USCGC Campbell and USCGC Tahoma Change Homeport

Posted on August 10, 2022 by Chuck Hill

The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Bruckenthal participates in a fueling exercise with the Coast Guard Cutter Campbell on the Chesapeake Bay, April 11, 2020. The Coast Guard acquired the first Sentinel Class cutter in 2012, with the namesake of each cutter being one of the service’s many enlisted heroes. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Isaac Cross)

Below is a press release from the First District, announcing a homeport change for 270 foot WMECs Cambell and Tahoma from Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, Kittery, Maine to Naval Station Newport, RI.

The reason given is, “The relocation of these two cutters will allow the U.S. Navy to conduct infrastructure upgrades as part of a Shipyard Infrastructure Optimization Program at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard,” but I think there is more to it than that.

Naval Station Newport, RI is the planned homeport for two Offshore Patrol Cutters, #5 and #6. These will be the first two OPCs of the Stage 2 contract recently awarded to Austal. OPC#5 is expected to be completed in FY2026 and #6 in FY2027. Campbell and Tahoma are likely placeholders for the future OPCs and are unlikely to ever return to Kittery. No other major cutters remain at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard.

This updates an April 15, 2022 post, “Major Cutter Homeports.”

Media Advisory

U.S. Coast Guard 1st District Northeast

Coast Guard to hold welcome ceremony for USCGC Campbell and USCGC Tahoma in Newport, Rhode Island

Editors’ Note: Click on images to download high resolution version.

Media interested in attending must RSVP no later than 4 p.m. Friday, August. 12, with the Coast Guard First District Public Affairs office at D1PublicAffairs@uscg.mil. Access to the event will only be granted to credentialed media. Directions will be provided following receipt of the RSVP.

WHO: Adm. Linda Fagan, commandant, U.S. Coast Guard, and team

WHAT: Welcome Ceremony for USCGC Campbell and USCGC Tahoma

WHEN: 10 a.m. Friday, Aug. 19, 2022

WHERE: Naval Station Newport, R.I., Pier 2

Security: Be prepared to show government-issued photo identification, such as a driver’s license or passport, and media credentials at the security checkpoint. We ask participating media to arrive no later than 9:30 a.m. for check-in.

BOSTON — The U.S. Coast Guard will hold a ceremony welcoming USCGC Tahoma (WMEC 908) and USCGC Campbell (WMEC 909) to their new homeport at Naval Station Newport, Rhode Island on Friday, August 19, 2022.

Due to COVID mitigation, in-person attendance is limited, and the event is not open to the public. Adm. Linda Fagan, commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard, will preside over the ceremony.

Campbell and Tahoma are relocating their homeport from the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, Maine to Naval Station Newport, Rhode Island. The relocation of these two cutters will allow the U.S. Navy to conduct infrastructure upgrades as part of a Shipyard Infrastructure Optimization Program at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard.

“The Coast Guard wants your ideas for future research projects” –MyCG

Posted on August 9, 2022 by Chuck Hill

Members of the Coast Guard Research, Development, Test and Evaluation Program (CG-926) and the Research and Development Center are in Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, to test usage of unmanned systems in the Arctic in Arctic Technology Evaluation 2018. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Alexandra Swan.

Just passing this along, because I think some of my readers may have some good idea, but might otherwise miss this announcement.

Do you have an idea you think might make Coast Guard operations easier? Or maybe there’s a new or ongoing challenge that makes completing your mission more difficult?

If so, the Coast Guard wants to hear from you.

That’s right. The service is currently soliciting ideas for research projects that could shape its future. The effort is in keeping with goals Adm. Linda Fagan laid out in her Commandant’s Intent: to sharpen our competitive edge and use new technologies to create a more agile workforce.

So, consider answering the admiral’s call to action by submitting your idea or challenge as a possible research and development project. The Office of Research, Development, Test & Evaluation and Innovation (RDT&E) is accepting ideas for its fiscal year 2024 research portfolio through Aug. 22.

How to participate

You can submit ideas/challenges/gaps/potential solutions to the “FY24 Research and Development Project Ideas” challenge via CG_Ideas@Work at this link. If this is your first time on the crowdsourcing site, you’ll need to follow the instructions to register. Deadline to submit ideas is Aug. 22.

