Katherine Walker News

From the tree lighting at Rockefeller Center to New Year's Eve in Times Square, New York’s time-honored traditions are some of the most well-known around the world. Arriving today as part of another New York tradition, a “parade of ships” from several branches of the U.S. military (and one ship from Canada) sailed into the New York Harbor and up the Hudson River from Battery Park to just south of the George Washington Bridge, for the 29th annual Fleet Week New York (FWNY). Now in its 29th year…

Now in its 28th year, New York Fleet Week has commenced, with ships from the U.S. Navy, U.S. Coast Guard and Royal Canadian Navy sailing into New York Harbor. The weeklong Fleet Week celebration has been held nearly every year since 1984, providing an opportunity for New Yorkers to witness firsthand the capabilities of today’s maritime services, as well as meet sailors, marines and coastguardsmen.

U.S. Navy ships and U.S. Coast Guard cutters, Station New York and Maritime Safety and Security Team New York, along with U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New York Police Harbor units and Fire Department of New York’s fireboat participated in the 2014 Fleet Week New York Parade of Ships, which took place in New York Harbor, today. Participating military ships included the Harpers Ferry-class dock landing ship USS Oak Hill (LSD 51), Arleigh Burke-class destroyers USS Cole (DDG 67 and USS McFaul (DDG 74), and U.S. Coast Guard cutters Campbell (WMEC 909), Katherine Walker (WLM 552), Thunder Bay (WTGB 108), and Sailfish (WPB 87356). Fleet Week New York, now in its 26th year, is the city’s time-honored celebration of the sea services.

As the Hudson River begins to melt the Coast Guard buoy tender 'Katherine Walker' heads north towards Albany, N.Y. The Katherine Walker is a 175-foot buoy tender, homeported in Bayonne, N.J. Its major mission includes the servicing of aids to navigation throughout New York Harbor, Western Long Island Sound, the Hudson and East Rivers, as well as other waters along the Connecticut, New York and New Jersey coastlines. During a five-day patrol up the Hudson River, the ship serviced 18 seasonal aids to navigation, the last of 53 buoys that the crew restores every spring.

Prince Harry enjoys a ride onboard a Coast Guard 45 ft medium response boat from Station New York during a tour near the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor May 30, 2009. After a polo match on Governors Island, the Coast Guard boat crew took the prince on a tour of New York Harbor, ending on the Coast Guard Cutter Katherine Walker, where he crossed to the USS Intrepid in Manhattan.

The U.S. Coast Guard is exercising their pollution response capabilities by deploying a Vessel of Opportunity Skimming System (VOSS) from the Coast Guard Cutter Katherine Walker, a 175-ft. Keeper class buoy tender home ported in , , in Thursday, June 26, 2008. Media are invited to observe the exercise from aboard the Katherine Walker or the Coast Guard Cutter Sturgeon Bay, a 140-ft. Bay-class ice breaking cutter home ported in Bayonne, N.J., also involved in the exercise. The will host high school students from the Science and Technology Preview summer camp, an environmental education program based in , for the event. After the deployment, the students will meet the cutter Katherine Walker crew in for a tour of the ship and the VOSS equipment.

Crews were expected to begin lightering 110,000 barrels of low sulfur fuel oil from the grounded tank ship White Sea to Bouchard Barge B-230 last night (July 12) at 10:00 p.m. Officials anticipate refloating the 800-foot Liberian-flagged tank ship about 8:00 p.m. Friday (July 13) during high tide. Capt. Robert R. O'Brien, Coast Guard Captain of the Port of New York and New Jersey approved the salvage plan which calls for additional barges should more product need to be lightered from the White Sea to refloat it. A dive survey is scheduled for first light to assess the condition of the ship's hull. The Bayonne, N.J.-based Coast Guard Cutter Penobscot Bay relieved the cutter Katherine Walker, another Bayonne-based cutter, in enforcing a 500 yard security zone around the tanker.

Sailors assigned to amphibious assault ship USS Wasp (LHD 1) pose for a photograph in Times Square while on liberty. The 20th annual Fleet Week New York is an opportunity for New Yorkers to meet Sailors, Marines and Coast Guardsmen and thank them for their service. Fleet Week honors the service and sacrifice of all Sailors, Marines and Coast Guardsmen, as well as the city of New York, in the global war on terrorism. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Michael W. Sailors and Marines in New York for Fleet Week May 23-30 took advantage of the sights, sounds and hospitality the city extended to them. Fleet Week New York City 2007 is the 20th annual event of its kind.

The U.S. Coast Guard is exercising its pollution response capabilities by deploying a Vessel of Opportunity Skimming System (VOSS) in New York Harbor Thursday, Feb. 15. VOSS is a modular oil recovery system that can be secured to, and operated from, a vessel at a spill site. It is one of 19 systems pre-staged at the Atlantic Strike Team at Fort Dix, N.J., and available for immediate transport anywhere across the country. With this system, a vessel can quickly transform into an oil recovery platform with a maximum skimming capability of 190 gallons per minute. VOSS can be split between two vessels or used as a two-sided sweeping system on a single vessel. The Boston-based First Coast Guard District Response Advisory Team will evaluate the VOSS exercise.