West Florida News

The Coast Guard’s 353-ton, 154-foot fast response cutter (WPC) is capable of deploying independently to conduct missions that include port, waterways and coastal security; fishery patrols; search and rescue; and national defense. The service plans to build 64 of them to replace the 110-foot Island class patrol boats. The FRC has a range of 2,500 miles, but the endurance of the 24 crewmembers is normally limited to about five days based on the quantity of provisions carried. Both the 110s and 154s have about the same speed and range…

To find the mine warfare challenge with the highest degree of difficulty, start at the bottom.Lurking unseen below the surface, naval mines pose a serious problem. They’re cheap, relatively easy to deploy and can inflict heavy damage against even the most sophisticated warships. They can be hard to detect and difficult to counter. What you can’t see can hurt you. And the most difficult mines to find and eliminate are bottom and buried mines. Navies have developed ships to hunt for mines in the water column so they can be avoided or destroyed…

Bollinger Shipyards has delivered the USCGC Clarence Sutphin to the U.S. Coast Guard in Key West, Florida. This is the 170th vessel Bollinger has delivered to the U.S. Coast Guard over a 35-year period and the 47th Fast Response Cutter (FRC) delivered under the current program.The USCGC Clarence Sutphin is the final of six FRCs to be home-ported in Manama, Bahrain, which will replace the aging 110’ Island Class Patrol Boats, built by Bollinger Shipyards 30 years ago, supporting the Patrol Forces Southwest Asia (PATFORSWA), the U.S.

Bollinger Shipyards joined U.S. Coast Guard officials at USCG Sector Delaware Bay in Philadelphia, Pa., for the commissioning of one of the newest Sentinel-class Fast Response Cutters (“FRC”), USCGC Emlen Tunnell.Named in honor of Coast Guard hero and NFL great Emlen Tunnell, the cutter is the fourth of six FRCs to be home-ported in Manama, Bahrain, which will replace the aging 110-ft. Island Class Patrol Boats, built by Bollinger Shipyards 30 years ago, supporting the Patrol Forces Southwest Asia (PATFORSWA), the U.S. Coast Guard’s largest overseas presence outside the United States.The U.S.

The U.S. Coast Guard said it has suspended the search for 10 Cuban migrants believed missing from a boat that capsized off Key West, Florida.Two people were killed and 10 were believed missing in the incident, the U.S. Coast Guard had reported on Thursday.Coast Guard, Navy, Air Force, Customs and Border Protection, and Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission air and surface asset personnel conducted multiple search patterns for more than 123 hours, covering about 8,864 square miles…

A man reportedly suffering from hallucinations was medevaced from a U.S. Navy supply vessel off the West Florida coast on Friday, the U.S. Coast Guard said.Watchstanders with Coast Guard Sector Mobile received a report around 3 a.m. Friday from the Navy offshore supply ship NAWC-38 stating a 33-year-old male on board was reportedly having hallucinations and needed further medical care, approximately 200 miles west of Tampa Bay, Fla.The Coast Guard Cutter Dauntless crew was diverted to assist…

Philly Shipyard announced the unexpected death of its chief financial officer, Brian Leathers, age 60. “It is with great sadness that we share the news of Brian’s passing, and our entire organization mourns his death. Brian was a well-respected colleague and friend to many. His positive energy, enthusiasm, and dynamic personality will be sorely missed,” said Steinar Nerbovik, Philly Shipyard President and CEOLeathers joined Philly Shipyard in early 2019 as the company’s strategy…

The U.S. Coast Guard commissioned the newest Hawaii-based 154-foot Fast Response Cutter in Honolulu, Thursday.“There is no greater reflection of the commandant’s strategic vision and commitment than the fact that as we commission the William Hart today, it will be the fifth Coast Guard cutter commissioned in the last two years here at Base Honolulu that will operate in the heart of Oceania,” said Rear Adm. Kevin Lunday, commander Coast Guard 14th District. “There is no question that by our actions and not our words alone…

