Two Coast Guard News

Bollinger Delivers Fast Response Cutter David Duren

Bollinger Shipyards recently delivered the USCGC David Duren to the U.S. Coast Guard in Key West, Fla. This is the 182nd vessel Bollinger has delivered to the U.S. Coast Guard over a 35-year period and the 56th Fast Response Cutter (FRC) delivered under the current program.“We’re incredibly proud to deliver the USCGC David Duren, the first of three Fast Response Cutters to be homeported in Astoria, Oregon,” said Bollinger President & CEO Ben Bordelon. “We’re confident that pound for pound…

Philippines Condemns Chinese Harassment of Supply Boats to Disputed Atoll

The Philippines condemned China's coast guard and "maritime militia" on Friday for what it described as "illegal, aggressive and destabilising" behaviour towards its boats during a routine rotation and resupply mission in the South China Sea.Vice Admiral Alberto Carlos said that despite the Chinese actions supplies were delivered on Friday to Philippine troops stationed on a warship that had been deliberately grounded on an uninhabited atoll more than two decades ago to support a sovereignty claim in the disputed Spratly Islands.The Philippines task force for the South China Sea…

Cluster of Chinese Vessels Spotted Near Russian Rig Off Vietnam

A Chinese research vessel flanked by coast guard and nearly a dozen boats on Wednesday entered a gas block operated by Russian and Vietnamese state firms, two monitoring groups said, another potential flashpoint in the South China Sea.It follows a pattern of assertive moves of late by Beijing in its neighbors' exclusive economic zones (EEZ), as it presses its claim to sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea, testing the United States and its allies at a time of heightened regional tension.Strong relations between Russia and China are a major factor supporting global stability…

Two Bodies Recovered after S.Korea Ship Goes Missing in Taiwan Strait

Taiwan has recovered two bodies after a ship carrying six South Koreans went missing in the Taiwan Strait, and search and rescue operations are underway, the Taiwanese and South Korean governments said on Friday.Taiwan authorities have said they received distress signals from the Kyoto 1 at around 9:50 a.m. (0050 GMT) on Thursday from a location about 18 miles (29 km) west of the island, the foreign ministry in Seoul said, adding that all six people aboard were South Korean nationals.The Sierra Leone-flagged, 322-ton ship was on its way to Indonesia's Batam port from the South Korean city of Busan while towing the Kyoto 2 tender vessel…

Greece Launches Search Op after Migrants' Boat Sinks Off Crete

Greece was searching for migrants who went missing after their sailing boat sank off the island of Crete, its shipping ministry said on Thursday.A nearby vessel spotted the boat after it sent a distress signal and reported it started sinking some 60 nautical miles southeast off Crete, it said.Some 36 migrants have been rescued so far, while a helicopter, two coast guard vessels and other boats sailing in the area were part of an ongoing search and rescue operation in high winds.The migrants said that a total of 45 people were on board the sailboat…

Ingalls Delivers National Security Cutter Stone

Huntington Ingalls Industries’ (HII) Ingalls Shipbuilding division has delivered National Security Cutter Stone (WMSL 758) to the U.S. Coast Guard.Documents signed Monday mark the official transfer of custody of the ship from HII to the Coast Guard. Stone is scheduled to sail away from the Pascagoula, Miss. shipyard at the end of this year to its homeport in Charleston, S.C.The Legend-class NSC is the most technologically advanced ship in the Coast Guard’s fleet, which enables it to meet the high demands required for maritime and homeland security…

USCG National Security Cutter Stone Passes Acceptance Trials

The U.S. Coast Guard’s ninth national security cutter, Stone (WMSL 758), has completed acceptance sea trials, Huntington Ingalls Industries’ (HII) Ingalls Shipbuilding division announced Friday.Having recently spent two days in the Gulf of Mexico proving its systems, Stone is scheduled to deliver later this year and will be homeported in Charleston, S.C.Ingalls in Pascagoula, Miss. has delivered eight Legend-class NSCs with two more under construction and one additional under…

Video: National Security Cutter Stone Completes Builder's Trials

The U.S. Coast Guard’s newest national security cutter Stone (WMSL 758) completed builder’s sea trials in the Gulf of Mexico. The new ship, built by Huntington Ingalls Industries’ Ingalls Shipbuilding division in Pascagoula, Miss., spent three days testing propulsion and auxiliary equipment, as well as various shipboard systems, Ingalls announced Monday.“Every successful sea trial is a major accomplishment for our shipbuilders, but this set proved to be a particularly substantial undertaking,” said Jay Boyd, Ingalls’ NSC program manager.

