Cutter Vigorous News

Coast Guard Cutter Vigorous marked its official arrival at its new homeport at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story, Virginia Beach, Friday. Vigorous is the first of two Medium Endurance Cutters from Cape May, New Jersey to be relocated to Little Creek. The Coast Guard Cutter Dependable is scheduled to arrive in 2015. “Cape May was a wonderful home for Vigorous over the past 21 years and we thank the community for its steadfast support,” said Cmdr. Terry Johns, Vigorous commanding officer.

The U.S. Coast Guard suspended its search at 10 p.m., Friday, May 23, for the missing crew members of the 39-foot sailing vessel Cheeki Rafiki who reported distress approximately 1,000 miles east of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, on Friday, May 16. At the request of the British Government, the Coast Guard resumed search efforts at 7:38 a.m., Tuesday, having suspending its original 4,000-square-mile search on Sunday after the sailors had not been located. After an additional 21,000 square miles of searches, the U.S. Coast Guard suspended the second search.

A Coast Guard Air Station Borinquen team safely hoisted a 61-year-old man suffering from severe dehydration from the Automated Mutual Assistance Vessel Rescue System (AMVER) bulk carrier 'AS Vincentia' some 400 nm from shore. The Liberian-flagged ship had earlier taken the patient off  the sailing yacht 'Enzo'. The Cutter Vigorous rendezvoused with AS Vincentia 200 nautical miles north of Puerto Rico where the crew of the MH-65 helicopter safely hoisted the Canadian national off the AS Vincentia and took him to the cutter Vigorous to receive medical attention.

The Coast Guard escorted the disabled Carnival Triumph to the Alabama Cruise Ship Terminal in Mobile Thursday evening. The tug vessel Roland Falgout and four assist tugs towed the Triumph to the Alabama Cruise Terminal following more than a 100-hour voyage from Cozumel, Mexico to Mobile. Resources used to assist the Triumph: The 210-foot Coast Guard Cutter Vigorous and crew, homeported in Cape May, N.J.; Coast Guard Aviation Training Center Mobile MH-60T crew; The 87-foot Coast Guard Cutter Stingray crew; Three Coast Guard Station Dauphin Island 45-foot Response Boat — Medium crews; One Coast Guard Station Pascagoula boatcrew; Coast Guard Gulf Strike Team. The Coast Guard Cutter Vigorous arrived on scene Sunday night and safely medevaced one passenger to the Carnival Legend.

Carnival dispatches a third tugboat, from Port Fourchon, Louisiana, to further assist the disabled cruise ship toward Mobile, ALA. The company has also announced further compensation of US$500 for the 3,143 passengers aboard the Carnival Triumph in addition to a full refund of the cruise along with transportation expenses and reimbursement of all shipboard purchases during the voyage, with the exception of gift shop, art purchases and casino charges. All passengers will also receive a future cruise credit equal to the amount paid for this voyage.

The tugs Resolve Pioneer and Dabhol tow and steer the 893-foot Carnival Triumph cruise ship Tuesday morning, Feb. 12, 2013, in the Gulf of Mexico. The ship is enroute to Mobile, Ala., after an engine room fire a few days prior. HOUSTON — The Coast Guard Cutter Vigorous began escorting the Carnival Triumph cruise ship Monday night after tugs began towing it toward Mobile, Ala., which is approximately 270 miles north. The Triumph reported a fire in the aft engine room Sunday morning, which was extinguished by the ships fire control system. No injuries were reported.

US Coast Guard is in communication with the cruise ship, dead in the water, about 136 miles north of Merida, Mexico. The ship’s automatic fire extinguishing systems was activated and the fire was contained to the aft engine room and then isolated. The shipboard fire-fighting squads continue to monitor the situation. No casualties or injuries have been reported. Carnival Triumph is operating on emergency power and is receiving supplies from another cruise ship on scene. Tug boats have been dispatched to assist the disabled ship.

U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Vigorous is scheduled to hold a change-of-command ceremony at the ship's homeport here. During the ceremony, Cmdr. Glenn Grahl will be formally relieved as commanding officer of the cutter by Cmdr. Paul Flynn. The CGC Vigorous is a 210-ft. medium-endurance cutter homeported at Coast Guard Training Center Cape May. Flynn began his Coast Guard career in 1991 on CGC Papaw, out of Galveston, Texas. In 1993, he was selected as the commanding officer of CGC Point Baker, out of Sabine, Texas. In 1995, Flynn attended the University of Rhode Island graduate school earning a Master's Degree in Marine Affairs. Following graduate school, Flynn was assigned to the Office of Law Enforcement, 17th Coast Guard District in Juneau, Alaska.