USNI “Fleet and Marine Tracker: May 22, 2023” Includes Some Coast Guard. This a Good Thing?

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The USCGC Oliver Henry (WPC-1140) crew gets underway from Guam on May 21, 2023, before Typhoon Mawar’s arrival. US Coast Guard Photo

For the first time in my memory, US Naval Institute’s weekly Fleet and Marine Tracker includes information about Coast Guard units. The post reports,

“USCGC’s Myrtle Hazard and USCGC Oliver Henry departed Guam to avoid Typhoon MAWAR, which continues to strengthen and head toward Guam. Storm conditions are expected to arrive near Guam sometime on Tuesday, May 23.

and includes the photo and caption above. It also reports,

“Six U.S. Coast Guard Sentinel Class Fast Response Cutters (FRCs) are forward-deployed to the region under Patrol Forces Southwest Asia (PATFORSWA). PATFORSWA deploys Coast Guard personnel and ships alongside U.S. and regional naval forces throughout the Middle East. Initially deployed in 2003 in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, PATFORSWA is now a permanent presence based out of the Kingdom of Bahrain, providing capable littoral assets for maritime interdiction, theater security cooperation, and maritime domain awareness operations.”

and

“Coast Guard Cutter Eagle moored in Oslo, Norway on Friday as part of its summer training cruise for cadets from the United States Coast Guard Academy.”

along with the photo and caption below (I added the link).

Cadets and crew members aboard USCGC Eagle (WIX-327) render honors to the Oscarsborg Fortress, May 19, 2023, during the transit into Oslo, Norway. US Coast Guard Photo

I was happy to see this. The Coast Guard needs to be generally recognized as part of the National Fleet. That status is officially recognized, but not by the general public or, more importantly, by large parts of the Navy and Coast Guard.

My initial reaction was that I wanted to see the Coast Guard included in this report regularly. But as I worked through what I thought should be done, I changed my mind.

Still, I believe that the US Naval Institute should want to publish something similar for Coast Guard units and that Coast Guard public affairs should want to support the effort by providing information in an agreed upon format essentially ready to publish.

What do we want to emulate and what do we want to do differently?

The Fleet and Marine Tracker consists of three parts:

  • A world map where normally only carrier strike Groups (CSGs) and Amphibious Ready Groups (ARGs) are plotted.
  • A statistical breakdown including the total number of battleforce ships, how many are deployed, how many are underway (Including some differentiation of USS vs USNS), and how many of those deployed are assigned to each numbered fleet.
  • A narrative of operations broken down geographically.

While I don’t think the world map plot is appropriate, at least not on a weekly basis, a statistical breakdown of ships underway or deployed out of area followed by a narrative section including short outlines of unusual or interesting operations broken down geographically would be useful.

The statistical break down might be by broad vessel types and by Atlantic and Pacific Areas. A listing of assignments to numbered fleets is probably not necessary. I don’t think we want to specify how many ships are assigned to 4th Fleet operational control since they would virtually all be involved in drug interdiction. The few assignments to other Combatant Commanders could be handled in the geographic narrative section.

“China Scales Down Rescue Effort as Hope Fades for Missing Crew of Capsized Fishing Vessel” –Marine Link

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SLNS Vijayabahu (P627), the former USCGC Douglas Munro, on the scene of a capsized Chinese Fishing Vessel. Sri Lanka Navy photo.

Marine Link has the report. Tragic, but I would not normally posted concerning this case, but then I saw the accompanying photo and video which included the former USCGC Munro still doing SAR.

“Canadian Coast Guard Plans to Order Up to 61 Small Vessels” –Marine Link

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Marine Link reports,

“…the Canadian Coast Guard, on Thursday announced $2.5 billion CAD (roughly $1.8 billion USD) for the construction of up to 61 new small vessels and the ongoing replacement of small craft, barges and workboats within the Canadian Coast guard fleet… These include six Mid-shore Multi-Mission Vessels; one Near-Shore Fishery Research Vessel; 34 Cape Class Search and Rescue Lifeboats; and 16 Specialty Vessels, including two Special NavAids Vessels, four Special Shallow Draft Buoy Tenders, four Inshore Science Vessels; four Special Enforcement Vessels, two Lake Class Vessels, and four Air Cushion Vehicles.”

 

French Warship Makes Four Indian Ocean Drug Seizures in 30 days

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The frigate La Fayette going up the Seine river (2nd of July 2003, prior to its recent renovation). Photo credit: Guillaume Rueda

Below is a NAVCENT news release. I was a little surprised it did not include the name of the French ship. I have been unable to find the name of the ship, but it appears probable that this was done by the ships engaged in the French Navy’s annual training cruise, “MISSION JEANNE D’ARC 2023” including amphibious warship FS Dixmude (L9015) and frigate FS La Fayette (F710).

