gCaptain’s John Konrad asks the question.
The issue is,
Did the US Coast Guard just block an important #MidshipmanX Sexual Assualt And Harassment (SASH) initiative at the IMO? Who are the members of the United State’s IMO delegation? Why are they not listed on the USCG’s IMO webpage? Who is holding them accountable?
…gCaptain received information from a foreign flag representative of the UN body that the “US Delegation has shot down an important SASH Initiative“.
The Coast Guard and U.S. Navy use controlled explosive dredging techniques to clear roughly 10,000 square-feet taking approximately 6,500 pounds of explosives to clear from December 4-8, 2021. The Coast Guard Cutter Sequoia carried members from the Navy’s Underwater Construction Team Two (UCT-2) to widen the shoal channel which had narrowed due to marine overgrowth. (U.S. Coast Guard photo courtesy of the Coast Guard Cutter Sequoia)
Below is a D14 news release. This is just a bit more evidence we are taking our commitments to Pacific Island nations under the Compacts of Free Association seriously. Given their needs, the US Coast Guard has a huge role to play including assistance with Aids to Navigation and fisheries protection.
| News Release |
U.S. Coast Guard 14th District Hawaii and the Pacific |
Editors’ Note: Click on images to download a high-resolution version.
SANTA RITA, Guam – Crews from the U.S. Navy and Coast Guard Forces Micronesia | Sector Guam improves navigation safety in Kapingamarangi Atoll.
The Coast Guard Cutter Sequoia carried members from the Navy’s Underwater Construction Team Two (UCT-2) to widen the shoal channel from December 4-8, 2021, which had narrowed due to marine overgrowth.
In close coordination with FSM National Government, Pohnpei State, and Kapingamarangi Atoll leaders, the Coast Guard and Navy teams used controlled explosive dredging techniques. The targeted area for removal was roughly 10,000 square-feet and took approximately 6,500 pounds of explosives to clear over the course of 4 days.
“I am proud of the efforts of our crew and the UCT-2 crew in completing this challenging mission,” said Cmdr. Ryan Adams, commanding officer of the Sequoia. “This channel widening will allow merchant vessels to more easily navigate the island, which will provide vital supplies to more than 300 residents who call Kapingamarangi home.”
“The United States and the FSM share a special and unique bond. It is through this friendship that we were all able to accomplish this mission. The widening of the channel will now improve accessibility for commerce and emergency situations especially when responding to natural disasters,” said U.S. Ambassador Carmen G. Cantor. “We know how important this channel is to the lives of the people of Kapingamarangi. As with all citizens of the FSM, we share an enduring partnership and look forward to continuing collaboration going forward.”
Additionally, crewmembers from the Sequoia and the UCT-2 detachment delivered approximately 1,700 gallons of bottled drinking water to the residents of Kapingamarangi while deployed to the island. The water was provided by the Ayuda Foundation, a non-governmental organization based in Guam.
All water was delivered to a remote drop site under a no-contact policy due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
A couple of posts from “The Drive” about aircraft that fit somewhere between High Altitude Drones and more common reconnaissance aircraft, sort of low budget U-2s. The first, “The U.S. Coast Guard May Be Flying a Unique Stealthy Spy Plane,” now almost five years old, suggest there might be Coast Guard interest in the second, “Unusual High-Altitude Spy Plane Appears at Special Operations Exercise.”
We know the Coast Guard has dabbled with these type aircraft for drug interdiction, and so far, the Coast Guard has not chosen an Unmanned system to fill this role.
gCaptain brings us a short “sponsored” post about “Safely Navigating Polar Regions.” This is essentially an advertisement for the company, FarSounder, but that is not necessarily all bad. The products are reported to be able to identify navigational hazards in 3D out to 1000 meters at speeds up to 25 knots.
I am not endorsing this particular product. There are probably other vendors offering similar products, but a forward-looking navigational sonar sounds like a good idea for any vessel, such as Offshore Patrol Vessels, that may frequently be called upon to go close in shore for SAR, marine environmental protection, or for interdiction,
FarSounder has fourteen dealers in the US, so it can’t be that exotic.
For icebreakers there is a retractable version.
The Argos 1000 Transducer Module is housed in a retractable steal pod with integrated cover-plate. When retracted, the cover-plate sits flush with the hull and is reinforced for protection during ice-breaking.
Two of the ships reportedly using this system are pictured below.
