Topic: Coast Guard Heroes and Notables

[oldcoastie6468]

CG Assists Sinking Fishing Vessel, Saves Crew

U.S. Coast Guard | Feb 11, 2014

HONOLULU — Six mariners are safe after their vessel began sinking approximately 173 miles north of Oahu Monday.

At 11:15 a.m., a Good Samaritan notified watchstanders at the Coast Guard Sector Honolulu Command Center that the 66-foot commercial fishing vessel Sea Moon was flooded and dead in the water with crewmembers using buckets to dewater the boat.

The Good Samaritan did not know the position of the vessel, but was able to pass the owner’s information to the Command Center.

The owner provided the vessel's satellite phone number and at 11:27 a.m., Coast Guard watchstanders established communication with the fishing vessel. The crew reported that the engine room was flooded and that the cause of the flooding was unknown.

They reported no injuries and that they had life jackets, life rafts, flares and an Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon aboard.

An HC-130 Hercules airplane crew was diverted with dewatering pumps aboard and an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew launched from Air Station Barbers Point.  The Coast Guard Cutter Ahi, an 87-foot patrol boat homeported in Honolulu, was also launched. The Sea Moon's sister ship Sapphire also rerouted.

The Hercules crew arrived on-scene at 12:51 p.m. and dropped a dewatering pump to the fishing vessel.

Sea Moon’s crew retrieved the dewatering pump and brought it aboard. The crew was then able to stop the flooding and restart the engine. They are now enroute to Honolulu Harbor and are expected to arrive Tuesday afternoon.

Coast Guard Hercules crews routinely practice dropping a variety of lifesaving materials to mariners in distress. This is especially pertinent in the Pacific where extreme distances can take ships days to reach mariners in need of assistance. In cases such as this where uncontrolled flooding can force mariners to abandon ship, speed is of the essence. The Coast Guard is scheduled to replace the HC-130H with the HC-130J, which is capable of greater speed and range. Likewise, the 87-foot patrol boats are also scheduled for replacement by the new fast response cutter.

http://www.military.com/daily-news/2014/02/11/coast-guard-assists-sinking-fishing-vessel-saves-crew.html?ESRC=coastguard.nl

[oldcoastie6468]

Mako’s frozen journey home
Posted by LT Stephanie Young, Tuesday, February 11, 2014

Written by Petty Officer 1st Class Nick Ameen and Petty Officer 3rd Class Cynthia Oldham.

When the crew of Coast Guard Cutter Mako left Baltimore en route to their homeport of Cape May, N.J., they knew the transit through the ice-covered C&D Canal would be challenging. However, they didn’t anticipate the normally seven-hour trip would take 30 hours to complete. Along the way, the crew’s bond strengthened when their training kicked in and they relied on each other’s expertise to get home.

“Everyone stepped up, including the most junior members,” said Petty Officer 2nd Class Anton Mohammed, a boatswain’s mate and the first lieutenant aboard the Mako. “I’ve never seen such an expert display of communications, training and professionalism come into play for a real-life scenario. It all came together, and we made it home safely.”

The 87-foot coastal patrol boat spent approximately three months in Baltimore at the Coast Guard Yard, from Nov. 11, 2013, to Jan. 24, 2014. Cutters like the Mako undergo dry dock maintenance availabilities every several years to maintain readiness.

When it came time for the Mako crew to depart the Coast Guard Yard, it took a lot of coordination due to icy conditions and an impending offshore snowstorm.

“We had a lot of conference calls and planning meetings to determine our best route home,” said Master Chief Petty Officer William Hollandsworth, the officer-in-charge of the Mako. “We knew we couldn’t delay our departure due to the ripple effect it would have had on so many other cutter crews.”

The complex patrol and maintenance schedules are planned far in advance and are strictly adhered to, so the decision was made to push forward. It was now a choice between either transiting the ice-covered C&D Canal or heading offshore in rough seas with heavy weather rolling in.

The choice was made to transit home through the canal, but not without the help of a couple of Coast Guard ice-breaking tugboats — first, the Baltimore-based cutter Chock, and later, the Philadelphia-based cutter Capstan.

“The Chock and the Capstan crews really came together to get us home,” said Mohammed. “We had to stay about 100 yards behind the icebreaker because the ice was reforming so quickly. We hit some ice that stopped us in our tracks and made us consider turning around, but we already made it halfway so we continued to push forward.”

The crew was under constant pressure as they made their way toward Cape May.

“The stress level was pretty high for everyone,” said Hollandsworth. “It just isn’t a natural sound, ice hitting the hull, especially for the engineers working below deck.”

The crew constantly battled the ice on deck as well. As water sprayed on deck, it froze rapidly, compromising the cutter’s stability.

“Every hour we had to turn the boat away from the wind so crewmembers could chip the ice away without getting sprayed themselves,” said Mohammed. “It was painfully cold working on the slippery deck. The wind hurt but we were mentally able to overcome the pain knowing we were heading home.”

