Coast Guard Training Center News

Master Chief Jason M. Vanderhaden was relieved as Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard (MCPOCG) by Master Chief Heath B. Jones during a military change-of-watch ceremony Thursday, at Coast Guard Training Center Cape May, N.J.Vanderhaden also retired from the Coast Guard after 34 years of service to the nation directly following the ceremony and received the Coast Guard Distinguished Service Medal.“I’m grateful for the tremendous leadership of our senior enlisted leader corps and amazing Chief’s Mess, they are truly the backbone of our service,” said Vanderhaden.

The Coast Guard announced Tuesday that it finalized its Major Incident Investigation (MII) Report into the July 2016 death of a Coast Guard recruit at Coast Guard Training Center (TRACEN) Cape May, N.J. Seaman Recruit Aaron Redd died July 7, 2016, after collapsing at the training center during an initial fitness assessment run with his recruit company. In its summary findings, the MII board found that Redd’s death was the result of a heat-related illness exacerbated by an underlying medical condition. The condition is not disqualifying from the military. While the MII board also found that the Coast Guard followed established policy, TRACEN Cape May strengthened practices and procedures with regard to in-processing recruits to improve safety for all.

The Coast Guard and American Red Cross placed nearly 300 Coast Guard recruits with several dozen South Jersey families for Christmas as part of Operation Fireside. Operation Fireside has placed recruits with South Jersey families during the holiday season since 1981. It allows recruits to celebrate the holiday with a host family while they’re separated from their loved ones during the rigorous basic training program. “This holiday season, our recruits are here preparing for their futures in the Coast Guard,” said Capt. Todd Prestidge, commanding officer of Training Center Cape May. Operation Fireside has been coordinated annually by the American Red Cross Southern Shore Chapter in Cape May Court House, N.J., since the program started three decades ago.

Members of the U.S. Coast Guard Training Center, Cape May, N.J., were treated to a speech on the history of the Lenape Indian tribe during a Native American Heritage event held on base, Nov. Wesley Dunn, vice president of the Museum of Indian Culture, presented interesting facts about the tribe that inhabited the area more than 500 years ago. Additionally, Dunn brought many Lenape artifacts which he displayed for members to examine. The event was put on by the training center's Leadership, Diversity Advisory Council to highlight Native American Heritage Month. "This LDAC is excited to sponsor this presentation because it's a great opportunity to learn about the pre-colonial history of our community," said Lt.Cmdr. Doug Daniels, president of the LDAC.

Coast Guardsmen and recruits gathered to remember the sacrifice of the Coast Guard’s only Medal of Honor recipient aboard Training Center Cape May, Saturday, Sept. 27. The crew of Training Center Cape May gathered at a statue erected in Douglas Munro’s honor to mark the 72nd anniversary of the Coast Guardsman’s death during World War II. Munro was killed at Point Cruz, Guadalcanal, attempting to rescue 500 beleaguered Marines who had come under heavy enemy fire Sept. 27, 1942. Munro led a group of five Higgins boats ashore to evacuate the Marines, and placed his vessel between the enemy and the other rescue boats in order to cover the evacuating troops. Munro’s actions drew enemy fire away from the Marines, but Munro was shot and killed during the rescue attempt.

Recruits at U.S. Coast Guard Training Center Cape May are now using a new stationary bike that is better aligned to support their training needs and requires less maintenance, which will increase the equipment's operational life span and save money. Ninety five new Lifecycle GX indoor bikes were purchased due to the deterioration of the older stationary bikes and offer the recruits a more dynamic workout by providing a more rigorous routine. The older bikes were not able to handle the stress of interval training and were costing both time and money to maintain. "With these machines, we can modernize our bike class and improve our abilities to meet training requirements as well as maintain a safe environment for recruits to train in…

U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) Cutter Eagle, America's tall ship and seagoing classroom for future officers in training, is scheduled to be open for tours Saturday at Coast Guard Training Center Yorktown. Tours will be held from 10 a.m. - 7 p.m. The Eagle is the largest tall ship flying a U.S. flag and the only active square-rigger in U.S. government service. Constructed in 1936 by the Blohm and Voss Shipyard in Hamburg, Germany and originally commissioned as the Horst Wessel by the German Navy, the Eagle was taken by the U.S. as a war reparation following World War II.

Coast Guard Cutter Eagle, America's tall ship and seagoing classroom for future officers in training, is scheduled to be open for tours Saturday at Coast Guard Training Center Yorktown. Tours will be held from 10 a.m. - 7 p.m. Visitors are advised there will be a third-mile walk from the parking area to the Eagle on an asphalt and cement pier. A state or federal government issued photo ID will be required for everyone 16 years old and older. It is highly recommended visitors wear comfortable walking shoes. The Eagle is the largest tall ship flying a U.S. flag and the only active square-rigger in U.S. government service. Constructed in 1936 by the Blohm and Voss Shipyard in Hamburg, Germany and originally commissioned as the Horst Wessel by the German Navy, the Eagle was taken by the U.S.

Numerous local, state and federal law enforcement and emergency management agencies will be participating in a full-scale force protection exercise at Coast Guard Training Center Cape May, N.J. Tuesday, April 29, 2014, from 9:30-11 a.m. According to the U.S. Coast Guard, this exercise will better prepare its crews and interagency partners in the community to prevent or respond to a terrorist attack at Training Center Cape May. This will be the first full-scale, antiterrorism exercise aboard a Coast Guard training center. uscgnews.com

The U.S. Coast Guard towed a disabled catamaran with one person aboard Tuesday after the boat lost steering approximately six miles offshore from Cape May Inlet. Watchstanders at Coast Guard Station Cape May received a mayday call from the captain of the 44-foot Empire State reporting the boat lost steering, and the man needed assistance. A 45-foot Response Boat ─ Medium crew from the station responded, and once on scene, took Empire State into a 300-foot stern tow. While in tow, the boat’s operator and a station crewmember manually steered the boat through six- to eight-foot waves.

