“The Coast Guard turned down a request for an exercise for an Arctic exercise out of concern the US’ only heavy icebreaker would break down and Russia would have to rescue it” –Business Insider

Posted on December 15, 2018 by Chuck Hill

Business Insider brings us an interesting report that the Coast Guard had declined to undertake a suggested “Freedom of Navigation” transit of the Northern Sea Route because of fear the Polar Star would break down while in the ice near Russia and require Russian icebreaker assistance.

The fact that using the Polar Star in the Arctic would have probably made, making the McMurdo breakout problematic, probably also made such an exercise almost impossible. As we have seen in the last year, between dry docking and the trip South the crew spent very little time in homeport

Surface Navy Association Symposium 15-17 January, Crystal City

Posted on December 12, 2018 by Chuck Hill

HMAS Success (AOR-304) refuelling probe goes in for a hook-up with the US Coast Guard Cutter USCGC Waesche (WMSL-751) as the Royal Australian Navy Auxilliary Oiler Replenishment Ship conducts a dual RAS (Replenishment at Sea) off the coast of Hawaii during the Sea Phase of Exercise RIMPAC 2014, 19 July 2014. (RAN Photo by Leading Seaman Brenton Freind RAN)

The annual Surface Navy Symposium is scheduled for 15-17 January in Crystal City. Active Duty and Reservists in uniform along with government civilian employees (excluding contractors) can register at no charge, but others can save up to $120 by registering early. I received the following by email.

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Ready, Agile, Focused: Own the Fight!

Registration is open for the 31st Annual National Symposium that will be held at the Hyatt Regency Crystal City, 15-17 January 2019. Please note that there is a FEE increase on 19 December 2018 that raise all the prices to those under Tier 3. Register and pay now to avoid these increases! Complete pricing information can be found at https://navysnaevents.org/national-symposium/pricing.html

The link for more information, the up-to-date schedule of events and to register is http://navysnaevents.org/national-symposium/

SURFACE NAVY ASSOCIATION
6551 Loisdale Court, Suite 222
Springfield, VA 22150
Phone: 703-960-6800
www.navysna.org
communications@navysna.org

New Base at Port Clarence?

Posted on December 9, 2018 by Chuck Hill

Bering Strait. Port Clarence bay is the large bight in the southeast.

Adapted from Wikipedia’s AK borough maps by Seth Ilys.

At the National Press Club Headliners Luncheon on Thursday, Dec. 6, the Commandant discussed the Coast Guard’s Arctic presence. We noted the Commandant’s remarks on the Polar Security Cutter earlier, that he was guardedly optimistic, but the US Naval Institute report on the same presentation, brings us more information about the possibility of a new port facility in Western Alaska.

Long-term, Schultz said it’s possible the Coast Guard would look to create a permanent presence in the Arctic. Most likely, Schultz said, the Coast Guard would look for a sea base, possibly in the far northern Port Clarence area. One option, Schultz said, is for the Coast Guard to install moorings to provide a safe haven. Port Clarence, Alaska, had a population of 24, according to the 2010 Census.

Port Clarence was at one time a LORAN Station, and it appears it may still have a substantial runway, so it might also develop into a seasonal air station.

The Secretary of the Navy has already expressed an interest in having a strategic port in Alaska. From the Navy’s point of view it is near the potentially strategically important Bering Strait.

Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Karl Schultz meets with Secretary of the Navy Richard V. Spencer and Alaska Sen. Dan Sullivan in Nome and Port Clarence, Alaska to discuss the construction of deep draft ports in western Alaska, Aug. 13, 2018. This would allow the Coast Guard and Navy to have a strong presence in the U.S. Arctic. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Jetta Disco.

Paying More Attention to the Western Pacific

Posted on December 8, 2018 by Chuck Hill

Fijian navy Sub-Lt. Opeti Enesi looks out from an Air Station Barbers Point HC-130 Hercules over the Fijian Islands, Dec. 8, 2018. The Hercules aircrew was providing support for a Fijian navy patrol boat during law enforcement operations. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Matthew West/Released)

Was pleasantly surprised to see that the Coast Guard seems to be paying more attention to the Western Pacific, where the US has a huge part of its Exclusive Economic Zone. (More than the entire Atlantic and Gulf coasts.) Additionally it is an area where Illegal Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) fishing threatens to destabilize local economies, and where our frenemy China is attempting a neo-colonialism that could turn smaller Pacific nations into vassal states.

The cutter Munro visited Fiji and the Solomon Islands on its first operational patrol. A shiprider agreement was concluded on Nov. 12 during the visit to Suva, Fiji, and a Fijian naval officer flew aboard a Barber’s Point C-130 coordinating operations with a Fijian patrol boat.

This is after the USCGC Oliver F. Berry (WPC-1124) completed a mission to conduct operations in the Republic of the Marshall Islands, 2,200 miles from her homeport over the last summer.

