“Famous-class medium endurance cutter USCGC Mohawk (WMEC 913) arrived in Dakar, Senegal for a scheduled port visit, July 12, 2022…During the visit, Mohawk leadership will meet with U.S. embassy leaders to continue building on the United States’ strong maritime partnership with Senegal…This port visit also marks the first stop in Africa for Mohawk during their maritime patrol in the Gulf of Guinea. Mohawk is forward-deployed to the U.S. Naval Forces Africa (NAVAF) area of operations, while employed by U.S. Sixth Fleet.”
Mohawk had escorted the last pair of Webber class bound for PATFORSWA, USCGC John Scheuerman (WPC 1146), and USCGC Clarence Sutphin Jr. (WPC 1147), across the Atlantic. Before Mohawk goes home or the WPCs get to Bahrain, they are doing some relationship and capacity building. Earlier Mohawk had stopped in Lisbon. Meanwhile the Webber class cutters made one of probably several portcalls enroute Bahrain in Algeria.
Leonardo 76/62 Sovraponte (Single Deck) naval gun system fitted on the helicopter hangar of the Italian Navy PPA type vessel.
Knowing that a ship will last decades into an uncertain future, when you consider how a ship should be armed.
You want at least two weapons capable of engaging each type of threat for redundancy.
You want the weapons separated so that one hit will not disable all your weapons.
You want to be able to engage more than one target at a time.
You want 360 degree coverage, particularly against air and swarming surface threats.
In addition to self defense, you may want to be able to hit targets on shore. (The Coast Guard did a lot of that in Vietnam.)
It helps both training and logistics if the weapons are versitile enoungh that we can minimize the number of weapon types required. Ideally you want one type of weapon that can do it all.
The 76mm/62 gun may be the most produced medium caliber gun since the 5″/38 of WWII fame, with perhaps more users than any naval gun in history. The Coast Guard still has this gun, the 76mm Mk75, mounted on the Bear class WMECs. Since then, a different, much improved “Super Rapid” (SR) mount has been developed specifically for anti-ship cruise missile (ASCM) defense. In fact, it is designed to deal with the simultaneous arrival of multiple ASCMs.
The Italian Navy considers the SR to be an effective anti-missile weapon and new ships are being built with this weapon in place of the twin “Fast 40” used on earlier ships in that role. OTO-Melara estimates that, combined with the Dardo FCS, the SR can begin engaging attacking missiles at about 6,600 yards (6,000 m), with the first rounds arriving on target at 6,000 yards (5,500 m). With these ranges, a single gun can deal with up to four subsonic sea-skimmer missiles, arriving simultaneously on courses 90 degrees apart, before any reaches 1,100 yards (1,000 m).
The Deck Mounting Advantage
Topside space on many ships is at a premium. Sensors, ECM, comms, and weapons compete for space. A gun normally enjoys pride of place on the bow, but it is more difficult to site weapons on the stern, particularly if they require ammunition handling space under the weapon.
This new mount should retain the capabilities of the SR mount (aside from fewer ready service rounds–76, almost as many as we had on the Mk75, but with the advantage of dual selectable feed) and adds the advantage that it does not require an ammunition handling space below the mount. A clever repackaging of the ubiquitous former Oto-Melara 76 mm gun looks looks like it could be the answer to a number of difficult weapon siting questions This means that it can be mounted in areas where the previous SR mount could not have been mounted, such as on the roof of helicopter hangars or on the fantail where steering gear is directly below (like where the Phalanx was located on the FRAMed 378s).
Frequently, the top of the hangar is to best location, but the space under the roof is already taken up. Weapons like the 25 mm Mk38, the 20 mm Phalanx, or the SeaRAM missle systems can usually find space aft, frequently on top of the hangar, because they don’t require deck penetration, but they do not have the versatility of the 76mm.
That might not matter much on more powerful warships that have a range of different weapons to address different threats, but for ships with a limited number of weapons, it can be critical.
The Alternatives
Looking at the US Navy weapons that are typically mounted on top of the hangar because they don’t require below deck ammunition handling space:
The Mk38 even in the anticipated Mod4 version is a short range (4400 yard max/2200 yard effective) weapon with only minimal anti-air capability and suitable for engaging only small surface targets.
