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Welcome Aboard The CGC Morgenthau

January 29, 2006

Greetings from USCGC MORGENTHAU! This is the second report of our current deployment. We hope to keep you well informed of the great accomplishments and happenings of the Coast Guard Pacific Area’s ship of choice – the United States Coast Guard Cutter Morgenthau.

The Coast Guard Cutter Morgenthau, homeported in Alameda, Ca. Photo by Tony Gillilan.

From The Bridge:

Captain M. E. Sullivan

Buenos Dias - We've had an eventful week with a fantastic port call in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico and are now back out on patrol. It's unusual to have a nice port visit like this at the front end of a patrol, but since we missed the last one we were offered this time slot and I've always felt that a beach at hand beats one promised down the road. Highlights include a group of 27 shipmates who volunteered their beach time to work at a shelter in town. It's no small sacrifice giving up a day off to work, but their effort reiterates the feeling of giving back to those less fortunate than ourselves and spirit of camaraderie that makes this ship such a terrific place to be. I'm proud of my crew, and feel very fortunate to be their shipmate. We're looking forward to seeing some action this week, and as always, we appreciate your thoughts and prayers. Best Regards, CAPT M. E. Sullivan

The Week in Review…

Monday, 23 Jan was a routine day at sea: department and division training, engineering drills, law enforcement training, and College of Alameda classes, yet the buzz throughout the ship was excitement about arriving the next morning in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico for a three-day port visit.

Puerto Vallarta was a great stop for us and the entire crew enjoyed the rest. As we do in every port, we also refueled the ship, stocked supplies and groceries, received mail and affected a few engineering repairs. The city has a great boardwalk that transits nearly a mile of the downtown area, bracketed by shopping and clubs. The historic Old Town quarter has interesting outdoor markets, beautiful beaches and good snorkeling. Our wardroom and Chief’s Mess enjoyed a 5star sunset dinner at Le Kliff’s restaurant, some 20 miles south of the city, while others enjoyed simply phenomenal mountaintop scenery at a barbeque hosted by the local U.S. Navy League.

MORGENTHAU left at 0600 Friday morning (we had to vacate our pier space to make room for two inbound cruise ships) and put to sea safely. Friday afternoon we had more law enforcement training to prepare our teams for our upcoming mission, and flew our detached helicopter on a sortie. Saturday was a typically busy day with shipwide cleanups, a cleanliness inspection (our First Class berthing area won the weekly “Best Berthing Area” competition), more law enforcement training, a Chief Petty Officer’s Mess meeting, advancement test examinations, and advanced damage control team training (led by LTjg Mike Hjerstedt). Our aviation detachment also flew two flights on Saturday.

HSC Rebecca Vinlove actually
DID love the 80’s.
Our Supply Department cooked Saturday’s dinner as guest chefs—a Saturday evening tradition—and prepared a phenomenal Mexican food feast for the crew. Our Morale Committee then hosted an 80’s night and an Uno Tournament. HSC Rebecca Vinlove won the contest for best 80’s costume, and SK2 Ben Warholoski claimed victory in the Uno Tournament and won a home karaoke machine. On these south trips, we like to show flight deck movies a couple times a week, so after the helicopter landed for the night, our Electronics Division hosted a showing of the new release “The Constant Gardner” on the flight deck on a 15-foot screen.

SK2 Ben Warholoski and his Uno Tournament prize
Today was a quiet day on a nearly flat sea as the crew rested. OS2 Jeremy Borja led non-denominational divine services in the morning. “Steel Beach” opened as the day heated, baking sunbathers on the flight deck. Crewmembers taking College of Alameda courses onboard then had classes in the afternoon: Introduction to Computer Information Systems and Introduction to Business. We also flew an evening flight to surveil the area and to practice landing in low-light conditions using night-vision goggles.

We have a busy week ahead of us as we engage in our primary mission: counter-narcotics enforcement.

Meet Our Sailors of the Quarter… By LTJG Piero Pecora

DC2 Andrea Lynn Cooper
Our recently announced "Sailor of the Quarter" for October-December 2005 is Damage Controlman Second Class Andrea Lynn Cooper of Fremont, California. As Sailor of the Quarter, she was awarded the Commandant's Letter of Commendation Ribbon. Daughter of Donald and Cindy Cooper, Andrea joined the Coast Guard right out high school at the age of 18. Previous tours of duty include Integrated Support Command Alameda, Damage Controlman "A" School, and Naval Engineering Support Unit San Juan. Andrea has been on USCGC MORGENTHAU since 2003 and has recently received orders back to Puerto Rico in San Juan's Marine Safety Office.

