Barque Eagle revisited

My good friend Captain Eric Jones asked me to visit EAGLE this weekend before she departs Baltimore's Inner Harbor. CG Barque EAGLE is the Coast Guard Academy's training ship and Eric Jones is her current captain. I am a former student of seamanship on EAGLE and now have responsibilities that include overseeing her deployments and mission success.

Everyone who serves aboard ships at sea remembers the ship they trained on. I'm very lucky to have sailed EAGLE as a cadet and now to see her train yet another class of Coast Guard cadets in the time-honored profession.

RDML W

BALTIMORE – The Coast Guard Cutter Eagle is currently in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor and will be open for public tours.

The Eagle is scheduled to be available from Thursday, Feb. 25, 2010, to Saturday, Feb. 27, 2010, from 9 a.m., to 4 p.m.

The Eagle is the largest tall ship and the only active square-rigger in American government service. A three-masted barque, the Eagle’s foremast and mainmast carry square sails while her mizzenmast carries fore and aft sails.

Investigations lead to lessons learned

Captains,

The Coast Guard Office of Investigations and Analysis released "Lessons Learned 01-10" on Feb 18, 2010. The subject is "towing vessel stability" - with reference to the Tug Valor sinking in 2006. The key point is that senior crewmembers must read the stability instructions. Lesson Learned 01-10 says:

There are standard phrases

that are on every stability letter. The ones that applied to this casualty follow:

1) TANKS: No more than one centerline tank or P/S tank pair of potable water, lube oil, dirty oil

and ballast water and two P/S pair of fuel oil tanks may be partially filled at one time.

2) TANKS: Any cross-connections between port and starboard tank pairs shall be kept closed

at all times when underway.

3) LIST: You should make every effort to determine the cause of any list of the vessel before

taking corrective action.

In this instance [Tug Valor] the master allowed other deck officers and engineers to initiate ballast operations to

correct minor lists. He never directed anyone to determine the cause of the lists. The engineers

routinely left fuel tanks cross-connected on the P/S tank pairs that were feeding the day tank per

standard company/industry-wide practice. In this specific incident an additional set of P/S fuel oil tank

pairs were also cross-connected.

Lesson Learned 01-10 asks every tug mariner to beware of partially filled tanks, open cross connections, and unexplained list.

RDML W

St Clair River requires USCG and CCG icebreakers

St Clair River icebreaking continues to keep the Great Lakes icebreakers busy. This mission is a combination of flood control and aid to navigation.

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DETROIT -- The U.S. and Canadian Coast Guards are scheduled to conduct ice breaking operations in the St. Clair River, beginning at approximately 10 a.m., Monday Feb. 22, in order to mitigate possible flood activity due to a nine-mile long ice jam there, and address low-water levels on Lake St. Clair.

U.S. Coast Guard cutters involved include the Neah Bay, Mobile Bay and Mackinaw. Also participating will be the Canadian Coast Guard Cutter Samuel Risley.

“This year we have seen a large amount of ice in the river system; this ice stacks up and stops the natural flow of water, which may be contributing to lower water levels in Lake St. Clair and higher risk of flooding in communities along the St. Clair River above the jam,” said Cmdr. Joseph Snowden, Ice Officer at U.S. Coast Guard Sector Detroit.

USCGC FORWARD returns from Haiti

Captains,

PORTSMOUTH, Va. - Coast Guard Rear Adm. James A. Watson, Director of Operations for the Atlantic Area, speaks to crewmembers of Coast Guard Cutter Forward after they returned to their homeport at Base Support Unit Portsmouth Thursday, Feb. 18, 2010.

Occasionally I'm able to thank people personally. Today I was privileged to welcome the crew of USCGC FORWARD when she returned to Portsmouth. FORWARD's crew reported feeling the earthquake that devastated Haiti and was the first cutter into Port au Prince.

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Air station Kodiak MH-60 helo medivacs crewman

Captains,

Aerial medivacs, a core competency of Coast Guard rotary wing aviation, is often a lifesaver for seafarers with acute medical conditions. A crewman from the Korean-flagged car carrier Modern Express, en route from Portland OR to Busan South Korea, benefited from the service just this morning. The helo's hoist cam recorded the event for Youtube.

