Coast Guard And Air Force News

Norway will receive help from Britain, Germany and France to patrol the seas around its oil and gas platforms amid suspicion that sabotage caused leaks in Nord Stream pipelines earlier this week, Norway's prime minister said on Friday.Russia's Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 pipelines burst this week, draining gas into the Baltic Sea off the coast of Denmark and Sweden. Seismologists registered explosions in the area.The European Union said it suspected sabotage had caused the…

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…

The U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Air Force and regional partners are searching for the master of a Panamanian-flagged bulk carrier who has gone missing about 174 miles northwest of Chuuk, Federated States of Micronesia.At 5:44 p.m., Tuesday, JRSC Guam watchstanders received a report from Rescue Coordination Center Australia watchstanders stating they received a call from the first mate of the 751-foot Rising Wind reporting the vessel’s 47-year-old master was missing. The master was last seen in his cabin…

Shipbuilder Metal Shark has delivered two new pilot boats to New Orleans-based operator Belle Chasse Marine Transportation, LLC (BCMT).Designed in-house by Metal Shark and built at the company’s Jeanerette, La. production facility, Jet 1 and Jet 2 are 45-foot welded aluminum Defiant-class monohull pilothouse vessels featuring an extensively proven hull design. The vessels feature a unique deck arrangement designed for pilots and customized to meet BCMT’s specific requirements.Both vessels were recently delivered and are now operating on the Mississippi River…

Shipbuilder Metal Shark has been selected to build the next generation of fire boats for the Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Department.Miami-Dade has selected the Metal Shark “50 Defiant X” fireboat, a welded aluminum monohull vessel featuring a proven hull form and a specialized arrangement optimized for firefighting. The new fire boats are being built at Metal Shark’s Jeanerette, Louisiana production facility and are intended to replace older fire boats currently operated by the Department.The 50’ x 15’ vessels will be powered by twin inboard diesel engines mated to water jet propulsion units…

Metal Shark Expands Internationally with New Croatia Engineering Facility.Shipbuilder Metal Shark has established a foothold across the Atlantic with the opening of a dedicated European engineering office.Metal Shark’s first location outside of the United States, “Metal Shark Croatia” is a new engineering facility recently opened in the city of Rijeka on Croatia’s northern Adriatic coast.The facility currently employs nearly 20 naval architects, machinery systems engineers, and…

Four new high speed patrol boats manufactured by shipbuilder Metal Shark have entered service with the Dutch Caribbean Coast Guard (DCCG) on the island of Aruba.The vessels were commissioned into service with a ceremony on January 23rd at DCCG’s Station Aruba in the district of Savaneta on Aruba’s southeast coast. Among those present were officials from the Aruban government, Dutch Ministry of Defense, DCCG, and Metal Shark, as well as local and regional media outlets.The new…

The U.S. Coast Guard Research and Development Center (RDC) in New London, Connecticut, is the service's only command conducting research, development, test and evaluation (RDT&E) support for all 11 statutory missions. Since its commissioning in 1972, RDC has been involved in over 2,000 projects and initiatives that have significantly benefited the Coast Guard and the components of the Maritime Transportation System. As the demand for research and development capability grows within the service…

The U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Air Force will partner on research and development in several key areas such 3-D printing, Arctic operations, modeling and simulation, cyber research, and satellite technology.Commanding officers from the Coast Guard Research and Development Center (RDC) and the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) signed a joint Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that allows greater opportunity for RDC and AFRL to work together on projects of mutual benefit.Capt. Greg Rothrock, commanding officer of the RDC, and Maj. Gen.

Metal Shark’s stock boats program shakes up the patrol boat game; here and across the big pond. If the news that Louisiana-based boatbuilder Metal Shark is ramping up production to build an inventory of stock vessels, with the goal of reducing lead times and enhancing service sounds familiar, but perhaps not on this side of the big pond, that’s because the move truly represents an innovative concept for North American builders. Savvy shipbuilding stakeholders everywhere, of course, know that Netherlands-based Damen has been doing it (successfully) for years. That kind of program, however, isn’t easily pulled off, nor should it be undertaken lightly.

EU Naval Force Warship 'FGS Berlin' has conducted local maritime capacity building in the Seychelles informs EUCAP Nestor. Three Local Maritime Capacity Building (LMCB) activities have taken place during EU Naval Force Warship FGS Berlin’s recent port visit to the Seychelles. LMCB are conducted by the European Union  to build the capacity of security forces of regional partners in the fight against piracy, supporting further training provided by EUCAP Nestor. First, firefighting training was conducted for the Seychelles Coast Guard. This included instructions on the right use of various fire extinguishers, techniques how to open (hot) doors, and the different use of members of the firefighting team.

A major exercise in implementing the national contingency plan for anti-pollution, search and rescue, and fire fighting was held in the waters off Mahé on 4 June. This complex exercise was carried out by a range of different agencies including the Seychelles Coast Guard, Air Force, Fire Fighting Services and Port Authority. The EUNAVFOR Atalanta Flagship Brandenburg also took part in the exercise, EUCAP Nestor experts provided support for the planning, preparations as well as its execution. The Seychelles Maritime Safety Authority and the Ministry of Environment and Energy  were also involved.

Louisiana-based boat manufacturer Metal Shark Aluminum Boats is significantly expanding its operations and has acquired a large waterfront parcel to accommodate the production of larger vessels. The builder has signaled its entry into the shipbuilding sector with the purchase of a 25-acre waterfront tract located in South Louisiana’s St. Mary Parish. Plans for the new facility call for over 60,000 square feet of manufacturing space, with approximately 100 new employees expected to be hired within the next few years.

