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Lighthouse Service News

02 Aug 2018

Analysis: Government Proposal 'Ill-informed' on Maritime Matters

Š Konstantin L/Adobe Stock

On June 22, 2018, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issued a federal government reorganization proposal entitled “Delivering Government Solutions in the 21st Century”. The 132-page document is subtitled ‘Reform Plan and Reorganization Recommendations’. I have not read the entire report, but I have examined those portions that relate to maritime issues. I find those portions to be uniformly ill-advised.Associate Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. once wrote: “A page of history is worth a volume of logic.”  The authors of this proposal should brush up on their history.

26 Nov 2017

National Security Cutter Midgett Launched

Ingalls Shipbuilding launched the National Security Cutter Midgett on November 22, 2017. The ship will be christened during a ceremony on December 9 (Photo: Lance Davis/HII)

Huntington Ingalls Industries’ (HII) Ingalls Shipbuilding division has launched its eight National Security Cutter (NSC) built for the U.S. Coast Guard. NSC Midgett (WMSL 757) was launched on November 22, 2017, and will be christened during a ceremony on December 9. The ship is named to honor John Allen Midgett, who was awarded the Silver Cup by the U.K. Board of Trade in 1918 for the rescue of 42 British sailors aboard the British tanker Mirlo after it was torpedoed by a German U-boat off the coast of North Carolina. He was also awarded the Gold Lifesaving Medal by the U.S.

15 May 2017

Op/Ed: USCG Forges the Future of Navigation

U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Hollyhock is one of six cutters and multiple shore units presently tasked with aids-to-navigation duties within the Great Lakes for the operation. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Nick Gould)

Maintaining the system of buoys and beacons that guide mariners through our nation’s waterways is the United States Coast Guard’s oldest mission. Tracing its roots to the ninth law passed by Congress in 1790 that moved lighthouses under Federal control, the U.S. Lighthouse Service and its vast portfolio of buoys, beacons, buoy tenders and lightships were a founding part of the U.S. Coast Guard in 1939. Along with the mission, many of the beacons the Coast Guard maintains today date back centuries.

28 Jan 2017

Ingalls Authenticates Keel of NSC Midgett

Huntington Ingalls Industries’ (NYSE:HII) Ingalls Shipbuilding division today authenticated the keel of the eighth U.S. Coast Guard National Security Cutter, Midgett (WMSL 757). “The National Security Cutter Program is vital to our Coast Guard, our country and to Ingalls Shipbuilding,” said Ingalls Shipbuilding President Brian Cuccias. “Today, we lay the foundation upon which this great ship will be built. The ship is named to honor John Allen Midgett, who was awarded the silver cup by the U.K. Board of Trade in 1918 for the renowned rescue of 42 British sailors aboard the British tanker Mirlo after it was torpedoed by a German U-boat off the coast of North Carolina. He was also awarded the Gold Lifesaving Medal by the U.S. Coast Guard in 1924.

15 Mar 2016

Japan Coast Guard: Maritime Security Tops Agenda

VADM Satoshi NAKAJIMA, Vice Commandant for Operations, Japan Coast Guard (Photo: Japan Coast Guard)

Maritime Reporter & Engineering News interviews VADM Satoshi NAKAJIMA, Vice Commandant for Operations, Japan Coast Guard, in its March 2016 edition. Please discuss the history of the Japan Coast Guard. Immediately after the end of World War II, maritime security and the safety of ship operations were both deteriorated significantly in waters around Japan. Crime became widespread, while marine navigational aids and other establishments were destroyed. Many sea mines, which threatened ship operations, were planted.

21 Apr 2014

U.S. Coast Guard Doing Less with Less

Dennis L. Bryant

Funds appropriated for use by the US Coast Guard are about to be decreased – again. The service’s funding has decreased in four of the previous five fiscal years, generally by 1% each year. The Administration’s budget request for FY 2016 has just been submitted to Congress. It calls for a 6.2% decrease in Coast Guard funding. For FY 2015, the Coast Guard was appropriated $10,438,120. For the upcoming year, the Administration is requesting only $9,796,995. The budget request identifies various minor cuts.

04 Jun 2013

USCG Welcomes Cutter Margaret Norvell

Coast Guard Cutter Margaret Norvell is named after lighthouse keeper Margaret Norvell who served with the U.S. Lighthouse Service for more than 41 years. U.S. Coast Guard photo.

She was a leader. She was a trailblazer. She was a lifesaver. She’s the namesake of the Coast Guard’s newest cutter – Margaret “Madge” Norvell. The Coast Guard welcomed their newest fast response cutter to the fleet this weekend as Coast Guard Cutter Margaret Norvell was commissioned in Miami. The cutter is the first in its class to be named after a Coast Guard heroine. Norvell, a member of the U.S. Lighthouse Service, first served at the Head of Passes Light as an assistant keeper from 1891 to 1896.

