This Day in Coast Guard History, February 12

Posted on February 12, 2025 by Chuck Hill

Based on the Coast Guard Historian’s timeline, https://www.history.uscg.mil/research/chronology/
With inspiration from Mike Kelso

February 12

1802 Revenue Marine had a total of 38 commissioned officers in service: 9 captains, 10 first mates, 9 second mates and 10 third mates.

The Marine Electric, a 605-foot cargo ship, as seen underway before its capsizing and sinking on Feb. 12, 1983. The converted WWII-era ship foundered 30 miles off the coast of Virginia and capsized, throwing most of its 34 crew into 37-degree water, where 31 of them drowned or succumbed to hypothermia.

1983 The 605-foot bulk carrier Marine Electric, completed as a tanker in 1944, capsized and sank off Virginia during a gale. Three of the 34 crewmen on board were rescued by Coast Guard and Navy assets.

“Investigations by the Coast Guard, led by Captain Dominic Calicchio and independent examinations of the wreck discovered that the Marine Electric had left port in an un-seaworthy condition, with gaping holes in its deck plating and hatch covers. These had been noted at multiple points by surviving Chief Mate Bob Cusick, who testified that no effort had been made by MTL to rectify the issues.^[6] The hatch covers, in particular, posed a problem, since without them the cargo hold could fill with water in the storm and drag the ship under.

Investigators discovered that much of the paperwork supporting MTL’s declarations that the Marine Electric′s seaworthiness was faked. Inspection records showed inspections of the hatch covers during periods when they had in fact been removed from the ship for maintenance; inspections were recorded during periods of time when the ship was not in port. A representative of the hatch covers’ manufacturer warned MTL in 1982 that their condition posed a threat to the ship’s seaworthiness, but inspectors never tested them. Yet the Marine Electric was repeatedly certified as seaworthy.

Part of the problem was that the Coast Guard delegated some of its inspection authority to the American Bureau of Shipping. The ABS is a private, non-profit agency that developed rules, standards and guidelines for ship’s hulls. In the wake of the Marine Electric tragedy, questions were raised about how successfully the ABS was exercising the inspection authority delegated to it, as well as about whether the Coast Guard even had the authority to delegate that role. Also there was a conflict of interest in that the inspection fees paid to the ABS were paid by the ship owners.

In the wake of the Marine Electric sinking, The Philadelphia Inquirer assigned two reporters, Tim Dwyer and Robert Frump, to look into old ship catastrophes. In the series, the writers concluded that government programs designed to strengthen the merchant marine had actually kept unsafe ships afloat. Frump later wrote a book, Until the Sea Shall Free Them, about the sinking.

In the wake of the Marine Board report, and the newspaper’s investigation, the Coast Guard dramatically changed its inspection and oversight procedures. The Coast Guard report noted that the ABS, in particular, “cannot be considered impartial”, and described its failure to notice the critical problems with the ship as negligent. At the same time, the report noted that “the inexperience of the inspectors who went aboard the Marine Electric, and their failure to recognize the safety hazards…raises doubt about the capabilities of the Coast Guard inspectors to enforce the laws and regulations in a satisfactory manner.”

While the Coast Guard commandant did not accept all of the recommendations of the Marine Board report, inspections tightened and 90 old World War II relics still functioning 40 years after the war were sent to scrap yards.(“Disasters at Sea” S01E02 Deadly Neglect 2019). In 2003, Coast Guard Captain Dominic Calicchio was posthumously awarded The Plimsoll Award by Professional Mariner magazine in part because of his role as a member of the Marine Board of Investigation.

Additionally, the Coast Guard required that survival suits be required on all winter North Atlantic runs. Later, as a direct result of the casualties on the Marine Electric, Congress pushed for and the Coast Guard eventually established the now famous Coast Guard Rescue Swimmer program.

1986 Rains began in northern California that lasted for a week, causing severe flooding. Coast Guard units participated in rescue and relief operations.

