Coast Guard Magazine

8/7/2019 Coast Guard Magazine

1/19


2/19

301614 34

Coast Guardsmen

undergo ICCE training at

Station Saginaw River.

A snapshot o the many roles, missions and

signifcant events the Coast Guard perormed

during the week o Feb. 7-13.

Averting

DisasterCoast Guard and Navy

crews team up to assist

disabled cruise ship.

The history of coast

guard aviationDiscusses the history o the Coast Guard

Avaition on the water.

8From the HelmCoast Guard leadership discusses

their vision or the service. For mor

inormation about the Commandants

Direction please visit: http://www.

uscg.mil/seniorleadership/DOCS/CCGs-

Direction-2011.pd

Cool customers

Week in the Coast Guard

32

Surface tensionCoast Guardsmen train to become Cutter

Rescue Swimmers.

12

o price tag on safetyst Guard inspectors work to improve

mercial fshing vessel saety.

Adm. Robert Pa

Commandant

Vice Adm. Sally Brice

Vice Commanda

Rear Adm. Karl Sc

Director o Governm

Public Afairs

Capt. Ron LaBr

Chie, Public Afa

Jordan St. Joh

Deputy Chie, Public

PAC CC Clayto

Editor-in-Chie

PA1 Kip Wadlo

Executive Edito

PA3 Victoria Bo

Senior Editor

Telfair Brown

Director o Photog

PA1 Anastasia De

PA2 Pat Kelley

Associate Edito

Subscriptions: Call (202) 512-1

to Superintendent o Docum

371954, Pittsburgh, PA 1525

subscribe online, ollow the

Web site at

www.uscg.mil/mag

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photographs, comments and

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click on submissions or call t

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Coast Guard Magazine, CO

P5720.2, is produced or mem

U.S. Coast Guard by member

Coast Guard. Unless otherwis

stories, photographs and gr

produced by Coast Guard e

Editorial content is unoci

authority or action. Views an

expressed do not necessarily

o the Department o Homelanthe Coast Guard. Stories may

except stories and articles re

permission, rom other pu

Cover: Marine Saety and Se

San Diego boat crews condu

near the USS Midway in San D

4, 2011. Photo by PA1 Allyso


3/19

PORT CALL

JUNEAU, Alaska The Coast Guard CutterHamilton makes its approach to the pier

at Coast Guard Station Juneau following athree month Bering Sea patrol, Feb. 4, 2011.

Photo by PA3 Jon-Paul Rios.


4/19

NOLULU - Retired Master Chief Petty Ocer Vincenton, the rst African American Master Chief Petty

cer of the Coast Guard, addresses Coast Guardsmenonor of African-American history month during a

emony at Base Support Unit Honolulu, Feb. 24, 2011.

to by PA3 Michael De Nyse.

ELEBRATING DIVERSITY


5/19

One o my guiding principles as Commandant is to HonorOur Proession. That is why one o my highest prioritiesis to ensure that members o our Service work toward achievingprofciency in their chosen feld.

I have no doubt that each and every Coast Guardsman strivesto achieve excellence in his or her specialty. However, the

rapid expansion o activities we perorm has led to a substantialincrease in the skills individuals must learn and retain. In many cases this has placed our ocus onsimply training to a level o basic qualifcation.

Let me give you some examples. You can take your crew to the small arms range and get themqualifed. You can get a boat coxswain qualifed. You can get a boarding team member qualifed. Yo

can get a marine inspector qualifed. You can get an air crewman qualifed. But qualifcation is aminimum standard.

Now I do not mean to minimize the value o qualifcation. Qualifcation is a signifcant step inproessional development it is a certifcation by a Commanding Ocer or supervisor that a CoastGuardsman has not only completed the requirements to perorm his or her duties, but has also exhibthe necessary judgment. Qualifcation, however, is only the frst rung o the proessional developmeladder. My goal is or every Coast Guardsman to continue progressing up their proessional developmladder to profciency and beyond.

To support this initiative, my Commandants Direction sets orth a plan that will allow all o ourpersonnel to achieve profciency. I have directed our Force Readiness Command to provide clear poliand doctrine, and training, equipment, tactics, techniques and procedures or all mission areas. It isequally important or our Service to retain profciency. Thereore, I have also asked our PersonnelCommand to review how we can better support both the development and retention o profciency inspecialty.

Ultimately, it will be deckplate leadership that propels us to profciency. Profciency is dependenton every member o the service! Leading petty ocers, chies and junior ocers must ensure that

their personnel are trained, knowledgeable and exercised to profciency. As the maritime arm o theDepartment o Homeland Security, it is our duty to stand watch over our two million square miles oexclusive economic zone, 95,000 miles o coastline, and 50,000 miles o navigable waterways. I needeach Coast Guardsman to be the very best at what he or she does, so we can proudly and competentlystand our watch with the expertise our Nation has come to expect o us over the past 220 years.

This is our chosen proession. This is our way. This is what we do.

Semper Paratus!

Coast Guard Issue 2, 2011 uscg.m

Qualifed vs. Profcient

Adm. Bob Papp, Commandant

A crewmember aboard the CGC Waesche stands

lookout duty as the ship sails to Coast Guard Island inAlameda, Calif., Feb. 2. Photo by PA2 Patrick Kelley.


6/19

One of the principles in my vision statement is caring for

our shipmates, which falls under one of the Commandants four

principles, Respecting our Shipmates.

On Feb. 10, 2011, Admiral Papp, using his four principles

delivered the State of the Coast Guard Address and set the course

for our service. In his address, he announced 2011 as the Year

of the Coast Guard Family. We are committed to enhancing the

quality of life for our Coast Guard families. The Commandants

Shipmates #11 ALCOAST 073/11 details our goals and the course

ahead.