Anyone within the Coast Guard – military, civilian, reserve, auxiliary, and contract personnel – can submit ideas.

What are they looking for?

Priority will be given to innovative ways to use Coast Guard assets and people for maximum effect, particularly during crisis response, as directed by the commandant.

To help guide idea submissions, the Deputy Commandant for Operations and Deputy Commandant for Mission Support have identified the following research priorities for fiscal years 2024-2025. All ideas, however, will be reviewed and considered on their merit.

Grow advanced computing capabilities to maximize readiness (data analytics).
Continue developing mobile solutions to deliver mission excellence anytime, anywhere.
Utilize autonomous systems to address the nation’s complex maritime challenges.
Strengthen resilience, safety, security, and sustainability of Coast Guard systems and personnel to deliver mission excellence anytime, anywhere.
Develop human machine teaming to maximize readiness.
Enhance C5I capabilities to maximize readiness today and tomorrow.
Develop service solutions to climate change impacts.

The RDT&E program champions ideas that future-proof the workforce and optimize for today while continually innovating and adapting for tomorrow. Fagan has said, “Tomorrow looks different. So will we.” Your idea could be instrumental in making that a reality.

Questions? Contact research@uscg.mil. If you are unable to access the idea submission form, please submit your idea to research@uscg.mil and include the title, a short summary, and your contact information.

Related:

Solicitation for Research Development test and Evaluation (RDT&E) and Innovation Ideas ALCOAST 257/22
FY24-25 DCO/DCMS Research Priorities
CG_Ideas@Work
How to submit an idea on CG_Ideas@Work
FY22 RDT&E Project Portfolio

“Coast Guard cutter Winslow Griesser, 23-foot fishing vessel collide north of Dorado, Puerto Rico” –D7

Posted on August 8, 2022 by Chuck Hill

Below is a News Release from D7.

News Release

U.S. Coast Guard 7th District Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands

Coast Guard cutter Winslow Griesser, 23-foot fishing vessel collide north of Dorado, Puerto Rico

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Winslow Griesser and the 23-foot commercial fishing vessel Desakata were involved in a collision Monday afternoon, approximately four nautical miles north of Dorado, Puerto Rico.

Following the collision, the crew of the cutter Winslow Griesser recovered the two fishermen aboard Desakata, identified as Carlos Rosario, who was fatally injured, and his brother Samuel Rosario Beltrán, who sustained injuries but survived the collision.

“We sincerely mourn the passing of Carlos Rosario following the collision between a Coast Guard cutter and the fishing vessel Desakata this afternoon,” said Capt. José E. Díaz, commander of Coast Guard Sector San Juan. “We send our most heartfelt condolences to his family, friends and loved ones, and pray they find strength during this most difficult time. A thorough investigation will be completed to determine the causal factors that led to this collision so that we can prevent this type of incident from occurring in the future.”

Coast Guard watchstanders at Sector San Juan were notified of the incident by the cutter Winslow Griesser crew at approximately 2:19 p.m. Monday. Coast Guard watchstanders directed the launch of a 45-foot response boat crew from Station San Juan who arrived on-scene and located the damaged fishing vessel.

The cutter Winslow Griesser transported both of the recovered fishermen to Coast Guard Base San Juan for transfer to awaiting Emergency Medical Services. EMS delivered Samuel Rosario Beltrán to the Centro Medico hospital in San Juan. The remains of Carlos Rosario will be transferred to Forensics Science Institute in San Juan.

Cutter Winslow Griesser is a 154-foot Sentinel Class fast response cutter homeported in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is leading the investigation into what caused the collision.

Media inquiries for the Coast Guard should contact the Coast Guard Seventh District public affairs office in Miami, FL at (305) 415-6680 or d7publicaffairs@gmail.com. Media inquiries about the investigation should contact the NTSB at (202) 314-6100 or ntsbmediarelations@ntsb.gov.