CG 44363 in its final resting place on James Island. U.S. Coast Guard photo

1997 Three of the four crewmembers of MLB-44363 out of the Quillayute River Motor Lifeboat Station were lost in the line of duty when they responded to a distress call from the sailing vessel Gale Runner. They were BM2 David A. Bosley, MK3 Matthew E. Schlimme, and SN Clinton P. Miniken. Staffing levels and high personnel turnover contributed to the incident. A summary of findings is here. Two items stand out.

No member of the boat crew was wearing helmets. Additionally, only SA Wingo and SN Miniken definitively wore their heavy weather belts. SA Wingo assumed that MK3 Schlimme wore his and was clipped in as well, but he was unsure if BM2 Bosley wore his belt.

The autopsy reports for BM2 Bosley, MK3 Schlimme, and SN Miniken all stated that the cause of death was blunt force injuries to the head.

This Day in Coast Guard History, February 11

Posted on February 11, 2025 by Chuck Hill

Based on the Coast Guard Historian’s timeline, https://www.history.uscg.mil/research/chronology/
With inspiration from Mike Kelso

February 11

1973 Due to the draw-down of U.S. forces in South Vietnam the post of Senior Coast Guard Officer, Vietnam, was discontinued.

Norfolk, VA, 27 March 2009 – The guided-missile cruiser USS Vella Gulf (CG 72) returns to Naval Station Norfolk after a seven-month deployment. Vella Gulf deployed as part of the Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group supporting maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts in the U.S. 5th and 6th Fleet areas of responsibility.
U.S. Navy photo #090327-N-3595W-045 by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Gina K. Wollman/Released

2009 Miami-based LEDET 405, operating as part of Combined Task Force (CTF) 151 and conducting counter-piracy operations aboard USS Vella Gulf (CG-72) and USS Mahan (DDG-72) in the Gulf of Aden, assisted in the apprehension of 16 suspected pirates in a 24-hour period.

Brigands attacked Marshall Islands-flagged motor vessel Polaris in the Gulf of Aden, and she issued a distress call at 1500 on 11 February 2009. Vella Gulf came about, made speed for the area, and captured seven pirates. At 1600 the following day, additional pirates in a skiff fired at Indian-flagged Prem Divya and attempted to board the merchantman. A Seahawk flying from Vella Gulf raced to the area and signaled for the skiff to stop. The pirates continued and the helo fired a warning shot, which the pirates also ignored. The Seahawk then fired a second warning shot and the skiff stopped. VBSS teams from Vella Gulf and Mason boarded the boat and apprehended nine more pirates, together with their weapons, including a rocket propelled grenade launcher. The cruiser transferred the 16 pirates to a temporary holding facility on board the dry cargo ship Lewis and Clark (T AKE 1).

Artists rendering from Eastern Shipbuilding Group

2014 The Coast Guard awarded three firm fixed-price contracts for preliminary and contract design for the Offshore Patrol Cutter (OPC) acquisition project. The contracts were awarded to Bollinger Shipyards Lockport LLC (Lockport, Louisiana), Eastern Shipbuilding Group Inc. (Panama City, Florida), and General Dynamics, Bath Iron Works (Bath, Maine). The OPC would fill Coast Guard and DHS offshore mission requirements and provide capabilities between the Coast Guard’s Fast Response Cutter and National Security Cutter, while replacing the aging 210-foot and 270-foot medium endurance cutters. (And now, 11 years later, we still do not have our first OPC.)

The Reliance Class Cutter USCGC Valiant (WMEC-621) underway on a routine fisheries patrol in the Gulf of Mexico.