Regardless of location Coast Guard families face signicantchallenges, particularly those located in small coastal towns, in

isolated and in seasonal, high cost areas. Obtaining aordable or

adequate housing and locating good quality medical and dental

care providers can be very challenging. In addition, childcare

providers can be scarce and in most cases, very expensive.

We understand these as well as the many other challenges

service members face.

For the past nine months, I have traveled around the country

visiting units and listening to the concerns of hard working

Coast Guard men and women, and their families. That said,

some of our members and their families have expressed concerns

with the quality of the sponsor program, a program that we

control. Throughout my travels, I have witnessed some very

strong positive command climates and among other things,

the leadership puts a strong emphasis on their reporting

personnell sponsor program because they understand that a

quality sponsor program is the heart of maintaining high crew

morale and readiness. I encourage all leaders to be engaged and

involved with our members and their families before, during

and after transferring in. As most of our service members know,

transferring from one unit to the next can be very stressful so wemust help our shipmates.

It is an honor and a privilege to serve. We are all thankful for

the men and women of the Coast Guard who stand the watch and

protect our homeland.

Semper Paratus!

Master Chie Petty Ofcer Michael Leavitt,Adm. Bob Papp, Commandant o the Coast

Guard, and Janet Napolitano, Secretary oHomeland Security, render honors during a

Veterans Day Memorial Ceremony.Photo by PA3 Victoria Bonk.

Master Chie Petty Ofcer o the Coast GuardMichael P. Leavitt receives a demonstration o

saety gear aboard Coast Guard Cutter Eagleduring a visit to the Coast Guard Academy.

Photo by PA2 Patrick Kelley.

Master Chie Petty Ofcer o theCoast Guard Michael P. Leavitt meets

with the ofcers and crew o CoastGuard Sector Long Island Sound

in New Haven, Conn. Photo by PA2Patrick Kelley.

Adm. Bob Papp andMaster Chie PettyOfcer o the Coast

Guard MichaelLeavitt testiy beore

Congress, March 1.Photo by PA2 Patrick

Kelley

Message rom Master Chie Michael Leavitt,Master Chie Petty Ofcer o the Coast Guard

Coast Guard Issue 3, 2010 uscg.mil uscg.m


7/19

Joseph Maki, a crewmembshing vessel Cape Saint Jam

Warrenton, Ore., issues a mockcall on the radio during a re dr

Photo by Mike

Fir

No Price Tag on SafetyStory by PA3 Nate Littlejohn, PADET Astoria


The waters of the Pacic Northwest oer some of the

most treacherous yet bountiful work opportunities in theworld.

Dungeness crab eets hailing from Oregon and Washingtonare among the worlds elite. The reward for their toils, however,does not come without a price.

In the Pacic Northwest, the dungeness crab shing eet has

had its share of deadly casualties. According to a 2010 studyconducted by National Institute for Occupational Safety andHealth, 27 shermen died while participating in the dungeness

shery during the past decade. That equates to a rate of 310deaths per 100,000 workers. As a comparison, the Bering Seaking crab shery in Alaska saw a rate of 260 deaths per 100,000

workers. In 2009, the Bureau of Labor Statistics identiedcommercial shing as the deadliest occupation in the nation at

200 deaths per 100,000 workers.Surviving the inevitable risks inherent with crabbing in the

Pacic Ocean requires preparation, proper education and asurvivors attitude.

Safety training for shermen can provide the education piece

and a good instructor can help instill the right attitude so aperson can think like a survivor. Enter the shing vessel safety

professionals at Coast Guard Marine Safety Unit Portland, Ore.Curt Farrell, commercial shing vessel safety coordinator for

MSU Portland, and Mike Rudolph, shing vessel safety examiner,are passionate about safety. When it was discovered that aserious training void existed along the central and southern

Oregon Coast for shermen, the pair sought specialized trainingthrough the Alaska Marine Safety and Education Association to

become certied drill instructors.The safety training that we have provided over the past four

years has made the biggest dierence in the safety of the eetthan anything else that we do, said Rudolph. I get very excitedwhen a sherman comes to me on the dock months later and

says the training I provided helped avert a casualty or saved alife.

Rudolphs training eorts recently had a signicant impactwhen the crew of the 66-foot dungeness crab vessel MichelleAnn experienced a stack re Dec. 18, outside Yaquina Bay, Ore.

We all were facing potential disaster, but thanks to themethodical and highly structured tactics we learned from the

safety class, we were able to take proper actions and avoid

harm, said Michelle Ann crewmember Mike Donovan. No onepanicked, we all knew what we had to do and dealt with the

issue. No one was hurt.The Michelle Ann was able to make it safely to port without

being towed, was repaired quickly and back out shing a few

days later.Commercial shing vessel drill conductor courses, promoted

by Oregon Sea Grant, provide practical information onsurvival equipment found on most commercial vessels and on

conducting on board emergency drills. Skills are learned in ahands-on format.

The class is very intense, said Farrell. Students will be puttingon immersion suits, jumping into the water, entering a life raft,

ghting a re, stopping leaks and shooting o ares. They willdo realistic emergency drills aboard a shing vessel with articialsmoke.

The Coast Guard, Oregon Sea Grant, and dungeness shermen will continue to work in conjunction to impr

safety of commercial shing employment here in the PaNorthwest.

It has started to change the way the shermen think

Farrell. Especially with the younger crewmen who attethey push their captains to do drills, once they know aband that their life depends on it. That change in thinkinhelp as we transition to an expanded, continuing, and

training regimen, per the new CG Authorization Act.We have all seen commercial shing as the leading

occupation for casualties for way too many years. In theI hope that these new training requirements make train

new normal when it comes to shing; 1) Boat ready, 2) ready, 3) Gear ready, 4) Safety Drills conducted, he cont

he 2010 Coast Guard Authorization Actsets the following long term strategy

and goals:

Reduce the number and rates of ma-

ne casualties.

