Fred's Place - The Place To Meet Old Coast Guard Shipmates

Welcome Aboard The CGC Escanaba
Weeks 5 & 6

On Counter-Narcotics Patrol

Greetings from USCGC ESCANABA! We join the crew of the Cutter Escanaba underway on their Counter-Narcotics Patrol.

ESCANABA has safely returned home. So, this will be our final report. I want to thank ENS Tim Schleck for keeping us up-to-date during this voyage with his weekly updates and great photos.

The Coast Guard Cutter Escanaba, homeported in Boston, MA.

Catchin' Up

The fifth week of the patrol began with a port call in Guantanamo Bay Cuba. For those who are unfamiliar with Naval Station GTMO, the bay offers a number of moral activities. In addition to an exchange and chain restaurants there are bars, a Navy Lodge (hotel), and a popular jerked chicken shack. There is a place to rent motor boats, an outdoor theatre, a sports complex, and plenty of beaches to lie out, swim, or fish.

On Tuesday, the second day of the port call, we held a ship’s party for the 20th anniversary of the ESCANABA’s commissioning at Windmill Beach, presumably named for the large electricity generating windmills on the hills overlooking the beach. The area was somewhat secluded; a sandy beach nestled between two rocky cliffs. But it offered outdoor grills, huts with picnic tables, horseshoe pits and a volleyball net. There were hamburgers, an assortment of junk food, and a special birthday cake for the ship prepared by FS3 Castor. Guantanamo’s own Ice Cream man paid us a visit both at the beach and at the pier. Seeing the classically configured ice cream truck complete with the familiar music is especially amusing in a place like Guantanamo Bay Cuba, where it shares the road with military vehicles armed to the teeth with automatic weapons. But it’s also a reminder that even though it’s a military base, it is still some people’s home. Coming from a ship, it’s a feeling we can relate to.

We left Guantanamo early Thursday morning after three days in port. Before leaving the harbor we took advantage of the calm water and gentle breeze to practice making approaches to the pier. Rejuvenated from the port call (well at least a little) we are back at sea looking for migrant vessels and suspected drug smugglers. Saturday the First Class Petty Officers rolled up their sleeves and made some delicious pizza. On Sunday we held a moral .50 cal gun shoot where anyone who wanted could sign up and shoot a couple rounds under the watchful instruction of the Gunner’s Mates.

Next stop is Port Everglades on the 10th and then back to Boston on the 14th. Until then thanks for the support from the home front and stayed tuned for the last chapters of the patrol.

Photos

Volleyball

ESCANABA at the Pier in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba

50 Cal Gun Shoot

Direct hit on Target! (ocean)

May you have 20 more great years ESCANABA, Cake prepared by FS3 Castor

ENS Koski bonds with Brutus the Iguana

ETC Cannon pitches a horseshoe

Sun, Burgers, Beer - It doesn't GTMO better than this. - from a souvenir beer cozy

Almost had the beach to ourselves

Catchin' Up

The last full week of the patrol has come and gone and we now find ourselves heading riding the warm waters of the Gulf Stream north to Boston. But what a week it has been; full of flights, migrant operations, and oh yeah . . . the best fishing of the patrol!

On Monday the Escanaba intercepted a Haitian sail migrant vessel heading north. Now with everyone a little experienced, the job of transferring all 124 migrants from the jam-packed sailboat was relatively swift. Though it was still an arduous task it was completed in almost half the time of the previous case. Two days later we were anchored in Cap-Haitien Haiti, offloading the migrants by way of our small boat and a Haitian Coast Guard boat.

There were several fishing success stories this week admits our normal operations. As we made our way to Cap-Haitien we received a report of a recreational motor boat adrift and diverted to investigate. Sure enough we found a regular weekend sport fisher out in the middle of the ocean with no one aboard. When an object sits idly in the water for a long period of time it often attracts marine life. After it was determined not to be suspicious we threw a few lines over its side and fished. Regular fantail fishing also paid off this week with the catch of some delicious mahi-mahi.

Medical drills went on this week during the course of normal operations. At random times a report of a man down would be heard over the ship’s announcing system and first responders would rush to the scene to give first aid. Though we make every effort to take safety precautions, life on-board can still be dangerous and training like this is important to keep us prepared for emergencies.

The final stop in the journey was Port Everglades Florida this past Monday. In a short period of time we pulled in, gassed up, offloaded the Helicopter Support Kit we picked up, and got back out to sea. Once past the sea buoy we conducted a general emergency drill, an evolution that uses all hands to combat a major casualty.

More drills and trainings are ahead for this week including another gun shoot. We will also be working to get the ship ready for Ray O’Malley’s burial at sea to be held the week after we return. It’s been a pleasure and a privilege to be able to post on Fred’s Place this patrol. Thanks for all the support our friends and families have given us and we will see you in a few short days.

Sincerely,
/s/ENS Timothy Schleck