2015 CGC Valiant returned home to Naval Station Mayport Wednesday, after completing a six-week deployment in the Florida Straits and Eastern Caribbean Sea in support of operations Southeast Watch and Unified Resolve. Valiant responded to a surge of illegal migration attempts in the Florida Straits following the U.S. government announcement to normalize relations with Cuba. The cutter humanely processed and cared for 160 Cuban migrants in a one-week period. Valiant also boarded and towed a coastal freighter following its failed attempt to deliver more than 1,000 kilograms of cocaine into Puerto Rico. Valiant’s crewmembers conducted a search of the vessel, took custody of its crew, and towed the freighter over 120 miles to Ponce, Puerto Rico, where it was transferred to Homeland Security Investigations and Border Patrol authorities. The freighter’s crew was turned over for prosecution in federal court. During the cutter’s logistics stop in San Juan, Puerto Rico, the crew took time to visit two orphanages that care for infants and primary school children. The crew distributed more than 200 new toys they brought with them from Mayport and spent two afternoons playing with the children.

Caleb Brewster, Revolutionary War Soldier, Spy and War of 1812 Revenue Cutter CO

Posted on February 10, 2025 by Chuck Hill

Caleb Brewster was a secondary character in the TV series “Turn, Washington’s Spies,” but he was a main character in the formation of George Washington’s Culper spy ring and in Coast Guard history.

Brewster initiated the Culpepper spy ring,

“Again in the dark for critical intelligence, Washington, to his great relief, received an unsolicited letter written on August 7, 1778 – a day that could be considered the start of the Culper Spy Ring. It was written by Caleb Brewster in Norwalk, offering to gather intelligence on Long Island Washington instructed Brewster to “not spare any reasonable expense to come at early and true information.”Brewster wrote his first intelligence report on August 27, 1778. He warned Washington that Sir Henry Clinton was planning to attack the Continental Army strong point in Newport, Rhode Island, allowing Washington to take precautions to avert an attack.”

He was wounded in a “spy boat fight” the British in 1782.

Caleb Brewster was injured on December 7, 1782 during a naval exchange with British troops on Long Island Sound. He was hit by a musket ball through his shoulder, or “breast,” as he described in his letter to President George Washington.

He commanded the Revenue Cutter Active 1812 to 1816.

During the War of 1812, the cutters Active and Eagle kept very busy escorting merchantmen between New England and the mid-Atlantic states.

Of the war’s revenue-cutter masters, Captain Caleb Brewster of the Active proved the most experienced intelligence-gatherer, having been part of an effective spy ring supplying information to General George Washington during the Revolutionary War. On 26 May 1813, a New York newspaper reported that the Active braved a “strong south gale” near Montauk Point, Long Island, to maintain surveillance of three British men-of-war about ten miles out to sea. Employing local small craft, Captain Brewster sped the information to U.S. Navy Commodore Stephen Decatur, whose squadron was trapped in Long Island Sound. Brewster continued providing military intelligence to New York officials regarding enemy naval operations until the war’s end.

During the summer of 1813, the cutter Active sailed through the British squadron blockading Commodore Decatur’s flotilla near New London, Connecticut. The Active provided force protection for Decatur’s warships and delivered reports, messages, and naval intelligence between the commoedore’s flotilla and authorities in New York.

22 January 1814 near Sandy Hook, New Jersey, when a boarding party from the Active inspected the merchant ship Fair American, which had special papers to sail for Liverpool, England. In what became a rather sensational story at the time, Caleb Brewster’s crew found 11 men without passports concealed in the ship’s hold and several men of wealth disguised as seamen. They caught others among the crew trying to destroy illegal documents. The Active’s boarding party found bills, orders, and drafts for supplying the Royal Navy and the British military in Canada and the West Indies and arrested a number of passengers, including two smuggled British prisoners of war. A New York newspaper described the incident as demonstrating “the development of a most nefarious and long continued system of smuggling, [and] victualing the British and contravening the most imperious laws and highest interests of the country.”

Why haven’t we named a cutter after this man?