Polar cruise ship Le Commandant Charcot
RRS Sir David Attenborough. Proto from Rolls-Royce
Former Coast Guard Cutters Albacore, Cochito and Gannet are among six cutters currently at Coast Guard Yard awaiting upgrade and outfitting before transfer to Uruguay and Lebanon. U.S. Coast Guard photo.
Just wanted to pass along this photo and its caption which refers to transfers not only to Uruguay but also to Lebanon. The photo was found here.
There was also a report of additional interaction with Lebanese armed forces here.
Coast Guard Cutters Emlen Tunnell and Glen Harris are moored pierside in Beirut, Lebanon, Jan. 31, 2022. The two fast response cutters are deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations to help ensure maritime security and stability in the Middle East region. U.S. Army photo by Cpl. DeAndre Dawkins.
Vice Adm. Karl L. Schultz, commander, Coast Guard Atlantic Area, speaks at the Coast Guard Cutter Benjamin Dailey commissioning ceremony in Pascagoula, Miss. Coast Guard Photo
Below is an announcement from MyCG. I have reproduced it in full.
By MyCG Staff
Mark your calendars so that you don’t miss this year’s State of the Coast Guard Address. Livestream the event from your workstation or personal device, or join your unit’s watch party.
The Commandant looks forward to sharing stories from across the service, highlighting the tremendous accomplishments of our workforce.
There are multiple ways to tune in Feb. 24, at 1pm EST
During the address, you can join the conversation on social media. Visit the Vice Commandant’s Facebook page (@ViceCommandantUSCG) or Twitter account (@VComdtUSCG) using #CoastGuard2022.
Not available to watch the livestream? The full video will available online for you.
If your unit plans to host a watch party, register your event through the State of the Coast Guard Address CG Portal using the watch party community site. Watch party questions and coordination can be directed to Lt. James Carzoli.
Commands are encouraged to host discussions following the Commandant’s address. To help leaders facilitate these events, a conversation guide will be distributed through the Commandant’s FLASH Brief and posted on the State of the Coast Guard portal site.
Join the conversation: This year’s theme for State of the Coast Guard is “United in Service.” Coast Guard members can share what #UnitedInService means to them via Facebook or Twitter.
Ships from the U.S. Coast Guard and Japan Coast Guard conducted exercises near the Ogasawara Islands of Japan, Feb. 21, 2021. The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Kimball and Japan Coast Guard Ship Akitsushima, two of the respective services’ newest and most capable vessels, operated alongside helicopters and unmanned aerial vehicles to practice interdicting foreign vessels operating illegally inside Japanese waters. (U.S. Coast Guard photo courtesy of the Coast Guard Cutter Kimball/Released)
CIMSEC brings us a podcast of particular interest to the Coast Guard.
I don’t really like podcasts myself. It seems a slow and inefficient way to pass information compared to reading. Inevitably, interviews are not as well organized as the written word. But then I don’t have a long commute anymore. That might have changed my opinion.
If you don’t have that long commute, I would recommend reading his Naval Institute Articles as a better use of time.
Of course, if you are not a US Naval Institute member, you may not have access to the full articles. We have discussed a couple of these earlier.
Don’t know how I missed writing about the most recent post which advocates a larger and more stable Coast Guard budget.
“Recognizing the various U.S. instruments of national power—diplomatic, information, military, economic, finance, intelligence, and law enforcement—arguably, no other government entity is as well-positioned, has the reputation for fiscal stewardship, nor has broader authorities and existing bilateral relationships to collectively exercise the full range of these instruments as effectively as the Coast Guard. It is time to properly include the Coast Guard in military rebuilding efforts to properly attend to business beyond U.S. borders that is booming with no remedy in sight. Coast Guard leaders need to get all GCC commanders on board to craft a 24-star letter expressing their need for a more robust and constant Coast Guard presence for the greater good of not only U.S. international partners, but also our own national interests.”
Launch of USCGC Mackinaw (WLBB-30) on April 2, 2005. Photo by Peter J. Markham.
gCaptain brings us a report on Coast Guard icebreaking on the Great Lakes, based on information provided by the Great Lakes Maritime Task Force, a Great Lakes shipping special interest group.
Should this be a Coast Guard function? There are really two elements here, one commercial and one safety.