Hollandsworth commended the unity of effort between so many Coast Guard units in completing the mission. He said the efforts by the people of the 5th Coast Guard District, Sector Baltimore, Sector Delaware Bay, the cutter Chock, the cutter Capstan, Station Cape May and especially his own crew proved the importance of teamwork when working toward a goal.

When they finally reached their homeport, the crew enjoyed some much needed rest and family time, knowing they would be underway again soon to carry out crucial Coast Guard missions. This time, they would be doing so with a little more experience in each crewmember’s toolbox.

http://coastguard.dodlive.mil/2014/02/makos-frozen-journey-home/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheCoastGuardCompass+%28The+Coast+Guard+Compass%29

[oldcoastie6468]

Shipmate of the Week – EM1 Matthew Payne
Posted by LT Stephanie Young, Friday, February 14, 2014

Written by Coast Guard Pacific Area.

After having gone through an extensive three year, $90 million dollar reactivation, Coast Guard Cutter Polar Star is fully operational and currently deployed to McMurdo, Antarctica, for Operation Deep Freeze 2014.

Petty Officer 1st Class Matthew Payne, an electrician’s mate, contributed greatly to Polar Star’s reactivation. Payne began his tour while the ship was in dry-dock and extended for a year to be a part of the cutter’s first Deep Freeze mission in seven years.

Leading up to Deep Freeze 2014, Payne led the upper electrician’s mate shop through a rigorous inport schedule. He managed several projects including the installation of an entirely new electrical shore tie and refurbishing the cutter’s robust electrical infrastructure, which expands Polar Star’s electrical shore tie capacity from 900 to 1200 amps. He spearheaded the replacement of turbine room lights, converting 13 light fixtures to LEDs in six hours, ensuring the space was safe to train in time for the ship’s tailored ship’s training availability.

Payne also demonstrated his outstanding shipboard knowledge and poise by expertly standing watch as the assistant engineer of the watch throughout engineering drills. The Afloat Training Group evaluators praised his exceptional composure, astute watch-standing and positive attitude throughout the ship’s tailored ship’s training availability training cycle.

Additionally, Payne’s technical expertise was vital towards the successful completion of Polar Star’s aviation certification as he calibrated and certified the 400HZ & 28V HELO start system and repaired numerous flight deck lights to prepare the ship for its first flight operations in eight years.

While underway for Deep Freeze, Payne has displayed his electrical expertise time and time again. He has taken an active role in training inexperienced watchstanders, sharing his shipboard knowledge. His efforts have lead to the qualification of six assistant engineers of the watch .

After a fire ignited in the switchboard in the ship’s engineering control center, Payne quickly located repair parts and spent 10 hours restoring the switchboard to full functionality. He didn’t miss a beat and immediately thereafter stood his scheduled mid-watch without hesitation.

During a port call in Sydney, Payne disassembled the upper portion of one of the ship’s main motors, and replaced one of two blower motors effecting necessary repairs so Polar Star could continue on its mission.

In his daily work, Payne upgraded the lights on board Polar Star from fluorescent light fixtures to more energy efficient blue LED bulbs taking the initiative to research and procure these lights for berthing area passageways. Working during his liberty time in Honolulu, Payne oversaw the installation of the new lighting fixtures which allow watchstanders and ship’s crew to see better at night with no loss of night vision.

A testament to his work ethic Payne sacrificed additional liberty time while in McMurdo, Antarctica, remaining aboard to repair two main diesel engine lube oil heaters, used to keep the engines warm and ready in Antarctica’s cold, harsh climate.

In his spare time Payne enjoys carpentry, a hobby which he has used to add value the unit. He worked tirelessly at home refurbishing wood rails for the engineering control center consoles, restoring them to pristine condition. Utilizing these talents even more he selflessly volunteered to complete shadowboxes for retiring crew members.

Payne attained his underway engineer of the watch qualification, a watch station normally held by E-7 and above. For these efforts, he was recently recognized as Polar Star’s Sailor of the Quarter.

http://coastguard.dodlive.mil/2014/02/shipmate-of-the-week-em1-matthew-payne/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheCoastGuardCompass+%28The+Coast+Guard+Compass%29

[Libertas]

Antarctica...Operation Deep Freeze.  Good one!   

I sure hope they all get hazardous duty pay!   

[oldcoastie6468]

A wish come true
Posted by LT Stephanie Young, Monday, February 17, 2014

Written by Petty Officer 2nd Class Walter Shinn.

A boat is sinking with four people aboard in the middle of 30-foot seas that are crashing into each other, spraying salt into the air and creating deep swells giving way to the sense of riding on an unstable roller coaster. Scenarios like this are what Coast Guardsmen prepare for.

Servicemembers who are operational within the Coast Guard are expected to train rigorously for treacherous conditions or dangerous situations during the workday and on watch. For Coast Guardsman Lt. Adam Schmid, this is his career.

Schmid, an operations officer for Maritime Safety and Security Team Boston, has been in the service for nine years. His job responsibilities include oversight and directing operations including missions within maritime law enforcement, anti-terrorism, force protection and waterside security mission.