Company’s CSMART Academy teamed up with UWF’s Innovation Institute to launch training course for environmental officers that started in August 2019. Combining UWF’s specialty in challenge-based learning with CSMART Academy’s award-winning faculty, professional development and advanced simulators, program is designed to foster culture of excellence in environmental compliance. Carnival Corporation announced it partnered with the University of West Florida (UWF) to enhance the company’s…

USCGC Angela McShan Delivered to U.S. Coast Guard.Bollinger Shipyards has delivered the USCGC ANGELA MCSHAN, the 35th Fast Response Cutter (FRC) to the U.S. Coast Guard. The Coast Guard took delivery on the 1st of August, 2019 in Key West, Florida. Bollinger President & C.E.O. Ben Bordelon said, “We are very pleased to announce the latest FRC delivery, the USCGC ANGELA MCSHAN. Previous cutters have been stationed around the nation including Alaska and Hawaii. The ANGELA MCSHAN…

Bollinger Shipyards has delivered the USCGC William Hart, the 34th Fast Response Cutter (FRC) to the U.S. Coast Guard. The Coast Guard took delivery on May 23, 2019 in Key West, Florida. The 154-foot Sentinel-class Fast Response Cutter has a flank speed over 28 knots, state of the art command, control, communications and computer technology, and a stern launch system for the vessel’s 26-foot cutter boat. The FRC has been described as an operational “game changer,” by senior Coast Guard officials.

Bollinger Shipyards has delivered the USCGC JOSEPH DOYLE, the 33rd Fast Response Cutter (FRC) to the U.S. Coast Guard. The Coast Guard took delivery on the 21st of March, 2019 in Key West, Florida. The 154-foot Sentinel-class Fast Response Cutter has a flank speed over 28 knots, state of the art command, control, communications and computer technology, and a stern launch system for the vessel’s 26-foot cutter boat. The FRC has been described as an operational “game changer,” by senior Coast Guard officials.

The crew of the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Harriet Lane returned to homeport from a 94-day patrol in drug trafficking zones of the Eastern Pacific, after seizing approximately 17,203 pounds of cocaine from suspected smugglers, April 8, 2016. The drugs were seized from nine suspected drug smuggling vessels. The contraband is valued at more than $260 million. Harriet Lane’s crew worked in conjunction with detachments from the Coast Guard’s Pacific Tactical Law Enforcement Team (PACTACLET) from San Diego…

The U.S. Coast Guard took delivery on March 29, 2018 of the USCGC Nathan Bruckenthal, built by Bollinger Shipyards and delivered in Key West, Florida. The 154 ft. patrol craft USCGC Nathan Bruckenthal is the 28th vessel in the Coast Guard's Sentinel-class FRC program. To build the FRC, Bollinger 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 vessel’s 26 foot cutter boat.

Bollinger Shipyards has delivered the USCGC Joseph Gerczak, the 26th Fast Response Cutter (FRC) to the U.S. Coast Guard. The Coast Guard took delivery on the 9th of November 2017 in Key West, Florida. The vessel’s commissioning is scheduled for March 9, 2018 in Honolulu, HI. Ben Bordelon, Bollinger President & C.E.O. said: “This FRC built by Bollinger Shipyards will be the second FRC to be stationed in Honolulu, Hawaii. Previous cutters have been stationed in Florida, San Juan, PR, Cape May, NJ, Ketchikan, Alaska, and Pascagoula, MS.

SUNY Maritime College’s Training Ship Empire State VI will soon sail to Puerto Rico to aid in the recovery efforts and to deliver basic necessities to the island’s residents. The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) activated the vessel for a pre-scripted Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) mission to support relief efforts. Once moored on site, the self-contained vessel will support recovery efforts by providing housing, power, food and water to first responders.

