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Welcome Aboard The CGC Escanaba

On Patrol Week 1

We join the crew of the Cutter Escanaba underway in the Caribbean Sea on a Counter-Narcotics Patrol!

PA2 Lisa Hennings is TAD aboard Cutter Escanaba sending us reports and photos each week. Thanks, Lisa

All photos are official Coast Guard photos by PA2 Lisa M. Hennings.

Who is PA2 Lisa Hennings? Click here.

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

Seaman Apprentice Brian J. Heaton, 19, stows the lizard line after the Over The Horizon (OTH) boat has been secured in its cradle.

Seaman Anthony C. Ramos, a 17-year-old from Brooklyn, N.Y., paints the knife edge on the flight deck for preventive rust maintenance.

MK1 Class Justin Price, a 28-year-old machinery technician from Wilmington, DE, fixes the auxiliary saltwater (ASW) system. The ASW collects marine life over a period of time and can severely restrict the flow of water, hindering the machinery cooling system.

BLOGS

"Our trip down South has been quite enjoyable thus far. Morale on the ship has been overall amazingly high. The crew seems eager to reach the Caribbean so we can perform our jobs. The preparations we have been making - performing drills, testing equipment, etc. - have been running smoothly as well.

My main duty on the Escanaba is to stand the helm/lookout watch, which I stand for eight hours a day. In the past it has felt tedious at times, but so far it has been a blast. Even though the weather has been cold and the seas rough, it has made the experience all the more exciting.

Plus, today on watch I saw an abundance of marine life consisting of several whales, dolphins, and even a sea turtle! I cannot wait to finally reach the Caribbean and continue this adventure even further."

/s/ Seaman Bradley Alan Rode, 22, Chino Hills, California

Engineering - Week One

I am the Engineer Officer onboard CGC Escanaba. My department consists of 32 personnel (LT, LTJG, ENS, CWO, and 28 enlisted crewmembers) from the MK, EM, and DC rates. Engineers are responsible for the operation and maintenance of the ship's propulsion, electricity, steering gear, heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and all hotel services. When the ship is underway, an engineers normal duties include standing watch, conducting training, making repairs, and performing preventative maintenance. We stand watch in the Engineering Control Center (ECC) where watch standers monitor how the main diesel engines, ship service generators, and auxiliary systems are functioning thru a large computer processing device known as the Machinery Propulsion Control and Monitoring System (MPCMS). My engineers are technical experts and intimately familiar with damage control and casualty control procedures. When you are underway on ship, rapid response to emergencies such as fuel and oil leaks, flooding, and firefighting are vital to the ship's survival, so we conduct a whole lot of training, drills, and exercises to stay effective.

I'd like to share with those of you that are considering going to sea that although it is a challenging assignment, it is also very rewarding. The pros and cons vary for each individual, but my pros are the strong camaraderie, traveling to other countries, and leadership opportunities. I am married and have one baby daughter, so my cons are definitely being away from home 6 months a year. This is my second cutter, I have almost 5 years of going to sea, and I've seen a lot of places that I probably never would have seen before like Nova Scotia, Alaska, Mexico, Hawaii, Columbia, and the Caribbean islands. My shipmates have a lot of different hobbies, so you can quickly learn new activities such as playing chess, spades, or poker. I enjoy it when people ask me questions such as, "What do you do in the Coast Guard?, What made you choose a cutter?, or Why Do you like going to sea?, because I can stick out my chest with pride and boast for hours at a time telling sea stories and tall tales of my adventures.

/s/ LT Terence J. Williams, 33, St. Louis, MO.

Seaman Apprentice Nathan C. Leger, an 18-year-old from Bristol, Conn., prepares the Over The Horizon (OTH) boat for launch during a simulated drug interdiction drill.

Petty Officer 2nd Class Thomas P. Mullen, a 23-year-old gunner's mate from Brooklyn, N.Y., cleans an M-16 in the armory.

Petty Officer 2nd Class Thomas P. Mullen, a 23-year-old gunner's mate from Brooklyn, N.Y., cleans weapons in the armory.

Petty Officer 3rd Class Noah M. Rowland, a 26-year-old from Winterport, Maine, secures the brow to the flight deck after mooring to a pier at Naval Station Newport.

CDR. Michael S. Sabellico, Commanding Officer, stands on the flight deck overlooking the fantail as the deck department stows gear after a mooring evolution.

Petty Officer 3rd Class Noah M. Rowland, a 26-year-old from Winterport, Maine, clears the Escanaba's quarterdeck to prepare for upcoming pipes during his Gangway Petty Officer of the Watch (GPOW).

Seaman Operation Specialist Andrew M. Guralnick, a 21-year-old from Lynnfield, Mass., maintains the lookout on the bridge while transiting out of Boston.

Cutter Escanaba crewmembers play poker on the mess deck during liberty hours.