The 20mm Phalanx is capable against ASCMs but it was designed to stop “leakers,” as a last ditch back up to more capable systems. It was never intended as a complete, stand alone ASCM defense systtem. If multiple ASCMs arrive simultaneously, it could probably successfully engage only one, or at most two. It does have limited short range counter drone and counter-swarm capability, but its projectile is a non explosive high velocity .50 caliber, so its effect on any but the smallest surface vessel is likely to be very limited and only then at very short range (1625 yard effective). Quoting from the link in this paragraph,
In recent years, the Vulcan 20 mm gun that is the heart of this weapon has increasingly been seen as not being effective enough against modern missile threats. However, the British Royal Navy did select Phalanx for their new Daring class Type 45 destroyers.
Phalanx is somewhat notorious for having maintenance problems, with the Navy’s Material Readiness Database for fiscal years 1997 through 1999 noting that Phalanx Block 1B (all mods) had an availability rate of between 72 and 81% for this time period.
The RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missile (RAM and SeaRAM) is probably the best short range counter to anti-ship cruise missile (ASCM) in the USN inventory. I can understand why the Dutch chose it for the Karel Doorman upgrade. It has been modified to incorporate an anti-Helicopter, Aircraft, and Surface (“HAS”) capability. Range is reportedly 10,000 meters, about 11,000 yards, and it has a decent sized warhead, 11.3 kg (24.9 lb). That is far more than the range of the either the Mk38 or the Phalanx.
Each of these is designed for a particular threat. RAM is by far the most versatile but even it cannot match range and capabilities of the 76mm with its numerous ammunition alternatives.
Programable Fuze: Like the 57mm Mk110, the 76mm can use a programable fuze, the 3A-Plus programmable multi-role fuze. It is described as having several modes including a time mode for air burst and a number of proximity modes: gated proximity, anti-missile proximity, conventional air defence proximity and anti-surface proximity. The fuzing includes a digital signal processor which rejects ground/sea clutter and so is claimed to be capable of detecting a missile flying as low as two meters above sea level while being able to recognise a target at a 10-meter stand-off.
Guided munitions are being developed for the 57mm Mk 110 (ALaMO and MAD-FIRES). These technologies could also be applied to the larger 76mm round, but a capability that appears similar to MAD-FIRES has been available with the 76mm for about a decade, with the advantage that it includes a proximity fuze. Additionally, reportedly, extended range rounds that may be guided against both fixed and moving targets are or soon will be available for the 76mm.
DART (Driven Ammunition Reduced Time of Flight):
European Defense Review On-Line reports,
“…the Super Rapido is offered in the Strales (or Davide as identified by Italian Navy) configuration based on the DART (Driven Ammunition with Reduced Time of Flight) guided ammunition and a Ka-band guidance radar antenna required to generate the ammunition guidance beam installed on the gun mount. The sub-caliber DART projectiles demonstrated an effective range up to 8 km (in comparison with a 4.5 km requirement) and a 1,200 m/s initial velocity allowing to cover 5 km in 5 seconds. These performances together with the high maneuverability of the DART round allowed the system to demonstrate its effectiveness against present and future ASCM targets, at a fraction of the cost of a missile engagement but with equivalent performances, Leonardo claims.”
Quoting from Wikipedia:
The DART projectile…is a guided gun projectile with radio controls and a proximity fuze for low level engagement (up to 2 meters over the sea). DART is fired at 1,200 m/s (3,900 ft/s), can reach 5 km range in only 5 seconds, and can perform up to 40G manoeuvre.The DART projectile is made of two parts: the forward is free to rotate and has two small canard wings for flight control. The aft part has the 2.5 kg warhead (with tungsten cubes and the 3A millimetric wave new fuze), six fixed wings and the radio receivers.
The guidance system is Command Line of Sight (CLOS). It uses a TX antenna installed on gun. The radio-command for them is provided on a broadcast data-link (Ka Band).
The first lot of DART 76mm guided ammunition, produced by OTO Melara, was successfully tested at the end of March, 2014. The firing trials were conducted on board one of the Italian Navy’s ships equipped with Strales 76mm SR and Selex NA25 fire control system. The first firing trials of the DART ammunition bought by Colombia in 2012 were successfully conducted in the Caribbean Sea on 29 August from the 76/62 Strales inner-layer defence system fitted to its modernised FS 1500 Padilla-class frigates.
Above is a video of the DART validation tests, first against a low level, but essentially stationary targert to test the fuzing against a target in sea clutter and then against a moving target, in this case a Banshee target drone. I believe the antennae seen attached above the gun barrel were part of the test rig, as these are not normally present on the gun mounts.