The commercial aspect is facilitating commerce. Some might say that shippers and ports should pay for their icebreaking. On the other hand, the Federal Government facilitates commerce in a number of ways including, building roads, air traffic control, dredging ports and waterways, and maintaining navigation systems.
The safety aspect is preventing flooding. This is disaster response before the disaster and certainly something DHS should be interested in.
Great Lakes shipping interest are fixated on the idea of a second Great Lakes Icebreaker in the mold of USCGC Mackinaw.
If we accept that Great Lakes icebreaking is a Coast Guard function, but we don’t want to build a dedicated Great Lakes Icebreaker in spite of an apparent desire on the part of members of Congress to appropriate for that purpose, we have to either convince Congress that devoting additional assets would not be cost effective, that additional money is better spent elsewhere, or offer an alternate plan for Great Lakes icebreaking.
Alternatives might be to make the proposed medium icebreakers capable of operating in and out of the Great Lakes so that they could be used there when conditions warranted or perhaps a new fleet of small but more powerful icebreaking tugs to replace the 65 foot WYTLs would fill the bill.
Each of the alternatives offers a different mix of advantages and costs. This is another area where perhaps the Coast Guard needs to invest a bit more in analysis.
Thanks to Bruce for bringing this to my attention.
US Coast Guard photo, by PAC Dana Warr
Craig Hooper, writing for Forbes, brings us a warning about the status of the H-65 fleet.
We knew the Coast Guard was in the process of replacing H-65s with H-60s because they have become increasingly difficult to support.
The Coast Guard has on-going life extension programs for both H-60s and H-65s, but the author thinks progress is too slow.
There are two issues here.
I would like to think the Coast Guard has a workable plan to replace the land based H65s but waiting way too long to start replacement programs does seem to be part of the Coast Guard’s DNA.
As to the helicopters for WMECs, Cooper notes,
“At sea, the Coast Guard’s 27 aged mid-sized cutters cannot fully support the larger footprint of an MH-60 platform. Delays in getting the Coast Guard’s highly anticipated Offshore Patrol Cutter into service means the old cutters will remain in the fleet—and needing Dolphin helicopters—for years.”
As I recall, the 13 WMEC 270s were designed to operate H-60s and Alex Haley looks like her facilities may be large enough as well. Certainly, operating H-60s from the 14 WMEC 210s is a non-starter.
The number of H-65s required solely to support 210 operations is relatively small. Judicious use and cannibalization could probably keep a few operational until the last 210 goes out of service. That should happen about 2032.
If that is not possible, there is another alternative, UAVs. They could certainly operate Scan Eagle. Another possibility is Fire Scout.
The Navy is phasing out their MQ-8B VTOL drone in favor of the larger MQ-8C. Perhaps the Coast Guard could take over some or all 30 ot the B models and operate them from 210s. They might also be operated alongside H-60s from Bertholf class NSCs and Argus class OPCs. Although they probably cannot do armed overwatch (or maybe they could), they might be a better search asset than the H-65, given their greater endurance. This would also prep the Coast Guard to also participate in the MQ-8C at some time in the future.
PACIFIC OCEAN (Sept. 18, 2019) Sailors push an MQ-8B Fire Scout assigned to the Wildcards of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 23 on the flight deck of the Independence-variant littoral combat ship USS Gabrielle Giffords (LCS 10). (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Josiah J. Kunkle/Released)190918-N-YI115-1004
Interestingly, there is also a comment about the Coast Guard’s role in DOD’s Future Vertical Lift (FVL) Program,
“Replacement helicopters will be slow to arrive. The U.S. Coast Guard Commandant, Admiral Karl L. Schultz, says the Service is “looking fifteen or so years down the road at our rotary wing aviation program.” Unless the Coast Guard acts quickly to have their basic performance requirements folded into the Department of Defense’s Future Vertical Lift Initiative, a Coast Guard variant of whatever the Navy gets will likely take two decades—or more—to obtain and field.”
The FVL program is expected to produce at least two airframes, one to replace the H-60 and a smaller aircraft to replace the Army’s scout helicopters.
Thanks to Paul for bringing this to my attention.
UK Border Force Damen 4207 Patrol Boat. (Image: STEVE FINN)
gCaptain has an interesting short post on British response to a wave of Illegal Migrant Immigration.
Apparently, the Royal Navy is being tasked with the job, and there is some disagreement about tactics.
Chuck Hill's CG Blog 