This Day in Coast Guard History, February 10

Posted on February 10, 2025 by Chuck Hill

Based on the Coast Guard Historian’s timeline, https://www.history.uscg.mil/research/chronology/
With inspiration from Mike Kelso

February 10

1840 A House resolution was introduced to inquire into transferring the Revenue Marine to the Navy.

USCGC Tahoe; underway, pre-World War II.

1938 CGC Tahoe departed New Bedford, Massachusetts, to inaugurate the 1938 “International Ice Observation Service” (now referred to as the International Ice Patrol).

As part of the Lend-Lease Act she was transferred to the Royal Navywhere she was renamed HMS Fishguard (Y59) and commissioned on 12 May 1941. In May 1944, the crew of Fishguard boarded U-852 and captured her crew after she was damaged by British aircraft.

USCGC Bibb relieving on Ocean Station. This was photo is post-World War II.

1940 CGCs Bibb and Duane inaugurated the Coast Guard’s participation in the nation’s manned ocean station program when they took their positions on Ocean Stations No. 1 and 2 in the North Atlantic on this date. They also became the first vessels to make radio transmissions as “weather stations.”

Alex Haley, USCG photo

1992 Retired Coast Guard Chief Journalist Alex Haley, internationally noted author, crossed the bar.

1995 The 689-foot tank ship Mormac Star, carrying more than 4.7 million gallons of Jet A fuel and nearly 5.7 million gallons of number 2 diesel fuel, ran aground in Sandy Hook Channel, two miles off the beaches of Sandy Hook, New Jersey, spilling 33,600 gallons. COTP New York responded. Other responding units included Stations New York and Sandy Hook, VTS New York, and the Atlantic Area Strike Team. The spill was successfully contained and the vessel salvaged.

At approximately 1930 on February 10, 1995, the USCG Group New York received a call from the Vessel Traffic Service informing them that the inbound T/V Mormac Star was hard aground next to Sandy Hook Channel between buoys 4 and 6 with her port side extending into the channel. The vessel was carrying 112,000 barrels of Jet A fuel and 135,000 barrels of #2 fuel oil.
Weather on-scene was 35°F, 10 knot west-southwest winds, and three-foot seas.
USCG Marine Inspection Office (MIO) and COTP personnel responded on-scene. The FOSC requested assistance from the USCG Atlantic Strike Team (AST) and two AST members responded by aircraft that had FLIR capabilities. The vessel owner took immediate responsibility and contracted services for booming and open-water recovery. Tank #6 Center (C) (22,000-barrel capacity) was sounded and found to be leaking #2 fuel oil at a rate of approximately 100 barrels per hour. Skimmers operated in the immediate vicinity of the vessel to recover what little product there was on open water. A 90,000-barrel barge was deployed to lighter the tanker enough so that the vessel would refloat naturally. Once tanks #2C and #6C were sufficiently emptied, the vessel refloated and was towed to general anchorage about three miles off Sandy Hook to complete lightering before going to the harbor for repairs. Although hampered by strong currents, divers discovered a two-inch hole in the #6C tank that they patched temporarily. Weather postponed further lightering and the vessel was towed to its original destination in the Arthur Kill to complete lightering.
Federal trustees from the Department of Commerce (DOC), NOAA, and the Department of the Interior (DOI) were briefed on the situation but only the NOAA SSC responded on-scene. Boom was deployed as a precaution at some sensitive areas identified in the Area Contingency Plan, but no shoreline or wildlife impacts were reported.

“Canadian shipyard in talks to buy US shipbuilder amid trade war talk” –Defense News

Posted on February 9, 2025 by Chuck Hill

Canada’s Polar Icebreaker

After the continued frustration of the Polar Security Cutter program, the ICE Pact agreement between Finland, Canada, and the US seems promising, but we have heard little about how it will work or what it will produce. Forbes discusses the possibilities here.