For more breaking news follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

-USCG-

“U.S. Coast Guard participates in multilateral search and rescue drill off Palau” –News Release

Posted on August 8, 2022 by Chuck Hill

PACIFIC OCEAN (July 19, 2022) – Capt. Charles Maynard of the Royal Navy, serving as deputy mission commander of Pacific Partnership (PP22), renders honors as Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) ship JS Kirisame (DD 104) passes Navy River Class vessel HMS Tamar (P233) during a multilateral search and rescue exercise (SAREX) coordinated with the U.S. Navy, Republic of Palau, U.S. Coast Guard, Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force and Royal Navy in support of PP22. Now in its 17th year, Pacific Partnership is the largest annual multinational humanitarian assistance and disaster relief preparedness mission conducted in the Indo-Pacific. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Brandie Nuzzi)

Below is a press release reporting a multinational SAR exercise involving units from the United Kingdom, Japan, and the Republic of Palau as well as the US Navy and Coast Guard. (46 photos here)

There are some noteworthy aspects to this exercise.

Re the USCG: First that there is a Coast Guard liaison officer to the Compact of Free Association States, Lt. Cmdr. Field Cassiano. Second, USCGC Myrtle Hazard, commissioned just over a year ago has conducted “sovereignty and fisheries patrols with five Pacific island nations.” She has been very busy.

Re growing Allied interest: The participation of Britain and Japan is relatively new.

The UK has recently shown renewed interest in the Pacific after decades with virtually no forces in the Pacific. The Royal Navy vessel in the exercise, HMS Tamar, is one of two River Class Batch II Offshore Patrol Vessels that have embarked on a five year deployment to the Indian and Pacific Oceans. There are plans to permanently deploy a task force to the area and there is also a growing partnerships between the UK and Japan.

Since WWII, Japan has generally kept a low profile in international affairs but with the emergence of an agressive and overtly hostile China, Japan has started to assume a leadership role in the region. She has transferred offshore patrol vessels to several nations in SE Asia. For the first time, Japan is starting to maket weapons internationally. I found it interesting that the Japanese participant in the SAR exercise was a destroyer rather than a Japan Coast Guard vessel. I have yet to see any evidence, the Japan Coast Guard is taking on an expeditionary role, as the US Coast Guard has done.

News Release

U.S. Coast Guard Forces Micronesia / Sector Guam

U.S. Coast Guard participates in multilateral search and rescue drill off Palau

Editors’ Note: To view more or download high-resolution photos click on the images above. Photos courtesy Petty Officer 2nd Class Brandie Nuzzi, USN.

SANTA RITA, Guam — In a bid to strengthen relationships and interoperability, the U.S. Coast Guard conducted a multilateral search and rescue drill alongside longtime partners from the United Kingdom, Japan, and the Republic of Palau in late July.

“We thrive on these opportunities, and we all came away with a deepened appreciation for the work of our respective agencies,” said Lt. Cmdr. Field Cassiano, Coast Guard liaison officer to the Compact of Free Association States. “Anyone who spends time in the Pacific is no stranger to the region’s vast distances and limited resources. Evolutions like this provide invaluable face-to-face interaction and enable us to work through challenges before an incident or crisis.”

Such events range from something akin to the search for Amelia Earhart to the far more common activity of a small skiff of fishers gone missing. It could also include a large-scale response for a disabled cruise ship or search and rescue of the crew of a commercial vessel like the car carrier Cougar Ace which heeled over at sea before being towed into port in 2008.

In this drill, the USCGC Myrtle Hazard (WPC 1139) crew, with support from the U.S. Coast Guard Fourteenth District and U.S. Coast Guard Forces Micronesia / Sector Guam, worked with the crews of the Palau Patrol Ship PPS Kedam, the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force ship JS Kirisame (DD 104), and Royal Navy River Class vessel HMS Tamar (P233).

“Thoughtful planning led to realistic scenarios that were positively challenging, which demanded teamwork, shared vision, and high-level navigational expertise,” said Lt. Jalle Merritt, commanding officer of USCGC Myrtle Hazard. “It is fully in the realm of possibility that our partners and we will be called upon to support those in need, in heavy weather, near reefs, with a limited time to respond. Through drills such as those conducted this week, our multinational maritime response team remains ready to not only meet but exceed the needs of those our team serves.”