USCG Christens 9th Legend-class Cutter

The US Coast Guard ( USCG ) and Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) christened the future USCGC Stone, the ninth Legend-class national security cutter (NSC), at Ingalls Shipbuilding’s facilities on Saturday, February 29.The ship honors Coast Guard officer Cmdr. Elmer “Archie” Fowler Stone, who made history in 1919 for being one of the two Coast Guard pilots to successfully make the first transatlantic flight in a Navy seaplane. Stone’s great niece, Laura Cavallo, officially christened the ship.“The success of the National Security Cutter program is a direct reflection of our strong partnership with the Coast Guard and the dedication and capability of a team of Ingalls shipbuilders that continues to successfully deliver some of the most challenging manufacturing projects in the world…

Coast Guard, Local Agencies Respond to Boat Fire near Santa Cruz Island

Coast Guard and partner agencies are responding to a vessel fire near Santa Cruz Island Monday.At approximately 3:15 a.m., Coast Guard Sector Los Angeles-Long Beach watchstanders overheard a mayday call via channel 16 of an engulfed 75-foot commercial diving vessel with 38 people aboard.Crews from the Coast Guard, Santa Barbara Fire Department, Ventura County Fire Department and Vessel Assist responded. The fire department crews were fighting the fire when the vessel sank 20 yards off shore in 64 feet of water.Five people were evacuated aboard a good Samaritan pleasure craft Great Escape.Currently, 33 people aboard the vessel are unaccounted for.Watchstanders launched two Coast Guard Station Channel Islands Harbor 45-foot Response Boat-Medium crews…

CG Station Cortez Assists Vessel, Rescues 3

The Coast Guard assisted four people whose boat was taking on water Sunday approximately 12 miles west of Bean Point.The Coast Guard arrived on scene, removed three people and dewatered the vessel.Coast Guard watchstanders received a report from a man aboard the 21-foot center console at 2:36 p.m., stating they were taking on water and were in need of immediate assistance.Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg watchstanders dispatched a Coast Guard Station Cortez 29-foot Response Boat— Medium crew to respond.The crew arrived on scene…

Coast Guard Offloads 13 Tons of Cocaine

The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Steadfast (WMEC-632) is scheduled to offload more than 26,000 pounds of seized cocaine in San Diego Friday.The cocaine, worth an estimated $350 million, was seized in international waters of the Eastern Pacific Ocean. The contraband represents six suspected drug smuggling vessel interdictions and the recovery of floating cocaine bales by the crews of two Coast Guard cutters off the coasts of Mexico, Central and South America between late June and mid-July.Six of the interdictions were carried out by the Steadfast’s crew…

Four Rescued from Fishing Vessel Blaze

The U.S. Coast Guard rescued four people from a life raft after a commercial fishing vessel caught fire about 16 miles southeast of Cape May, N.J., Saturday morning. No injuries were reported.Crew members aboard the 75-foot fishing vessel Ocean Pearl activated Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacons and abandoned ship after an electrical fire ignited on board around 10:30 a.m.Once aboard their life raft, the Ocean Pearl’s crew used a handheld radio to contact watchstanders…

Bollinger Delivers 31st Fast Response Cutter

Bollinger Shipyards has delivered the USCGC Terrell Horne, the 31st Fast Response Cutter (FRC) to the U.S. Coast Guard. The Coast Guard took delivery on the October 25, 2018 in Key West, Fla.The 154 foot patrol craft USCGC Terrell Horne, the 31st vessel in the Coast Guard's Sentinel-class FRC program 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.

A Post-casualty Rush to Judgment Can be Costly

It was a warm and sunny early summer morning in an increasingly popular and typically busy domestic harbor. And, not surprisingly, the water and waterfront were crowded with commercial and private vessels of every description. From a slowly moving tug/barge combination, a working dredge and a small tanker delivering fuel on the more industrial side of the harbor, to numerous water taxis, sightseeing boats and larger catamaran ferries, the harbor was buzzing with activity.All of these commercial vessels were operating in close quarters with a fleet of small yachts…

New Commanding Officer at USCG Sector North Carolina

Coast Guard Capt. Jerry Barnes assumed command of Coast Guard Sector North Carolina in Wilmington, N.C., Tuesday. Barnes reported to Sector North Carolina after serving as the 5th Coast Guard District's chief of prevention. Barnes, a specialist in marine safety, security, environmental protection and marine transportation system management, previously served at the Marine Safety Center in Washington, D.C., Sector Hampton Roads, in Portsmouth, Coast Guard Sector Jacksonville, Fla., various staff positions at the 5th Coast Guard District, and aboard a 210-foot medium endurance cutter home ported in St. Petersburg, Fla. Barnes, a native of Raleigh, N.C., is a licensed professional engineer in the Commonwealth of Virginia. He graduated from the U.S.

