Two New Members Join SAFE Boats Board of Directors
Bremerton, Wash. based boatbuilder SAFE Boats International announced that retired Vice Admiral William “Dean” Lee and Tom Norton have joined its board of directors.Vice Admiral Lee served in the U. S. Coast Guard for more than 36-years, most recently serving as the Commander, Atlantic Area (LANTAREA), responsible for all Coast Guard operations from the Rocky Mountains to the Arabian Gulf. During his service to the Nation, he served in numerous command and staff positions specializing in search and rescue and small boat operations.
USCG Welcomes Cutter Hamilton to Fleet
Coast Guard Cutter Hamilton, the first national security cutter homeported on the East Coast, entered into active service today at Union Pier Terminal in downtown Charleston. The commissioning ceremony for the Coast Guard’s largest and newest 418-foot cutter was presided by Vice Adm. William “Dean” Lee, Coast Guard Atlantic Area commander. Commandant of the Coast Guard, Adm. Paul F. Zukunft, delivered the keynote address. “Together with my shipmates, we’re beginning the most important milestones in the life of a cutter,” said Capt. Doug Fears, Hamilton’s commanding officer and the most senior member of the crew. While being “new” to the Coast Guard is the highlight of the ceremony, Cutter Hamilton’s most enthusiastic crewmembers are just as new to the Coast Guard.
IDGA’s 9th Annual Maritime Homeland Security Summit
Defining priorities, building partnerships, and modernizing capabilities have recently been at the forefront of the Maritime Community’s agenda. The U.S. Coast Guard’s leadership vision for the 21st Century and the Department of Homeland Security’s release of the Implementation Plan for the Small Vessel Security Strategy are two focal points being addressed to enhance the national capacity for maritime homeland Sscurity. In keeping with theses current matters of the maritime community, IDGA’s 9th Annual Maritime Homeland Security Summit will bring together departmental policy makers, uniformed service leaders, law enforcement, and industry partners to exchange and share best practices and opportunities to improve the security of our Nation's maritime borders.
Kearsarge ESG Conducts Rescue at Sea During COMPTUEX
Kearsarge Expeditionary Strike Group (KSGESG) assisted in the rescue of three mariners aboard a sailboat in distress May 18. The crew of the 48-foot S/V (sailing vessel) Sea Fever, ages 90, 81 and 50 respectively, were rescued 40 miles off the coast of North Carolina as a result of the combined efforts of amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge (LHD 3), Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 22 Detachment 1, and Coast Guard Station Fort Macon. When the began taking on water, the Sea Fever crew sent a 'mayday' message reporting they were taking on water. Although they had three pumps energized, they were not able to keep up with the flooding and were going down. U.S. Coast Guard Sector North Carolina responded to the mayday, and sent a request for assistance in their search for the stranded vessel.