“Coast Guard Seeks Information to Support Over The Horizon Cutter Boats” –CG-9

Posted on December 8, 2018 by Chuck Hill

BM2 Dale Veverka, a boatswains mate, Seaman George Degener, and MK2 Joshua Post conduct maneuvers on the Coast Guard Cutter Northland’s “over-the-horizon” small boat during transit to Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, April 9, 2008. for UNITAS exercise. U.S. Coast Guard photo by PA2 Nathan Henise.

The following is a release from the Acquisition Directorate (CG-9) Apparently they plan to procure a fifth generation over the horizon cutter boat.

The Coast Guard released a request for information (RFI) Dec. 7 to gather information in preparation for the Over the Horizon V cutter boat acquisition.

The planned vessel is a standard configuration boat up to 26 feet long, which is capable of performing missions that require projection of Coast Guard capabilities beyond the parent cutter. It will operate in day and night; in a spectrum of climates, weather conditions and sea states.

The anticipated scope of the contract is near 200 boats delivered over a 10-year-period.

The RFI is available here. The deadline to submit responses is Dec. 14 at 12 p.m. EST.

For more information: Cutter Boats program page

This is probably the answer to a comment question on an earlier post about a new 7 meter RHIB, that ask what boat would be used on the Offshore Patrol Cutter (OPC).

From the RFI:

Approximate OTH-V Characteristics:
Length: 26 feet (maximum extreme dimensions)
Beam: 9.0 feet (maximum extreme dimensions)
Weight: ~7500 lbs (full fuel, no personnel)
Comms: HF, UHF, VHF, DSC, AIS
Navigation: Scalable Integrated Navigation System-2 with radar
Seating: Shock Mitigating for five, designated for eight additional
Stability: ISO 12217-1
Structure: ISO 12215-5
Propulsion: Diesel Engine with Waterjet propulsion
Top Speed: 40 knots
Range: 200 NM (with 10% fuel reserve)
Interface: Dual Point Davit, Single Point Davit with Sling, Stern Notch

“Investigation blames Air Force and Navy for systemic failures in fatal Marine Corps C-130 crash that killed 16” –Military Times

Posted on December 7, 2018 by Chuck Hill

MilitaryTimes reports,

“The horrific KC-130T plane crash that killed 15 Marines and a sailor last summer was caused by a deteriorating propeller blade that was corroded when it entered an Air Force maintenance depot in 2011, but workers there failed to fix it and sent it back to the fleet unrepaired.”

Reportedly this was not an isolated problem.

The investigation’s report and nearly 2,000 pages of supplementary records portray an endemic level of neglect by the Air Force, which maintains C-130 propeller blades for the Navy.

and I would presume possibly also for the Coast Guard which is still flying the C-130H.

The exact maintenance failures that took place at Warner Robins Air Logistics Complex back in 2011, and who was responsible, will likely never be known.

Before the crash, it was Air Force policy to throw out such maintenance records after two years, according to the report.

The US Naval Institute News Service has the video above and the full text of the investigation (which I must admit, I did not read). This video has a bit more detail than the one accompanying the MilitaryTimes post.

“U.S. Coast Guard chief optimistic about icebreaker ship funding” –Reuters

Posted on December 7, 2018 by Chuck Hill

USCGC Polar Sea

Reuters reports that the Commandant again used the phrase “guardedly optimistic” regarding FY2019 funding for the first new Polar Security Cutter when addressing a National Press Club event.

Perhaps key here is that the Congress will attempt to pass a budget before the Dec. 21 expiration of the continuing resolution.

December 7th, 1941/1968

Posted on December 7, 2018 by Chuck Hill

It is of course the anniversary of the Attack on Pearl Harbor that brought America into World War II. Last year Coast Guard Compass published this story of the Coast Guard’s actions on that day and the conflict that followed.

But the Coast Guard has another reason to remember December 7, the loss of the White Alder, along with 17 of her crew of 20. From the Coast Guard Compass, “The Long Blue Line: Buoy Tender White Alder—lost 50 years ago, but not forgotten”

Waterways Commerce Cutter

Posted on December 6, 2018 by Chuck Hill

a music video dedicated to the men of USCGC BLUEBELL, a “hidden jewel” in the coast guard. the black hull sailors who got things done, “if we go unnoticed then it just simply means we’ve done our job right”.

If you haven’t seen it yet, the Acquisitions Directorate has some excellent graphics on the current and future inland and river tender fleet, or as the program is now known, the Waterways Commerce Cutter.

If you would like to take a look start here, and check out the “Resources” and “In the News” tabs at the bottom of the page.

USCGC Wyaconda stationed out of Dubuque, IA

“Interview: Admiral Karl Schultz, Commandant, United States Coast Guard” –MarineLink

Posted on December 4, 2018 by Chuck Hill

Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Karl Schultz visits with Coast Guard crews stationed in New York City. U.S. Coast Guard photo illustration by Petty Officer 1st Class Jetta Disco.

MarineLink has a wide ranging interview with the Commandant dated 4 Dec., 2018. The interview is from a Marine Industry prospective, so the flavor is a bit different from what we see from Defense oriented interviewers, more about the prevention side, still a lot of interest in the Polar Security Cutter program. Perhaps the most informative section concerns cyber and what the Coast Guard is doing about cyber threats.