Schmid is also a husband and father of four. One could say he is prepared for many different scenarios. However, a challenging scenario revealed itself in October 2012 when his family discovered their 7-year-old son Thomas’ biopsy results confirmed he had mitochondrial myopathy, which ultimately led to Mitochondrial disease.

Mitochondria are responsible for creating more than 90 percent of the energy needed by the body to sustain life and support growth. When they fail, less and less energy is generated within the cell. Cell injury and even cell death follow. If this process is repeated throughout the body, whole systems begin to fail, and the person’s life is severely compromised. The disease primarily affects children, but adult onset is becoming more and more common.

Last fall Schmid submitted an application to the Make-A-Wish foundation.

“So soon after I submitted Thomas’ information to “Make-A-Wish,” a wish team visited our home,” said Schmid. “When Thomas was asked what his wish was, he wished to take his whole family to Disney’s Animal Kingdom. From there, the Wish team took action and set up a trip to Orlando the week before Christmas 2013.”

Ultimately, the Schmid family visited all of the major Orlando theme parks creating memories that will last for generation.

“The trip was an opportunity for Thomas to do whatever he wanted and enjoy all the parks had to offer while his health is relatively good,” said Schmid. “As a family, we were able to forget about the stresses that we have dealt with over the last year and share moments that we will talk about the rest of our lives.”

While the entire family enjoyed the trip to all the theme parks it was especially significant for Thomas.

“The trip was more fun than art class and art class is wicked, wicked fun,” said Thomas.

From beginning to end the Make-A-Wish foundation enabled the Schmid family to step away from Thomas’ physical therapy treatments he goes through four times a week.

“We were blown away by the red carpet “Make-a-Wish” rolled out for us, from a limo ride to the airport to VIP passes to all the major Orlando theme parks.” said Schmid. “The genuine care for Thomas and the rest of the family by those who made this amazing trip possible was overwhelming. We can’t thank Make a Wish, Give children the World and the Orlando theme parks enough.”

The Schmid family continues to pursue treatment for Thomas’ ailment and is partnered with the United Mitochondrial Disease Foundation to bring awareness to the disease.

http://coastguard.dodlive.mil/2014/02/a-wish-come-true/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheCoastGuardCompass+%28The+Coast+Guard+Compass%29

[AlanS]

 

[oldcoastie6468]

Cooperation from across the ocean
Posted by LT Stephanie Young, Wednesday, February 19, 2014


United Kingdom Royal Navy, Royal Marines and Ministry of Defense Police Force members trained with United States Coast Guard at Trident Training Facility Kings Bay. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Mark Treen.

Written by Petty Officer 1st Class Mark Treen, Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay Public Affairs Office.

It was all work, but a little play, when United Kingdom Royal Navy, Royal Marines and Ministry of Defense Police Force members trained with United States Coast Guard at Trident Training Facility Kings Bay.

For one week, four Royal Sailors, 14 Royal Marines and seven police force members trained with the Coast Guard on ballistic missile submarine force protection.

The United Kingdom and United States have a long and strong history of cooperation that goes beyond the formalities of being an ally. This is especially true with the mission of strategic deterrence.

Both countries have ballistic missile submarines and share the Trident system.

Both also have forces responsible for the safe passage of SSBNs from their home port’s protective gate to get to sea and back.

The United Kingdom’s SSBN base is Faslane, Scotland. Comparable bases in the United States are here and in Bangor, Wash.

In America, the role of force protection is shouldered by the Coast Guard Maritime Force Protection Unit, along with the Marine Corps Security Force Battalion.

For the United Kingdom, the duty is a joint job, based on the phases of interaction for force protection. The expectation from the U.K. government is that a civilian entity would interact with civilians during the normal escort of SSBN from its base. The Ministry of Defense Police have had that role since 1968.

Like the United States Coast Guard, the MDP officers have the ability to make arrests as law enforcement officials.

The Royal Marines’ 43rd Commando and Royal Navy members have been added since 2007 to provide further layers of protection. They are highly trained specialists, able to respond in kind to whatever scenario develops.

The American training was welcome by the U.K. members of this group. The Transit Protection System trainer in TTF Kings Bay is unique.

For the U.S., it allows full-scale, real-time simulation of MFPU Force Protection scenarios. For the U.K., TTF currently is the only place where all three entities can conduct simulation training together.

“It’s been the most valuable training I’ve seen in my time at 43 Commando,” Royal Marine Capt. Craig Burkin said.

Both parties said the training was extremely useful.

“My vision is to develop an enduring relationship with the United States Coast Guard,” MDP Superintendent Dennis Jackson said. “We would like to duplicate what happened here this week.”

That aside, as Burkin put it, “The lads have loved it. It’s amazing. You can get anything here, especially food portions. We love this culture.”

The highlight of the trip seemed to be the mid-week dinner in Woodbine.

