Homeland Security And Search And Rescue News

The crew of Coast Guard Cutter Northland returned to Portsmouth Thursday following an 81-day, counter-drug patrol in the Eastern Pacific. The crew of the Northland interdicted five vessels, detained 16 suspected drug traffickers, and seized a total of 7,564 kilograms of cocaine, worth approximately $252 million. The crew conducted exercises with the Naval Forces of the Army of Nicaragua and participated in multiple events to help improve diplomatic relations between the U.S. and Nicaragua.

Coast Guard Cutter Tahoma returned Sunday to their homeport of Kittery, Maine after a 55-day patrol conducting operations and training in the Gulf of Maine and Georges Bank. The crew carried out Living Marine Resources boardings under the guidance of the 1st Coast Guard District. The Tahoma's law enforcement teams conducted boardings of commercial fishing vessels to inspect safety gear and enforce marine resource management to ensure sustainable fisheries in the North Atlantic. On Dec. 1, 2014 the Tahoma's crew assisted the disabled fishing vessel Madison Kate following an engine casualty. The Tahoma's crew put the vessel in tow and safety and transferred it to a Coast Guard Station Brant Point motor life boat.

Leading networking company, TESSCO Technologies Incorporated, informs it has worked closely with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to successfully implement, for the first time, real-time video streaming from police boats monitoring Chesapeake Bay. This technology effort supports Governor O’Malley’s extensive programs to protect the Chesapeake. TESSCO explain that after four years of planning and product testing, TESSCO, partnering with the IT staff of the DNR’s Natural Resource Police and RAD Data Communications, based in Mahwah, N.J., delivered a solution using RAD’s Airmux Mobility system to achieve over 4 Mbps throughput per boat while traveling at up to 20 knots over distances of up to seven miles.

Building programs continue, spanning the full range of missions, despite budget concerns. Amidst all the talk of Beltway budget cutbacks and sequestration, the U.S. Coast Guard is quietly investing approximately $30 billion in major acquisition projects to modernize its physical assets. The process of recapitalizing these older and difficult-to-maintain assets has never been an easy task, and the Coast Guard has seen its share of bumps along the way. For example, the initially messy Deepwater debacle initially kicked off what has evolved into today’s more successful recapitalization process, now run by the Coast Guard’s Acquisition Directorate, which stood up in July 2007.

The Coast Guard Cutter Decisive returned to its homeport of Pascagoula Aug. 15 after a 29-day patrol conducting law enforcement and search and rescue in the Gulf of Mexico and the Straits of Florida. The crew of the Decisive conducted commercial fishing vessel boardings while in the Gulf of Mexico and ensured vessel compliance with federal laws and regulations. During one boarding on a commercial fishing vessel, two of its crewmembers were found to be undocumented aliens. They were taken aboard Decisive and then transferred to other law enforcement personnel in South Padre Island, Texas.

The crew of  the Coast Guard Cutter 'Legare' returned to their homeport of Portsmouth Monday following an 8-week patrol in the Caribbean Sea in support of the Joint Interagency Task Force South. While patrolling near Puerto Rico in early August, the Legare crew launched their embarked helicopter to locate a go-fast vessel. When the vessel refused to stop as directed by the helicopter crew, they used approved tactics, including disabling fire, to compel the vessel to stop. Legare’s small-boat crew boarded the disabled vessel and subsequently recovered 41 bales of cocaine from the water…

The American Shipbuilding Association (ASA) announced that U.S. Senator Thad Cochran (R-MS) would be the 2010 recipient of the Herbert H. Bateman Award. The award will be presented Wednesday, June 23 at 6:00 pm during ASA's Salute to the Illih Congress reception in the Gold Room (2168) of the Rayburn House Office Building. "Thad Cochran, throughout his 38 years of service in the U.S. House of Representatives and in the U.S. Senate, has been a tireless advocate for a stronger shipbuilding industry and our Nation's sea services.

