Below is another report of shore side infrastructure improvements from District 11 PA Detachment LA/LB. The ground breaking for this facility, which will support the first pair of Offshore Patrol Cutters, coming only one day after the planned ground breaking of construction of the new Air Station Ventura.

Having spent a lot of time in PACAREA, its nice to see Pacific Area, which includes about 85% of the US EEZ, getting some upgrades.

This does seem to follow the pattern seen with the homeports for the National Security Cutters. Improved shoreside facilities were included in the budgeting for the ships as they came on line.

Coast Guard to break ground on new cutter support facility at Base Los Angeles/Long Beach

WHO: Vice Adm. Michael McAllister, the Coast Guard Pacific Area commander; Rear Adm. Carola List, the Assistant Commandant for Engineering and Logistics along with other Coast Guard members

WHAT: Senior leaders from the Coast Guard are scheduled to discuss the Coast Guard’s new facility at Base Los Angeles/Long Beach in San Pedro that will house the Coast Guard’s newest offshore patrol cutters

WHEN: Wednesday at 10 a.m.

WHERE: 1001 S. Seaside Avenue, San Pedro, CA 90731

SAN PEDRO, Calif. — The Coast Guard is scheduled to break ground Wednesday on a new facility at Base Los Angeles/Long Beach in San Pedro that will be home to the service’s newest additions to its fleet.

Located at 1001 S. Seaside Avenue, the new $35 million, 11,500-square-foot Naval Engineering Department facility is scheduled to be an extension to the existing Maintenance Augmentation Team (MAT) building that will support the Coast Guard’s first two offshore patrol cutters.

The 360-foot Coast Guard Cutter Argus (WMSM 915) and Coast Guard Cutter Chase (WMSM 916) are under construction and expected to arrive in late 2022/early 2023. The offshore patrol cutters will join the four 154-foot fast response cutters – Forrest Rednour, Robert Ward, Terrell Horne and Benjamin Bottoms – and the 175-foot buoy tender, the Coast Guard Cutter George Cobb (WLM 564), currently stationed at Base LA/LB.

Once completed in October 2022, the facility will accommodate approximately 60 personnel who will provide maintenance, weapon and naval engineering support for the fast response and offshore patrol cutters. In addition to the building, a new 257-foot pier extension is scheduled to be built to make room for the Chase. Improvements are also slated for the existing Electronics Support Detachment and warehouse on the base.

With the addition of the two new offshore patrol cutters, the base will require more space and staff to support the growing fleet. Personnel at Base LA/LB nearly doubled since 2018.

The offshore patrol cutters are the newest vessels in the Coast Guard’s fleet. The state-of-the-art ships are scheduled to replace the service’s 270-foot and 210-foot medium endurance cutters, and will be used to patrol the open ocean in the most demanding maritime environments.

Below is a July 26 U.S. Coast Guard 11th District PA Detachment LA/LB news release. Information on Naval Base Ventura County here.

Coast Guard to break ground on new air station in Ventura

WHO: Vice Adm. Michael McAllister, the Coast Guard Pacific Area commander; Rear Adm. Carola List, the Coast Guard Assistant Commandant for Engineering and Logistics; Armando Gonzalez (representing Congresswoman Brownley); Sam Abutaleb (Whiting Turner Construction); and Capt. Thomas Cooper, the Coast Guard Air Station San Francisco commander; along with other Coast Guard members

WHAT: Senior leaders from the Coast Guard are scheduled to discuss the Coast Guard’s new air station in Ventura

WHEN: Tuesday at 11 a.m.

WHERE: Naval Base Ventura County

SAN PEDRO, Calif. — The Coast Guard is scheduled to break ground for a new facility Tuesday, at naval base Point Mugu for helicopter crews that have been flying out of rented space.

The $53 million Coast Guard Air Station Ventura is scheduled to include a 48,000-square-foot hangar and a 12,200-square-foot administration and berthing facility at Naval Base Ventura County in Point Mugu.