That, plus the dodge ball game on Friday. The game was a chance to build unity between the various groups, while bringing out the camaraderie of competition. Players even switched teams. It was all taken in good humor, with the players from the U.K. wearing red shirts, while the U.S. military wore blue.

It’s hard to say who won, because at the end of the game there were too many smiles and handshakes. It was just as if there was only one team.

http://smg.photobucket.com/user/lowfreeboard/media/Coast%20Guard/Helpfromacrossthesea.jpg.html

[Libertas]

"You can get anything here, especially food portions."

Heh.

Reminds me of when in El Centro on detachment there were some Brit paratroopers rotating through there to do some practice jumps...they had changed all their pounds into dollars and kept buying all the rounds at the enlisted club and I didn't have to buy squat and I was pickled the whole week through.  They thought our chow was Nirvana.  Fun lads to hang with, they dearly loved their Maggie, and boy, I thought I could drink!

[oldcoastie6468]

Nerves of keel
Posted by LT Stephanie Young, Thursday, February 20, 2014

A version of this story first appeared at Coast Guard Heartland and was written by Petty Officer 1st Class Bill Colclough.

For Coast Guardsmen engaged in an active search for people in distress, who may be on the verge of panic, fright or worse, they have to be cool and calm, regardless of the state of seas, the boat or their own mind. Response crews must be ready and capable to take the helm of a Coast Guard boat and pilot it home, even the newest members. In a word, they must be qualified, or as members say, “qual’d,” before they are full-fledged crewmembers.

Known as the check ride, part exam and practical exercise crucible, each crewmember undergoes a series of drills simulating casualties and incidents that can and do occur in the maritime environment.

At Coast Guard Station New Orleans, Seaman Lyndsey Singer completed a check ride aboard the station’s new 45-foot Response Boat – Medium, which features joystick controls on the armrests instead of a traditional steering wheel.

Just step into the 45-footer’s pilothouse and you step into the future. With water jet propulsion, shock-mitigating seats and live-feed monitors of the engine space, you get the feeling you need flight school. This boat almost has joysticks for joysticks. A combination of joystick and tillers control thrust vectoring for maneuvering.

“I was very nervous. I’m still nervous, always nervous to drive the boat, but … it’s a part of the job. The size and the way it handles and getting used to everything, especially when you get aboard, it’s so overwhelming,” said Singer. “I am more at ease now driving the boat after the check ride.”

In addition to driving the boat along a charted course, Singer tracked the location of “Oscar,” a red inflatable device simulating a person in the water fallen overboard, while maintaining clear communication with the crew, including the demonstration of steering the boat inside the aft steering space. In a span of just under two hours or the time it takes to watch a movie, Singer passed the board; a technical error while tending line during a tow evolution and minor difficulty heaving line to another boatcrew did not prevent earning the 45-footer qualification.

“The most nerve-wracking part is the apprehension, anxiety going into it – knowing you are going to have a board. Not because I have done it a million times, but, anything can go wrong,” said Singer.

Upon entrance into the communications center on the second floor at Station New Orleans, the motto Facta Non Verba, which is Latin for “Actions speak louder than words,” is painted at the top of the wall as a reminder to all who enter. It is not enough to say you can drive the boat. No matter what happens, you have to be ready to drive, lead and care for your crew and survivors. With as strong a determination and a light touch as the aluminum in the deep-V hull of the 45, Singer forged nerves of keel.

http://coastguard.dodlive.mil/2014/02/nerves-of-keel/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheCoastGuardCompass+%28The+Coast+Guard+Compass%29

[oldcoastie6468]

Received in an email.

February 18, 2014 7:23 AM
Subject: **HTML** Actor. Musician. Comedian. Coast Guardsman. , Sid Caesar.

CPOA/CGEA Region Two, Chiefs and Warrants…
 
FYI… RIP COASTIE Sid Caesar…thanks to BMCS Jack Crowley for sharing…
 
Very Respectfully,
ITCM Michael A. Bumgardner
Base Boston CMC
617-223-5361 (office)
617-519-7607 (cell)

Subject: Actor. Musician. Comedian. Coast Guardsman. , Sid Caesar.

Born in Yonkers, N.Y., Caesar studied saxophone at the Julliard School of Music. He played in a number of prominent Big Bands, including those led by Charlie Spivak and Claude Thornhill.
Caesar joined the Coast Guard in 1939 after saxophone at Julliard and was assigned to play in military revues and shows, such as Tars and Spars. Early on, he showed a natural penchant for comedy by entertaining other band members with his improvised routines. His comedic character prompted the show’s producer Max Liebman to move him from the orchestra and cast him as a stand-up comedian to entertain troops.
This jump-started his famed career and after he was released from service by the Coast Guard in 1945 he went on to perform his “war routine” in both the stage and movie versions of the revue. He continued under Liebman’s guidance after the war in theatrical performances in the Catskills and Florida, but he never forgot the service that launched his career.
“Sid Caesar went on to great fame after his service as a Coast Guardsman, but he remained a dedicated shipmate over the years,” said Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Bob Papp. “Whether entertaining Coast Guardsmen or generously recording Coast Guard recruiting public service announcements, he remained dedicated to the service and he will be truly missed.”