Vulcano
I see the possibility that there may be a confrontation between Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPV) in the South China Sea or East China Sea in which a China Coast Guard (CCG) vessel fires warning shots and directs the OPV of another Asian nation (I will call AN) to depart a disputed area. The AN OPV stands it ground and refuses to leave. The CCG OPV having a longer ranged weapon (up to 76mm currently), remains outside the range of the AN OPV and fires a few rounds for effect in an attempt to drive the AN OPV away. Whether the CCG OPV scores any hits or not, the AN OPV now has three choice, none good, stay and perhaps take additional damage, run away, or attempt to close the CCG OPV to get in range for a fight they will probably lose.
In 2021 Russia claimed to have fired warning shots in driving a Royal Navy Destroyer from waters of Crimea. The claim was untrue, but for many audiances, the claim probably went unchallenged.
Range matters, in the scenario above, if the AN OPV had a weapon of equal or greater range than that of the CCG OPV, the CCG OPV would probably never have fired to hit, because it could not have done so with impunitity. Reportedly, 76mm Volcano rounds that will outrange conventional rounds from Chinese and Russia guns, not just 76mm but also 100mm (3.9″) and 130mm (5.1″) and reach any target within the visual and radar horizon (to over 40,000 meters)
The Vulcano family will actually include at least three different types of 11 lbs. (5 kg), extended range, sub-caliber discarding sabot projectiles.
Unguided Balistic Extended Range (BER) (range over 30 km/32,808 yards)
Guided Long Range (GLR) (range over 40 km/43,744 yards)
Guided Long Range with InfraRed Terminal Homing (GLR/IR)(range 40 km/43,744 yards)
a Guided Long Range with Semi-Active Laser (GLR/SAL) is in development
Leonardo advertises Vulcano rounds for the 76mm as if they are already available. But also advises it is still under development. Apparently development is expected to be complete this year.
The more recent development is the VULCANO 76 ammunition system. Basically, it is a scaled down version of the 127–155 mm Vulcano family of extended-range projectiles developed by Oto Melara; guided by Inertial Navigation System and Global Positioning Systems, it is capable of hitting targets twice the distance of normal 76 mm gun ammunition. GPS-IMU guidance and IR or SAL (Semi-Active Laser-Chuck) Terminal sensor. The Vulcano 76 GLR ammunition is expected to complete the development, test and qualification process by late 2022 with the delivery of production rounds to customers from 2023–24 onwards.
The Unguided Balistic Extended Range (BER) Vulcano round may already be operational. It would certainly be the easiest to develop. This high velocity sub-caliber discarding sabot round is usable for anti-air, anti-surface, or for Naval Gun Fire Support. At 5 kg (11 pounds) it is still about twice the weight of a 57mm Mk110 projectile. It has a multifunctional Fuze that provides options for altimetric, proximity, time and air burst, or impact and delayed impact.
Considering the Coast Guard’s implicit requirement to be able to forcibly stop even relatively large merchant ships, the combination of high velocity, semi-armor piercing, and delayed impact fuzing suggest that a BER projectile might have a better chance of penetrating the hull and delaying detonation until the projectile impacts the engine, compared to the other alternatives.
Guided Long Range (GLR):
These projectiles take the form of the unguided Ballistic Extended Range (BER) round and add GPS and inertial guidance to allow precision attack on fixed targets. The control surfaces allow a glide phase that extends the range another 10,000 meters to beyond 40,000 meter or about 22 nautical miles.
Guide Long Range with InfraRed Terminal Homing (GLR/IR):
These projectiles add a infrared terminal homing to the guided long range round so that it can target moving targets on land or water that have an infrared signature. The guidance system defines where the terminal homer will look for a target. It might be possible to defeat this round using IR decoys or obsurants (smoke).
Guided Long Range with Semi-Active Laser Homing (GLR/SAL):
Like the GLR/IR round this uses the form and function of the GLR round but instead of using IR homing, it uses semi-active laser homing, meaning some one or some thing has to illuminate the target with a laser designator. For shore bombardment the laser designator might be in the hands of a soldier on the ground. For targets afloat and ashore the laser designation might be done by an unmanned system.
For a Coast Guard cutter trying to forcibly stop a vessel, the cutter might well use a laser designator to target a particular part of the target vessel.