We may be seeing the first steps of implementation as Canada’s Davie shipyard, which has already purchased a shipyard with a long history of building icebreakers in Finland, seeks to buy a shipyard in the US. There aren’t many possibilities, I would guess either the old Navy yard in Vallejo that has been doing the five year rolling service life extension on Polar Star or the Philly Shipyard currently building “National Security Multi-Mission Vessels” for the merchant marine academies.

Defense News reports.

Davie, a Quebec shipbuilder set to play a key role in a joint icebreaker production agreement between Canada, the United States and Finland, is moving forward with plans to expand its operations south of the border despite a looming trade war threatening the continent.

As part of the expansion, the Canada-based multinational shipbuilder has set out to acquire an American shipyard, which would secure an initial and important footprint in the U.S. for the company.

Davie is expected to build Canada’s second in class large Polar Icebreaker and six “Program” Icebreakers.

“The Homeland Fight in the 2026 U.S.-China Scenario” –USNI

Posted on February 9, 2025 by Chuck Hill

U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer 2nd Class Wesley Armstrong, a boarding team member assigned to the USCGC Stone (WMSL 758), fires flashbang warning rounds during vessel on vessel use of force training in the Atlantic Ocean, Jan. 18, 2023. Stone is the ninth Legend-class national security cutter in the Coast Guard fleet and currently homeports in Charleston, South Carolina. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Riley Perkofski)

A US Naval Institute Proceedings essay in the September 2024 edition, by Captain Craig Allen Jr., U.S. Coast Guard contends that, “The Coast Guard would lead in countering China’s efforts to degrade the United States’ ability to sustain the war at home.”

A mass conflag should be front of mind when considering the challenges posed in the American Sea Power Project 2026 U.S.-China contingency scenario.¹ In the scenario, there is an absence of detail on how such a conflict could affect the U.S. homeland, and it could be seen as a Department of Defense problem in which the Coast Guard plays only a niche role. Indeed, the warfighting challenges inside and near the first island chain with which many excellent authors have grappled are not, for the most part, Coast Guard mission areas. However, believing the conflict would be contained to a fight “over there” underestimates the havoc China could and almost certainly would unleash to prevail in a protracted war.

As a U.S. homeland-centric corollary to the American Sea Power Project scenario, consider one in which China might directly or indirectly degrade the United States’ ability to sustain the war effort logistically and economically, foment chaos and erode social cohesion, and overwhelm domestic-response capacity. Like the original scenario, this one is neither predictive nor comprehensive. Rather, it highlights another important dimension to consider when evaluating U.S. seapower readiness for a major conflict with China.

“UH-60 Black Hawk Begins Ground Tests With Far More Powerful T901 Engines”

Posted on February 9, 2025 by Chuck Hill

The first MH-60T medium range recovery helicopter to operate out of new Air Station Ventura lands on the station’s ramp on June 8, 2024. U.S. Coast Guard photo.

A new more powerful engine is being developed for the H-60. The War Zone reports,

“Compared to the previous engine, the T901 offers 50 percent more power — which translates to a maximum of roughly 3,000 shaft horsepower — bringing a considerable advantage in terms of hot-and-high performance, which is otherwise a significant limiting factor for rotorcraft. The new engine is also intended to bring improved fuel efficiency. On top of this, more powerful engines should ensure that the Black Hawk and Apache can carry heavier loads over greater distances…

“Meanwhile, a simpler design and fewer parts should translate into reduced life-cycle costs. As well as traditionally manufactured components, the T901 also makes use of more exotic production techniques, including additive manufacturing and ceramic matrix composites.

This could mean a significant improvement in range both because of better fuel efficiency and greater max takeoff weight.

“Once installed in the UH-60 and AH-64, the T901 promises to provide these aircraft with increased range, longer loiter time, and reduced maintenance and sustainment costs.”

This Day in Coast Guard History, February 9

Posted on February 9, 2025 by Chuck Hill

Based on the Coast Guard Historian’s timeline, https://www.history.uscg.mil/research/chronology/
With inspiration from Mike Kelso

February 9

John Allen Midgett was recognized by the UK government for saving UK seamen in 1918. The Coast Guard later named the USCGC Midgett (WHEC-726) and USCGC Midgett (WMSL-757) after him.

