A Novel “Solution” to a Rat Problem

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As usual, success brings with it unexpected consequences. Munro seized a stateless drift net fishing vessel, but it was found to be infested with rats. Alaska doesn’t want the rats ashore and fears e-rat-acation would be incomplete, so what do you do?

“Demonstrate Coast Guard Firepower & Blow Up The Rats!” suggests Alaska Senator Mark Begich

–Sink the ship using a National Security Cutter’s new 57mm.

This could be a bit embarrassing if we run out of ammo before sinking the ship, but it would be instructive. (Admittedly even I think they would succeed, but it will take more than a few rounds and probably won’t happen quickly. There would probably be a fire first, barbecuing the little rascals. I can hear the PETA outcry.)

The incident does seem to provide more evidence that we need more patrols in the Western Pacific.

“New” Colombian Navy Corvette

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Coast Guard forces working off the Colombian Coast may soon see a new Colombian Navy Corvette, donated by the South Korean Navy. The ship is the former  South Korean patrol ship Gunsan. She is one of 24 Pohang Class ships. One of the ships of this class was the Cheonan, believed torpedoed and sunk by a North Korean mini-sub with the loss of 46 crewmembers.

H-60s on National Security Cutters

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HH-60_NSC-2

As I suggested in the recent review of news from the Acquisition Directorate (CG-9),  I did ask Master Chief Brett Ayer (MCPO for CG-9), “Why is the Coast Guard using a different helo haul down and traversing system from Navy?"(RAST) I thought perhaps he would answer in the newsletter, but instead he answered me directly:

"If you are talking about the ASIST system, it was installed on the first few NSCs under Deepwater. As you know Deepwater was a performance type contract with ICGS. We provided our performance requirements and it was up to them to figure out the best way to meet them.

"My understanding is that we did not specifically spec ASIST. The Coast Guard had a requirement for recovering helicopters and ASIST is what ICGS provided (it met requirements).

"As you know Deepwater is not longer a program, and we are now managing our own acquisitions (although a few Deepwater contracts are still in effect for a little while longer).

"Since the original Deepwater requirements were put together, a few things have changed, one of which is that the Coast Guard had decided that we will not deploy H60s on our cutters. This changes the helicopter handling requirements and somewhat negates the need for the ASIST (or similar) systems. I do not believe the MH65 (as configured) is compatible with either ASIST or RAST.

"Our needs for shipboard handing of helicopters in currently under review, and I have no doubt that we will look at the Navy and their systems as a possible option"

In response to his e-mail I mentioned the discussion in the comments section of an earlier post regarding the possibility of  H-60s could operate from the National Security Cutters. this was his response:

"I think the confusion has to do with the decision not to deploy H-60s on cutters. The NSC were initially designed to deploy HH-60s equipped with the ASIST system.

"However as I stated, the Coast Guard made the decision that the MH-65 would be the primary cutter deployed helicopter not the HH-60. Because of this the Coast Guard never outfitted our HH-60s with the ASIST hardware, they also removed the blade folding equipment from the HH-60s and added other external equipment that makes them incompatible with cutter deployment.

"So in short the HH-60 can operate off the NCSs, but it cannot use the ASIST system and there is no way to fold the blades. This is not a limitation of the NSC, but of the helicopter configuration and policy.

"I cannot answer the question about the Navy HH-60s, but I will ask someone who should have the answer"

I hope the decision not to use the CG MH-60 as a ship board helo does not mean the previous plan to provide accommodations for H-60s on Offshore Patrol Cutter will not be scaled back to accommodate only the H-65. The ability to operate and service H-60s is a potentially important military capability and also will allow the Coast Guard more options when it ultimately replaces the H-65.

New from CG-9

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The Acquisitions Directorate (CG-9) website has been busy lately.

They are reporting the award of a  contract for the first 38 of what may ultimately be 500 “Response Boat, Small,” and award of a contract for eleven more “Response Boat, Medium.”

They also report on work on the helicopter haul down and traversing system to be used on NSC with the H-65.

They have also issued their new newsletter. This month it discusses CG infrastructure improvements, and Master Chief Ayer answers, “I don’t understand why the new Offshore Patrol Cutter (OPC) has to be so big. If it is replacing the Medium Endurance Cutter (WMEC), why is it as big as a High Endurance Cutter (WHEC)?”: Read the newsletter (pdf)>>

(Think I’ll ask MCPO Ayers why we aren’t using the Navy’s helicopter haul down and traversing system.)

