“The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Tampa (WMEC 902) transits the Florida Straits on Feb. 4, 2024, supporting Operation Vigilant Sentry. Tampa is homeported in Portsmouth, Virginia.” (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Senior Chief Petty Officer Brodie MacDonald)

Below are three articles worth a look. Not ready to comment, but interesting.

• “To Make Coast Guard’s New Ships Better, Press the Old Veterans Harder” –Forbes
• “GAO: Coast Guard Should Address Workforce Recruitment and Retention Challenges” –Marine Link
• “CANADIAN COAST GUARD ENHANCES MARITIME SECURITY WITH AI” –Sea Technology

Thanks to Paul and David for the recommendations. 

Looking at this week’s Fleet and Marine Tracker, as always, I am interested in how much of the fleet is deployed and/or underway because I compare these figures with what I know of Coast Guard cutters’ time underway.

• 33.6% of the Battle Force was deployed.
• 28.4% of the commissioned Battle Force was deployed.
• 53.3% of MSC’s USNS Battle Force was deployed.
• 19.2% of the Battle Force was underway.
• 57.1% of the ships deployed were underway.
• 9.3% of those not deployed were underway.

As noted earlier, a count how many ships are deployed in which fleets is no longer included in the tabular section.

There is an interesting note that, “USCGC Polar Star (WAGB-10) is en route Yokosuka, Japan after making a port visit to Auckland, New Zealand Feb. 19 to 25.”

SAAB Light Weight Torpedo 47 (SLWT)

ESSANEWS and MSN report,

“The announcement of the SLWT delivery was subtly made within the information that Sweden would support Ukraine with a weapons package worth $680 million. This includes, among other items, swift CB90 (Combat Boat 90) boats and ‘underwater’ weaponry…Ukrainian sources infer that the aforementioned ‘underwater weapon’ refers to the Torpedo 47.”

Torpedo 47 (Torped 47):

Torpedo 47 is considerably different from the lightweight torpedoes used by the US Navy. It is:

• Wire Guided
• Intended to use against surface vessels as well as submarines
• Powered by a rechargeable battery
• Larger and heavier that USN lightweight torpedoes (340 kg 748 lbs, 400mm 15.7″ in diameter, 2.85m 112″ long, with a 50 kg 110 lb warhead)

Torpedo Employment: 

The first thing that comes to mind is how will the torpedoes be employed? Ukraine has no submarines, no large surface combatants, and no helicopters or fixed wing aircraft with anti-submarine sensors.

On the Defense

The MSN article talks primarily about the Torpedo 47 in the context of its use against submarines, and essentially writes off the Russian surface threat. That may be premature.

The Ukrainians are unlikely to be able to find and engage submarines launching long range cruise missiles into Ukraine, but they do want to keep submarines (and surface ships) from attacking merchant ships transiting between the relative safety of Ukrainian ports and Romanian Territorial Waters. The torpedoes may have a role in that.

The package may include some bottom mounted sensors that would allow the Ukrainians to detect submarines approaching their coast and torpedoes could be launched from shore or from small craft directed by controllers ashore.

Torpedoes might be launched from the remaining 110-foot Island class cutters or from the Combat Boat 90s.

On the Offensive

The report suggests the torpedoes might be launched from unmanned surface craft. While this is certainly possible, it would require a new class of larger USVs and controlling a smart torpedo, the torpedo launcher, and the USV gets pretty complicated.

The Russians still have combatants based in Crimea. The Russians are also still apparently attempting to resupply through maritime deliveries to Crimea. Shipping carrying supplies to Crimea may be a target. The warhead is large enough to severely damage or sink the relatively small vessels the Russians seem to be employing for this purpose. There might also be an opportunity to employ the torpedoes in combination with kamikaze Unmanned Surface Vessels. The torpedo would most certainly immobilize or at least slow a target, even if it did not sink it outright. Then additional hit by USVs could insure its sinking.

During WWII the Soviets frequently fired torpedoes into ports to destroy port infrastructure as well as ships in port. These torpedoes might be used against port facilities as well.

Combat Boat 90:

These small ships are well adapted to support special forces. They can each transport half a platoon and can be intentionally run aground to discharge troops. They are likely to be used on Ukraine’s river system as well as offshore.

It might not be too difficult to equip them with these lightweight torpedoes.

Hopefully we will hear more about how the torpedoes and CB90s are used.

The U.S. Navy destroyer USS Satterlee (DD-626) off the Boston Navy Yard, Massachusetts (USA), on 22 September 1943. Official U.S. Navy Bureau of Ships photo 19-N-51146

While working on a post suggesting it might be possible to recover an artifact from USCGC Tampa, sunk with all hands during World War One, I discovered that the U.S. Navy had named two destroyers after USCGC Tampa’s CO, Captain Charles Satterlee, DD-190 and DD-626. Below are excerpts from the Wikipedia entries for the two ships. Unfortunately, DD-190, like USCGC Tampa, was torpedoed and lost with all hands after being transferred to the Royal Navy as part of the 50 Destroyer Deal.