On 26 September, the Seychelles Peoples Defense Force, Coast Guard and Air Force, together with the EU Naval Force (EU NAVFOR) Somalia Operation Atalanta and EUCAP Nestor, carried out a search and rescue exercise in Seychelles waters. The operation was coordinated centrally by the Seychelles Coast Guard Maritime Operation Center and held in conjunction with the port visit of the Dutch EU NAVFOR flagship, HNLMS Johan de Witt, to the Seychelles. The EUCAP Nestor team in the Seychelles worked closely with the Coast Guard on the exercise and facilitated the liaison with EU NAVFOR.

Patrol And Combat Builders Fret About Budget Cuts But See Bright Spots. So far; so good. U.S. companies building patrol and combat craft aren’t happy about federal, state and city budget cuts but say they do see positive, demand-side factors. Much of their overseas business depends on the U.S. Foreign Military Sales program. The FMS, which transfers defense equipment and services to other nations, is retrenching now, however. Here at home, states and municipalities have fewer funds, grants and matching grants to pay for patrol vessels, builders say.

EUCAP Nestor, EU Naval Force and the Seychelles Coast Guard carried out a joint counter-piracy exercise in the Seychelles on April 26. The exercise involved a mock interception of a suspected pirate skiff in Seychelles waters by the combined efforts of EU NAVFOR and the Seychelles Coast Guard. The Coast Guard vessel, Topaz, and a helicopter from French Navy ship, LHD Tonnerre, operating under EU NAVFOR flag, jointly intervened against a suspected pirate skiff. The purpose of the exercise was to enhance coordination and cooperation between the Seychelles Coast Guard and EU NAVFOR as well as further develop the Coast Guard in procedures for evidence handling. “This exercise was a perfect example of our partnership with the Seychelles and EU NAVFOR,” said Admiral Launay.

Participants at a workshop exploring the use of titanium structure for ships found that it is not only possible to construct a ship hull from titanium—or Ti, it could be cost effective. The workshop was sponsored by the Office of Naval Research and hosted by the University of New Orleans, where an ONR research program on titanium ship structures is being conducted. Representatives of the shipbuilding industry, titanium suppliers, Navy, Coast Guard and Air Force labs, and academia discussed and examined materials, processes and applications. Most ships today are primarily made from steel.

1801-Secretary of the Treasury Gallatin announced the decision to reduce "Revenue Cutter Establishment" as near as circumstances will permit within its original limits. 1943-CGC E.M. Dow grounded and was abandoned near Mayaguez, Puerto Rico. All hands were saved. 1944-CGCs Eastwind and Southwind captured the Nazi weather and supply vessel Externsteine off the coast of Greenland after a brief fire-fight. There were no casualties. The Coast Guardsmen christened their prize-of-war USS Eastbreeze and placed a prize crew on board. The prize crew was commanded by LT Curtiss Howard and consisted of 36 men, including some from Southwind. After sailing with the Greenland Patrol for three weeks, Eastbreeze sailed on to Boston where the Navy renamed it as USS Callao.

1801-Secretary of the Treasury Gallatin announced the decision to reduce "Revenue Cutter Establishment" as near as circumstances will permit within its original limits. 1943-CGC E.M. Dow grounded and was abandoned near Mayaguez, Puerto Rico. All hands were saved. 1944-CGCs Eastwind and Southwind captured the Nazi weather and supply vessel Externsteine off the coast of Greenland after a brief fire-fight. There were no casualties. The Coast Guardsmen christened their prize-of-war USS Eastbreeze and placed a prize crew on board. The prize crew was commanded by LT Curtiss Howard and consisted of 36 men, including some from Southwind. After sailing with the Greenland Patrol for three weeks, Eastbreeze sailed on to Boston where the Navy renamed it as USS Callao.

In this photo released by the U.S. Coast Guard, (counterclockwise from right) a Canadian coast guardsman and U.S. Coast Guardsmen Seaman Apprentice Anthony Kelley, Petty Officer 3rd Class Brian Abel and Petty Officer 2nd Class Shawn Wilkinson transfer Canadian coast guardsman Liam Jeffrey to U.S. Coast Guard Station Eastport's boat during a simulated search and rescue exercise in the Bay of Fundy off Campobello Island, New Brunswick, Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2009. Personnel from U.S.

The National Search and Rescue School at Coast Guard Training Center Yorktown celebrated its 40th year of saving lives today, an official ceremony will be held Friday October 27, 2006. Founded in 1966 by the Coast Guard and Air Force, the school is devoted to teaching and standardizing the search and rescue procedures that enable the breathtaking rescues depicted in the recent Touchstone movie, The Guardian. During the last 40 years, school instructors have trained nearly 29,000 people from more than 148 nations to carry out search and rescue missions on land and sea. Those who graduate from its courses staff rescue coordination centers worldwide performing search planning and coordination for inland and maritime rescues.

The 180-ft. fishing vessel Galaxy exploded and erupted into flames 30 miles southwest of St. Paul Island, Alaska Sunday afternoon forcing 20 of its 26 crewmembers to abandon ship. Six others became stranded on the burning ship before a Coast Guard HH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew hoisted four of them to safety. There is one confirmed dead with five fishermen reported in critical condition and two remained missing as of 9 a.m. HST. Crews aboard the Good Samaritan fishing vessels Blue Pacific, Glacier Bay and Clipper Express assisted in the rescue of 20 Galaxy crewmen. Responding to the scene to help with the search and rescue of the survivors is the Honolulu based Coast Guard Cutter Jarvis.