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KODIAK, Alaska — A Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew conducted a medevac of a 38-year-old Filipino man from the 518-foot car carrier Modern Express approximately 58 miles south of Kodiak Thursday morning.

Raine Canua was reported to have been found by his shipmates in his cabin disoriented Wednesday. The shipping company of the vessel contacted the Seventeenth Coast Guard District command center watchstanders about 7:45 p.m. reporting Canua was suffering from symptoms of a possible stroke.

The helicopter crew successfully hoisted Canua about 8:48 a.m. and safely delivered him to awaiting medical personnel who transferred him to Providence Kodiak Island Medical Center approximately 9:45 a.m. Weather conditions on scene at the time of the hoist were 43 mph winds and 22 foot seas with light rain.

Counter Drug drills on USCGC DALLAS

Last weekend I was privileged to deploy with the USCGC DALLAS while she conducted airborne use of force drills with an HH65 from HITRON, the Coast Guard's newest air station located in Jacksonville FL. I posted a short video of my experience on Youtube.

Jointly crewed patrols for 2010 Olympics

Captains,

You'll see real international cooperation during the 2010 Olympics. USCG and RCMP working side-by-side patroling Puget Sound to ensure a safe, secure international event.

RDML W

SOUTH PENDER ISLAND, British Columbia - A Royal Canadian Mounted Police 28-foot patrol boat crew prepares to get underway with a Coast Guard 33-foot Special Purpose Craft Law Enforcement boat crew in support of the Olympic Shiprider Program.

The Coast Guard, in partnership with the RCMP Federal Border Integrity Program, launched the Olympic Shiprider pilot program in waters off the Pacific Northwest coast to enhance security operations during the 2010 Winter Games. Marine law enforcement vessels will be jointly crewed by specially trained and designated U.S. and Canadian law enforcement officers authorized to enforce the law on both sides of the international maritime boundary, while respecting the sovereignty of both nations. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Colin White.

200 mile medivac to Dutch Harbor AK

Captains,

The M/V Stellar Harvest was 975 miles southwest of Dutch Harbor en route to Coos Bay, Ore., at the time a medical evacuation request came into the Coast Guard. Due to the range of the helicopters, the vessel altered course toward Dutch Harbor to close the distance. The weather on scene at the time of the hoist was 30 mph winds with 10 to 13 foot seas. Good coordination occurred between the ship's captain and Coast Guard to get the injured crew to a hospital in Dutch Harbor.

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KODIAK, Alaska – Two Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crews conducted a medevac of a Filipino-crewman off the 656-foot Japanese-flagged cargo vessel Stellar Harvest 200 miles southwest of Dutch Harbor Saturday at 9:25 a.m.

Angelo Tomado, 30, reportedly suffered two broken arms when he fell 16 feet in a cargo hold Thursday. The master of the vessel contacted radio watchstanders at Communications Station Kodiak who relayed the request to search and rescue controllers at the Seventeenth Coast Guard District Command Center in Juneau. The vessel was 975 miles southwest of Dutch Harbor en route to Coos Bay, Ore., at the time of the request.

Houston-tug JR Nichols still sunk, body recovered

Captains,

This week's tragic sinking of the tug JR Nichols in the Houston Ship Channel, like the recent collision involving the tug Dixie Vengeance and T/V Eagle Otome the Sabine-Neches waterway near Port Arthur and the 2008 tug Mel Oliver-M/V Tintomora collision in New Orleans must be carefully investigated to determine if improvements can be made. These are critical, congested waterways shared by blue water and brown water operations.

Unfortunately, when the JR Nichols sank, it partially blocked the channel, but more tragically, a crewmember was lost.

RDML W

Body found after tugboat accident

Officials hope to raise vessel this weekend

By MIKE GLENN HOUSTON CHRONICLE

Feb. 12, 2010, 12:36AM

Michael Paulsen Chronicle

Officer Troy Stearns and other Houston Police Marine Unit divers unload equipment Thursday after locating the body of a crew member of the sunken tugboat J.R. Nichols in the Houston Ship Channel. Four other members of the crew survived.