Since this is Andrea’s last patrol we took some time to reflect on her last three years in MORGENTHAU. She originally joined the Coast Guard to travel outside the state of California. Andrea has not been disappointed with her travels: patrols with the MORGENTHAU have taken her all the way from the Southern Hemisphere to the Arctic Circle and way too many memorable places to list in between. Her most memorable experience while in MORGENTHAU was her involvement in the Rescue and Assistance team that aided the Bulk cargo vessel STAR EAGLE when it caught fire during MORGENTHAU’s spring 2005 Alaska patrol. She’s eager to transfer back to Puerto Rico though and track down CWO2 Michael Mullen (a former MORG crewmember) but says she will deeply miss MORGENTHAU and its crew. “I love the camaraderie here; we have a great command and crew.” Andrea is also looking forward to joining the Marine Safety field within the Coast Guard, but she wants to make this her best patrol yet and help get all the junior members qualified so that she can leave her shop and department in as great a shape as when she arrived

Andrea is deeply honored to be chosen as the Sailor of the Quarter and wanted to thank all of her family and friends for their support: "I couldn't have done it without them." We're all going to miss Andrea. So if you're in San Juan and see a rather diminutive Coastie Tig welding, stop and say hi because you are most likely about to meet our Sailor of the Quarter, DC2 Andrea Cooper

EM2 Taran Vincent Benavente
Our runner up for the Sailor of the Quarter is Electrician's Mate Second Class Taran Vincent Benavente of Barrigada, Guam. Taran was also awarded the Commandant's Letter of Commendation Ribbon to recognize his achievement, especially since he's been the Runner-up Sailor of the Quarter four times during his tour onboard. Son of Frank and Lavina Benavente, Taran joined the Coast Guard in 2002 while working at Disneyland in Los Angeles. He originally enlisted for four years and only intended to stay around long enough to help pay for college, but like many others he wants to stay in the service and possibly make a career out of it. This is Taran's first unit following Electrician's Mate class "A" school and he says it has been a great tour: "I really like the people here and my job is a really good trade."

Our rigid-hull inflatable small boat in action this week
His most memorable experience onboard was during the last patrol when MORGENTHAU had the fourth largest cocaine bust by a solo cutter in Coast Guard history. "We hadn't had much luck over the previous south patrols and the bust really helped people remember why we are down here." This is Taran's last patrol on MORGENTHAU since he has received transfer orders to Sector San Francisco. He is really excited but says he will miss the he has made friends onboard, especially EM2 Jason Barnick. "We came onboard only a week apart, we made second class together, and have worked closely the entire time I have been onboard." He also wanted to thank all of the engineers for helping him get where he is today. Since this is Taran's last patrol he is hoping to really take advantage of the exotic port calls. "I don't know when I'm going to see places like this again." Finally Taran wants to make sure to wish a happy birthday to Jen. He wouldn't tell me who this Jen is but I hope she's having a good birthday. ongratulations to EM2 Taran Benavente for being chosen as the runner up for our Sailor of the Quarter.

A PV Community Service Project by ENS Pam Wade

Offloading medical supplies in Puerto Vallarta
The crew of USCGC MORGENTHAU joined forces with members of the Navy League, based in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, to accomplish a few community service projects during our stay. First we were able to transport donated medical supplies from San Diego to hospitals and medical centers in Puerto Vallarta. We picked up 14 big boxes of supplies during our stay in San Diego, saving the Mexican hospitals shipping expenses that they can’t afford. When we pulled in we were able to offload these and give them to Dr. Peter Gordon, who coordinates the distribution of the supplies to needy medical facilities in the area. Next we went to the Asociación Feminil Vallartense to help paint some walls and install some plumbing. The Asociación Feminil aids abused women and children with counseling and

(L-R) SN Sean Bahl, MK2 Ed Prince, BM3 Sarah Morin
and OS1 Steve Aragon pitch in painting
job training opportunities and is always very deserving of support. The USS Higgins had spent the previous Saturday working at this establishment, but they had to call in the Coast Guard to finish the job. Our crew was so ready and willing to work that Navy Leaguers Bill Clark, Jeff Miltenberger, Warren Johnson, and Dusty Graham didn’t know what to do with us at first!