Pirates Attack in Philippine south Leaves 8 Dead

Armed men killed eight fishermen in what appeared to be an attack by pirates in dangerous waters in the southern Philippines, a coast guard spokesman said on Tuesday. The apparent act of piracy came as Philippine soldiers were given a six-month deadline to end Islamist militant threats, including those made on cargo ships in south, where a long-festering insurgency has been exacerbated by the growing influence of the Islamic State militant group. About two dozen sailors and tourists were taken captive by Islamist militants last year in attacks on tug boats and yachts in the Celebes and Sulu seas, raising concerns among defence officials from Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines about Islamist militancy and piracy.

ABB Breathes New Life into Canadian Icebreaker

ABB will modernize a Canadian Coast Guard icebreaker, installing the latest hardware and software onboard the 38 year old Pierre Radisson. As part of the complete upgrade to the ship’s power distribution system, eight new drives will also be installed. The contract includes the option to modernize the other two Coast Guard ships, Des Groseilliers and Amundsen, both of which have clocked up more than 30 years of service. By attaching sensors to onboard equipment, ABB’s expert engineers can help diagnose problems on the vessel from shore.

UN Deal Sends More Migrants to Turkey from Greece

Two ferries carrying more than 120 migrants returned to Turkey from the Greek island of Lesbos on Friday, in the second round of arrivals under an EU deal with Ankara to stem mass migration to Europe across the Aegean Sea. The accord, which came into force on Monday, aims to help end a chaotic influx into the European Union of migrants and refugees, most fleeing war and poverty in the Middle East and beyond, after more than 1 million arrived last year. Around 325 people have now been sent back from the Greek islands under the accord, which the U.N. refugee agency (UNHCR) has condemned and rights advocates say may violate international law. They are to be sent to a camp near Turkey's border with Bulgaria, to which the UNHCR said it had yet to gain access.

RV Neil Armstrong Arrives in Woods Hole

The research vessel Neil Armstrong arrived to its home port at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) dock for the first time Wednesday, escorted by the WHOI coastal research vessel R/V Tioga, two Coast Guard vessels and fireboats from neighboring towns. “What a wonderful day for Woods Hole, for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, for Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, and the entire ocean science community,” enthused WHOI President and Director Mark Abbott. “We’re very proud to have been selected by the Office of Naval Research to operate the Neil Armstrong. Six years ago, the U.S.

US, Canadian Coast Guards Leaders Discuss Partnership

Rear Adm. June E. Ryan, commander of the U.S. Coast Guard Ninth District, was welcomed aboard the Canadian Coast Guard Ship Samuel Risley by Assistant Commissioner Julie Gascon and Captain Signe Gotfredsen of the Canadian Coast Guard, Central and Arctic Region Monday. After a relatively mild winter on the Great Lakes escorting ships through ice and preventing ice jams, the Samuel Risley was upbound through the Soo Locks and the St. Marys River to Lake Superior for further icebreaking at the Port of Thunder Bay and buoy-tending duties.

USCG Search for Missing Crew of El Faro

Coast Guard search and rescue crews continue searching for possible survivors from the cargo ship El Faro Monday night, covering a total search area of more than 160,574 square nautical miles. While searching in the vicinity of the ship's last known position 35 nautical miles northeast of Crooked Islands, Bahamas, the Coast Guard located a deceased person in a survival suit in the water. A heavily damaged life boat with markings consistent with those on board the El Faro was also located Sunday. Additional items located by Coast Guard aircrews within a 225 square nautical mile search area include a partially submerged life raft, life jackets, life rings, cargo containers and an oil sheen Sunday. Coast Guard Cutter Resolute, a 210-foot medium endurance cutter homeported in St.

USCG Aid Disabled Fishing Boat Off Nantucket

Crews aboard two Coast Guard cutters brought an 83-foot fishing vessel safely to anchorage at approximately 8 p.m. Sunday. Watchstanders at the First Coast Guard District Command Center, were notified at 11:30 a.m. Saturday that the scallop fishing vessel Chaz’s Toy lost propulsion during a living marine resource boarding by the Coast Guard Cutter Escanaba crew 120 miles southeast of Nantucket. The crew of the 270-ft Escanaba issued a marine assistance request broadcast for Chaz’s Toy soliciting commercial or good Samaritan assistance for the vessel, which went unanswered. The cutter took the vessel in stern tow at approximately 4:30 p.m. Saturday. The following morning, the crew of the 110-foot Tybee relieved the Escanaba crew and continued to bring the vessel toward shore.