06 May 2013

Coast Guard Cutter Margaret Norvell Arrives in Miami

Coast Guard Cutter Margaret Norvell. Photo: USCG

The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Margaret Norvell, the fifth of the service's planned 58 Fast Response Cutters in the Sentinel Class and the first of its class to be named after a female Coast Guard heroine, arrived at her homeport Coast Guard Sector Miami, Fla., Sunday. Coast Guard Cutter Margaret Norvell is scheduled for commissioning in New Orleans on June 1, 2013. The location of the commissioning honors the history of the cutter’s namesake. This vessel is named after Coast Guard heroine Margaret Norvell who served admirably for 41 years with the U.S.

25 Mar 2013

Bollinger Deliver Fifth Fast Response Cutter

FRC 'Margaret Norvell': Photo credit Bollinger Shipyards

Bollinger Shipyards has delivered the 'Margaret Norvell', the fifth Fast Response Cutter (FRC) to the United States Coast Guard. The 154 foot patrol craft 'Margaret Norvell' is the fifth vessel in the Coast Guard's Sentinel-class FRC program. To build the FRC, Bollinger Shipyards used a proven, in-service parent craft design based on the Damen Stan Patrol Boat 4708. It has a flank speed of 28 knots, state of the art command, control, communications and computer technology, and a stern launch system for the vessels 26 foot cutter boat.

08 May 2012

New Manhattan Sailing School

Offshore Sailing School has signed an agreement with Liberty Landing NYC at Hudson River Park's Pier 25 in Manhattan's Tribeca area. The New York sailing school will provide sailing lessons and sailing courses for area residents and visitors starting May 15, 2012 at this new location. A long time tenant of Liberty Landing Marina in Liberty State Park on the New Jersey side of the Hudson River, Offshore Sailing School brings sailing lessons for adults, teens and youngsters to lower Manhattan with plans to expand with a sailing club and community sailing offers. Courses offered in the initial stages are the three-day and five-day Learn to Sail courses. Performance Sailing courses will also be available, as well as two-hour sailing lessons.

30 Jun 2011

This Day in U.S. Coast Guard History - June 30

1932-The Steamboat Inspection Service and Bureau of Navigation were combined to form the Bureau of Navigation and Steamboat Inspection (47 Stat. L., 415). The new agency remained under the control of the Commerce Department. 1933-The airways division, which had been conducted as a division of the Lighthouse Service, but under the administrative supervision of the Assistant Secretary for Aeronautics, Department of Commerce, was separated from the Lighthouse Service. (USLHS AR 1933, p. 97). 1939-"At the end of the year, the total number of lighthouse tenders was 65, of which 64 were in commission and ‘.1 was out of commission and advertised for sale. Of the vessels in commission, 42 were steam-propelled, 18 had diesel engines, and 4 had diesel-electric drive.

06 May 2011

This Day in U.S. Coast Guard History - May 6

1796-Congress increased the monthly compensation of Revenue Marine officers: masters $50; first mates $35; second mates $30; third mates $25 and mariners $20. 1896-President Grover Cleveland placed the Lighthouse Service within the classified federal civil service. 1898-The cutter Morrill participated in an engagement at Havana, Cuba on 6 and 7 May 1898 during the Spanish-American War. Her officers were awarded Bronze Medals by the authority of a joint resolution of Congress that was approved on 3 March 1901. 1945-The Coast Guard-manned frigate USS Moberly (PF-63), in concert with USS Atherton, sank the U-853 in the Atlantic off Block Island. There were no survivors.

25 Mar 2011

This Day in U.S. Coast Guard History - March 25

1911-  The Treasury Department directed the keepers of life-saving stations to keep a lookout through the beach patrol for stray buoys washed ashore, to secure such buoys when it could be done, and to report their discovery or action to the nearest representative of the Lighthouse Service. Source: USCG Historian's Office

04 Mar 2011

This Day in U.S. Coast Guard History - March 4

1907-  Congress appropriated $30,000 for installing wireless telegraph on not more than 12 revenue cutters. 1915- Secretary of the Treasury was authorized by Congress to detail cutters to enforce anchorage regulations in all harbors, rivers, bays and other navigable waters of United States. 1925-  An Act of Congress (43 Stat. L., 1261), for the first time, provided for disability retirement within the Lighthouse Service. 1929- Congress appropriated $144,000 for seaplanes and equipment for Coast Guard. 1952- An air detachment consisting of three helicopters and necessary personnel, established as the first unit of its type on a test basis at the air station, Brooklyn, New York, began operating in support of port security operations.

03 Mar 2011

This Day in U.S. Coast Guard History - March 3

1819-  Congress authorized the revenue cutters to protect merchant vessels of United States against piracy and to seize vessels engaged in slave trade. The cutters Louisiana andAlabama were built shortly thereafter to assist in the government's efforts against piracy. 1837- An Act of Congress (5 Stat. L., 181, 185) laid down certain restrictions, by providing that the construction of the large number of new lighthouses, lightships, etc., for which this law was appropriating the necessary funds, would not be begun until examined by Board of Navy Commissioners. They reported to Congress those cases where the "navigation is so inconsiderable as not to justify the proposed works." The Navy detailed 22 officers to this duty and…

01 Mar 2011

This Day in U.S. Coast Guard History - March 1

1876- Nuova Ottavia, an Italian vessel, grounded near the Jones Hill North Carolina Life-Saving Station. The rescue attempt by the crew of that station resulted in the loss of seven surfmen, the first deaths in the line of duty since the service began using paid crews in 1870. Among the dead was African-American Surfman Jeremiah Munden, the first African-American surfman to die in the line of duty. 1902- The first regular light stations in Alaska were established at Southeast Five Finger Island and at Sentinel Island. Both were on the main inside passage between Wrangell Strait and Skagway. 1927- The U.S. Lighthouse Service put into effect a system of broadcasting radio weather reports by four lightships stationed along the Pacific Coast.

