140' CGC Penobscot Bay heads back to Bayonne NJ

Captains

Thanks to the 140' Cutter Penobscot Bay from Bayonne NJ, cargo valued at $100 million transited the icy Great Lakes this year.

RADM W

CLEVELAND - The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Penobscot Bay is scheduled to depart here after spending the winter breaking ice on the Great Lakes. Capt. Lorne Thomas, Chief of Staff of the Ninth Coast Guard District, will oversee a brief recognition ceremony, Friday, at 10 a.m.

The 140-foot ice breaking cutter, whose original homeport is Bayonne, N.J., was temporarily assigned to the Great Lakes Region to augment the eight other Great Lakes-based ice breaking cutters with Operations Coal Shovel and Taconite, the Coast Guard's two major ice breaking operations here.

“Their presence (in the Great Lakes) ensured the Coast Guard provided the best level of service and kept commerce moving during the winter season,” said Cmdr. Kevin Dunn, Chief of Waterways Management for the Ninth Coast Guard District.

Penobscot Bay began Great Lakes operations on Jan. 2, 2010. The cutter participated in operations that cleared paths for more than 25 commercial freighters, and solely facilitated the safe navigation of 12 vessels. They spent more than 200 hours breaking Great Lakes ice, including more than 70 hours of preventative ice breaking to keep tracks and channels open for navigation. Overall, their efforts facilitated the safe transit of nearly one million tons of cargo valued at more than $100 million.