The last post, “Relieving Commandant and Vice Commandant Nominees Announced ” marks a milestone for the Blog. It is the 2000th post.
While many of the posts have been simply pointing to items of interest, we don’t seem to be running out of things that merit comment.
The Following is a press release quoted in its entirety:
Homeland Security Secretary Kristjen M. Nielsen announces selection
of the 26th Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard
WASHINGTON — Homeland Security Secretary Kristjen M. Nielsen announced the nomination by President Donald J. Trump of Vice Adm. Karl L. Schultz to be the 26th Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard Thursday.
Vice Adm. Schultz, the commander of the Coast Guard’s Atlantic Area, currently serves as the operational commander for all Coast Guard missions from the Rocky Mountains to the Arabian Gulf, spanning across five Coast Guard Districts and 40 states. Pending confirmation, he is expected to relieve Commandant of the Coast Guard Admiral Paul F. Zukunft in a change of command ceremony June 1, 2018, in Washington, D.C. Adm. Zukunft will retire following the change of command this summer.
“Vice Adm. Schultz will provide the sound leadership and steady hand needed to guide our global military service further into this dynamic and extraordinary era of our Nation,” said Adm. Zukunft.
Vice Adm. Schultz has selected and the president has nominated Vice Adm. Charles W. Ray, the current Deputy Commandant for Operations, as the Coast Guard’s 31st Vice Commandant. Pending confirmation, Vice Adm. Ray will relieve Adm. Charles D. Michel in a change of watch ceremony May 24, 2018, in Washington, D.C. Adm. Michel, the Coast Guard’s first four-star Vice Commandant, will retire following the change of watch.
Below are biographies link above for VAdm. Schultz and VAdm. Ray
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
Vice Admiral Schultz assumed the duties of Commander, Coast Guard Atlantic Area on August 4, 2016. He serves as the operational commander for all Coast Guard missions from the Rocky Mountains to the Arabian Gulf, spanning across five Coast Guard Districts and 40 states. In addition to his duties at Atlantic Area, he serves as Commander, Coast Guard Defense Force East, which provides Coast Guard mission support to the Department of Defense and Combatant Commanders. He concurrently serves as Director, DHS Joint Task Force – East, responsible for achieving the objectives of the DHS Southern Border and Approaches Campaign Plan throughout his Joint Operating Area, which covers the Caribbean Ocean and Eastern Pacific Region and Central America.
Vice Admiral Schultz reports to the Atlantic Area having recently served as Director of Operations (J3), U.S. Southern Command in Doral, Florida, where he directed joint service military operations across the Caribbean Basin, Central and South America. Prior flag officer assignments were Commander, Eleventh Coast Guard District, where he was responsible for multi-mission operations from California to Peru, and Director of Governmental and Public Affairs at Coast Guard Headquarters in Washington, D.C., where he was responsible for external engagement with Congress, the media, and inter-governmental entities.
Previous operational assignments include Sector Command in Miami, as well as command tours aboard Cutters VENTUROUS, ACACIA and FARALLON. Staff assignments include Chief of the Office of Congressional and Governmental Affairs; Congressional Liaison Officer to the U.S. House of Representatives; Liaison Officer to the U.S. Department of State, Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs; Assignment Officer at the Coast Guard Personnel Command, and Command Duty Officer in the Seventh Coast Guard District Operations Center in Miami.
Vice Admiral Schultz is a native of East Hartford, Connecticut and a 1983 Coast Guard Academy graduate, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering. In 1992, he was awarded a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from the University of Connecticut, and in 2006 completed a one year National Security Fellowship at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government.
His personal awards include the Defense Superior Service Medal, four Legions of Merit, four Meritorious Service Medals, three Coast Guard Commendation medals, two Coast Guard Achievement Medals, and various other personal and unit awards.