With decades of experience and one of the largest maritime rescue regions in the world, the U.S. Coast Guard in the Pacific works together with partners and neighbors to provide life-saving coverage throughout the region. The United States maintains several formal agreements with partners under strict compliance with international laws and regulations. These agreements include Search and Rescue (SAR) agreements with Japan, Australia, and the Republic of Palau, among other regional nations.

Historically, the U.S. Coast Guard and Palau hold regular search and rescue engagements to improve cooperation and processes between the Service and counterparts in Palau. This drill, one facet of Pacific Partnership 22, comes on the heels of a very successful humanitarian assistance and disaster relief workshop with 120 personnel trained.

Charles Maynard of the Royal Navy, serving as deputy mission commander of PP22, was on hand to oversee the exercise, part of PP22’s Palau phase.

The coordination between partner nations during PP22 enhanced understanding and cooperation and prepared those involved to respond in the case of a natural disaster or other humanitarian assistance and disaster relief scenario. Pacific Partnership contributes to regional stability and security through exchanges that foster enduring partnerships, trust, and interoperability between nations.

Now in its 17th year, Pacific Partnership is the most extensive annual multinational humanitarian assistance and disaster relief preparedness mission conducted in the Indo-Pacific.

The Myrtle Hazard is the 39th Sentinel-class fast response cutter. The ship arrived in Guam and commissioned along with its sister ships, Oliver Henry and Frederick Hatch, in July 2021. In the time since, the crew has participated in Operation Blue Pacific, conducting sovereignty and fisheries patrols with five Pacific island nations.

For more U.S. Coast Guard Forces Micronesia/Sector Guam news visit us on DVIDS or subscribe! You can also visit us on Facebook at @USCGSectorGuam.

-USCG-

USNI Proceedings Coast Guard Issue

Posted on August 7, 2022 by Chuck Hill

USCGC Mohawk (WMEC-913), Clarence Sutphin Jr. (WPC-1147), and John Scheuerman (WPC-1146)

Sorry this post is going to ramble a bit.

The Prize Winning Essays:

The August issue of the U. S. Naval Institute Proceedings is again the “Coast Guard Issue,” and includes the three winning essays in their Coast Guard Essay contest.

First prize went to prolific author and repeat winner, Cdr. Craig Allen, Jr., USCG for his “Expeditionary Cutter Deployments Should Not Be a Mission to Mars.” It talks about some of the logistical difficulties encountered. His comments about the integrated C5ISR, navigation, and engineering systems and “controlled parts exchanges (taking working parts from one cutter and installing them in another) to deploy on schedule and/or remain underway” are partiuclarly troubling.

He offered three suggestions about how to make the Coast Guard more deployable.

Improved cutter self-sustainability.
Forward operating bases
Mission support cutter.

I would note that large cutters are probably already have more self-sustainability than their Navy counterparts making extended single ship deployments with minimal support easier for cutters than for Navy ships, but it does sound like we have made some choices that may put those capabilities at risk.

It is probably diplomatically easier to establish a Coast Guard forward operating base than one for the Navy, particularly in Latin America. Realistically we are probably only talking about a base in the Eastern Pacific, near the drug transit zone. To make that happen would probaby require some initiative from SOUTHCOM.

Elsewhere we could probably ride the coat tails of the Navy and our allies including Australia, New Zealand, Japan, the United Kingdom, France, and the Netherlands.

The mission support cutter, or, more generally, a floating base might be addressed in a number of ways. Presumably SOUTHCOM will get their own Expeditionary Sea Base. Wherever it is moored will become a defacto forward operating base. There should be room aboard for priority Coast Guard unique support requirements. Unfortunately I understand, dispite their tanker origins, they don’t carry fuel for tranfer to other ships. That is unfortunate, but probably something that could be fixed. Any kind of forward operating base could make Webber class deployments to the Eastern Pacific drug transit zones much more productive.

Effectively the Coast Guard has already been using buoy tenders as mission support cutters for Webber class in the Western Pacific.

One might think that a Navy owned MSC vessel might make a good mission support vessel, but the underway replenishment vessels they have currently, are far too large to be dedicated to supporting routine Coast Guard operations.