13 Feb 2011

This Day in U.S. Coast Guard History - February 14

1903- An Act of Congress (31 Stat. L., 825, 826, 827) that created the Department of Commerce and Labor provided for the transfer of the Lighthouse Service and the Steamboat Inspection Service from the Treasury Department. This allowed the Secretary of Commerce and Labor to succeed to the authority vested in the Secretary of the Treasury under the existing legislation.   (Source: Navy News Service)

08 Dec 2010

This Day in U.S. Coast Guard History – December 8

1904-An Executive Order extended the jurisdiction of the Lighthouse Service to the noncontiguous territory of the Midway Islands. 1941-Coast Guardsmen seized all nine Finnish vessels that were currently in U.S. ports and placed them in "protective custody" to "prevent the commission of any acts of sabotage" on orders from the Navy Department. Twenty-four hours later the Coast Guard removed the crews from each of the vessels. This action was ordered soon after the break in diplomatic relations between Great Britain and Finland. The following Finish vessels were seized: SS Olivia, at Boston, Massachusetts; SS Kurikka, SS Jourtanes, and SS Saimaa at New York…

28 Dec 2010

This Day in U.S. Coast Guard History – December 28

1835-The "Dade Battle" occurred when Seminole Indians ambushed and killed Major Francis Langhorne Dade and his Army command while they were on the march on Fort King Road from Fort Brooke to reinforce the troops at Fort King (Ocala). This battle was the immediate cause of the Second Seminole War, a war in which the Revenue Cutter Service played an important role. 1857-The light was first illuminated in the Cape Flattery Lighthouse, located on Tatoosh Island at the entrance to the Straits of Juan de Fuca, Washington. "Because of Indian trouble it was necessary to build a blockhouse on Tatoosh Island before even commencing the construction of the lighthouse. 1903-An Executive Order extended the jurisdiction of the Lighthouse Service to the non-contiguous territory of the Hawaiian Islands.

29 Dec 2010

This Day in U.S. Coast Guard History – December 29

1897-Congress prohibited the killing of fur seals in the waters of the North Pacific Ocean. 1903-An Executive Order extended the jurisdiction of the Lighthouse Service to Guantanamo, Cuba. 1999- The 578-foot cargo vessel Violetta caught fire in the Houston ship channel.  Twenty-three of her crew were rescued.  The CGC Point Spencer spent several days fighting the fire on board the vessel. (Source: USCG Historian’s Office)

28 Jan 2011

This Day in U.S. Coast Guard History – January 28

1885-Keeper Marcus Hanna of the Cape Elizabeth Light Station saved two men from the wrecked schooner Australia. For this rescue Hanna was awarded the Gold Lifesaving Medal. He was also awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions at Port Hudson in 1863. He is the only person to have ever received both awards. 1915- President Woodrow Wilson signed into law the "Act to Create the Coast Guard," an act passed by Congress on 20 January 1915 that combined the Life-Saving Service and Revenue Cutter Service to form the Coast Guard (38 Stat. L., 800). The Coast Guard, however, still considers the date of the founding of the Revenue Cutter Service, 4 August 1790, as its "official" birthday, even though the Lighthouse Service, absorbed in 1939, is even older than that, dating to 7 August 1789.

01 Feb 2011

This Day in U.S. Coast Guard History – February 1

1871- Using his administrative authority Secretary of the Treasury George S. Boutwell re-established a Revenue Marine Bureau within the Department and assigned Sumner I. Kimball as the civilian Chief with the duty of administering both the revenue cutters, which were then under the control of the local Collectors, and the life-saving stations. 1942- Enlistees after this date were restricted to enlistment in the Coast Guard Reserve. This was done to prevent having too many regulars in the service at war’s end. 1944- Coast Guardsmen participated in the invasion of Namur Island, Kwajalein Atoll.

13 Feb 2011

This Day in U.S. Naval History - February 14

1778 - John Paul Jones in Ranger receives first official salute to U.S. Stars and Strips flag by European country, at Quiberon, France.   1813 - Essex becomes first U.S. warship to round Cape Horn and enter the Pacific Ocean   1814 - USS Constitution captures British Lovely Ann and Pictou 1903- An Act of Congress (31 Stat. L., 825, 826, 827) that created the Department of Commerce and Labor provided for the transfer of the Lighthouse Service and the Steamboat Inspection Service from the Treasury Department. This allowed the Secretary of Commerce and Labor to succeed to the authority vested in the Secretary of the Treasury under the existing legislation.   1840 - Officers from USS Vincennes make first landing in Antarctica on floating ice   (Source: Navy News Service)