Vice Admiral Charles W. Ray
Vice Admiral Charles W. Ray assumed the duties of the Coast Guard Deputy Commandant for Operations in August 2016. In this capacity, he is responsible for the development of operational strategy, policy, guidance, and resources that address national priorities. This oversight of Coast Guard missions, programs, and services includes: intelligence; international affairs; cyber; the maritime transportation system; commercial regulations and inspections; search and rescue; maritime security; law enforcement; defense operations; environmental response; contingency planning; and the operational capabilities of cutter, boat, aviation, shore, and deployable specialized forces.
Vice Admiral Ray’s previous Flag Assignment was as the Pacific Area Commander. Prior to that he held Flag Assignments as the Deputy Pacific Area Commander, the Fourteenth Coast Guard District Commander, service with U.S. Forces Iraq as Director of the Iraq Training and Advisory Mission for the Ministry of Interior, and as the Military Advisor to the Secretary of the Department Homeland Security.
Vice Admiral Ray is from Newport, Arkansas, and is a 1981 graduate of the Coast Guard Academy. After an assignment as a deck watch officer aboard Coast Guard Cutter ACUSHNET (WMEC167), he was selected for Naval Flight Training and earned his wings in 1984.
Vice Admiral Ray has served at six Coast Guard Air Stations from Alaska to the Caribbean. He was designated an Aeronautical Engineer in 1988 and has served as Engineering Officer at three stations and at the Aviation Logistics Center as the Program Manager for the development of the Coast Guard’s Aviation Logistics Management System. He commanded Coast Guard Air Station Borinquen, Puerto Rico from 2002 through 2005. During the course of his career he accumulated over 5,000 hours of helicopter flight time.
Vice Admiral Ray’s staff assignments include a tour as Chief of the Office of Performance Management at Coast Guard Headquarters followed by a tour as the Chief of Staff of the Fourteenth Coast Guard District. Vice Admiral Ray earned a Master of Science Degree in Industrial Administration from Purdue University and a Master of Science Degree in National Resource Strategy from the Industrial College of the Armed Forces in Washington, D.C.
Vice Admiral Ray’s personal awards include the Coast Guard Distinguished Service Medal, five Legion of Merit Medals, one Bronze Star Medal, two Meritorious Service Medals, one Coast Guard Air Medal, three Coast Guard Commendation Medals, and the Coast Guard Achievement Medal.
Great background information here for understanding the environment of Antarctica. I am told there are now a few more flights than indicated but otherwise the video appears accurate.
Thanks to Lee for bringing this to my attention.
Greece and Turkey are both NATO, but they never gotten along very well. Apparently, they have been playing bumper boats and this 12 February 2018 incident is not the first time. The Turkish cutter is larger. We looked at her class earlier. The Greek vessel was a Damen Stan Patrol 5509 (55 meters long and 9 metes of beam) offshore patrol vessel, which reportedly suffered significant damage to her hull. Here is a page that provides info on both classes,
As I said the Greeks and Turks have been going at each other for a while. The intentional collision below reportedly happened on January 17, 2018.
The video below was posted to YouTube May 8, 2016.
This incident occurred 24 Jan. 2014
Thanks to Luke for bringing this to my attention.
Japanese built Philippine Coast Guard cutter Malabrigo
There are many ways to structure coast guards. They may be military or civilian; part of the defense establishment or in a separate department; multi-mission or single purpose.
Here is a story of how the Philippine Coast Guard separated from its parent organization, the Philippine Navy. The narrative may be a bit self serving as it was posted by Fidel Ramos, who was President of the Philippines at the time, and who refers to himself in the third person, as FVR in the narrative.
The following is a verbatim copy of a Coast Guard news release:
Coast Guard, NOAA to include Navigation Rules in U.S. Coast Pilot
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Coast Guard and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) have teamed up on a consolidated publication that will help mariners save time and money.
The Coast Guard Office of Navigation Systems and NOAA Office of Coast Survey will incorporate the amalgamated International Regulations for the Prevention of Collisions at Sea (72 COLREGS) and the Inland Navigation Rules into NOAA’s U.S. Coast Pilot publications.