Kvichak Marine Industries, of Seattle, WA, recently delivered a 45’ Response Boat – Medium (RB-M) prototype to the United States Coast Guard (USCG). Kvichak teamed with Marinette Marine Corporation, a member of the Manitowoc Marine Group, in a competitive bid process for the RB-M. Marinette serves as the prime contractor and program manager of the prototype project and Kvichak as the builder. Two other companies were also chosen to construct prototypes. All three vessels are currently undergoing extensive sea trials and evaluations, at the USCG base in Portsmouth, VA. The review process will last for two to three months. Upon completion of testing…

Kvichak Marine Industries, of Seattle, Wash., recently delivered a 45 ft. Response Boat - Medium (RB-M) prototype to the United States Coast Guard (USCG). Kvichak teamed with Marinette Marine Corporation, a member of the Manitowoc Marine Group, in a competitive bid process for the RB-M. Marinette serves as the prime contractor and program manager of the prototype project and Kvichak as the builder. Two other companies were also chosen to construct prototypes. All three vessels are currently undergoing extensive sea trials and evaluations, at the USCG base in Portsmouth, Va. The review process will last for two to three months. Upon completion of testing, the USCG intends to award a contract to one company for a fleet of approximately 180 RB-M vessels to replace its aging fleet of 41 ft.

The Coast Guard Cutter Tornado will welcome its new Commanding Officer during a change-of-command ceremony at the Naval Station in Pascagoula, Miss. on Fridayy. Lt. Cmdr. Robert J. Landolfi Jr. will relieve Lt. Cmdr. Christopher Hollingshead who served as the Commanding Officer of the Tornado for the past two years. Hollingshead assumed command of Coast Guard Cutter Tornado in October 2004. Tornado is one of five 179-foot Cyclone-class Patrol Coastal cutters (PC-179s) transferred to the Coast Guard from the Navy. Tornado rapidly proved ideally-suited for Coast Guard operations as it deployed in support of the Coast Guard counter-drug, alien migrant interdiction, homeland security, and search and rescue missions in the Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean Sea, Florida Straits, and Atlantic Ocean.

Commemoration of the Sept. We pause at this time to recognize the sacrifice of the victims of the Sept. 11th attacks. Our deepest sympathy goes out to their families, loved ones, and to the survivors. We appreciate the public’s support, understanding and assistance as the Coast Guard works to keep the nation’s ports and waterways safe and secure. We have made changes, refocused our efforts, and developed new tools and policies, but we already had many of the skills, authorities, systems and response plans and brave, dedicated men and women to immediately raise the level of security to protect the American people. As America’s premier multi-mission, military, maritime agency, Homeland Security and Search and Rescue are, and have been, our top priorities.

The Manitowoc Company, Inc. and its subsidiary, Marinette Marine Corporation, will partner with Kvichak Marine Industries, Inc. to develop and construct a prototype Response Boat Medium (RB-M) for the U.S. Coast Guard. Kvichak, located in Seattle with full-service waterfront facilities, will build the prototype RB-M. The Marinette/Kvichak team is using a design developed by Camarc, Ltd., an expert in the design of water jet-driven high-speed aluminum boats. Marinette Marine will serve as the prime contractor and program manager for the project. Delivery of the $2.5-million test boat is expected in late 2003. “We are pleased to work with the Northwest’s finest high-speed aluminum boat builder on this very important project,” said Dennis McCloskey, president of Manitowoc’s Marine Group.

The Coast Guard has selected the Manitowoc Group to build one of three Response Boat -- Medium (RB-M) test boats. These boats are the first of a class of vessels that will replace the Coast Guard's aging fleet of 41-foot Utility Boats, which have been the workhorse of coastal stations for the past 25 years. The Coast Guard is pursuing the RB-M project using a two-phase competitive process. Three vendors were selected based on their written proposals to produce a test boat of their design. Coast Guard personnel will test each of these boats and the three vendors will subsequently bid for a full-production contract consisting of approximately 180 RB-Ms.