1938 Chief Boatswain (L) John Allen Midgett, Commanding Officer of Station Chicamacomico, died in the U.S. Marine Hospital in Norfolk, VA, from injuries he sustained in an automobile accident on January 23, 1938. Chief Midgett was the hero of the 1918 Mirlo rescue for which he was awarded a Gold Lifesaving Medal.

DC-7

1965 Eastern Air Lines, flight 663 DC-7B with 84 persons on board exploded in midair off Jones Beach, Long Island. Despite an extensive search by seven Coast Guard cutters, six Coast Guard aircraft, and a U.S. Navy tug, no survivors were located. Only nine bodies and various pieces of debris were located and recovered.

The 28-man crew from the abandoned fishing vessel Hou Chun 11 cling to life rafts 900 miles south of Honolulu, Feb. 9, 2010. Coast Guard crews from Hawaii and Alaska responded to the 28-member crew and provided medical assistance. U.S. Coast Guard video by Coast Guard Air Station Barbers Point.

2010 CGC Alex Haley rescued a 28-member crew from the disabled fishing vessel Hou Chun 11 900 miles southwest of Honolulu. Corpsmen aboard the cutter treated two of the crewmembers who suffered severe burns. The crew of the cutter Alex Haley sailed to Christmas Island, Kiribati, where the two burn victims were medevaced by a Coast Guard HC-130 Hercules based out of AIRSTA Barbers Point. The remaining 26 were transported ashore for transport to a vessel that returned them to Taiwan.

This Day in Coast Guard History, February 8

Posted on February 8, 2025 by Chuck Hill

Based on the Coast Guard Historian’s timeline, https://www.history.uscg.mil/research/chronology/
With inspiration from Mike Kelso

February 8

UF-1 Albatros

1958 A U.S. Navy P5M aircraft enroute from San Juan to Norfolk lost one engine and changed course to the island of San Salvador, British West Indies, to attempt a night ditching. AIRSTA Miami sent up a Coast Guard UF amphibian plane, later reinforced by a second amphibian. After contacting the disabled Navy plane, the pilot of the first amphibian talked the Navy pilot out of attempting to ditch without benefit of illumination and alerted the commanding officer of the Coast Guard LORAN station on San Salvador for assistance after ditching. In true Coast Guard tradition, the LORAN station’s CO borrowed a truck and an 18-foot boat to assist. The commanding officer managed to be on the scene 1-1/2 miles offshore, when the Navy P5M landed with two minutes of fuel remaining. While one of the amphibians provided additional illumination, the Navy plane was guided through a dangerous reef to a mooring, using her operative port engine. There were no casualties.

USCGC Storis, a Arctic Patrol Cutter.

2007 USCGC Storis was decommissioned after 64 years of service.

USCGC Alex Haley

2015 USCGC Alex Haley returned to Kodiak, Alaska, following a successful 70-day deployment patrolling more than 10,800 miles throughout the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands. Alex Haley, known as the “Bulldog of the Bering,” departed Kodiak on December 1, 2014 and spent 70 days conducting law enforcement and community outreach operations in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands. During the deployment, Alex Haley’s crew performed 41 at sea domestic fisheries enforcement boardings and covered more than 5,000 square miles in search efforts for the sunken Korean fishing vessel 501 Oryong.

Singapore Navy is Operating Unmanned Patrol Boats in what may be the Busiest Waterway on Earth

Posted on February 7, 2025 by Chuck Hill

The USV is equipped with navigation radar, collision detection systems, and a Rafael Toplite electro-optical camera with a laser rangefinder, remote weapon station, and stereovision sensors (Picture source: Singapore MoD)

Below is a Singapore Ministry of Defense News release.