Conclusion:
If you are going to put only two gun weapon systems on a ship, be it a cutter, corvette, or a large auxiliary, two of these might be a very good choice if they perform as advertised. Range with volcano ammunition is outstanding. The range of ammunition choices make these systems effective against a wide range of threats from swarming small boats, to surface ships, to UAS, to anti-ship cruise missiles. It is essentially one weapon that can do it all, atleast within the visual and radar horizon and in some cases a bit beyond.
Seems a pair of these would be a nice replacement for the two 25mm MK38s that appear to be the planned armament for the the Polar Security Cutter. Would love to see a pair of these replace the 57mm Mk 110 and 25mm Mk38 or Phalanx on our new large cutters. Replacing the Mk38 or Phalanx with SeaRAM seems more probable, but still unlikely, unless things get a lot more tense.
Mexican law enforcement were looking for someone with two warrants out for his arrest in Mexico and an extradition order for the United States, according to the release.
The loss was related to the capture of convicted Mexican drug kingpin Rafael Caro Quintero, wanted by US authorities for allegedly kidnapping and conspiring to murder Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Special Agent Enrique Camarena Salazar in 1985.
The Mexican Navy and Marine Corps have proven to be one of the most reliable and incorruptable institutions in Mexico. Hopefully the USCG will extend its sympathies to our partners in Mexico. We know how devastating such a loss can be.
Exercise Argus 2022 participants USCGC Oak and HDMS Ejnar Mikkelsen (P571) meet off Greenland. U.S. COAST GUARD
Forbes gives us a look at Exercise Argus which was sponsored by Denmark and conducted off Greenland. Author Craig Hooper also looks at the challenges facing Greenland as tourism and offshore traffic increase exponentially.
Off Greenland, the Danish Joint Arctic Command just finished hosting Exercise Argus, an annual Danish-led training event. The exercise, designed to enhance search-and-rescue and marine environmental responses in the Arctic, offers the U.S. Coast Guard an opportunity to obtain some experience operating in Polar waters.
For the exercise, a range of U.S. Coast Guard elements, joined by units from France—an Arctic Council observer state—worked with Danish and Greenland-based assets. The international team prepared for a complex maritime accident, a catastrophe that most Arctic observers suspect will be inevitable in the years ahead.
Before the exercise commenced, a 225-foot seagoing buoy tender, the Coast Guard Cutter Oak (WLB 211) arrived in Sisimiut, Greenland, becoming one of only a handful of U.S. ships that have operated north of the Arctic Circle. At sea, the tender was joined by a French patrol boat, FS Fulmar (P740), and the capable Danish Knud Rasmussen-class patrol boat, HDMS Ejnar Mikkelsen (P571), as well as by smaller local law enforcement and pollution-response craft.
For a view of an earlier similar exercise, a comparison of the Knud Rasmussen class OPV with the 270 foot WMECs, and some great photographs take a look here.
The U.S. Navy will for the first time reward individuals for reporting information that leads to the detection of illegal maritime activity or seizure of illicit cargo in waters across the Middle East.
The first-of-its-kind program, established by the U.S. Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT), could potentially reward a maximum $100,000 cash payout or non-monetary items, like boats, vehicles, food or equipment, for tips that support counterterrorism operations or leads U.S. naval forces to successfully seize illicit cargo, such as illegal weapons or narcotics.
This may provide work for the newly arrived Webber class WPCs of PATFORSWA.
In 2021,
U.S. 5th Fleet warships seized nearly 9,000 illicit weapons, three times the amount seized in 2020. Additionally, the U.S.-led Combined Maritime Forces seized illegal drugs worth $500 million in street value, a higher amount than the previous four years combined.
We have a report of Royal Navy seizures in January and February that seems to show there is ample reason to be concerned. (Photo above.)
Below is the original news release. It has been very widely reported.
NAVCENT to Reward Individuals for Tips on Illegal Maritime Activity
By NAVCENT Public Affairs | July 05, 2022
MANAMA, Bahrain —
U.S. Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT) announced July 5 that it will begin rewarding individuals for voluntarily providing information that leads to the detection of illegal maritime activity and seizure of illicit cargo in waters across the Middle East.
NAVCENT is establishing a program for the first time to reward individuals who voluntary report information that meets specific criteria under the Department of Defense Rewards Program.
