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

Welcome Aboard The CGC Healy August 28, 2005
Come aboard as the Healy reports from 85 Degrees North, 300 miles from the North Pole. All photos are credited: U.S. Coast Guard.	The Coast Guard Cutter Healy, homeported in Seattle, Washington.

August 21, 2005. Jeff Jackson, Executive Officer

Warmest Greetings to family & friends from 85 Degrees North, 300 miles from the North Pole

We've been grinding through some tough ice this week but the ship is up to the task and we're still on schedule to rendezvous with the Swedish icebreaker Oden on the 30th of August. At this latitude the effect of the seasonal melting is noticeable but much less dramatic than farther south where the ice at this time of year is thinly scattered or disappears entirely. Up here, it's ice from horizon to horizon, and our job is to try and find the weakest spots in the ice so that we can keep moving forward. Not an easy job, and it's a point of pride for our conning officers to try and get through a watch without having to 'back and ram.'

The mission with the Oden has been named "HOTRAX 2005" - for Healy-Oden Trans-Arctic Expedition. Pairing up the ships will allow us to continue our science work all the way to the Pole. The Oden is a smaller ship than Healy but it is 20' wider, and will clear a path just ahead of us so that we can stream some fairly delicate seismic gear in our wake and - hopefully - it won't be destroyed by the ice. We shall see.

The switch to our Iridium e-mail system last Tuesday seems to have been successful. Everyone reports that, a few initial glitches aside, the e-mails from home are flowing smoothly. Thanks very much to IT1 Mark Bigsby of our crew and Mr. David Hassilev of Electronics Support Unit Seattle (currently sailing on HEALY) for setting up this great system. It's especially valuable for the crew with friends and family down south, who are worried about Hurricane Katrina. We've given these folks free use of the Iridium telephone service to stay in touch with affected families, and we're all praying for the best. Stay safe back there.

This week’s roster of significant professional accomplishments include:

Fireman Ashley Smith - qualified for Marine Science Technician school
Seaman Vinnie Rodriguez - qualified for Storekeeper school
Ensign Nate Selavka - Underway Technician of the Watch
Chief Phillip S. Smelser - Designation as Gas Free Engineer
Seaman Robert Melvin - Qualification as Bridge Watchstander
Seaman Peter Boggeln - Qualification as Junior Officer of the Deck
Chief Warrant Officer Jeff Parker - Designation of Inport and Underway Engineer Officer of the Watch

For Captain Dan Oliver, Command Master Chief Pete Perron and myself, thanks for all your support. You’ll hear from us again next week.

Ed Note: No pictures expected until the end of September or until reliable satellite comms are established. Photos are being taken and a complete "catch-up" will be forthcoming