 

         

[Libertas]

Yup, I mentioned in the Departed thread Sid was a Coastie!   

[oldcoastie6468]

Yup, I mentioned in the Departed thread Sid was a Coastie!   

I know, but I just saw this and thought I'd post it.

[Libertas]

Yup, I mentioned in the Departed thread Sid was a Coastie!   

I know, but I just saw this and thought I'd post it.

Aye, in the CG thread, where he belongs.

 

[oldcoastie6468]

Yup, I mentioned in the Departed thread Sid was a Coastie!   

I know, but I just saw this and thought I'd post it.

Aye, in the CG thread, where he belongs.

 

Not necessarily. The other thread is appropriate, since he was a famous person. Rather than add this there, I put it here; this contained a little more information.

[oldcoastie6468]

Sunday, March 2, 2014
COAST GUARD HELO MAKES PRECAUTIONARY LANDING, EAST SHORE OF WASHINGTON ISLAND

Washington Island, Wisconsin -

U. S. Coast Guard Rescue Helicopter 6578 landed safely on the snow along the eastern shore of Washington Island this morning, in what was termed a "precautionary emergency landing" by aircraft commander LT. Chris Breuer.

The MH-65C "Dolphin" helicopter with four crew aboard had taken off from the U. S. Coast Guard Air Station Traverse City around 7:50 a.m. EST.   As their aircraft flew over Lake Michigan and approached within approximately ten miles of Wisconsin's shoreline, intending to fly over Washington Island enroute to a search and rescue assignment (SAR) near Ashland, Wisconsin, a "flight control issue" arose.   A decision was then made to land along the flat, broad portion of beach just south of Hog Island and the Percy Johnson County Park, an area separated from the trees along shore and the open lake waters by ice banks and snow covered rocks.

According to LT. Breuer, flying further inland wasn't a prudent risk.  It would have been a flight path over trees for another several miles, extending their air time in an effort to reach open fields, or perhaps the Island Airport.   While he couldn't speculate on the nature of the mechanical issues encountered, other than to verify that it was not a fuel related problem, such landings, while not routine, are occasionally made, always with safety of both crew and aircraft foremost in mind.

With landing wheels now deep in snow and the aircraft unable to be flown, the most likely resolution to repairing the helo will be to lift it by crane to a flatbed truck, and transport it back to their air station, rather than perform on-the-spot repairs.  Engineering tech support at the Traverse City airbase will determine just when and how the helo extrication might be accomplished.   When this is sorted out, likely by early afternoon today (Sunday), Breuer's crew will be airlifted back to their base.  A "salvage" detail will then likely take over to ready the plane for lifting and transport, first by ferry, and then via highway back to a facility where it can be properly repaired.

Air crew secured rotors in preparation for their anticipated departure later today.

The helo crew includes:  Aircraft Commander LT Chris Breuer;  Co-pilot Jim Okorn;  Flight Mechanic Matt Lussier; and Rescue Swimmer Tom McArthur.   The crew had responded to a call around 5 a.m., an "uncorrelated Mayday" reported from the Ashland area, which, according to Breuer, could be almost anything, including an ice fisherman or snowmobiler needing assistance.  It was unlikely, he said, due to the heavy ice conditions in that area, that this call would have come from a vessel in distress.

According to Breuer, his aircraft had been used earlier last evening by a nighttime crew, before his crew responded to the Ashland call.  They were in the air some 50 minutes, he said, before putting down in front of the Jim and Janet Wilson home around 7:45 a.m. CST.

"Did you head for the widest stretch of flat beach, or the nearest home with smoke curling from the chimney?" I joked, noting the warm, comfortable surroundings of the Wilson home.  Safe landing was foremost on their minds, I was assured, with the nearby hospitality of the Wilsons an added bonus.

By the time I arrived to interview the crew, around 9:45 a. m., the Wilsons had just departed for Sunday morning worship service, leaving their lakeshore home in the hands of the air crew, plus the Island's two policemen, Gary Schulz and Tyler McGrane.   The morning was fresh, with bright sunshine, temperatures slightly below zero, with very little wind.  Circumstances could certainly have been more extenuating, the crew noted, than along this shoreline, a location where a century or more ago crews of sail schooners sometimes found themselves wrecked.

While LT Breuer was occupied with phone and email traffic, coordinating plans going forward, he also kindly answered my questions.  Crew members' families had been provided notice of their status, each man noted.  After a quick couple of photos taken in front of the fireplace, scenes that might depict their situation as just a bit too comfortable, considering the circumstances behind the forced landing, the crew donned their boots and winter gear and waded through the snow to secure the helo in preparation for their anticipated departure for home base.