“Launching this program represents another example of our commitment to this region and its security,” said Vice Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of NAVCENT, U.S. 5th Fleet and Combined Maritime Forces. “This also enhances our vigilance and supports counterterrorism efforts, which are essential to safeguarding the free flow of commerce.”
NAVCENT could potentially reward a maximum $100,000 payout for information or nonlethal assistance that supports counterterrorism operations or leads U.S. naval forces to successfully seize illicit cargo such as illegal weapons or narcotics. Rewards can also be non-monetary and include items like boats, vehicles, food or equipment.
U.S. citizens are not eligible for rewards under the program.
Last year, illicit cargo seizures in the Middle East skyrocketed after U.S. and multinational forces increased patrols in the Gulf of Oman and Arabian Sea.
U.S. 5th Fleet warships seized nearly 9,000 illicit weapons, three times the amount seized in 2020. Additionally, the U.S.-led Combined Maritime Forces seized illegal drugs worth $500 million in street value, a higher amount than the previous four years combined.
The U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations encompasses about 2.5 million square miles of water area and includes the Arabian Gulf, Gulf of Oman, Red Sea and parts of the Indian Ocean. The region is comprised of 21 countries and includes three critical choke points at the Strait of Hormuz, the Suez Canal and the Strait of Bab al-Mandeb at the southern tip of Yemen.
Tips can be reported by calling +973 3914-5845. The phone line is staffed by personnel with regional language expertise. Individuals with information can also report online by going to https://dodrewardsprogram.net.
For additional information on how to report a tip or reward eligibility criteria, go to NAVCENT’s website at https://www.cusnc.navy.mil/DoD-RP/.
The former USS White Cloud. During the war its sails, most of its masts, and bow sprit were removed.
Below is a News Release regarding the opening a new support facility for Webber class WPCs in Guam. As has become common, a group of three of the class are homeported together, facilitating support functions.
The crew of Guam based USCG Cutter Oliver Henry participated in an integrated exercise alongside Navy Maritime Expeditionary Security Squadron TWO in the Philippine Sea under the direction of U.S. 7th Fleet.
The ship referenced in the news release, USS White Cloud, a Coast Guard manned yatch converted to a patrol gunboat, was unique in WWII, in that it was the first truly racially integrated ship in the US Navy and it was then Carlton Skinner, USCGR’s idea, not as a social experiment, but simply as the best use of available manpower.
News Release
U.S. Coast Guard 14th District Hawaii and the Pacific
Media Advisory: Coast Guard Forces Micronesia/Sector Guam to host Skinner Building ribbon cutting ceremony
SANTA RITA, Guam — Coast Guard Forces Micronesia/Sector Guam invite the media to attend the ribbon cutting ceremony for the newly built Fast Response Cutter (FRC) facility known as the Skinner Building in honor of Guam’s first Governor, Carlton Skinner.
Gov. Skinner also served in the Coast Guard and was the commanding officer of the Coast Guard Cutter Sea Cloud when it integrated into the Navy during World War II for combat services.
The Sentinel-class FRC is the Coast Guard’s next generation of patrol boat and replaced aging Island-class vessels which had been in service since 1985. The FRC boasts advanced command, control, communications, computer, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance systems while providing a larger, more stable, and safer platform from which to conduct operations. The Skinner Building will house personnel and equipment to manage maintenance and maximize FRC operational readiness.
Please contact Lt. j.g. Edward Oingerang via email (Edward.M.Oingerang@uscg.mil) by 4 p.m. on July 6, 2022 as guest passes need to be requested for access to the base.
Who: The media
What: Skinner Building Ribbon Cutting Ceremony
Where: Coast Guard Forces Micronesia/Sector Guam located on Navy Base Guam by Victor Pier
When: July 14, 2022
Time: 1:00pm
For breaking news follow us on twitter @USCGHawaiiPac
USCGC John Scheuerman (WPC-1146) and USCGC Clarence Sutphin Jr. (WPC-1147) enroute PATFORSWA
Below is a Navy news release reporting the arrival of USCGC Mohawk in Lisbon. Somewhat surprisingly there is no mention of the two Webber class cutters pictured in an attached photo (above) and no photo of Mohawk.
Looking closely at the photo above, you can see they have the Counter Drone upgrades seen on other FRCs that have been assigned to PATFORSWA.