Four MH-65 Dolphin helicopters and 82 personnel are slated to be stationed at the air station when it opens for operations in August 2023. The hangar can also accommodate four MH-60 Jayhawk helicopters should additional capacity be needed in the future.

Previously, the Coast Guard operated Air Station Los Angeles out of the Los Angeles International Airport for more than five decades until it lost its lease in May 2016. The Coast Guard officially closed the air station and shifted aviation operations to a Forward Operating Base (FOB) located at Naval Base Ventura County supported by Coast Guard Air Station San Francisco. The Point Mugu FOB operates out of a leased hangar facility and leased berthing space from the Navy. Currently, 13 permanent service members and approximately 11 rotating crewmembers from San Francisco fly two MH-65 Dolphin helicopters out of Point Mugu.

Coast Guard operations are scheduled to shift from the FOB to the new facilities of Air Station Ventura upon the facility’s completion.

The air station’s area of responsibility covers 350 nautical miles and stretches from Dana Point to Morro Bay, including the Channel Islands. Missions include 24/7 emergency response, search and rescue, drug and migrant interdiction, law enforcement and marine and waterways conservation and protection.

MarineLog reports that the Offshore Marine Services Association has launched a program to monitor compliance with the Jones Act.

The Offshore Marine Services Association (OMSA) is to use a vessel that it has named the Jones Act Enforcer to gather video and photographic evidence of Jones Act violations. Evidence of violations will be submitted to authorities, made public and shared with the media.

Sounds like the result of a long history of frustration. Otherwise they probably would not be resorting to this sort of action.

Thanks to Hoffman for bringing this to my attention.

Baird Maritime reports delivery of an interesting, perhaps unique, patrol vessel. At just over 110 feet long, it combines the size and speed of the Island class with the self righting capability of a 47 foot MLB.

Natale De Grazia is powered by two MTU 16V2000 M96 main diesel engines that each produce 1,790 kW at 2,450 rpm. The engines drive a pair of Kongsberg Kamewa S71-4 steerable waterjets via ZF 5000 gearboxes to deliver a maximum speed in excess of 30 knots, or a range of more than 1,000 nautical miles at a cruising speed of 28 knots. The waterjets have also proven capable of bringing the 33-metre vessel to a complete “crash stop” within just one and a half boat lengths even from a speed of 30 knots.

A 1000 mile range may not sound like much for a vessel of this size, but that is at 28 knots. At a lower speed, range would be much greater. At 16 knots that should translate into a range of about 4,500 nautical miles.

Japan has started marketing some of its military equipment for export. A recent video featured on Naval News includes information on their planned Offshore Patrol Vessel. The portion of the video about OPV is from time 4:00 to 4:30.

The design emphasizes automation, adaptability, modularity, and sustainability. The crew is only 30 and there is space under the flight deck for containers.

We had an earlier report on this, with a proposal by one of the shipbuilders (link in caption of the illustration below). The illustration above appears more developed. It is similar but not the same. Specifications from the earlier report included a length of 100 meters (328 feet), a 2000 ton displacement and a speed of 25+ knots. As I noted earlier, this design with it 360 degree vision bridge, integrated mast, and two boats launched from stern ramps looks very much like a larger, faster and better armed version of the the French L’Adroit, and her sisters that are being built for the Argentine Navy.

The Navy League’s on-line magazine “Seapower” reports that,

“DHS S&T teamed up with the Coast Guard, University of Southern Mississippi (USM), the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL), the Applied Research Laboratory (ARL) at Penn State, Ocean Aero, Inc., Cherokee Nation Strategic Programs (CNSP), and the Homeland Security Systems Engineering and Development Institute (HSSEDI), to develop, acquire, evaluate, and test specialized, environmentally powered (wind and solar), multi-mission capable, unmanned surface and underwater vessels.”

This looks interesting and the fact that the Department is involved makes it doubly promising.