. Improve the consistency and eec-

veness of vessel and operator enforce-

ment and compliance programs.

. Identify and target enforcement ef-

orts at high-risk vessels and operators.

. Improve research eorts to enhance

nd promote vessel and operator safetynd performance.


8/19

The dining rooms and passageways were dimly lit with

emergency power, and the odor o smoke could be detectedin the still air. The dance foors were silent and the swimmingpools deserted. For the nearly 3,300 guests aboard the cruise

ship Carnival Splendor, this was not the luxury excursion to the

Mexican Riviera that they had bargainedor. Never theless, thanks to the eorts omany entities involved, the passengers and

crew o the disabled vessel were sae andheaded to port in San Diego.

Two days into the cruise, on the

morning o Nov. 8, 2010, a re erupted inone o the cruise ships engine rooms. Ater

several hours, the ships crew succeededin extinguishing the re, but damage to

the electrical systems let the ship withoutpropulsion, leaving almost 4,500 peopleaboard with enough electricity to power

only the barest essentials.With the re out the situation was stable,

but the ship was now adrit and acinghealth and sanitation problems or those

aboard due to the loss o sewage systems,ventilation, hot water and rerigeration.

To meet the immediate needs o the

people aboard, a team comprised o CoastGuardsmen rom the Coast Guard Cutter Morgenthau and sailors

rom the USS Ronald Reagan worked to deliver supplies to thestricken cruise ship.

The Coast Guard coordinated with the Navy to have 65,000pounds o supplies, including water, bread and canned goods,fown rom Naval Air Station North Island, in San Diego, to

the Reagan. From there, the supplies were erried by navalhelicopter to the cruise ship, where the replenishment team was

ready to receive them.Our rst concern was being able to do the operation saely,

said Coast Guard Ensign Steven Lewis, a landing signal ocerrom the Morgenthau. We had to make sure that the deckwas clear o any debris and that all the passengers were in sae

locations.

The Splendor has no helicopter pad, so an

improvised staging area was chosen on theexercise track in ront o the distinctive red,white and blue smokestacks on the upper

deck. Lounge chairs were cleared rom the

deck, and anything that could be moved bythe hurricane-orce winds created by a NavySH-60 Seahawk helicopter overhead was

secured. Curious passengers were usheredinside, and the fight operations commenced.

The pallets o provisions were slung three

at a time in cargo nets below the matte grayaircrat. Lewis, the yellow-jerseyed landing

signal ocer, guided the helicopter crewsinto place using hand signals. When the cargo

dangled over the correct spot, a sweepinglateral hand motion cued the aircrew torelease the bundles.

With each drop, the ground crew o CoastGuardsmen and sailors moved in, unastened

the cargo nets and cleared the supplies romthe deck to make ready or the next drop.

This is what we do best, get suppliesaboard the ship, said Navy Seaman LogisticsSpecialist Immanuel Carter, whose day-to-day

job is perorming similar supply operationsaboard the Reagan.

Ater several drops, a group o Splendor crewmembersapproached and oered to assist in moving supplies o the deck

between drops. Together, the Coast Guard, Navy and Splendorpersonnel settled into a system o guiding in the helicopter,detaching the cargo nets rom the pallets, hauling the provisions

o the deck and prepping the area or the next drop.By sunset, more than 20 drops had been completed, and

the people aboard the Splendor had enough ood and water tosustain them or the transit to port.

When we were nished, we got a round o applause romthe crewmembers and the guests aboard. It made us eel prettyimportant. It was nothing new to us because this is our everyday

job, but seeing how we could impact the people aboard elt

good, said Carter.Its a great eeling knowing that Coast Guard and Na

personnel can jump in and work together ater not knoeach other or even ve minutes. We were able to saelyoperations together quickly and eciently, said Lewis.

Once the essentials were on board, the tugboat Chihstarted towing the Splendor to San Diego.

There is a lot o stability to this case, said said Capt. AGentilella, commanding ocer o the Morgenthau andcommander or the response. The passengers aboard t

ship are sae, and they get a lot o peace o mind seeingCoast Guard is out here doing things to help them, like

on ood and water,

Onscene Support

A San Diego based MH-60T Jayhaw helicopter

crew escorts the cruise ship Carnival Splendorinto San Diego Bay, Nov. 11. Photo by PA2 Jetta

Disco.

The Coast Guard Cutter Morgenthau

ensures the saety and well-beingo the passengers and crew aboardthe Carnival cruise ship Splendor

as it enters San Diego Bay, Nov. 11.Photo by PA3 Cory Mendenhall.

Safety escort

Avert Disaster

oast Guard and Navy crews come

ogether to help a cruise ship...

Story by PA2 Henry Dunphy,

PADET San Diego



9/19

Week in the Coast GuardFeb. 7-13, 2011

H

ave you ever wondered what the Coast Guard does in an average week during the winter months? While a lot of p

were digging themselves out from another winter snowstorm, the Coast Guard was out in full force, training, rescu

in need, securing the border, ports and waterways and preparing for the upcoming boating season. In other words,week for the Coast Guard is anything but slow.

During the week of Feb. 7-13, Coast Guard public affairs specialists and unit public affairs ofcers set out to documen

in the life of the Coast Guard by capturing imagery from around the country to highlight the many missions the service pe

In all, the week garnered almost 1,400 images from locations like Lake Tahoe, N.V., to King Cove, Alaska. The follow

detail some of the operations that happened this week. Where are the rest of the images? All photos from the week in the

Guard event may be viewed on the Coast Guard Visual Imagery database at http://cgvi.uscg.mil. A quick search for week

Coast Guard will get you there.