To access Coast Pilot, visit https://www.nauticalcharts.noaa.gov/publications/coast-pilot/index.html.
The U.S. Coast Pilot publications already include the Coast Guard’s Vessel Traffic Service regulations.
“Adding the Navigation Rules into the Coast Pilot conveniently places three essential navigation safety publications into one easily available publication, available in either bound hard copy or electronic format,” said Capt. Mary Ellen Durley, the chief of the Coast Guard Office of Navigation Systems. “The U.S. Coast Pilot will now provide a one-stop shop for these required publications.”
“Making essential navigational products readily available and convenient for the mariner is a priority for NOAA,” said Capt. James Crocker, the chief of NOAA Office of Coast Survey Navigation Services Division. “We are pleased to collaborate with the U.S. Coast Guard in making the Navigation Rules available in all nine volumes of the Coast Pilot — three required publications in one free download.”
Interesting little video about an aids to navigation marker I don’t believe I had ever heard of. Appears to perform the same function as the more familiar range lights, but it appears easier to pick out from the background.
Navy photo. MH-60R “Knighthawk” helicopters conducts an airborne low frequency sonar (ALFS) operation during testing and evaluation
The March, 2018 issue of the US Naval Institute Proceedings has an article by Commanders Timothy Kerze and Dana Brooke Reid, USCG, that advocates reinstating the Coast Guard’s ASW mission.
Specifically they suggest that the ten National Security Cutters (NSC) and 25 Offshore Patrol Cutters (OPC) be equipped and configured to operate the MH-60R in the ASW role. They contend that all 35 ships in the program of record could be so equipped for $122.5M, far less than the cost of a single Navy frigate.
They also refer briefly to the possibility of adding a sonar. I feel adding a long range detection capability would be a necessity. The ASW helicopters would be much more useful if the cutters could provide an around the clock cueing. Even adding this capability, perhaps in the form of LCS ASW module components to be manned by Navy Reservists when the need arises, would still likely keep the total cost of the program less than that of a single FFG, now expected to cost $800M.
As for employment, surface ships patrolling for submarines has never been very effective. Escorting other ships has always been the most effective tactic for countering submarines, because it draws the submarines to the escorts and because the subs must frequently abandon their most stealthy mode of operation to make an attack. ASW equipped cutters could be assigned to escort duties in areas away from the enemy’s air and surface threats.
Douglas RD “Dolphin” (1932)
Just wanted to mention a link I recently added to the “References” page. “Aircraft Used in Coast Guard Aviation” has photos and links to information about what appears to all the aircraft the Coast Guard has used throughout its history. This is a project of the Coast Guard Aviation Association.
They also have a chronological history, accounts of notable SAR cases, and a section called “In their own words” that includes historical narratives, hangar tales, and oral histories.
USCGC Polar Sea
The Request for Proposal for detailed design and construction of new Heavy Polar Icebreaker(s) (HPIB) has been issued. You can see it here. I have only taken a quick look at the first few pages of the 197 page document, but it does include, not just a request for costs to construct one icebreaker, but also prices for numbers two and three as well.
This paragraph is worth noting.
To enable ongoing program planning and responses to Congressional inquiries, the Coast Guard and Navy HPIB IPO desire input from prime offerors related to the benefits of Congressional authorization of Block Buy and/or Economic Order Quantity. Submission of this information is voluntary and will not be used to evaluate any proposal submitted by the offeror in response to this RFP. Email submissions providing dollarized estimated savings per ship for authorization provided for 1) all three cutters and 2) only the second and third cutters should be emailed to the Bidders Question contacts identified below with the email title “HPIB Block Buy/EOQ Input – Contractor Name.” Submissions within 60 days of RFP release are preferred.
Thanks to Tups for bringing this to my attention.
Chuck Hill's CG Blog 