HOUSTON (Coast Guard)– A salvage crew working to raise the tug boat that sank in the Houston Ship Channel recovered what is believed to be the vessel’s missing crewmember Thursday.

The victim, a man, was found deceased by divers from TNT Marine, a salvage company hired to dive on the vessel early this afternoon.

The command center at Coast Guard Sector Houston-Galveston received a call at 10:30 p.m., Wednesday, stating that the 56-foot tug boat had sank in the shipping channel near the Sims Bayou turning basin with five people on board. Four of the five were recovered from the water by good Samaritan vessels and then transported to a local hospital by EMS. The four men displayed symptoms of hypothermia. One crew member, however, had remained missing.

By Erwin Seba

HOUSTON, Feb 11 (Reuters) - Two Houston refineries said their operations were unaffected on Thursday morning by the closure of a portion of the upper Houston Ship Channel due to a sunken tug boat and the search for a missing crewman.

Lyondell Basell's 270,600 barrel-per-day Houston refinery is near where the tug sank in the Houston Ship Channel on Wednesday night. Valero Energy Corp's 145,000-bpd Houston refinery is west of the Lyondell plant.

The shutdown could extend into Saturday while the search for the missing crewman is conducted and the tugboat is removed, said Coast Guard Captain James Whitehead, deputy commander of Sector Houston-Galveston.

"The tugboat is partially blocking the channel," Whitehead said at a news conference.

Two ships were prevented from coming into the upper channel and one ship was unable to exit on Thursday afternoon.

Cajun Mariners - the story

Captains,

I probably won't do to many book reviews here, but I just finished 'Cajun Mariners' by Woody Falgoux, and liked it. Donald "Boysie Bollinger recommended it. Oh how times have changed for the offshore industry. The story evolves from the launch of the inland marine oilfield in the late 1930s and early 1940s, through the alternating boom and doom years of the 1950s and 1960s, up into the roaring 1970s, down into the 1980s' bust and back up toward a more realistic present.

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Gulf Publishing Company says

Rise of the Cajun Mariners carries the reader into the unique, previously unexplored realm of the old wild and wooly oilfield boat business. This international industry was born in Louisiana's bayou country and pioneered by Cajuns.

The book follows four of these French-speaking trailblazers as they scrape to buy and build their first boats and struggle toward success, but this is about more than an inspirational pursuit of the American dream. It's a candid account of a colorful time in a vital business.

Recognition for Alaska Marine Exchange

Congratulations Captain Ed Page!

JUNEAU, Alaska -- Rear Adm. Christopher Colvin, 17th District Commander, presents the Meritorious Public Service Award to Edward E. Page, Executive Director of Marine Exchange of Alaska, at the Marine Exchange of Alaska facility in downtown Juneau Feb. 4, 2010 for it's support of Coast Guard Maritime Domain Awareness operations and it's industry stewardship that has been instrumental to the enhanced port security posture in Alaska.

The Marine Exchange of Alaska's real time vessel tracking has directly supported high profile salvage, environmental protection and mass rescue operations in Alaska.

Taiwanese fishing vessel crew rescued

Captains,

This fishing vessel crew had a close call, but was saved. CGC Alex Haley was underway from Honolulu when the mayday occurred.

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KODIAK, Alaska - The crew of the Kodiak-based Coast Guard Cutter Alex Haley rescued a 28-member crew and is attending two burn victims from the disabled fishing vessel Hou Chun 11 Tuesday morning 900 miles southwest of Honolulu.

Corpsmen aboard the cutter are treating the two crewmembers who are reported to have suffered severe burns. The crew of the cutter Alex Haley is scheduled to transit to Christmas Island, Kiribati, where the two burn victims are to be medevaced.

The Alex Haley arrived on scene at approximately 5 a.m., Alaska Standard Time, Tuesday. A Coast Guard Air Station Barbers Point HC-130 Hercules aircrew remained on scene after the Alex Haley arrived to relay the exact position of the life rafts to rescuers. Coast Guard and U.S. Navy aircrews remained on scene throughout the night.