Coast Guard Issue 2, 2011 uscg.m


10/19

Chesapeake Bay

Boatcrew members from StationAnnapolis, Md., use their 41-foot boat to

take members from Aids to NavigationTeam Baltimore to the Thomas Point

Shoal Lighthouse in the Chesapeake Bay.Following a low-voltage alarm, members

from ANT Baltimore visited the lighthouse

to ensure that the lighting equipment wasworking correctly. Photo by PA3 Robert

Brazzell.

Repair Crew

Alameda

A week in the Coast GuardMonday, Feb. 7

MST1 Julian Bell and MST3 Matt Rollins,

both port state examiners stationed atthe Sector San Francisco Prevention

Department, conduct an inspection on

the Carnival Splendor cruise ship, whilethe ship undergoes repairs at dry dock

in San Fransico, Calif. On Nov. 8, 2010,the second day of a voyage from Long

Beach to the Mexican Riviera, the shipexperienced a re in the engine, cutting

all electrical power. Photo by PA3 Erik

Swanson.

Inspection Time

Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Bob Pappshakes hands with Indian coast guard

Director General Vice Adm. Anil Chopraduring the Indian delegations visit to Coast

Guard Headquarters in Washington, D.C.Photo by PA2 Patrick Kelley.

Building Trust

Anchorage

A MH-60 Jayhawk rescue helicopter

crew assists King Cove, Alaska,emergency medical personnel in

transferring a 63-year-old womanfrom the King Cove clinic to a Coast

Guard helicopter at 5:07 p.m. Thewoman was reporting abdominalpains and needed a medevac to Cold

Bay where she was transferred toanother ight for further medical

care in Anchorage. Coast Guardphoto.

Life Flight

shinton, DC

BM1 George London awaits rescueby BM3 Michael Rivero during ice

rescue training conducted at StationHarbor Beach, Mich. Such training

allows the crews to maintainprociency in the Great Lakes cold

weather environment and givesthem the expertise and condenceto respond eectively when called

to rescue or assist a citizen indanger on the ice. Photo by BMC

Scott Cichoracki.

Practice, Practice

Harbor Bea

Antonio Nunn, a member of thebuoy depot at Sector San Franciscoin Alameda, Calif., attaches a piece of

retroreective tape to the top of a buoybefore it is deployed. Re troreective

tape is attached to buoys to assistmariners sailing at night. Photo by PA3

Kevin Metcalf.

Final Touches

Kodiak

HS2 Charity Washko applies a

bandage to a Coast Guardsmansthumb after removing stitches at

the Rockmore King Clinic in Kodiak,Alaska. Corpsmen at the clinic

provide 24-hour emergency care inaddition to treating non-emergencypatients alongside physicians during

the work week. Photo by PA3Jonathan Lally.

First Aid

San Francisco

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11/19

Venice

Members of Auxiliary Division

12 conduct hoist training withaircrew members from Air Station

Los Angeles o the coast of Venice,Calif. The training involved

lowering and hoisting a rescue

basket from an MH-65C Dolphinhelicopter onto the deck of the

Auxiliary Vessel Ladysh III. Photoby PA3 Cory J. Mendenhall.

Training Time

South Padre Island

A week in the Coast GuardTuesday, Feb. 8

MK3 Terrell Wilburn, stationed at StationIndian River Inlet, Del., ghts o an

attacker after receiving pepper spray on

his face during law enforcement training.Photo by PA3 Jonathan Lindberg..

Tough Defense

The 58-foot, long-lining shing vessel Terri

Gail is hit by a wave after it grounded amile southwest of Makushin Bay near the

island of Unalaska, Alaska. The TerriGailhad ve crewmen who were safely rescued

by a Kodiak-based HH-65 Dolphinhelicopter crew before the vessel grounded.Photo by Marine Safety Detachment

Unalaska.

On the Rocks

Honolulu

Crewmembers load pallets of books

into a HC-130 Hercules airplane atAir Station Barbers Point, Hawaii.

The air station donated 16 computersand the Rotary Club of Kapolei,Hawaii, donated more than 7,000

books to American Samoa publicschools. All to be delivered by a

Coast Guard aircrew. Photo by PA3Angela Henderson.

Good Books

shinton, DC

John Murren, a marineinspector at Sector Baltimore,inspects the hull of a dinner

cruise ship in Washington, D.C.Murren climbed through the

hull of the ship looking forsafety violations that required

correction. Photo by PA2Brandyn Hill.

Looking Below

Hudson River

A ight crew from Air Station Houstonmedevaced a man from a cargo

tanker 10 miles south of South PadreIsland, Texas. Watchstanders at Sector

Corpus Christi received a report atapproximately 12 a.m. that a 40-year-

old male aboard the motor tanker Balladwas experiencing extreme abdominalpain. Coast Guard photo.

Looking up

akushin Bay

The crew of the CGC W

icebreaking operationHudson River, near RhThe Wires crew, alon

Coast Guard cutter crethe upper Hudson Riv

clear safe paths for shivital resources to upsta

residents. Photo by PSchuhlein.

Cool Jobs

Indian River In

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12/19

New York

Seaman Andrew Marsteller of Station New

York whips - or reinforces - a mooring line.The line will be used aboard one of the

stations many response boats as the crew

performs the Coast Guards many missionsin and around the New York Harbor. Photo

by PA1 Thomas McKenzie.

Not Sew Easy

Guam

A week in the Coast GuardWednesday, Feb. 9

MEC Ryan Hooper, a marine enforcement specialist

at Training Team West, conducts boating under theinuence enforcement training for the boarding ocers

at Station Vallejo, Calif. Following the classroom training,boarding ocers had the opportunity to apply their skills

on volunteers. Photo by PA3 Pamela Manns.

say Bye to BUI

Seattletimore

Coast Guard Special Agent Wes Forsteraccompanies a Station Portsmouth

boat crew while on a patrol looking forsigns of pollution in the Elizabeth River

near Portsmouth, Va. Forster joined thestation crew to become acquainted withOperation Clean Sweep, an initiative to

patrol and reduce pollution and pollutersalong the Elizabeth River. Photo by PA3

David Marin.