Obviously this is the last pair of Fast Response Cutters (FRCs) being transferred to Patrol Forces SW Asia (PATFORSWA). They were escorted across the Atlantic by Mohawk. Can’t believe I did not see the gorgeous photo below earlier. Perfect for 4th of July.
The USCGC Mohawk (WMEC 913), USCGC John Scheuerman (WPC 1146), and USCGC Clarence Sutphin Jr. (WPC 1147) sail in formation in the Atlantic Ocean, June 22, 2022. The John Scheuerman and the Clarence Sutphin Jr. are the 46th and 47th Sentinel-class fast response cutters, respectively. They will become the fifth and sixth FRC’s to be homeported in Manama, Bahrain. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Jessica Fontenette)
USCGC Mohawk (WMEC 913) arrives in Lisbon, Portugal
29 June 2022
From U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa Public Affairs
LISBON, Portugal – The Famous-class medium endurance cutter USCGC Mohawk (WMEC 913) arrived in Lisbon, Portugal for a scheduled port visit, June 29, 2022.
This port visit marks the first stop for Mohawk, while employed by U.S. Sixth Fleet in the U.S. Naval Forces Europe and Africa (NAVEUR-NAVAF) area of operations. During the visit, Mohawk leadership will meet government leaders and military maritime counterparts, while the crew enjoys the rich cultural history of Portugal.
“It is a tremendous privilege to be here in Lisbon,” said Cmdr. Andrew Pate, commanding officer aboard USCGC Mohawk (WMEC 913). “Like the United States, Portugal has a rich and deep maritime history and combined maritime operations provide a critical opportunity to improve interoperability with our partners, and prove that we are stronger together.”
Earlier this month, Adm. Linda Fagan, commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard, visited Lisbon and met with Ambassador Randi Charno Levine and Portugal’s Chief of Naval Staff, Adm. Henrique Eduardo Passaláqua de Gouveia e Melo. Fagan is also the first woman, and first mother, to lead any of the U.S. Armed Forces.
Portugal has a long maritime history and their navy boasts 705 years of continuous service.
“Portugal is an important ally of the United States and plays a pivotal role in the security and cohesion of the Alliance,” said Rear Adm. Chase Patrick, director of maritime headquarters, U.S. Naval Forces Europe and Africa. “Mohawk’s visit to Portugal demonstrates our shared goals for regional peace and stability.”
Mohawk is the 13th and last of the Famous-class cutters. It is named for the Algonquin tribe of Iroquoian Indians who lived in the Mohawk Valley of New York. Mohawk is the third cutter to bear the name. Mohawk’s parent command is U.S. Coast Guard Atlantic Area.
The U.S. Coast Guard Atlantic Area command oversees all domestic Service operations east of the Rocky Mountains, including the Arctic, Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean, and out-of-hemisphere operations in Europe, Africa, and Southwest Asia. Atlantic Area is responsible for coordinating and deploying cutters, aircraft, pollution response equipment, and thousands of personnel throughout the globe to ensure resources, equipment, and personnel are available to support the Coast Guard’s statutory missions.
For over 80 years, U.S. Naval Forces Europe-U.S. Naval Forces Africa (NAVEUR-NAVAF) has forged strategic relationships with allies and partners, leveraging a foundation of shared values to preserve security and stability.
Headquartered in Naples, Italy, NAVEUR-NAVAF operates U.S. naval forces in the U.S. European Command (USEUCOM) and U.S. Africa Command (USAFRICOM) areas of responsibility. U.S. Sixth Fleet is permanently assigned to NAVEUR-NAVAF, and employs maritime forces through the full spectrum of joint and naval operations.
Technical drawing of the Shunkou-class patrol vessel (Credit : JCG)
A couple of posts from Naval News gives us a look at the latest cutters being delivered to the Japan Coast Guard. They typlify an apparent trend to larger, faster cutters with more extensive aviation facilities.
Speed is a respectable 25 knots. The reported displacement of 6,700 tons may be deceptive. Asian navies and coast guards tend to minimize the size of their ships. These ships are about 9,000 tons full load, making them about twice the size of the Bertholf class NSCs and Argus class OPCs.
Dimensions are:
Length: 140 meters (459.2 feet–100 feet more than the Offshore Patrol Cutter)
Beam: 16.5 meters (54.12 feet–20 inches more than the OPC)
The reported range is a phenominal 20,000 nautical miles.
Their hangar and flight deck can accommodate two helicopters larger than H-60s.