China Goes to the Poles

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China Defense Blog has a photo essay from China’s recent expedition to the Arctic, as well as pictures of their station in Antartica. Below is a photo of their large Russian built icebreaker from the post, with the Wiki link for the specs. Note in the link above, their helo looks an awful lot like an H-65. There is also some photos of their new support aircraft, a modified DC-3.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/china/2010-08/21/c_13455724.htm
ABOARD XUELONG, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) — A group of Chinese scientists reached the North Pole on Friday afternoon, extending their research on the Arctic Ocean to Earth’s northernmost point.

Fourteen Chinese scientists were flown in by helicopter from icebreaker the Xuelong, or Snow Dragon, which carried a Chinese exploration team and reached a point at 88.22 degrees north latitude and 177.20 degrees west longitude.

https://chuckhillscgblog.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/1282481690_28471.jpg?w=300

Photo: MV Xue Long

Operation Sail 2012

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https://i0.wp.com/eastbaycouples.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/CoastGuardCutterEagle.jpg

Looks like Operation Sail 2012 is shaping up nicely. Here is an announcement of the first seven tall ships committed to participate (Eagle leads the list of course) and projected schedule.

“Fuentes (chairman of Operation Sail, Inc.) said that tall ships from Russia, Spain, Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador, Mexico and the United States are the first confirmed participants in the multi-port commemoration which begins in April 2012.  Cities involved include New Orleans, San Juan, New York, Norfolk, Baltimore, Boston and New London.”

“OpSail is partnering with the U.S. Navy to produce events next year that celebrate the bicentennial of the writing of The Star-Spangled Banner and commemorate the War of 1812.”

Iranian Warships off the US Coast?

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File:Iranian Alvand class frigat.JPEGThe Iranians have announced that they intend to send a naval task force to provide a “powerful” presence off the US coast. Iranian military pronouncements frequently seem to be meaningless chest pounding for domestic consumption, and in all probability the task force will consist of only one warship smaller than a 270, and a replenishment vessel, but there may be more to this than simple theatrics. Informationdissemination suggests that this may be a way of cirumventing the UN sanctions on Iran and that perhaps this is a way to allow technology transfer. Likely port calls are Cuba and Venezuela.

At the risk of appearing paranoid, I’ll try to think like the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corp commander in charge of these vessels. I want to embarrass, degrade, and covertly attack the Great Satan in any way I can, as long as I don’t get caught. I might also have a opportunity to make a personal fortune. Might this be an opportunity to pass weapons, like shoulder launched SAMs, to terrorists already in the US by making rendezvous off shore, or to simply put agents ashore. It might be an opportunity make a substantial profit by delivering weapons to a drug cartel, maybe even a small submarine. There is of course the opportunity for technology transfers in both direction when port calls are made.

In November 2010 a German newspaper carried a story that the leaders of Iran and Venezuela had reached an agreement to establish a ballistic missile base in Venezuela armed with Iranian built IRBMs capable of reaching the US. This has been discounted by the State Department, but the logic of such an arrangement would have to be attractive to leaders of both Iran and Venezuela as a way of insuring against a US strike against either regime.

Should someone assign a shadow to these vessels while they are off the US coasts?

As informationdissemination notes, the Chinese are also expected in Caribbean Waters in the form of a hospital ship. If other, potentially hostile, navies start acting like the US Navy, keeping warships off our coasts, as they may in the not too distant future, how might the Coast Guard be different?

“20,000 Heat-Seeking Missiles” May be Missing

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First, we had a report from The Telegraph that the Iranians had taken advantage of the chaos in Libya to steal dozens of sophisticated SA-24 Russian made shoulder launched surface-to-air missiles similar to “Stingers.”

Now Fox News reports there may be as many as 20,000 of these weapons on the loose.

While this high number sounds unlikely, it does look like the supply and demand curves for shoulder launched SAMs is now working in favor of the bad guys.

Retraction: NSC to be named for Munro

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Relative to my earlier post, I have just been informed by a highly placed and very reliable source that there will be a National Security Cutter named for Douglas Munro.

The planned names for the remaining cutters, approved by the Commandant in February, will be:

#5 James, #6 Kimball, #7 Munro, #8 Midgett

The Name that is no longer on the list is “Stone.”