Geared Up

Portsmoutke St. Clair

AST3 Brendan Dent signals that

AST1 Brad Fitzpatrick is ready to behoisted into an Air Station Detroit

rescue helicopter while conductingtraining on the frozen Lake St. Clair,Mich. Conducting rescue airlifts

on frozen surfaces presents uniquechallenges and the Coast Guard

regularly practices techniques tomaintain prociency. Photo by Lt.

Mark Dukti.

Good to Go

Vallejo

Coast Guard divers familiarizethemselves with the hull of the ice

breaker Polar Star as part cold waterdiving training. The course is beingheld in both Seattle and Diamond

Lake, Wash. Photo by PA3 Nathan W.Bradshaw.

Top to Bottom

BM2 Tonya Mills, a crewmember aboardthe CGC James Rankin, assists with

hoisting a buoy from Baltimore Harbor,Md. Photo by PA1 Tasha Tully.

Dirty Job BM1 Allan Wilkinson, a coxswain on board theCGC Washington, operates the small boat duringsearch and rescue and helicopter operationstraining with an SH-60B helicopter from Navy

Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 25 in Agat Bay,Guam. Photo by Lt. j.g. Justin Valentino.

Working with others

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13/19

Washington, DC

Adm. Bob Papp, commandant of

the Coast Guard, delivers his rstState of the Coast Guard Address at

Bolling Air Force Base, Washington,D.C. During his speech, Papp painted

a picture of the state of the servicewhile laying out his vision for the

future. Photo by PA2 Patrick Kelley.

Charting the Course

Portland

A week in the Coast GuardThursday, Feb. 10

SAUSALITOake erie

Students learn to becomeinformation system technicians

at Training Center Petaluma,

Calif. ITs are responsible forestablishing and maintaining

Coast Guard computersystems, analog and digital

voice systems, and installing

and maintaining the physicalnetwork infrastructure that ties

the systems together. Photo byPA3 Pamela Manns.

Study hall

PetalumHonolulu

Capt. Michael Korale, senior dentalexecutive at the Coast Guard wing

of the Tripler Army Medical Base inHonolulu, Hawaii, performs a dentalexam on a member. The clinic provides

physical examinations, immunizationsand clinical laboratory, pharmacy and

referral services to other treatmentfacilities for specialty care. Photo by PA3

Class Michael De Nyse.

Open Wide

Fort Dix

GM1 Joshua Hendl reaches for hisbag at Fort Dix, N.J., before he

leaves for Kuwait City. Hendl isattached to Port Security Unit 313,

homported in Everett, Wash. Photo

by PA2 Crystalynn A. Kneen.

Final Checks

MST1 Luke Potter maintains a safety

watch over the 431-foot, at-deckbarge Davy Crockett on the Columbia

River, near Portland, Ore. The DavyCrockett began leaking oil into theColumbia River during a civilian salvage

operation on Jan. 27. Photo by PA2 EricJ. Chandler.

Spill Response

The crew of the CGC Morro Baymakes their rst close-assist pass

of the day near the articulated tugbarge Everlast in heavy ice as seasmoke rises from the ice at their

stern in Lake Erie. The Morro Bay,homeported in New London, Conn.,

is deployed to the Great Lakes foricebreaking season. Photo by CGC

Morro Bay.

Follow the Leader

Fireman Kristin Car, stationed at

Station Golden Gate in Sausalito, Calif.,adjusts the hydraulic ram of a watertight

door on a 47-foot motor lifeboat, as partof maintaining readiness at the station.

Car recently completed the machinerytechnician strikers program and expectsa promotion to petty ocer this summer.

Photo by PA3 Class Erik Swanson.

Detail Oriented

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14/19

New London

MST3 Michael Rushane works on a gas

chromatograph at the Marine SafetyLab, New London, Conn. The gas

chromatograph is a tool used to aid in

determining the origin of oil samples frompollution cases. Since the Deepwater spill,

caseload at the Marine Safety Lab hasincreased. This week the lab processed

approximately 150 cases.

Its a Gas

San Pedro

A week in the Coast GuardFriday, Feb. 11

AST2 Jason McGrath watches as a HC-130 Hercules aircraft operates with one

right-wing engine secured while yingnear Sacramento, Calif. The 186 CoastGuardsmen who serve at Air Station

Sacramento carry out search and rescueand maritime law enforcement missions

and provide air support for not onlyCalifornia, but the entire West Coast.

Photo by PA3 Pamela J. Manns.

Eye in the Sky

A Coast Guard Station Saginaw River airboatcrew returns to base after an ice patrol near

Saginaw Bay, Mich. Photo by Commodore JerriSmith.

Riding on Air

Afognak Island

A Kodiak-based Coast Guard crew

conducts an overight assessmentof the grounded 68-foot shing

vessel Midnite Sun looking forenvironmental impact near Afognak

Island northwest of Kodiak, Alaska.The Midnite Sun ran aground at12:13 a.m. and its crew was safely

own to Kodiak by a Air StationMH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew.

Photo by PA3 Jonathan Lally.

High and Dry

exville

BM2 Nicholas Kimose instructs DC2Daniel Horn as he handcus MK3

Howard LaCroix during boardingteam training at Base Support Unit

San Pedro in San Pedro, Calif. Photoby PA3 Cory J. Mendenhall.