The Coast Guard regularly assigns helicopter crews to assess ice conditions for commercial shipping, operations called "ice reconnaissance." This is one reason why, periodically through the winter, Islanders can see or hear helicopters flying overhead.  Great Lakes shipping has been slowed greatly by this winter's ice conditions, but vessels that still operate - or that will begin their 2014 season soon - rely on both satellite reports and the Coast Guard's eyes to assess navigation conditions.   And, there are also the several Coast Guard ice breakers and the administrative commands at the various Coast Guard Sectors of Operation that use such ice updates to advantage.

Islanders, ferry operators and commercial fishermen, or any citizen with extraordinary medical need, may also find comfort in the fact that four such helicopters are assigned to the Traverse City Air Station. These aircraft generally have much quicker response time than a vessel, weather permitting, should there be a need for flight rescue assistance.

-  Dick Purinton

Richard Purinton at 11:12 AM

http://ferrycabinnews.blogspot.com/2014/03/coast-guard-helo-makes-precautionary.html?m=1

[oldcoastie6468]

Be a force of nature
Posted by LT Stephanie Young, Monday, March 3, 2014



Air Station Elizabeth City performs a rescue during a winter storm. Photo courtesy of Greg South.

Being prepared to act quickly could be a matter of survival. This is especially evident during the threat of severe weather. The deadliest and most destructive tornado of 2013, an EF-5 that occurred on May 20 in Moore, Ok., caused more than $2 billion in property damage. Even though severe weather was anticipated days in advance, many in the impacted areas said they did not have a plan or were caught unprepared.

This week is National Severe Weather Preparedness Week and is a perfect time to reflect on how ready you and your loved ones are for the unexpected.

Severe weather could happen at any time, anywhere. In November 2013 alone, at least 70 tornadoes spanned seven Midwestern states. Even though tornado are forecasted days in advance, and warning lead times for the tornado outbreak averaged nearly 20 minutes, there were still many people in the impacted areas that stated they were unprepared.

“It is important that we focus on the preparedness and the safety of our families and our communities,” said Rear Adm. Kevin Cook, commander of the 8th Coast Guard District. “Now is the time to ensure that we have family emergency and communication plans that can be used in the event of severe weather.”

Knowing your risk, taking action and being an example by sharing your knowledge and actions with your social network are just a few steps you can take to be better prepared and save your life and others.NSWPW-poster-2014

Know Your Risk: Hurricanes, tornadoes, storms – every state in the United States experiences severe weather. Visit weather.gov to get the latest on weather threats.

Take Action: Take the next step in severe weather preparedness by creating a family communications plan, putting an emergency kit together, keeping important papers and valuables in a safe place, and learning about Wireless Emergency Alerts.

Be an Example: Once you have taken action to prepare for severe weather, share your story with family and friends on Facebook or Twitter. Your preparedness story will inspire others to do the same.

This year, we urge our readers to take the time to learn how to prepare for severe weather throughout National Severe Weather Preparedness Week. Use the resources above or share what you’ve learned in past disasters in the comments below!

http://coastguard.dodlive.mil/2014/03/be-a-force-of-nature/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheCoastGuardCompass+%28The+Coast+Guard+Compass%29

[oldcoastie6468]

A return to homeport
Posted by LT Stephanie Young, Monday, March 10, 2014

Written by Petty Officer 2nd Class Sabrina Laberdesque.

Children grow up aspiring to become astronauts, police officers and doctors. For some, the decision is hard to make. For others, the choice is easy – the decision to serve their country and be a part of a mission designed to safeguard its communities. Coast Guardsmen were all children at one time and have made the decision and commitment to serve.

The Coast Guard is comprised of citizens willing to raise their right hand and commit to serving their country’s water.

‘Where I belonged’

For Petty Officer 2nd Class Hali Lombardi, being born and raised in Key West, Fla., is what helped her make the decision to serve in the U.S. Coast Guard.

“I grew up on the water down here,” said Lombardi. “I knew that I wanted a career that involved boats, so when I found out about the Coast Guard I knew it’s where I belonged.”

Joining the Coast Guard at the age of 19, Lombardi knew that the boatswain’s mate rate was the career path she was going to join immediately.

“I was drawn to the search-and-rescue aspect of the Coast Guard,” said Lombardi. “I wanted to save lives while being on the water, and I knew going BM would be the best route for me.”

After attending the Coast Guard Boatswain’s Mate “A” School in Yorktown, Va., Lombardi received orders to Coast Guard Station Brunswick, Ga.

“I was far away from my family and friends, but I was on the water. That’s what kept me going.” Lombardi said. “I was doing search-and-rescue, so no matter how much I was homesick, the job kept me focused on the mission.”

After being stationed in Brunswick, Lombardi received orders to 7th Coast Guard District in Miami where she maintained records and charts for the aids to navigation, section of the waterways management division.

“I was at a desk, and though my job was important for the Coast Guard’s role in ATON, I knew I belonged on the water,” Lombardi said. “I enjoyed the people I worked with, but I missed the operational atmosphere you experience at a smallboat station or on a Coast Guard cutter.

