Former USCG Commandant Kramek Passes Away
Adm. Robert E. Kramek, former Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard, has died October 20, 2016. Kramek served as the Coast Guard's 20th commandant from 1994 through 1998, during which time he significantly expanded the Coast Guard's global reach and influence as commandant, including directing active participation in the combined service/international anti-narcotic smuggling operations Frontier Shield and Gulf Shield, along with other law enforcement operations. He led the CoastâŚ
Migrant Crisis Promts Call to IMRF for Help
Mediterranean Rescue Services are in urgent need of support because they are struggling to keep up with the replacement of equipment being used to rescue the increasing numbers of migrants in their waters and have contacted the International Maritime Rescue Federation (IMRF) for help. In response, the IMRF is relaunching its âMembers Assisting Membersâ webpage to help identify the need and enable connection to the 2,500 contacts on the database that may be able to help. The threeâŚ
Missing Fishing Boat Found off Moa Island
Three stranded mariners adrift in the Torres Straight have been rescued thanks to the crew of a Royal Australian Air Force AP-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft. Following a request from the Australian Maritime Safety Authority, the Orion aircraft detected three occupants in a five meter fishing boat in the Torres Straight at approximately 1:15 p.m. on Tuesday, June 16. The boat was displaying an orange âVâ distress signal. The Queensland Police were directed to the vessel's location, approximately 35 nautical miles North West of Moa Island. Squadron Leader Duncan Flemington, Air Surveillance Operations Officer at the Headquarters Northern Command in Darwin said the rescue demonstrates the AP-3C Orion's versatility in search and rescue missions.
Malaysia Rejects Migrants Amid Growing Crisis at Sea
Malaysia said on Thursday it would push boats full of migrants back to sea, a policy that has drawn criticism from the U.N. refugee agency as thousands remained adrift in Southeast Asian waters. The UNHCR has said several thousand migrants have been abandoned at sea by smugglers following a Thai crackdown on human trafficking and has warned the situation could develop into a "massive humanitarian crisis". The crackdown has made traffickers wary of landing in Thailand, the preferred destination for the region's people smuggling networks, and led to a surge in migrants to Indonesia and Malaysia. "We are sending them the right signal, to send them to where they came from," Malaysian Deputy Home Minister Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar said. "Their country is not at war.
This Day in Coast Guard History â October 4
1918-There was an explosion at the T.A. Gillespie Company munitions yard in Morgan, New Jersey. Coast Guardsmen from Perth Amboy responded. When fire threatened a trainload of TNT, these men repaired the track and moved the train to safety, thus preventing further disaster. Two Coast Guardsmen were killed in this effort. 1956-Two U.S. Air Force F-89 aircraft crashed in rugged mountain terrain about four miles from Mount Olympus, Washington. For seven days, the Coast Guard directed a highly coordinated search for the lost plane and crews. Finally, aircraft and helicopters from the CG Air Station, Port Angeles, Washington, assisted by aircraft and ground search elements from other services, located and evacuated the two crew members on 5 October.