Submission Hold

San Pedro

IS2 Mahasin Abdullah works on a voice-over for a kids safety cartoon at a studio

in San Pedro, Calif. The cartoon, namedStation Safewater, aims to teach young

children how to stay safe on the beach,in the water and on a boat. Abdullah

is voicing the part of PO2 Haley, whoteaches children how important it is tonot play on marine radios and make false

distress calls. Photo by PA1 Adam Eggers.

Safety Show

Oregon

BM3 James Schumer takes a breakatop a harbor light that the Aids toNavigation Team Wanchese crew is

repairing near Oregon Inlet, N.C. TheOregon Inlet and Roanoke Channels

are mazes of sand bars and drifts; theANT crew must constantly keep the

aids repaired and cleaned for the safenavigation of the waterways. Photo byPA3 David Weydert.

Safety Check

Sacramento

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15/19

Pribilof Islands

Waianae

A week in the Coast GuardSaturday & Sunday, Feb. 12-13

FN Mario Agudelo and SN Dana

Parsons, both assigned to Station Buffalo,

prepare an ice rescue sled during ice

rescue training on frozen Buffalo Harbor

Sunday. Photo by BM3 Barrett Brauch.

Prep Work

CGC Penobscot Bay, a 140-foot icebreaking tug,

clears a shipping path through the frozen Hudson

River, Saturday. The Penobscot Bay, homeported

in Bayonne, N.J., performs icebreaking missions

up and down the Hudson River throughout the

winter to facilitate navigation, as well as to

keep vital commerce moving, particularly so

that home heating oil can be brought upriver to

residents. Photo by PA3 Seth Johnson.

Clearing a Path

Lake Tahoe

Jack Leth, liaison ofcer for the

Coast Guard Auxiliary, and MST2

Aaron Demucha examine a weather

gauge on Lake Tahoe, Nev., Saturday.

The crew conducts search and rescue,

law enforcement, and national

defense missions, and maintains and

operates two 25-foot rapid response

boats. Photo by PA3 Pamela J.

Manns.

Weather Watch

dson River

Clearwater

BM2 Bradley Poen, a crewmember stationed

aboard the CGC Ahi, informs mariners that he

and his boarding team will conduct a safety

check, off the coast of Waianae, Hawaii. Photo

by PA3 Anthony Soto

Safety Check

Kings point

GM2 Justin Gaudino, assigned to

Station Kings Point in Kings Point,

N.Y., cleans and inspects the stations

weapons, Saturday. The stations

crew and vessels are equipped with

.40 caliber sidearms, M-16 ries and

boat-mounted 7.62 mm machine

guns to aid in law enforcement and

national security missions. Photo by

PA2 Gary Rives.

Lock and Load

Buffalo harbor

The CGC Morgenthau and crew

patrol near the Pribilof Islands,

Alaska, in the Bering Sea with an air

temperature of 12 degrees, Sunday.

The Morgenthau is conducting a

Bering Sea patrol to ensure the safety

of mariners working in the Bering

Sea and Northern Pacic. Photo by

CGC Morgenthau

Come Sail Away

A boat crew launched

Alligator simultaneou

pump water from a r

vessel, while towing

Clearwater, Fla., Sun

Lt. Marc Benson.

Multi-tasking

uscg.mil uscg.m


16/19

For Petty Ofcer 2nd Class William Phillips, it might have

been tempting to simply turn up the thermostat inside Station

Oswego, N.Y., and wait for winter to go away.

After all, this is the 28-year-old Tennesseans rst tour in the

rthern United States, and its a lot colder on the Great Lakes than

stations in Galveston, Texas, and Tybee Island, Ga., where hed

eviously served.

I didnt have very much experience with ice and ice rescue before

is, he said. I had only gotten out on the ice three or four times.

Of course, waiting out the weather isnt really the Coast Guards

yle. So the recent presence of Phillips and his Station Oswego

ipmate, Petty Ofcer 2nd Class Shaun Wilson, for a four-day

ain the trainer course at the Ice Capabilities Center of ExcellenceStation Saginaw River in Essexville, Mich., wasnt a complete

rprise.

The school was great. It was fun, he said. It actually challenged

, but it denitely challenged us in a positive way. My comfort

vel has just skyrocketed, as far as what I feel my capabilities

e, but looking back to just a couple of years ago, I never would

ve thought Id be operating on an ice-covered lake with people

pending on me.

Thats what ICCE trainers like Petty Ofcer 3rd Class Matthew

ell like to hear.

Where better to learn? Bell said. This year weve had four

or ve guys who have never seen ice before in their lives, he said,

adding that once transferred from warmer climates, their commands

quickly send them to the ice training.

Phillips may not have fallen completely into the never seen

ice before category, but he says he was close enough. For others

in the same boat, Bell and the ice trainers at ICCE have a vivid

demonstration.

We ask three volunteers to submerge their hands in ice water

and try to assemble nuts and bolts after a minute, said Bell, who

estimates hes helped train 300 or so ice rescuers over the years. The

trainees come from all over the the Great Lakes and New England

and even the Coast Guards Polar Class icebreakers. Guys arealways surprised at how much it hurts. And interestingly enough, it

seems like physiologically, the effects on their bodies, its tougher on

people who havent been around it before.

That exercise continues with classroom training inside the ICCEs

home station, in Essexville. First up is terminology, then drilling on

some of the movements required of teams taking part in coordinated

ice rescues. Then its on to personal protective equipment and what

that gear will and will not do to protect the people using it.

Then it was time for hands-on experience actually getting out

on the ice and getting comfortable with it, Phillips said.

The work on a frozen Lake Huron included training in teams

around a 40-by-20-foot gash carved into the ice of Saginaw Bay.

The four-student teams spread out around the trench with instructors

evaluating their performance at each position. Later, participants

would be evaluated in the trainers role since the goal of the course

is minting new trainers to take the latest information back to their

stations.