It has taken a while but, gCaptain reports,

“The captain of a World War II-era duck boat and two other employees at “Ride the Ducks Branson” have been hit with criminal charges in relation to the sinking of the Stretch Duck #7 on Missouri’s Table Rock Lake in 2018, resulting in the death of 17 people.

“The Missouri attorney general’s office announced a total of 63 charges against Scott McKee, the boat’s Captain, and Operations Supervisor Charles Baltzell and General Manager Curtis Lanham.“

Below is a Pacific Area news release quoted in full. While the press release makes this sound routine, the circumnavigation of North America, which will presumably include transit through the North West Passage, is very different from her normal routine.

It is a bit discouraging to see the statement, “The Polar Security Cutter is still in the design phase…”

U.S. Coast Guard Pacific Area News Release July 16, 2021 Coast Guard icebreaker departs for months-long Arctic deployment, circumnavigation of North America SEATTLE — The Coast Guard Cutter Healy (WAGB 20) departed Seattle on Saturday, July 10, for a months-long Arctic deployment and circumnavigation of North America.  The crew aboard Healy, a 420’ medium icebreaker, will provide U.S. surface presence in the Arctic, conduct high latitude science and research missions, engage in exercises and professional exchanges with foreign navies and patrols, and conduct other operations as directed throughout the deployment.  Healy is scheduled to circumnavigate North America via the Northwest Passage and the Panama Canal.  Healy’s deployment supports the Coast Guard’s Arctic Strategy while providing critical training opportunities for Polar sailors and future operations in the Arctic.  The crew will promote U.S. interests along the U.S. and Russia maritime boundary line.  “Healy’s deployment provides opportunities to deepen the Coast Guard’s cooperation and commitment with our Arctic allies and partners and to support scientific exploration to increase understanding of the changing Arctic environment and associated impacts,” said Coast Guard Pacific Area Commander Vice Adm. Michael McAllister.  The Healy deploys annually to the Arctic to support multiple science missions and Operation Arctic Shield, the service’s annual operation to execute U.S. Coast Guard missions, enhance maritime domain awareness, strengthen partnerships, and build preparedness, prevention, and response capabilities across the Arctic domain.  Commissioned in 1999, Healy is one of two active Polar icebreakers in the Coast Guard’s fleet. The Seattle-based Coast Guard Cutter Polar Star (WAGB 10) is a heavy Polar icebreaker commissioned in 1976.  The U.S. Coast Guard is recapitalizing its Polar icebreaker fleet to ensure continued access to the polar regions and to protect the country’s economic, commercial, environmental, and national security interests.  The Polar Security Cutter is still in the design phase, and Halter Marine is working toward completing the necessary work to begin construction on this incredibly complex, state-of-the-art icebreaker. The contract delivery date for the first Polar Security Cutter is 2024.

Indo-Pacific Defense Forum reports some disturbing news about the practices of at least some Chinese Long Line Fishing Vessels.

“Videos and images recovered from social media posts by non-Chinese crew members on PRC fishing vessels have revealed gruesome, large-scale slaughter of marine mammals in the South Pacific. They depict Chinese boat captains ordering their crews to haul in whales that have been snagged in fishing lines. The whales’ heads are hauled on deck and hydraulic fluid poured into their blowhole to suffocate them. The animals are then shocked with prods or electric power lines shoved in their eyes and mouth. Finally, the whales are decapitated, still alive — by hacksaw.”

European Defense Review provides a first look at an EU funded Maritime Domain Awareness effort using “Unmaned Semifixed Sea Platforms,” 

“USSPs will develop a highly autonomous, energy efficient unmanned platform prototype, based on miniaturized oil platform technologies and with a wide range of aerial, surface and submarine sensors. It can be deployed in any geographical area, including deep water, and in adverse environmental conditions, so it will be very versatile in operation.”

Naval News reports that Naval Group has been selected as technical coordinator.