Something to consider might be a routine teaming of Charleston based National Security Cutters (NSC) with District 7 Webber class Fast Response Cutters (FRCs). A NSC and a pair of FRCs could make a very effective team, with the NSC providing underway replenishment for the FRCs. There are three NSC in based in Charleston now and there are expected to be five when the program is completed. There are currently 20 FRCs based in district 7. These ships are the closest of their type to the Eastern Pacific Drug Transit Zones.

Second prize went to “The World’s Fishermen as a Maritime Sensor Network,” by Lieutenant Holden Takahashi, USCG, that suggest a cell phone based reporting system could provide additional eyes to Maritime Domain Awareness systems.

Third prize went to “Lost At Sea: Teaching, Studying, and Promoting Coast Guard History,” by Lt. Christopher Booth, USCG, and Mark Snell, U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary contending,

“To foster pride in its heritage and promote its historic accomplishments to the public, the Coast Guard cannot continue to ignore its past. It must make a major shift in how it approaches, teaches, promotes, and preserves its history. The Coast Guard must rescue the history and heritage of “that long line of expert seamen” and their contributions to the nation, so they are no longer lost at sea.”

Other Posts of Interest:

There are also other posts that directly address the Coast Guard or at least would involve the Coast Guard.

“A Campaign Plan for the South China Sea,” by Captain Joshua Taylor, U.S. Navy advocates for persistent low-end presence.

A South China Sea campaign that translates these principles into action in a resource- and diplomatically constrained—but feasible and effective—manner should be organized around the following lines of effort and accompanying messages:

Beat Cop. Persistent low-end presence—“The United States has skin in the game.”
Neighborhood Watch. Build a regional coalition— “We are stronger together.”
Vigilance. Information sharing—“We are always watching.”

ln terms of information sharing, also mentioned was this Maritime Domain Awareness program that I was not aware of.

Since 2016, the United States has invested more than $425 million through the Maritime Security Initiative to help Indo-Pacific countries develop the ability to “sense, share, and contribute” to a regional recognized maritime picture (RMP). While some of these funds have purchased secure communication systems, the standout success story has been the U.S. Department of Transportation’s unclassified web-based SeaVision maritime domain awareness and coordination tool. Drawing on government and commercially contracted datastreams, SeaVision fuses information from terrestrial and satellite Automated Identification System data, the satellite Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite, satellite synthetic aperture radar, and—soon—satellite electronic signal detection to form a high-quality unclassified RMP that could support a countercoercion campaign in the South China Sea. Indeed, naval services throughout Southeast Asia already use it—with the notable exception of the U.S. Navy.

(My own ideas for a persistent low-end presence are here, Combined Maritime Security Task Force Pacific.)

“The Coast Guard’s Firefighting Fiction,” by Chief Boatswain’s Mate Phillip Null, U.S. Coast Guard (Retired) suggests the Coast Guard should take a more active role in marine fire fight.

“Recent tragedies have shown the need for the Coast Guard to revisit its stance on firefighting, not to supplant municipalities or absolve them of their responsibilities, but to support them with real capabilities and expertise and to provide capability in unprotected waters to avert tragedy. The Coast Guard trains and equips its cutter crews to combat fires on board their own vessels, the success of which was recently demonstrated on board the cutter Waesche (WMSL-751) during a Pacific transit.⁸ Now it needs only to increase the capacity and foam-delivery capability of the pumps carried on its boats, expand the training and equipment available to its boat crews who operate in coastal regions where fire poses the greatest threat, and revise policies that limit involvement and inhibit on-scene decision-making even in unprotected waters.

While on the topic of maritime firefighting, take a look at this post by Cdr Sal, “How Many Fireboats Can You Buy for $1.2 Billion?” that discusses the Navy’s lack of fireboats. In so many cases, a less than optimal resourse on scene in a timely manner is far better that the perfect resource arriving late. Perhaps Coast Guard assets could have helped.

Some people in the Coast Guard are thinking about major ship fires, “Coast Guard, Long Beach and LA fire departments train for maritime fires.“

Today Show on Cutter Eagle

Posted on August 6, 2022 by Chuck Hill

Al Roker of the Today Show took a ride on Eagle and the video above was the result. Nice to see the service get some national recognition. Perhaps important to see what the Nation sees of us, even if it did look like a lot of brass polishing. Too bad no shots looking down from the rigging.