Within a few hours our devoted crew of 28 was able to prepare and paint three walls surrounding the school, repaint 8 tables, clear off branches and leaves from the roof of the building, and install plumbing for a sink where women will be taught the skills to become beauticians and to support themselves on their own income. After a long morning we headed out for a seafood lunch at the local market where some took the opportunity to partake of the barrel full of “Tequila de Casa”. It really speaks to the intense devotion and character of our crew that on a well deserved port call they’re still willing to take some time out of their day to help out those in need.

Divisions in the Spotlight by ENS Vince Escobedo

The Auxiliary Division is the second largest division in the Engineering Department. Affectionately referred to as “A-Gang,” this close-knit group of engineers is responsible for every mechanical system located outside of the engine room. A-Gang’s responsibility runs the gamut from maintaining mission critical equipment such as the ship’s steering gear and emergency generator to keeping the ship’s hotel services–laundry, air conditioning, and the like–running. With so many pieces of equipment in the ship, it isn’t unusual to receive a call in the middle of the night stating, “my A/C doesn’t work,” or “one of the vacuum pumps in forward sewage is acting up.” Regardless of the hour or the task, A-gang works tirelessly to ensure that things work correctly.

FN Pat Hamer and MKC (sel) Ken Miller pitching
their ideas in Main Control for a “Vaudeville with
EEBDs” musical.

Among the many responsibilities of A-Gang, one of the most important is that of the Fuel, Oil, and Water King (FOWK). The ship’s FOWK, MK2 Jesse Ridgeway, is responsible for maintaining the ship’s fueling and ballast system. The balance of the cutter’s liquid load is vital to the stability of the ship: the wrong balance could send the ship into wild pitches and rolls. We get nervous when the liquid load falls below 60%. Last patrol, demanding operations forced MORGENTHAU’s liquid load to plummet below 20%, but quick action and solid judgment on the part of our previous FOWK, MK2 Chris Breuer, kept the cutter white side up.

A-Gang’s capstone evolution is fueling the ship. Fueling evolutions are particularly arduous when we’re down south because of the incredible amounts of fuel that we have to take on (often well in excess of 100,000 gallons), the often-suspect fuel quality, and the ever-present language barrier. Recently, A-Gang gave up a well-deserved night of liberty in Puerto Vallarta because of a last minute change to the arrival time of the fuel. Fortunately, we had MK2 Eduardo Cabrera to translate and smooth things over with the locals. The division worked late into the night and achieved yet another smooth, safe, and incident-free onload.

SN Mike Morrill looking especially salty pulling into Puerto Vallarta
The Auxiliary Division is currently led by the Auxiliary Officer, ENS Vincent Escobedo, and the Division “Chief” and driving force, MK1 Kenneth Miller. MK1 Miller was recently selected for promotion to Chief Petty Officer; a well deserved recognition of his exceptional leadership style. The leadership also continues down the chain, with the First Class, Second Class, and even Firemen performing above and beyond their pay grades to ensure that the shop maintains its top-tier performance.

A-Gang’s strength is, and always has been, the exceptional teamwork and camaraderie shown by its members. Their dedication sets the standard for the fleet. It’s as we say: if you enjoy the air conditioning, if your toilets flush, and if the engines have plenty of fuel, hug an A-Ganger.

Crew Recognition This Week:

• FS2 Sean Whitten celebrated a birthday on 28 January
• ENS Vincent Escobedo certified as an Engineering Auxiliary watchstander
• FN Brandon Ocasio certified Engineering Security watchstander.
• FN Cesar Navarez certified Engineering Security watchstander.

We’ll See You All Soon…

We’ll be safe out here on the high seas – you be safe too at home, and thank you for your support, e-mails and care packages! We’re thinking of you all the time.

Best regards,

The Officers, Chiefs and Crew of
USCGC MORGENTHAU (WHEC 722)
“Decus Pacifici – Pride of the Pacific”

Send care packages to:

USCGC MORGENTHAU (WHEC 722)
FPO AP 96672-3916

Visit us at: http://www.uscg.mil/pacarea/MORGENTHAU