After four years in Miami, Lombardi got her first pick on her orders to commission the Coast Guard’s newest cutter, the Charles Sexton, homeported in Key West.

Plank owner

“I was in shock when I received my orders to the Charles Sexton,” said Lombardi. “It was my number one pick on my list, and I am getting the privilege to become a plank owner of a Coast Guard cutter.”

Lombardi reported to Lockport, La., to meet up with the new crew and get the cutter ready for their new homeport in Key West. Upon arrival, Lombardi met Petty Officer 1st Class Andrew Bowe, an honorary Conch, a title given by the mayor of Monroe County, if determined to be a clear-thinking kindred soul, eminently worthy of the honor of being a citizen of the Florida Keys.

“We hit it off right away,” said Bowe. “We started reminiscing about the Keys, and we both were excited to go back to our roots and patrol in familiar waters.”

Both Bowe and Lombardi’s job entails them to be in the pilothouse when mooring and unmooring the cutter in homeport.

“Both Petty Officers are a huge asset to the crew because of their local knowledge of the area,” said Lt.j.g. Graham Sherman, Coast Guard Cutter Charles Sexton’s executive officer. “The water depths change drastically down here, and they both bring a lot to the table when it comes to navigating safely.”

The Coast Guard commissioned Coast Guard Cutter Charles Sexton in Key West this past weekend.

“It hasn’t really hit me yet that I am going to be one of the original plank owners of this cutter,” said Lombardi. “I get to stand before my family and friends in my hometown and take ownership of the Charles Sexton.”

Extraordinary heroism

The vessel is named after Coast Guard Petty Officer Charles W. Sexton who was posthumously awarded the Coast Guard Medal for extraordinary heroism.

Sexton was on duty at Coast Guard Station Cape Disappointment in Washington state on Jan. 11, 1991, as the fishing vessel Sea King, a 75-foot trawler, was taking on water four miles northwest of the Columbia River bar, Bollinger officials said. Four fishermen were aboard, the decks were requesting assistance and the engine room was filling up with water. Sexton unselfishly volunteered to go aboard the fishing vessel to treat the injuries of a Sea King crewmember who had fallen to the deck boat during a failed helicopter hoist. He skillfully diagnosed the victim’s injuries, informed the flight surgeon of the extent of the injuries and provided first aid treatment.

Once the victim was stabilized, Sexton turned his attention to assisting with the dewatering of the vessel. After more than six hours of the exhausting routine or dewatering the vessel, the Sea King suddenly, without warning, rolled over, throwing victims into the dangerous seas and trapping Sexton in the enclosed pilothouse. He went down with the vessel, sacrificing his life while attempting to save the lives of the Sea King’s crewmembers.

Because of his heroic efforts, the cutter Sexton’s motto is “Sacrifice through Service.”

“We have been working around the clock to ensure that we are ready to perform the Coast Guard’s mission once commissioned,” said Bowe. “The entire crew is dedicated to honoring Charles Sexton and we do that with our dedication to duty and through the sacrifices we make to ensure the mission is complete.”

Coast Guardsmen are more than maritime specialists; they are citizens as well. Citizens from hometowns who are proud to return and be a part of a legacy. A legacy that will continue aboard Coast Guard Cutter Charles Sexton.

“I am proud to be here in Key West and to be a part of the Coast Guard legacy through the commissioning of the Charles Sexton here in my hometown waters,” said Lombardi. “It’s an honor that I will carry with me the rest of my Coast Guard career.”

http://coastguard.dodlive.mil/2014/03/a-return-to-homeport/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheCoastGuardCompass+%28The+Coast+Guard+Compass%29#sthash.bMDckvR8.dpuf

[oldcoastie6468]

Harriet Colfax & the women of the Lighthouse Service
Posted by LT Stephanie Young, Tuesday, March 11, 2014

Written by Scott Price.



This month’s commemoration of women’s history highlights the achievements of women in the Coast Guard and celebrates their qualities of character, courage and commitment. The Coast Guard is unique among others in that women joined the professional ranks in the Lighthouse Service decades before the Civil War. They were typically hired when their husbands or fathers, who were the keepers, fell ill or passed away. But there were a few who obtained an appointment in their own right—usually by the old tried-and-true method of pulling political strings. That’s how Harriet Colfax, a woman referred to by the Chicago Tribune as “Uncle Sam’s Oldest and Most Reliable Lighthouse Keeper,” got her job as the keeper of the Michigan City Light—a position she held for 43 years.

According to various sources Colfax owed her appointment to her cousin, Congressman Schuyler Colfax. Harriet Colfax had been working in Michigan City as a school teacher and as a compositor at her brother’s Whig newspaper, The Transcript, but after he sold his newspaper she decided she was ready for a change. With her cousin’s guidance she applied for the light-keeper’s position at the Michigan City Lighthouse and was appointed as the keeper on March 9, 1861. The lighthouse structure that she moved into had been built in 1858 and contained a fifth-order Fresnel lens that was visible for more than 15 miles in the attached tower.

