The last and final week of our patrol has proved to be anything but calm. Upon leaving our Boston port call, CDR Sabellico challenged the crew to “hit the decks running.” He warned us that despite this being the last week of the patrol, we still had a lot of work to do and that we were going to be faced with a very busy week. His words have proved to be more than true.

Upon leaving Boston, ESCANABA transited to Cape Cod Bay where the day was filled with Flight Ops training. After a short break for dinner we were back to more Helo training. The night-time Helo training was done in complete darkness to practice using Night Vision Goggles (NVG’s). Rather than sleeping in on Sunday morning as is typical, many of the crew members woke up to the pipe “Now set the Nav and Anchor detail”. Over the course of the night ESCANABA had transited north and was now anchoring outside of Portland, ME in order to meet with members from Sector Northern New England.

For the first five weeks of the patrol, our primary focus has been on Living Marine Resource (LMR) enforcement. Now, our focus has shifted and we have been designated the Northern MSC cutter. This means that rather than focusing on Fisheries Enforcement we are now more focused on the Homeland Security aspect of our mission. As a whole the ESCANABA does not have a lot of experience in this area so this opportunity provided the crew an excellent opportunity to practice skills they had previously only learned about in schools. To assist us Sector Northern New England loaned one of their boarding officers to us for the duration of our work with them. LTJG Dan Tanksley provided expertise in the actual boarding process as well as acting as a liaison between the ESCANABA and the sector. Having never worked together it required a lot of effort on all parties to make sure we were able to maintain communications and were all working on the same page.

With Mr. Tanksley’s assistance, ESCANABA completed two very successful boardings on large commercial vessels. The second boarding began with the initial boarding party embarking the tanker at 0900 on Wednesday morning. By that time thick fog had already enveloped the area and reduced visibility to under ½ mile. The original plan was to complete the security boarding, allow the marine inspectors to come on board, and then ride the ship into the pier, completing the boarding by 1500. Due to the fog the tanker was unable to pull in, causing the boarding to be extended until Thursday. After having spent ten hours on board, the first boarding team was relieved by a second team. As per the rotation devised by the Operations officer, the second team was set to be relieved, at 0100. The rotation was set up so that each team would stand eight hour watches thru the duration of the boarding. At 0100 the third boarding team was dressed out and ready to head over to the tanker. Once again, the deteriorating weather disrupted our best laid plans and by point the ocean was too rough to transfer the teams. As a result our second boarding team was left on board the tanker overnight. After sixteen hours on board they were finally relieved. The entire boarding process continued well into the next day and affected the entire ship. Not only did the boarding teams work long hours, but the boat crew, boat lowering detail, and bridge team were all severely impacted by the boarding.

Just because the ship’s focus was on Homeland Security boardings this week does not mean that the normal routine of the ship stopped. For the most part operations continued as normal with Fishery Boardings still being conducted on a daily basis. There is a lot of work to be completed by all divisions on board prior to pulling into home port. Besides wrapping up all the loose ends of the patrol the ship is busily preparing for its upcoming Cutter Annual Readiness Training (CART). As I am quickly learning, the Coast Guard does not have time to rest or focus on past successes. This statement applies to many aspects of Coast Guard life. Whether we are finishing one boarding and immediately heading to the next one, or preparing for the next patrol even before we finish the last one, there is always work to be done. As soon as we have completed one thing, something else invariably appears to replace it. Luckily we are blessed with a great crew that is willing and able to step up to the plate. During this last week the crew has without a doubt met the Captain’s challenge head on and is ready for more. Upon pulling in, ESCANABA will enjoy a few days of stand-down prior to returning to work and preparing for our next patrol.

Shout Outs



Lisa G,
You are the brightest star in my sky, always telling me which direction home is.
I'm crazy in love with you and can't wait till my arms are wrapped around you again.
-Love Eddie P.

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Photos

Sunset in Cape Cod Bay.

BMC Welsh heads the Anchor Detail as ESCANABA prepares to get underway.

BM1 Esselman Conns the Ship out of Anchorage.

Crewmen use the fire hose to clean the port anchor.

ENS Hieb acts as the Lee Helm, while BM2 Burke and BM2 Hasche work as Nav Eval.

A picturesque lighthouse outside of Portland, ME.

The ship’s LE teams receive training on Security Boardings.

A few of one of the tankers vessels we boarded.

The 47’ small boat assisting us with the boarding comes alongside for some hot food and coffee.

The 47’ emerges from the fog during it’s security patrol.

ENS Collier, TAD from the SENECA, spent the week on board ESCANABA to get some more underway experience.

BMC Welsh works the radio’s as he communicates with the Sector as well as the boarding teams.

MK3 Staniewitz and SN Heaton prepare for a late night boarding in the rain.

GM2 Winfield, SN Crocker, and MK1 Coe (from left to right) walk across the flight deck following their 16 hour boarding.

GM2 Winfield, SN Crocker, MK1 Coe, ENS Hieb, ENS Tesler, and ENS Gabinelle gather for a picture following their 16 hours onboard the vessel.