Gevo, Inc. has begun supplying the U.S. Coast Guard R&D Center with initial quantities of finished 16.1% renewable isobutanol-blended gasoline for engine testing. “Gevo’s proprietary isobutanol-blended gasoline is truly a drop-in fuel, deliberately designed to be fully compliant with marine fuel specifications, including fit-for-purpose properties,” said Patrick Gruber, Gevo’s chief executive officer. The U.S. Coast Guard R&D Center is using the Gevo-blended fuel as part of a 12-month, long-term operational study on marine engines that began during June. The testing is being performed under a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) between the U.S.

Most people who encounter the Coast Guard near shore will get a good look at a Response Boat-Small (RB-S). With more than 400 boats in operation, the RB-S is the largest vessel class in the Coast Guard’s fleet. The boats are in constant use, from life-saving to law enforcement and homeland security missions. But the redoubtable RB-S is approaching the end of its service life and the the Coast Guard’s Acquisition Directorate has launched an ambitious project to replace this important asset. The RB-S II will be one of the largest boat buys of its kind.

Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Robert J. Papp Jr., the 13th Gold Ancient Mariner of the Coast Guard, presides over a change of watch ceremony as Master Chief Petty Officer Vobornik at prepares to relinquish the title of Silver Ancient Mariner to Master Chief Petty Officer Steven Hearn at Coast Guard Training Center Yorktown, Aug. 26, 2010. The Gold and Silver Ancient Mariner titles are honorary positions held by an officer, gold, and an enlisted member, silver, with over ten years…

1874-The light was first lit at Spectacle Reef Lighthouse, located on a limestone reef at the northern end of Lake Huron, near the Straits of Mackinac, ten miles from land. 1941-The Navy organized the "South Greenland Patrol" that consisted of three cutters and a Navy vessel. 1946-The Coast Guard returned to operation under the Treasury Department after the end of World War II. 1948- The US Coast Guard Training Center at Cape May, New Jersey, was established as a receiving center for the initial classification, outfitting, and indoctrination of recruits. The primary reason for this move from the training station at Mayport, Florida, which was then be decommissioned, was to locate more centrally the Service's facilities for handling recruits.

1836- A General Order from the Secretary of the Treasury prescribed that "Blue cloth be substituted for the uniform dress of the officers of the Revenue Cutter Service, instead of grey. . ." thereby ending a controversy that ad brewed for years regarding the uniforms of the Service. 1947- The first helicopter flight to the base "Little America" in Antarctica took place. The pilot was LT James A. Cornish, USCG and he carried Chief Photographer's Mate Everett Mashburn as his observer. They flew from the CGC Northwind. 1966- When winds of 30 to 50 knots hit the southern California coast, surface craft off the 11th Coast Guard District rendered assistance to six grounded vessels, three disabled sailboats, and three capsized vessels. They also responded to seven other distress cases. A U.S.

U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Vigorous is scheduled to hold a change-of-command ceremony at the ship's homeport here. During the ceremony, Cmdr. Glenn Grahl will be formally relieved as commanding officer of the cutter by Cmdr. Paul Flynn. The CGC Vigorous is a 210-ft. medium-endurance cutter homeported at Coast Guard Training Center Cape May. Flynn began his Coast Guard career in 1991 on CGC Papaw, out of Galveston, Texas. In 1993, he was selected as the commanding officer of CGC Point Baker, out of Sabine, Texas. In 1995, Flynn attended the University of Rhode Island graduate school earning a Master's Degree in Marine Affairs. Following graduate school, Flynn was assigned to the Office of Law Enforcement, 17th Coast Guard District in Juneau, Alaska.

The National Search and Rescue School at Coast Guard Training Center Yorktown celebrated its 40th year of saving lives today, an official ceremony will be held Friday October 27, 2006. Founded in 1966 by the Coast Guard and Air Force, the school is devoted to teaching and standardizing the search and rescue procedures that enable the breathtaking rescues depicted in the recent Touchstone movie, The Guardian. During the last 40 years, school instructors have trained nearly 29,000 people from more than 148 nations to carry out search and rescue missions on land and sea. Those who graduate from its courses staff rescue coordination centers worldwide performing search planning and coordination for inland and maritime rescues.

Active cleanup operations for a fuel spill in Cape May, have been completed. The Coast Guard, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) and the Cape May County Health Department responded to a fuel spill in Cape May, N.J., late last night. The Coast Guard was notified that the Stemac, a 91-foot motor yacht from Key Largo, Fla., had discharged fuel overboard at the South Jersey Marina in Cape May, N.J. An estimated 600 gallons of fuel was displaced out of the vessel's fuel tank. The cause of the spill is currently under investigation by the Coast Guard. The Coast Guard along with Northstar Marine, who was contracted by the owner of the Stemac for recovery and clean up of the spill…

The Coast Guard’s newest weapon against terrorism will be commissioned in a formal ceremony 9:30 a.m. Friday at Coast Guard Training Center Yorktown, Va. Representative Jo Ann Davis (R-VA) will be the guest speaker for the commissioning ceremony. Atlantic Area Commander Vice Adm. James Hull will be the presiding official. Maritime Safety and Security Team (MSST) 91102, the second of six Coast Guard anti-terrorism/force protection teams to be established as a direct result of the Sept. 11 attacks, will be commissioned after completing an intensive four-week initial training course at Camp Lejeune, N.C., which culminated in a 36-hour exercise in the port of Wilmington, N.C., last month.