, 2025”
So I am passing it along.
My previous post included a discussion about the US interests in the Panama Canal and the President’s stated aim of retaking the canal. The discussion suggested that talk of a complete takeover might be a negotiating tactic. In any case it suggests that US forces may make a return to the Canal Zone.
This could be significant for the Coast Guard. The Coast Guard might replicate PATFORSWA with a squadron of Webber Class WPCs that would be very useful in interdicting drug traffic in the Eastern Pacific Transit Zone–PATFORCENTAM.
A Coast Guard base and support center, hosting perhaps a reinforced company of Marines, tasked with doing training in Central America, might be enough to satisfy US concerns about the security of the canal.
A Coast Guard base would also probably be more welcomed by Panama than a DOD base that would look like an occupying force. After all, both the US and Panama share an interest in maritime law enforcement and the security of the canal.
“What the Ship” is usually interesting, but this episode is more Coast Guard centric than most.
I would say the Coast Guard needs to stop talking about how small it is. The US Coast Guard does not have aircraft carriers or submarines but has more uniformed personnel, more vessels, and more aircraft than either the British or French Navies. The Coast Guard could make a significant contribution to national security if the country made relatively inexpensive additional investments in it.
Chuck Hill's CG Blog 