USS Satterlee (DD-626):

In the first week of May 1944, Satterlee underwent training for a special mission assigned to her for the Normandy landings. She was to support a crack unit of 200 Army Rangers in eliminating a German gun battery at Pointe du Hoc which commanded the Omaha landing beaches. After escorting minesweepers to the beach area on the night of 5 and 6 June, she commenced pre-arranged fire on Pointe du Hoc at 05:48, 6 June. As the Rangers landed, she broke up enemy units attempting to oppose them from the top of the cliff.

Although the Rangers found that the battery’s guns had been removed before the landings, German resistance was stiff, and Satterlee provided gunfire support for the rest of the day. Satterlee remained off the Normandy beaches for the next forty days, and then joined the invasion force which arrived off Saint-Tropez, southern France, on 15 August 1944. Here she helped repel a night attack of five German motor torpedo boats, sinking one from which she rescued 12 survivors.

Satterlee received two battle stars for her World War II service. Henry Fonda also served on the ship, as a Quartermaster 3rd Class

The U.S. Navy destroyer USS Satterlee (DD-190), circa in 1920. US Navy photo.

USS Satterlee (DD-190) was a Clemson-class destroyer in the United States Navy, entering service in 1919. After brief service until 1922, the ship was placed in reserve. The ship was reactivated for World War II before being transferred to the Royal Navy in 1940. Renamed HMS Belmont, the destroyer was used as a convoy escort in the Battle of the Atlantic…On 31 January 1942, she was struck by a single torpedo south of Newfoundland in position 42º02’N, 57º18’W, and sunk with the loss of all 138 hands by the German U-boat U-82 while escorting a convoy (NA.2) of British and Canadian airmen to the United Kingdom.

These two are not the only Navy destroyers named after Coast Guard heroes.

USS Newcomb (DD-586), awarded eight battlestars, was struck by five Kamikazes off Okinawa, but survived.

We knew about USS Newcomb (DD-586) named for the captain of the Revenue Cutter Hudson that towed the torpedo boat Winslow out from under Spanish guns during the Spanish American War.

The U.S. Navy destroyer escort USS Douglas A. Munro (DE-422) approaching the Royal Australian Navy aircraft carrier HMAS Sydney (R17), not visible, in Korean waters, between 31 August 1951 and 22 February 1952.

There was USS Douglas A. Munro (DE-422) named for the Coast Guardsman who lost his life pulling Marines out of an ambush on Guadalcanal.

190606-N-DM308-001 (June 6, 2019) A graphic illustration of the future Arleigh-Burke class guided-missile destroyer USS Quentin Walsh (DDG 132). (U.S. Navy photo illustration by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Paul L. Archer/Released)

There may have been others named for Coast Guardsmen, but we know there will be at least one more. “SECNAV Names Future Destroyer in Honor of US Coast Guard, World War II Navy Cross Recipient”

Below is a BAE press release.

I have long felt Coast Guard ships and aircraft could benefit from use of NATO standard data links. They ease coordination and can become essential in complex military operations, but they also provide secure exchange of text, imagery, and voice communications and can prevent “friendly fire” situations like the attack on USCGC Point Welcome.

Availability of Link 16 at Coast Guard district headquarters (if they do not already have it) would also make coordination with DOD assets easier should the District Commander need to ask for their assistance.

The FireNet systems seems to have made installation easier than ever.

Coast Guard to SLEP, Expand MH-60T Helicopter Fleet as Sikorsky Delivers First New Airframe

Below is news from the Acquistions Directorate (CG-9). This is big, but it is going to take a long time. H-65s will be with us until the early 2040s. The Coast Guard intends to increase its H-60 fleet to at least 127, up from 45. Currently the Coast Guard has 98 H-65s or a total 143 rotary wing aircraft. We may be looking at 16 fewer total aircraft, but that is in the distant future and not really a reason for concern. Somehow, I doubt the plan will remain unchanged for 20 years, nor should it

Just wanted to put in a good word for the Navy League’s 2024 Almanac. This annual, expanded, special edition of Sea Power alone may be sufficient reason to join the Navy League.

Despite their name, the Navy League is a vital supporter of the Coast Guard and US Merchant Marine and the entire maritime industry.

The almanac includes 189 pages of information about US Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, NOAA, MARAD, and Maritime Sealift Command ships, aircraft, weapons, C4ISR systems, and leadership personnel. It even includes addresses, telephone numbers, and websites.

Members of the Coast Guard Cutter Waesche (WMSL-751) law enforcement boarding team inspect a self-propelled semi-submersible (SPSS) in international waters of the Eastern Pacific Ocean, Nov. 20, 2023. The interdiction of the SPSS yielded more than 5,500 pounds of cocaine. In November 2023, Waesche crewmembers seized approximately 18,219 pounds of cocaine, with an estimated street value of over $239 million, during four separate suspected drug smuggling vessel interdictions or events off the coasts of Mexico and Central and South America. (U.S. Coast Guard photo)

Task and Purpose reports,

“Two Navy SEALs went missing during a Visit, Board, Search and Seizure action near Somalia. Former SEALs say those VBSS missions were always among their most dangerous.”

Find it gratifying that Seals recognize the hazards of something the Coast Guard does routinely. Does seem they are more likely to do this in the dark.