Michigan City’s harbor was protected by two “piers” that stretched into the lake. In 1871 an additional light was added at the end of the east pier, 1,500 feet from shore. Crews constructed an elevated walkway so Colfax could light that lamp, in addition to the main beacon, every evening. Her logbooks described her harrowing attempts to venture out over the water, carrying a bucket of heated lard oil (to keep it in liquid form—used until 1882 when kerosene became the primary fuel) during storms. She passed over the walkway during howling storms where waves crashed over the pier and crosswalk and many times the walkway was swept away. When the beacon light was moved to the west pier, she had to venture forth by boat to get to that lamp. But that beacon was swept away during a stormy night in 1886. Eventually she got an assistant to help her but his employment was infrequent so for the most part she was on her own.

Her logbook entries give some indication as to just how dangerous her job was–even with help. A terrific storm came ashore at Michigan City on the night of Oct. 13, 1872, and Colfax noted in her log: “Gale perfectly fearful by nightfall. Waves dashed over the top of the beacon. Reached the beacon at imminent risk tonight as the waves ran over the elevated walk. Watched both lights with closest attention all night.” The next year, on May 28, 1873, Colfax wrote: “A terrible hurricane to-night at about the time of lighting up. Narrowly escaped being swept into the lake.” On Oct. 28, 1873, another storm came ashore: “Terrific westerly gale. The waves dashing high over both piers, & over my head when on my way down to the light beacon.” Her strength of character is evident in her writings, and she seems to have kept a good sense of humor as well. On Halloween night in 1873 she wrote: “Main light and beacon both bewitched tonight, requiring my constant attention.”

A reporter for the Chicago Tribune interviewed her in 1904. She expressed to him why she did it, every night, year after year, even when past 80 years of age: “I have a helper to carry up the lamps, but always trim and light them myself. In forty-three years none but me has done it. I love the lamps, the old lighthouse, and the work. They are the habit, the home, everything dear I have known for so long. I could not bear to see anyone else light my lamp. I would rather die here than live elsewhere.” And she finished her interview by noting “My lights never went out till I quenched them myself.” Night after night, through 43 years of dedicated service, that was the case. Regardless of the weather or even if she fell ill, her lights were always shining to guide mariners safely to the harbor.

That kind of devotion to duty, despite her age, the weather and the time of night, demonstrates her character. For decades she carried out her responsibilities faithfully, knowing full well that lives lay in the balance. That’s why she walked the elevated walkway night after night to the far light on the pier, even during fierce storms that threw wind and whipped water across her path. Her courage in carrying out her duties is unquestionable, even today.

How about compassion? Elizabeth Williams, Keeper of the Beaver Island Harbor Point Light, wrote about the importance of what all of the lighthouse keepers did every night. In her book, A Child of the Sea, she wrote “At first I felt almost afraid to assume so great a responsibility, knowing it all required watchful care and strength, and many sleepless nights. I now felt a deeper interest in our sailors’ lives than ever before, and I longed to do something for humanity’s sake. . .” There’s the answer: the keepers who kept the nation’s lighthouses lit did so, night after night, “for humanity’s sake.”

Colfax retired in 1904 and by that time she’d been there so long that mariners referred to the lighthouse as “Little Miss Colfax’s light.” She passed away the following year but her legacy remains. She was in good company – more than 400 women served as keepers or assistants keepers with the U.S. Lighthouse Service and Coast Guard. Many of these women had careers that spanned decades. Thanks to the important research of Mary and Candace Clifford, whose book Women Who Kept the Lights, and Virginia Neal Thompson, among others, we’ve learned quite a bit about them. Each of these dedicated women embodies this month’s themes of character, courage and compassion—qualities that served them well as they tended the nation’s lighthouses, helped to keep seafarers on course and safely guided them from port to port.

If you’d care to learn more, the Historian’s Office has more information posted. They’ve also uploaded Coast Guard veteran Virginia Neal Thompson’s thesis as she examined critically the women keepers who served prior to the Civil War and raised questions regarding why they were hired, how they were viewed by their contemporaries and “lighting the way” to further research. Additionally, Colfax’s lighthouse is now the Old Lighthouse Museum, run by the Michigan City Historical Association. For more information—or if you’d like to visit, check out their website. Jan, a volunteer at the museum, stated: “we are very proud of Harriet Colfax; we try our best to keep her memory alive and her beloved lighthouse in such a condition that would make Harriet very proud of us.” We’re sure she would be as well!

http://coastguard.dodlive.mil/2014/03/harriet-colfax-the-women-of-the-lighthouse-service/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheCoastGuardCompass+%28The+Coast+Guard+Compass%29#sthash.SJIdhZ5U.dpuf

[Libertas]

I like a good lighthouse...must be the good view of big body of water and nobody else around to bother you except maybe a few select folks you like dropping by.

[oldcoastie6468]

The keepers back then really had a tough life. The ones on the reef lights had it bad enough, but the ones on islands also ran rescue boats and their crews most of the time.

Men and women of steel, ships of wood......