I was a little surprised to see Eagle still has an old fashioned motor surf boat not much different from the one on my first ship, 53 years ago. Would have expected an RHIB.

Thanks to Lee for bringing this to my attention.

“Coast Guard selects builder for next-generation over the horizon cutter boats” –CG-9

Posted on August 5, 2022 by Chuck Hill

Over the horizon V cutter boat line drawing. Image courtesy of Inventech Marine Solutions.

The Acquisitions Directorate (CG-9) has announced award of a contract for a new class of 8 meter, Over the Horizon Cutter Boats.

The Coast Guard selected Inventech Marine Solutions of Bremerton, Washington, to build the next generation of over the horizon (OTH V) cutter boats. The first delivery order for four OTH Vs was placed Aug. 3 with a value of $1.973 million. These four OTH Vs will be used for operational test and evaluation before the program moves to full production. The 10-year contract supports delivery of up to 200 boats with a total value of approximately $103 million.

Beyond the similarities of speed and weight between the OTH V and the OTH IV it is replacing, the OTH V will include improved waterjet control technology, the second generation Scalable Integrated Navigation System, new generation communications equipment and the Coast Guard’s first boat shock monitoring system, which will provide the crew with real-time information on wave impact severity. The OTH V is powered by a marine diesel engine and waterjet, with a top speed of approximately 40 knots and a range in excess of 170 nautical miles. The dimensions are limited to 26 feet long by 8.5 feet wide, with a maximum performance weight of 8,700 pounds, to ensure compatibility with the various Coast Guard cutters it will support.

The Coast Guard awarded four OTH V indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity contracts in June 2021, purchasing one boat from each contractor. Following delivery of the boats, the Coast Guard detailed five test crews to Norfolk, Virginia, to operate the boats for nearly four months in side-by-side simulated operational events to help identify the best value contract for follow-on production. Naval Surface Warfare Center, Carderock Division, Detachment Norfolk documented particulars of the performance and provided test facilities and support.

The Coast Guard will deploy the OTH V across the Coast Guard’s cutter fleet to national security cutters, fast response cutters, offshore patrol cutters, legacy medium endurance cutters, future polar security cutters and in-service polar icebreakers.

OTH V cutter boats will support almost all mission areas, with emphasis on search and rescue; drug and migrant interdiction; living marine resources; defense readiness; and ports, waterways and coastal security.

For more information: Boat Acquisition Program page

Happy Coast Guard Day

Posted on August 4, 2022 by Chuck Hill

U.S. Coast Guard Barque Eagle (WIX 327), arrives in New York City, N.Y., Aug. 15, 2019. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Cory D. Payne)

USCGC Mohawk (WMEC-913), Clarence Sutphin Jr. (WPC-1147), and John Scheuerman (WPC-1146)

Feco and his handler Petty Officer 1st Class Cory Sumner, members of Maritime Safety and Security Team San Francisco, are being hoisted to an Air Station San Francisco MH-65 Dolphin Helicopter during training in San Francisco Bay, April 13, 2021. Hoist training allows the canine and their handler to get comfortable working in and around aircraft. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Taylor Bacon)

Coast Guard canine Kelly and her handler Petty Officer 2nd Class Jacob Brasker, members of Maritime Safety and Security Team Los Angeles/Long Beach, await a hoisting line from an Air Station San Francisco MH-65 Dolphin Helicopter during training in San Francisco Bay, April 13, 2021. Hoist training allows the canine and their handler to get comfortable working in and around aircraft. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Taylor Bacon)

USCGC Cushing sails past the Statue of Liberty

The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter James arrives at its new homeport of Charleston, S.C. Aug. 28, 2015. The James is the fifth of eight planned National Security Cutters – the largest and most technologically advanced class of cutters in the Coast Guard’s fleet. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Melissa Leake)

USCGC Munro (WMSL 755) crewmember Petty Officer 2nd Class Kurt Chlebek, a boatswains mate, is greeted by his dog after Munro returned to their homeport in Alameda, California, Oct. 20, 2021, following a 102-day, 22,000 nautical mile multi-mission deployment. Munro’s crew departed Alameda in July for a Western Pacific patrol and operated in support of United States Indo-Pacific Command, which oversees military operations in the region.
U.S. Coast Guard photo by Chief Petty Officer Matt Masaschi.