The French are not new at this, and their drug interdiction operations are frequently carried out by La Fayette class frigates. FS La Fayette probably made the interdictions, but FS Dixmude may have helped by flooding the area with search aircraft. Previous “MISSION JEANNE D’ARC” voyages have also resulted in drug interdictions. “MISSION JEANNE D’ARC 2021” resulted in a spate of five drug seizures by three French ships in six days in the same area. “MISSION JEANNE D’ARC 2022” resulted in at least one drug seizure in the Gulf of Guinea.

The crew of the frigate Courbet, supported by LHD Mistral, seized 1.7 tons of cocaine from a fishing vessel in the Gulf of Guinea, May 22, 2022. ©Marine Nationale/Défense

(US Coast Guard PATFORSWA cutters also frequently operate as part of Combined Task Force 150.)

May 24, 2023

French Warship Seizes $108 Million in Drugs during Indian Ocean Seizures

By U.S. Naval Forces Central Command Public Affairs

MANAMA, Bahrain   –  A French warship operating in support of Combined Task Force (CTF) 150 conducted four illegal drug seizures between April 19 and May 18 worth a total estimated U.S. street value of $108 million from fishing vessels transiting international waters in the Indian Ocean.

The warship seized 2,265 kilograms of heroin and 242 kilograms of methamphetamine from four different vessels while patrolling regional waters. CTF 150 is one of five task forces under Combined Maritime Forces, the largest multinational naval partnership in the world.

In 2023, maritime forces supporting CTF 150 have seized illegal drugs worth a combined estimated U.S. street value of $203 million, adding to record-breaking drug interdictions by U.S. and international naval units in 2021 and 2022 totaling more than $1 billion in value.

“It’s been a pleasure working with the French sailors to achieve our mission’s aims together,” said United Kingdom Royal Navy Lt. Francis Henry, a CTF 150 staff officer responsible for coordinating the task force’s counter-narcotics efforts.

CTF 150 conducts maritime security operations in the Gulf of Oman, Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean to disrupt destabilizing activity, promote international rules-based order and help ensure the free flow of commerce.

The task force is headquartered in Bahrain with Combined Maritime Forces, which is led by the commander of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command and U.S. 5th Fleet.

“Videos of Ukrainian drone boats swarming a Russian target end in explosion, mystery” –Task and Purpose

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Task and Purpose brings us a report on an apparent drone attack on a Russian Electronic Intelligence ship, “Ivan Khurs,” including two videos, the second of which is reproduced above.

“Though there is no way to confirm the outcome of the attack — or even the legitimacy of either video — if the second boat triggered an explosion similar to the one seen in the first video, the Russian ship likely suffered serious damage.”

“Support Pay Parity for our Coast Guard servicemembers!” –Navy League

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USCGC Northland (WMEC 904) approaches the pier, March 30, 2023 in Portsmouth, Virginia. Northland conducted a 62-day maritime safety and security deployment in the Florida Straits and Windward Passage while patrolling in support of Homeland Security Task Force – Southeast and Operation Vigilant Sentry. (U.S. Coast Guard video by Senior Chief Petty Officer Melissa Leake)

Just passing this along. Remember what happened last time we had a delay in approval of an increase in the debt ceiling?

Hello everyone,

Please take a moment to join our Rapid Response email campaign in support of Congresswoman Scholten’s “Pay Our Coast Guard Parity Act of 2023”.

The Coast Guard is vital to America’s national and economic security, yet they are not covered by the same paycheck protections as other members of the armed forces. With the very real possibility of a government shutdown in the near future, it is imperative that we provide the men and women of the Coast Guard with the financial security that they and their families have earned!

Please use the link below to learn more about this issue and to send a letter directly to your Members of Congress by just clicking send! Let’s get to work!

Thank you,

Luke Lorenz, Senior Director, Legislative Affairs, Navy League of the United States

China’s PLAN Surface and Sub Order of Battle

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Earlier I published “Chinese Navy Submarine and Major Surface Ship Order of Battle,” that included three infographics prepared by Dr. Sarah Kirchberger that I found on the CIMSEC Internal Discussions Facebook page. At the time I noted that they did not include Chinese aircraft carriers, amphibs, and numerous frigates, corvettes, and other small combatants.

Dr. Kirchberger recently emailed me additional and updated infographics that provide a more complete picture of the People’s Liberation Army Navy’s rapid growth. I have included them all below, including updated versions of the three previously published.

Another resource available is the “Office of Naval Intelligence’s Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy, Coast Guard, Ship Identification Guide.”

From a Coast Guard perspective, the most interesting development sighted below was the transfer of 22 Type 056 corvettes {photo above) from the Navy to the China Coast Guard. This follows the earlier transfer of four type 053H2G frigates (NATO designation Jiangwei I). In both cases heavier weapons were removed but significant gun armament remained. These added significantly to the China Coast Guard’s close in firepower. When the new China Coast Guard was formed in 2013, very few of their ships were armed with anything larger than 14.5mm machine guns.