In Phillips case, that means a nearly unique area of responsibility

that includes the very different ice conditions near Station Oswego

Lake Ontario, the Finger Lakes, and the navigable waters of New

Yorks canal system. When he got back to his station, Phillips, like

other newly trained trainers, was eager to organize scenarios for

shipmates who share search-and-rescue responsibilities.I want to get down to one of the lakes and run some good

scenario-based stuff, work with the guys to tell them about the

changes that have been made (to ice rescue techniques), Phillips

said. Theyve all got to be ice qualied, and theres only a handful

of us who have actually been to the school. Were the ones that went

this year, so were the ones who are able to pass the information on.

Petty Ofcer 2nd Class Kraig McLellan of Station Cleveland

Harbor felt the same way. He, too, was looki ng to run creative drills

out of his station in downtown Cleveland.

We really want to focus on multi-victim recoveries, McLellan

said. Our training has seemed to focus more toward havin

person through the ice. We want to change that up, put two

in the water or maybe even three. One could be conscious, o

be unconscious one responsive, one not responsive. How

triage them? How do you know whats out there?

And that, said Chief Petty Ofcer Rebecca Polzin of Sta

Michigan City, Ind., is the whole point. Polzin, currently on

her rst tour on the Great Lakes, said getting up to speed on

latest ice rescue techniques is an important part of her leade

responsibilities even though shell assign training respo

to two of her junior petty ofcers, who also attended the cl

From a career development point of view, that training

to be with them, to get them into that position to be an ofccharge someday, she said. But a lot of OinCs do go, to be

expert and to be able to say, This is something were doing

This is something we have to change just a bit.

Back in Saginaw, the students reactions were gratifying

Theres plenty more heartbreaks than there are pick-me

this business, Bell said of the hurdles ice rescuers face. B

that its a direct rescue from you to the victim I kind o

solo-ness, if you know what I mean.

O

Coast Guardsmen uillumination are to light a sea

and snow-covered Lake Hurond a person who fell thr

part of a night time training e

Photo by PA2 Lau

ICE RESCUEStory by PA1 John Masson

9th District



17/19

I

n 2009, the Coast Guard recorded more than 4,730 recreational

boating accidents that resulted in 736 deaths and 3,358 injuries.

With statistics like these, the Coast Guard relies on programssuch as the cutter surface swimmer program, which offers

another way for the Coast Guard to help rescue people in

stress.

The cutter surface swimmer program is standard on all Coast

uard cutters.

The program is designed to have a permanent set of trained

wimmers, ready to assist with missions such as search and rescue or

an-overboard recovery.

Using a rescue boat crew is the preferred tactic for recovering

ople in the water, but its occasionally necessary to deploy a

swimmer to assist survivors who are fatigued, entangled or injured.

The surface swimmer program takes volunteer crew memberswith strong swimming skills and maritime knowledge and trains

them in life saving skills and recovery situations. The selected

swimmers go through a physical and written qualication process,

where only the best qualied members are selected.

The training builds you up to get in the ocean. You learn in a

controlled environment, and then, apply the training to a real life

situation, said Coast Guard Seaman Joshua Angelica, a cutter

surface swimmer stationed aboard the Coast Guard Cutter Waesche,

homeported in Alameda, Calif.

The qualication process consists of pushups, sit-ups, a one-and-a

half-mile run, a response test and a 500-meter swim test, all of which

needs to be completed in less than 12 minutes.This program provides the Coast Guard with more search and

rescue options.

When the sea state is over six feet high, a surface swimmer is

the safest deployable asset from a large cutter, said Coast Guard

Petty Ofcer 3rd Class Forest Reimann, a boatswains mate stationed

aboard Waesche, and the cutters surface swimmer program organizer

for the cutter.

Coast Guard policy requires all cutters with ight decks to have at

least two outtted and certied cutter surface swimmers aboard while

underway. All cutters without ight decks are only required to have

one surface swimmer.

A certied line tender is also assigned to each cutter swiThe line tender is responsible for the swimmers tending lin

maintaining communication, through a series of hand signa

swimmer.

The cutter swimmers on the Waesche train two days a w

conduct two man overboard drills twice a week to keep the

sharp.

The rigid training schedule maintained by surface swimm

ensures they are prepared to respond to real life situations.

Im actually waiting to go to Aviation Survival Techni

A-school, and this was a great way to prepare for that, said

Seaman Deuter Ellard pulls BM1 Ryan Yoraschek, crewmem

the CGC Resolute during resuce swimmer training , S

Photo By PA3 Rob

Cutter

urface TensionStory by Seaman Adam Stanton

PACAREA

Coast Guard Issue 2, 2011 us


18/19

Coast Guard aviation history begins in 1903 at Kitty Hawk,

North Carolina. It was there that the keeper of the Kill Devil

Hills Life-Saving Station, Capt. Jesse Etheridge Ward, and

s crew assisted the Wright Brothers in their quest to become the

st to y a heavier-than-air machine. One of the surfmen under

ards command even took the famous photograph of that rst ight.

The practical start to Coast Guard aviation came in 1915 in the

nds of two innovative ofcers, Elmer Archie Stone and Norman

all, who believed that aircraft could be an efcient way to augment

e Coast Guards small eet of cutters and shore stations. Working

th the Curitss Aeroplane and Motor Company, they conceived

e idea of a ying lifeboat. Their commanding ofcer, Benjamin

hiswell, saw merit in their efforts and approved their request for

ght training. They both were ordered to ight school and went on

establish a dynamic Coast Guard aviation program. The Navy even

rrowed Stone for most of the next decade during which he piloted

e famous NC-4 ying boat on the worlds rst trans-Atlantic ight

d participated in the development of early carrier aviation.