A Coast Guard air crew member helps transport a critically injured child from the helicopter to awaiting emergency medical services at Port au Prince, Haiti, Aug. 15. (Lt. David Steele/Coast Guard)

USCGC Gallatin WHEC -721 (378), USCGC Rockaway WHEC-377 (311), and USCGC Spencer WHEC-36 (327)

The Coast Guard Cutter Bridle breaks ice on the Penobscot River in Maine March 17, 2015. Operation renewable energy for Northeast Winters. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Chief Petty Officer Marc Moore)

U.S. Coast Guard Ensign Morgan Garrett, 24 years old, from Weddington, N.C., died in an Oct. 23, 2020, crash of a Navy T-6B Texan II trainer aircraft in Foley, Ala. US Navy photo.

Five 311 foot WHECs en route Vietnam

A convoy of Landing Craft Infantry (Large) sails across the English Channel toward the Normandy Invasion beaches on D-Day, 6 June 1944. Each of these landing craft is towing a barrage balloon for protection against low-flying German aircraft. Among the LCI(L)s present are: LCI(L)-56, at far left; LCI(L)-325; and LCI(L)-4. Photograph from the U.S. Coast Guard Collection in the U.S. National Archives.

North Vietnamese 100′ Trawler
burns on a South Vietnamese beach after being forced ashore by USCGC POINT LEAGUE, on 20 June 1966. It was carrying an estimated 250 tons of supplies for the Viet Cong. USN 1116663

USS Pride (DE-323), Coast Guard manned destroyer escort

USCGC Campbell (WPG-32) heading to port at Norfolk Navy Yard. 26 July 1943. US National Archives, photo 80-G-76569

USCGC Thetis (WPC-115)

USCGC Spencer (WPG-36) in 1942 or 1943. Spencer sank U-175 with assistance of USCGC Duane, on April 17, 1943.

A U.S. Coast Guard Boeing PB-1G Fortress carrying a lifeboat in 1948. The USCG used the PB-1G from 1945 to 1959. US Coast Guard photo 5261

Photograph of Ellsworth P. Bertholf, Commandant of the U.S. Revenue Cutter Service from 1911 to 1915 and Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard from 1915 to 1919. Coast Guard photo.

“Convoy WS-12: A Vought SB2U Vindicator scout bomber from USS Ranger (CV-4) flies anti-submarine patrol over the convoy, while it was en route to Cape Town, South Africa, 27 November 1941. The convoy appears to be making a formation turn from column to line abreast. Two-stack transports in the first row are USS West Point (AP-23) — left –; USS Mount Vernon (AP-22) and USS Wakefield (AP-21). Heavy cruisers, on the right side of the first row and middle of the second, are USS Vincennes (CA-44) and USS Quincy (CA-39). Single-stack transports in the second row are USS Leonard Wood (AP-25) and USS Joseph T. Dickman (AP-26).”

Coast Guard Lieutenant Junior Grade Shane Gunderson and Investigative Service agent Bobby Brisby deliver relief supplies to victims of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico. (U.S. Coast Guard photo)

LOS ANGELES – Lt. j.g. Lashanda Holmes stands in front of an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter at Air Station Los Angeles, Aug. 17, 2010. Holmes, from Fayetteville, N.C., is the first female African-American helicopter pilot in the Coast Guard. U.S. Coast Guard photograph by Petty Officer 1st Class Adam Eggers

Miami-class cutter USCGC Tampa photographed in harbour, prior to the First World War. Completed in 1912 as the U.S. Revenue Cutter Miami, this ship was renamed Tampa in February 1916. On 26 September 1918, while operating in the English Channel, she was torpedoed and sunk by the German Submarine UB-91. All 131 persons on board Tampa were lost with her, the largest loss of life on any U.S. combat vessel during the First World War. Official U.S. Navy photo NH 1226 from the U.S. Navy Naval History and Heritage Command