This may be the first routine (as opposed to experimental) operational deployment of Unmanned Surface Vessels in this role.

If Toplite electro-optics sounds familiar, that is the sensor/firecontrol system used with the Coast Guard’s 25mm Mk38 Mod2/3 gun mounts.

The Republic of Singapore Navy’s Unmanned Surface Vessels Progressively Operationalised to Enhance Maritime Security

Singapore is a maritime nation that relies on the sea for survival and economic prosperity. The Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) is responsible for ensuring the security of these vital waterways, where more than 1000 vessels traverse daily. The RSN constantly enhances its capabilities to counter the evolving maritime security threats.

Today, the RSN relies on a combination of shore sensors and ships at sea to ensure maritime security of the vital waterways, alongside our national maritime security partners. After a series of rigorous tests, the RSN’s Maritime Security Unmanned Surface Vessels (MARSEC USVs) have begun operational patrols since Jan 2025, operating alongside manned ships such as the RSN’s Littoral Mission Vessels (LMVs) to enhance the security of Singapore’s waters.

Enhance Operational Capabilities – Surveillance, Interdiction and Greater Persistence

The USVs will add another layer of surveillance and operational response to our maritime security system. They conduct patrols, and when required, will investigate and interdict suspicious vessels. Operating alongside other manned vessels, the USVs will enhance the RSN’s ability to monitor and respond to situations at sea.By providing more persistent coverage in the Singapore Strait, the USVs also allow other warships like the LMVs to be deployed for other more complex missions, and at the further ranges from Singapore. The MARSEC USVs also allow the RSN to remotely¹ and safely conduct potentially risky missions at sea

Indigenously Designed for Autonomous Operations in the Busy Singapore Strait

Designed and developed in close partnership with the Defence Science & Technology Agency (DSTA) and DSO National Laboratories, the new USV harnesses the latest technologies to enable autonomous operations in congested maritime environment. The USVs are equipped with autonomous navigation systems, which includes an indigenously developed Collision Detection and Collision Avoidance (CDCA) algorithm that enables the vessel to navigate through the busy traffic in the Singapore Strait and cope with the constantly changing environmental conditions at sea.

The CDCA autonomous navigation system integrates the USV’s perception and navigation sensors, as well as collision detection equipment used for typical maritime navigation (such as navigation charts, Maritime Automatic Identification System and Differential Global Positioning System) with an algorithm designed for the RSN’s operations. This rules-based system automates the collision avoidance decision-making process while ensuring that the USVs exhibit avoidance behaviour that complies with the Convention on the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea. This means that the USV assesses and responds to maritime traffic situations in a predictable manner, similar to that of a manned vessel.

The USV and its CDCA algorithm was extensively tested through a comprehensive Verification and Validation (V&V) approach, which included simulated-based testing and at-sea trials. This V&V approach had also been benchmarked against industry best practices, together with our global defence partners and maritime experts. Following an extensive development and testing process, the CDCA algorithm successfully completed over 12 million km of simulated distance with zero collisions, equivalent to 26 years of real-world testing. The USVs have also clocked over 1000 hours of real-world autonomous operations, with zero need for human intervention. The RSN will continue progressive experimentation to enhance the MARSEC USVs for a wider range of maritime security operations in Singapore’s congested waters.

Resource Efficient by Design

The vessel can be operated by just a two-man crew². In addition, the user-centric design of the Unmanned Systems Mission Control allows the operators to quickly plan and execute patrol profiles, track vessels of interest, and remotely warn, query and investigate vessels at sea.

Length	16.9 metres
Beam	5.2 metres
Displacement	30 tonnes
Speed	In excess of 25 knots
Endurance	In excess of 36 hours
Operators (when operating remotely)	2
Equipment	Strobe Light & Siren Search Light Long Range Acoustics Device (LRAD) 12.7mm Stabilised Weapon System with Laser Dazzler Navigation Radar Global Positioning System