Underfunded but innovative, using borrowed aircraft own from

used airelds, the rst few years of Coast Guard aviation were

ite a test of the yers courage, intelligence and perseverance.

ut they were the rst to practice the tradition of aviators who,

th or sometimes without the authorization of higher command,

perimented with new or advancing technologies to enhance the

oast Guards ability to fulll its always changing mission.

From those early years onward, aviation grew to become a

vital part of the Coast Guard. Aviators served in World War I,

commanding air stations in the United States and France, hunting

enemy submarines and rescuing shipwrecked survivors at sea. In the

period between the wars, the service rened their search-and-rescue

techniques, including the always dangerous attempt to land their

seaplanes far out at sea to assist mariners in need. It was one of these

missions that another Coast Guard aviation pioneer, Carl von Paulsen,

and his crew earned Gold Lifesaving Medals for a heroic rescue that

almost turned disastroushe landed his seaplane at sea to rescue a

boy adrift in small skiff. The landing so damaged his ying boat that

Paulsen had to taxi his way back to the beach.

Charged with enforcing Prohibition, the Coast Guard discovered

that aircraft made it possible to patrol large areas of coastline

more quickly than cutters could and at a cheaper cost. With the

addition of radio andnavigation technology

improvements, the

aircraft came into its

own. Coast Guard

aviators experimented

with arming their aircraft

to convince rummies

to comply with their

orders. The experiment

was short-lived and

during the coming

decades (except the

years of World War II)

Coast Guard aircraft

ew unarmed. The

Coast Guard has recently

reinstituted armament to

some of its aviation eet

in response to changing

drug interdiction

operations as well as

evolving homeland

security missions.

During World

War II, Coast Guard aviators again hunted for enemy submarines,

escorted convoys, and rescued survivors from torpedoed vessels,

even rescuing a few German submariners who had found themselves

adrift off the American coast when their U-boat was sunk by an

Army bomber. In Greenland, they hunted for downed U.S. aircraft

and aviators lost on ferry ights and German weather stations placed

along the coast. Coast Guard aircraft participated in the construction

and maintenance of radio-based navigation stations, called LORAN,

around the globe.

In one of its most important aviation missions of the war, though,

the Coast Guard began experimenting with rotary-winged aircraft.

In fact, they led the nation in the development of helicopters and

oversaw the training of new helicopter pilots for the Allies. As in

the early years of Coast Guard aviation, far-sighted ofcers saw the

potential of new technology and made the effort to experiment with

and promote that technology. In this case, it was William Kossler and

Frank Erickson who led the services efforts to develop the helicopter

rst as an anti-submarine and convoy escort aircraft and then as a

search-and-rescue platform. Erickson witnessed the Japanese attack

on Pearl Harbor rst-hand as the duty ofcer on Ford Island that

morning. The event profoundly inuenced his thoughts on aviation

and rescue capabilities. Erickson experimented and perfected the

helicopters capabilities, including using hoists to recover persons in

the water and techniques to land and take off from ships underway.

As a direct result of their efforts, what was then like the rst Wright

Flyer--an ungainly and dangerous air machine--ultimately became

what it is todaythe versatile workhorse of todays Coast Guard

aviation eet.

The helicopter continually proved its worth as an excellent search

and rescue platform over land as well. Coast Guard helicopters

responded to dozens of domestic oods and hurricanes, pulling

survivors in imminent danger off rooftops and out of trees from

ooded land. Surface forces also responded to these events but thehelicopter proved its versatility in being able to arrive on scene as

a storm moved inland or the ooding crested and instantly begin

pulling survivors to safety. Indeed, the Coast Guards most shining

moment came during just such an incident in 2005. Literally minutes

after Hurricane Katrina screamed ashore along the Gulf coast in

2005, a sea of orange helicopters strategically placed prior to the

storm swarmed over the ravaged areas and began rescuing survivors

as the hurricane winds moved inland. Over the coming day

Guard helicopters, HH-65 Dolphins and HH-60 Jayhawks,

thousands of victims while xed-wing aircraft surveyed da

areas, looked for spills and sunken vessels, and helped coor

busy air trafc over New Orleans.

The Coast Guard and its aviation branch have also long

involved with operating in polar regions and over Alaska. H

ew from each of the services icebreakers (the Coast Guar

1965 has been in charged with operating the nations icebre

eet) that resupplied bases in the Arctic and Antarctica eve

and explored the worlds ice crusted seas. Coast Guard avia

scours the North Atlantic for errant icebergs for the Interna

Patrol, rst established after the loss of the HMS Titanic. N

venerable but updated HC-130 carries on the almost-centur

of safe guarding international shipping.

The spirit of innovation still pervades the service as it di

beginning years of Coast Guard aviation. Whether preparin

aid hurricane survivors, surveying oil spills, ying helicopt

of ships far out to sea to hunt for smugglers, rescuing marin

distress, developing a rescue-swimmer program safeguardi

nations coasts, ying over the North Pole, or developing asystem that became the model for current Coast Guard logi

modernization efforts, the services aviation program leads

way. Powered ight has never been entirely without danger

something understood by all who y, and such daring has h

But to the women and men of the Coast Guard, those who t

air or sail on the sea, service before self is a way of life an

willingly accept that cost and the challenge.

Two Fokker PJs and one Douglas RD Dolphin

overy a 165-foot cutter. The aircraft werestationed at Air Station Miami, circa mid-

1930s.

A Waco J2W-1 secured to the quarterdeck of

the Spencer, 1937.

A Brief History of Coast Guard AviationStory by Scott Price, Deputy Coast Guard Historian

4 Coast Guard Issue 3, 2010


19/19

Coast Guard Commandant, Adm. Bob Papp, delivers his

State of the Coast Guard Address at Bolling Air Force Bas

Washington, D.C., Feb. 10. Photo by PA2 Patrick Ke

STATE OF THE COAST GUARD

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