LORAN termination

Captains,
Of all the LORAN Stations, the six in Alaska were the most challenging to operate due to the remoteness and harsh environment. Alaska mariners benefited from having a strong Loran signal for many years. Now GPS takes over as the only electronic navigation system.
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KODIAK, Alaska - Crews at the Coast Guard Long Range Aids to Navigation stations, including the six Alaska-based stations, turned off their domestic signal across the nation at 11 a.m. Monday.
The shutdown of the signal concludes the broadcast of the U.S. domestic signal. Stations Attu and Shoal Cove, which are bound by bi-lateral agreements with Russia and Canada, will continue to broadcast their international signals until later this year. All the stations will continue to be maintained and manned as the closure of the facilities proceeds over the coming months. Decommissioning dates have yet to be set and plans for the dismantlement of the stations are in development.
Loran-C was originally developed to provide radio-navigation service for U.S. coastal waters and was later expanded to include complete coverage of the continental U.S. as well as most of Alaska. Twenty-four U.S. Loran-C stations work in partnership with Canadian and Russian stations to provide coverage in Canadian waters and the Bering Sea. The system provided better than 0.25 nautical mile absolute accuracy for within the published areas and provided navigation, location, and timing services for both civil and military air, land and marine users. It was approved as an en route supplemental air navigation system for both Instrument Flight Rule and Visual Flight Rule operations.
The Loran-C system served the 48 continental states, their coastal areas, parts of Alaska and neighboring countries. Dedicated Coast Guard men and women have done an excellent job running and maintaining the Loran-C signal for 67 years, 8 months and 24 days. It is a service and mission of which the entire Coast Guard can be proud.

Meeting with American Waterways Operators

The Atlantic Region of the American Waterways Operators organization met in Jacksonville Beach Florida last week. Topics included towing safety regulations, the AWO-USCG partnership, crew endurance and management system, the responsible carrier program, hurricane preparation, and the Coast Guard's three phase "bridging plan" to train new towing vessel inspectors and prepare towing vessel operators for the certificate of inspection process. I was pleased to participate in the meeting and look forward to continuing the great relationship I have with the AWO.

RDML W

Marine Force Protection Unit, St Mary's Georgia

February 4, 2010

The Coast Guard's submarine force protection unit demonstrated the incredible maneuverability and speed of their new Gladding-Hearn 65' security boat yesterday. Very impressive.

I also tested their multiple-station boat simulator.

This specialized Coast Guard unit is well equipped to protect the Navy's strategic submarines as well as the boating public who share the St. Mary's River and Intercoastal Waterway in Georgia.

RDML W

MERPAC public teleconference on February 11

Captains,

Get involved in the rulemaking process for the STCW amendments. Call in on February 11.

RDML W

The Coast Guard sponsored Merchant Marine Personnel Advisory Committee (MERPAC) will hold a public teleconference on Feb. 11 to discuss and prepare recommendations for the Coast Guard concerning the notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) on the Implementation of the 1995 Amendments to the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers, 1978. Additional information is available via the federal register notice.

Fisherman overboard - no lifejacket on

Captains,

Lifejackets save lives. Make sure your crew wears a lifejacket on deck.

RDML W

Jan 30, 2010

The Coast Guard suspended its search 6:30 p.m. Friday for a fisherman who reportedly fell overboard approximately 66 miles southeast of Beaufort Inlet.

Missing is Allen Nelson III, 52, a crewmember aboard the fishing vessel Scarlett Lady.

Crewmembers of the fishing vessel Shelly called watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector North Carolina at 6:45 p.m. Thursday relaying that crew on the Scarlet Lady had witnessed the man, wearing yellow rain gear and no life jacket, falling overboard. The crew also reported they threw a life ring to him, but did not know whether he was able to get the ring.

Search and rescue air crews aboard an HC-130 Hercules airplane and MH-60 Jayhawk helicopters from Air Station Elizabeth City searched Thursday night through Friday night for the man.

The crew of the Shelly, the Scarlett Lady, and the Coast Guard Cutter Seahorse and Staten Island, both 87-foot patrol boats, also participated in search efforts.

The rescue crews searched a total of 1,395 square nautical miles combined for Nelson.