USCG Cmdr Harold S. Berdine of cutter Spencer talking with US Navy Capt Paul Heineman of the Escort Group A-3 after sinking German submarine U-175, North Atlantic, 500 nautical miles WSW of Ireland, 17 Apr 1943. US Coast Guard photo by Jack January

A LCVP (Landing Craft, Vehicle, Personnel) from the U.S. Coast Guard-manned USS Samuel Chase disembarks troops of Company E, 16th Infantry, 1st Infantry Division (the Big Red One) wading onto the Fox Green section of Omaha Beach (Calvados, Basse-Normandie, France) on the morning of June 6, 1944. American soldiers encountered the newly formed German 352nd Division when landing. During the initial landing two-thirds of Company E became casualties.

Lt. Crotty, captured in the Philippines and died in a Japanese POW camp.

USCGC Duane on North Atlantic Convoy Duty

Coast Guard manned Destroyer Escort USS Menges, victim of a German Acoustic Homing Torpedo, May, 1944

USCGC Mellon seen here launching a Harpoon anti-ship cruise missile in 1990.

Escanaba rescuing survivors from USAT Dorchester. USCG Image.

The 83-foot Coast Guard cutter USCG 1 off Omaha Beach on the morning of D-Day, tied up to an LCT and the Samuel Chase

“Crew of CG-16 pointing to the tally board of 126 rescued soldiers.”
Photo courtesy of Terry Hannigan.
(NOT AN OFFICIAL USCG PHOTOGRAPH)

“Blount Boats delivers icebreaking buoy tender” –Marine Log

Posted on August 3, 2022 by Chuck Hill

Marine Log reports,

Delivered earlier this year by the Blount Boats shipyard in Warren, R.I., an icebreaking buoy tender ordered in July 2020, the M/V Eddie Somers, is now in service with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. Homeported at Somers Cove Marina port at Somers Cove Marina in Crisfield, Md., the 94 x 27 foot vessel will replace the M/V J. Milliard Tawes after nearly 50 years’ service.

There is a better description of the vessel in a 2020 post reporting the construction contract award.

I found this particularly interesting,

Under a cooperative agreement with Virginia and the U.S. Coast Guard, the M/V Somers will also provide this service to Tangier Island in Virginia when requested. During heavy ice seasons, all food, fuel, medicine, and emergency transport going to and from the islands are supplied by the vessel.

Frequently there is talk of the Coast Guard shedding missions. Domestic icebreaking is perhaps one of those that might be considered. Here is a state taking responsibility for at least some elements of domestic icebreaking and at least shallow water buoy tending. Domestic icebreaking might be seen as a Federal subsidy for areas that experience icing.

The Coast Guard, as the agent of domestic icebreaking, makes the most sense when it can be done by vessels that have other missions when icebreaking is not required. Federal funding of domestic icebreaking makes the most sense when it facilitates interstate and international commerce. Like this particular vessel, Coast Guard vessels frequently combine both domestic icebreaking and buoytending capabilities as in the 225 foot buoy tenders and USCGC Mackinaw.

Looking at this vessel, it looks a lot like our proposed Waterways Commerce Cutters. Makes me wonder if an icebreaking capability for at least some of them might be a good idea, if that is not already in the plan?

Thanks to a reader for bringing this to my attention.

What Ever Happened to the “Six Bitters?”

Posted on August 1, 2022 by Chuck Hill

Port side view of USS Cumberland as a receiving ship, US Naval Academy, Annapolis, MD, 1938 with former USCG 75 foot patrol boats in the foreground.

Just a small footnote in Coast Guard histroy I stumbled across. Apparently, 51 Coast Guard prohibition era 75 foot “six bitter” patrol boats were sold to the Navy in 1933/34 and at least a few of them ended up at the Naval Academy as training ships for midshipmen.

The link above “U.S.C.G. Patrol Craft Built before WWII (Six-Bitters, WPC, WSC)” “…lists the 317 patrol craft built or acquired by the U.S. Coast Guard from its organization in 1915 through the start of WWII.” I have added the link to my Heritage page.