Chinese H/PJ-17 30mm

That has changed, particularly since the China Coast Guard was absorbed into the country’s Central Military Commission (CMC), effective July 2018. The standard fit now seems to be a 76m gun and one or two 30mm H/PJ-17.

Undated photo of carrier Shandong. PLA Photo

Type 055 Destroyer (Cruiser) SeaWave.com image

PLAN Type 054A Huanggang (FFG-577), Japanese Self Defense Force photo.

Type 056 corvette, credit 樱井千一

Image: Creative Commons.

CSR Report RL33153 China Naval Modernization: Implications for U.S. Navy Capabilities—Background and Issues for Congress by Ronald O’Rourke dated February 28, 2014. Page 8 – Figure 1. Jin (Type 094) Class Ballistic Missile Submarine Source: Photograph provided to CRS by Navy Office of Legislative Affairs, December 2010.

Silicon Valley Innovation Program (SVIP), Coast Guard Language Translation Without Internet

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Above is a Department of Homeland Security, Science and Technology, video release. Below is the accompanying narrative.

May 11, 2023, “While at sea, U.S. Coast Guard boarding teams must be able to communicate with non-English speakers. S&T’s Silicon Valley Innovation Program is developing a language translation device that operates offline in a zero-connectivity environment.”
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Incidentally, the underway replenishment ship seen in the video is the New Zealand Navy’s HMNZS Aotearoa . She is unique in being ice-strengthened and winterized for operations in the Antarctic environment.

“Coast Guard releases summary of 2022 recreational boating statistics”

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Feco, a single-purpose bomb dog assigned to a Coast Guard maritime safety and security team, when boating, he always wears a lifejacket. (Air National Guard photo / Master Sgt. Ray Aquino)

Below is a news release from the Coast Guard News website. Continued slow improvement, and much improved over 1971, when the Safe Boating Act was first passed.

May 17, 2023

Coast Guard releases summary of 2022 recreational boating statistics

WASHINGTON — During the National Boating Safety Advisory Committee meeting on May 11, 2023 (NBSAC), the U.S. Coast Guard released a summary of statistics on calendar year 2022 recreational boating incidents, revealing that there were 636 boating fatalities nationwide in 2022, a 3.3 percent decrease from the 658 deaths in 2021.

From 2021 to 2022, the total number of accidents decreased 9 percent (4,439 to 4,040), and the number of non-fatal injured victims decreased 15.9 percent (2,641 to 2,222).

Alcohol continued to be the leading known contributing factor in fatal boating accidents in 2022, accounting for 88 deaths, or 16 percent of total fatalities.

The data also shows that in 2022:

  • The fatality rate was 5.4 deaths per 100,000 registered recreational vessels.  This rate represents a 1.8 percent decrease from last year’s fatality rate of 5.5 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 $63 million.
  • Operator inattention, operator inexperience, improper lookout, excessive speed, and machinery failure ranked as the top five primary contributing factors in accidents.

Where the cause of death was known, 75 percent of fatal boating incident victims drowned. Of those drowning victims with reported life jacket usage, 85 percent were not wearing a life jacket.

“Most incidents occur in benign conditions—calm waters, light wind, and good visibility—under which you may least expect to end up in the water, which is why it is critical to wear a life jacket and engine cut-off switch at all times as they are designed to save your life,” stated Captain Troy Glendye, Chief of the Coast Guard’s Office of Auxiliary and Boating Safety.  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, 74 percent of deaths occurred on vessels where the operator had not received boating safety instruction.  The Coast Guard encourages all boaters take a boating safety course that meets the National Boating Education Standards before they go boating.

The most common vessel types involved in reported incidents 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 (47 percent), kayaks (14 percent), and personal watercraft and pontoons (9 percent).

The data is based on 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 thank our partners in boating safety who have all made it their mission to prevent incidents through educational outreach and enforcement,” said Glendye.

The full 2022 Recreational Boating Statistics report should be available to the public on 1 June 2023 at  http://www.uscgboating.org.  The report will be accessible under the “Statistics” menu selection and the “Accident Statistics” submenu selection.

“VIDEO: Colombian Navy intercepts largest narco sub yet” –Marine Log

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MarineLog reports,

“…On May 12, the Columbian Navy reported it had intercepted the largest narco sub seized since its first capture of one of the semi-submersible low profile vessels in 1993…the substances seized were cocaine hydrochloride and had a net weight of 3,058 kilograms.

“To put that in perspective, in one of the largest narco sub interdictions by U.S authorities, in April 2021 a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Air and Marine Operations (AMO) aircraft assisted the U.S. Coast Guard seizure of approximately 2,500 kilograms of cocaine from a semi-submersible vessel.”