The Japan Coast Guard, unlike the USCG, is not a military service. They have not followed China Coast Guard in becoming more heavily armed. Several China Coast Guard cutters are armed with guns up to 76mm. The 40mm guns that arm these ships are the largest caliber in the Japan Coast Guard. They are backed up by two 20mm Gatling Guns, one forward and one aft. This armament reflects the lessons of their difficulties in stopping a small North Korean spy ship with only 20mm Gatling guns. It is still clearly inadequate for forcibly stopping larger vessels.
I would like to point out a paragraph from the first of the two linked reports, dated 5 Feb., 2020.
In 2012, the JCG had 51 patrol vessels displacing more than 1,000 tons. The service has now 63 large vessels, and the goal is to operate 12 more ships by the end of FY 2023 to deal with new threats.
That the Japanese see a need for 75 large cutters, even though their EEZ is only 39.5% that of the US, and that their cutter fleet is far younger that ours, may say something about the adequacy of the USCG’s large cutter fleet, even when the currently planned fleet of 36 NSCs and OPCs is complete. (Keep in mind that if we proceed as planned, when the last OPCs is completed, the first NSC, Bertholf, will be 30 years old.)
I like the way the Japan Coast Guard designates their cutter types. These are PLH, e.g. Patrol, Large, Helicopter, that is simple, descriptive, truthful, and in accordance with the US Navy type designation system.
U.S. Coast Guard releases 2021 recreational boating statistics
U.S. Coast Guard records drop in fatalities
The U.S. Coast Guard released statistics on calendar year 2021 recreational boating incidents, revealing that there were 658 boating fatalities nationwide in 2021, a 14 percent decrease from the 767 deaths in 2020.
From 2020 to 2021, the total number of accidents decreased 16 percent (5,265 to 4,439), and the number of non-fatal injured victims decreased 17 percent (3,191 to 2,641).
Alcohol continued to be the leading known contributing factor in fatal boating accidents in 2021, accounting for 86 deaths, or 16 percent of total fatalities.
The data also shows that in 2021:
The fatality rate was 5.5 deaths per 100,000 registered recreational vessels. This rate represents a 15 percent decrease from last year’s fatality rate of 6.5 deaths per 100,000 registered recreational vessels.
In 1971, when the Safe Boating Act was first passed, the fatality rate was 20.6 deaths per 100,000 registered recreational vessels.
Property damage totaled $67.5 million, which is an all-time high.
Operator inattention, operator inexperience, improper lookout, machinery failure and excessive speed ranked as the top five primary contributing factors in accidents.
Capt. Troy Glendye, chief of the Office of Auxiliary and Boating Safety at Coast Guard Headquarters, remarked that most incidents occurred during benign weather conditions: calm waters, no or light wind, and good visibility.
Where the cause of death was known, 81 percent of fatal boating accident victims drowned. Of those drowning victims with reported life jacket usage, 83 percent were not wearing a life jacket.
“A life jacket is one of the most important safety items on your boat,” said Glendye. “It is critical to wear one when underway as it may be difficult to don in an emergency. The Coast Guard reminds boaters to ensure life jackets are serviceable, properly sized, correctly fastened, and suitable for your activity.”
Where boating instruction was known, 75 percent of deaths occurred on vessels where the operator had not received boating safety instruction. The Coast Guard encourages all boaters to take a boating safety course that meets the National Boating Education Standards before hitting the water.
The most common vessel types involved in reported accidents were open motorboats, personal watercraft, and cabin motorboats. Where vessel type was known, the vessel types with the highest percentage of deaths were open motorboats (44 percent), kayaks (15 percent), and pontoons (10 percent). This is the second time that pontoon vessels ranked in the top three.
The data are from incidents that resulted in at least one of the following criteria: death, disappearance, injury that required medical treatment beyond first aid, damages to the vessel(s) or other property that equaled or exceeded $2,000, or a loss of vessel.
In addition to wearing a life jacket and taking a boating safety course, the Coast Guard recommends all boaters to attach the engine cut-off switch, get a free vessel safety check, and boat sober.
“We praise the work of our boating safety partners who have resolved to reduce casualties through educational outreach and enforcement,” said Glendye.
To view the 2021 Recreational Boating Statistics report and additional information on boating responsibly, visit http://www.uscgboating.org. The report is found under the “Statistics” menu selection and the “Accident Statistics” submenu selection.
Chuck Hill's CG Blog 