Navy installations throughout Florida are preparing for heavy weather as Hurricane Irma approaches South Florida. Commander, Navy Region Southeast, Rear Adm. Bette Bolivar, directed the evacuation of non-essential personnel and family members from Naval Air Station Key West, Florida, Sept. 5. "Their safety and security is a top priority," Bolivar said. Approximately 50-60 mission essential personnel are remaining behind to maintain essential functions on the installation. Naval Air Station Key West personnel have a designated safe haven area of within 300 miles of Atlanta. Personnel and family members need to muster with the installation, their command or through the Navy Family Accountability and Assistance System (NFAAS) website upon arrival to the safe haven area.

Bollinger Shipyards has delivered the USCGC JOHN MCCORMICK, the 21st Fast Response Cutter (FRC) to the U.S. Coast Guard. The 154 foot patrol craft USCGC JOHN MCCORMICK is the 21st vessel in the Coast Guard's Sentinel-class FRC program, and the first FRC to be stationed at Ketchikan, Alaska. The FRC has been described as an operational “game changer,” by senior Coast Guard officials. Previous cutters have been stationed in the 7th Coast Guard District in Florida or San Juan, PR, and two have been stationed in the 5th Coast Guard District in Cape May, NJ.

The crew could not have been separated from the dock for more than an hour. The thick salt air had barely filled their lungs. Cell phone towers in Key West, Florida, were still visible with a squint of an eye. A voice rang out on the back deck, “Two seven zero. Three hundred yards! A crewmember from Coast Guard Tactical Law Enforcement Team South, Miami, had spotted what appeared to be Cuban nationals on a make-shift raft, headed for the U.S. The highly trained law enforcement official was one of two TACLET South team members sent to supplement the crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Kathleen Moore, homeported in Key West. A voice rang through the 154-foot cutter, “Now set AMIO phase one!” Alien Migrant Interdiction Operations had begun.

Retired Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy (MCPON) William "Bill" H. Plackett died peacefully the evening of March 4. He was 78. Plackett became the sixth MCPON Oct. 1, 1985. He relieved Billy C. Sanders and held the job for three years before Duane R. Bushey assumed duties in September 1988. Plackett was born in Paxton, Illinois, and joined the Navy at the age of 19 in 1956. He attended radarman "A" school in Norfolk, Virginia and was assigned to the Naval Control of Shipping Office in Bahrain in the Persian Gulf. He served tours aboard Commander, Amphibious Force, U.S. Atlantic Fleet embarked upon amphibious force command ship USS Mount McKinley (AGC 7), and Commander in Chief, Allied Forces Southern Europe in Naples, Italy.

The Electrolytic Cation Exchange Module (E-CEM), developed at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL), provides the Navy the capability to produce raw materials necessary to develop synthetic fuel stock at sea or in remote locations. The NRL, Material Science and Technology Division, has been granted the first U.S. patent for a method to simultaneously extract carbon dioxide and hydrogen from seawater. This single process provides all the raw materials necessary for the production of synthetic liquid hydrocarbon fuels.

The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Confidence repatriated 12 Cuban migrants to Bahia de Cabañas, Cuba, Saturday. While on routine patrol a Coast Guard aircraft spotted a vessel with migrants aboard south of Marquesas Keys, Florida, Wednesday. The aircraft notified Coast Guard Sector Key West watchstanders who quickly diverted the Coast Guard Cutter Venturous to the scene. Upon arriving on scene, the Venturous crew embarked 14 Cuban migrants including 10 men and four women. Twelve Cuban migrants were later transferred to the Coast Guard Cutter Confidence for repatriation. Two migrants were medevaced with medical concerns to Key West, Florida.

Bollinger Shipyards has delivered the JOSEPH NAPIER, the 15th Fast Response Cutter (FRC) to the United States Coast Guard. The announcement was made by Bollinger’s President & C.E.O., Ben Bordelon. “We are very pleased to announce the delivery of the latest FRC built by Bollinger Shipyards, the JOSEPH NAPIER, to the 7th Coast Guard District in Puerto Rico. The 154 foot patrol craft JOSEPH NAPIER is the 15th vessel in the Coast Guard's Sentinel-class FRC program. To build the FRC, Bollinger 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 vessel’s 26 foot cutter boat.