Cutter Escanaba go-fast response team crewmembers train in preparation of upcoming counter-narcotics patrol in the Caribbean.

Cutter Escanaba go-fast response crewmembers relax on the flight deck after conducting a grueling drug interdiction drill. Left to right: Lieutenant Junior Grade (Lt.j.g.) Jeff G. Janaro, Petty Officer 2nd Class (GM2) Thomas P. Mullen, Petty Officer 1st Class (BM1) William M. Ferretti, Petty Officer 3rd Class (MK3) Jeremy C. Perkins, Petty Officer 3rd Class (BM3) Paul J. Milliken.

The crew aboard the Cutter Escanaba renders honors to an outbound naval vessel in Mayport, Fla.

Seamen in the deck department heave around on line three while mooring alongside the Cutter Spencer at Naval Station Mayport.

Petty Officer 3rd Class Noah Rowland hand tends the line around the capstan while line four takes strain.

As the Escanaba moors alongside the Cutter Spencer, CDR Michael S. Sabelli, Commanding Officer of the Escanaba greets fellow shipmates aboard the Cutter Spencer.

Petty Officer 2nd Class Jeremiah C. Picou, 23, stands his four-hour roving gun watch on the flight deck. Roving watches are used to deter any types of intrusion or attack.

Seaman Dayron Lopez, a 19-year-old from Vieques, Puerto Rico uses a stopper that holds strain on the mooring line while the line is taken of the capstan and made off on the bits.

While awaiting deployment to the Caribbean for a counter-narcotics patrol at Naval Station Mayport, Coast Guard Cutter Escanaba is ordered by Port State Control to switch berths due to the heavy volume of maritime traffic.

Tight quarters and arduous work over the course of long underway patrols bring lasting friendships and a sense of camaradarie amongst the crew.

Ensign Christine M. Kurczewski, a 23-year-old crewmember, counts $600 donated by Wampatuck Elementary School located in Scituate, Mass. The money will be donated to an orphanage in Curacao as part of a community outreach project headed by Escanaba crewmembers.

Seaman Bradley A. Rode, 22, and Seaman Apprentice Nathan C. Leger, 18, prepare the Over The Horizon (OTH) boat for launch during a simulated drug interdiction drill.

Petty Officer 3rd Class Andrew J. Hudgins measures flour to make rolls for dinner. Hudgins, a 25-year-old food specialist, spends an average 14 hours per day preparing and serving meals in the ship's galley.

Cutter Escanaba go-fast response team crewmembers prepare the Over The Horizon (OTH) boat to be hoisted out of the water after conducting a drug interdiction drill.

Fireman Henry T. Cylkowski, a 19-year-old from East Hampton, Conn., studies the qualification package for his main prop watch on the mess deck during a stand-down period of a drug interdiction drill.

Petty Officer 3rd Class Michael. S. Goszka, a 25-year-old from Flemington, N.J., runs the deck on the fantail and gives recommendations to the bridge while mooring alongside Cutter Spencer at Naval Station Mayport.

Cutters Escanaba and Spencer, Boston-based, 270-foot medium-endurance cutters, are moored together at Naval Station Mayport awaiting an upcoming counter-narcotics patrol in the Caribbean.

Petty Officer 3rd Class Jesse Fuerte and Petty Officer 3rd Class Jeremy C. Perkins, machinery technicians, performs maintenance on the auxiliary saltwater (ASW) system. The ASW collects undesirable marine life and can severely hinder the cutter's operations, making routine inspections and maintenance mandatory.

Petty Officer 3rd Class Jeremy C. Perkins, a 20-year-old machinery technician, performs maintenance on the auxiliary saltwater (ASW) system. The ASW collects undesirable marine life and can severely hinder the cutter's operations, making routine inspections and maintenance mandatory.

Petty Officer 2nd Class William F. Lawrence, a 26-year-old electronic technician checks communication equipment on board the Over The Horizon boat prior to a drug interdiction drill.

Seaman Apprentice Nathan C. Leger, 18, takes a swig from his camelback during a short break from a drug interdiction drill.

Seaman Apprentice Brian J. Heaton, 19, stows the mooring line below decks.

Seaman Orlando E. Lugo and Seaman Apprentice Brian J. Heaton "camelback" the mooring line to keep the line off the fantail deck while moored at the pier.

Seaman Dayron Lopez, a 19-year-old from Vieques, Puerto Rico doubles up the lines as a safety precaution while moored at the pier.

Seaman Orlando E. Lugo, a 26-year-old from Cape Coral, Fla., controls the capstan controller, which puts tension on the mooring line to pull the boat to the pier.

Petty Officer 3rd Class Michael. S. Goszka, 25, stands his four-hour roving gun watch on the flight deck.

Chief Petty Officer Matthew T. Welsh, a chief boatswains mate assists Petty Officer Noah M. Rowland with placing the brow on the flight deck after the cutter moored to a pier at Naval Station Mayport.