Coast Guard Club Newsletter

April 2ØØ4

WHO RECEIVES THIS NEWSLETTER? Members who have an upcoming birthday, each potential COAST GUARD CLUB recruit, & any Coastie I write to. This Newsletter is posted on the Web at WWW.USCGRADIO.NET (KE7A’s web site), WWW.JACKSJOINT.COM & at WWW.FREDSPLACE.ORG. If you can receive e-mail files & would like a copy of this Newsletter each month, please contact me.

COAST GUARD CLUB members may update their mailing address, call sign change, & any other information about their CG service, station equipment or email address by going to WWW.USCGRADIO.NET, click on the Membership Form link & fill in the blanks. Please ensure that you clearly state whether you are adding, changing, or deleting information.

COAST GUARD CLUB CALL BOOK is bound in a 1-1/2” spiral binder & will include a Certificate of Membership in the Coast Guard Club suitable for framing. If you want a copy, send a cheque for $15.ØØ, which includes postage, payable to Don Gardner.

Search and Rescue SitReps

NEW ORLEANS The CG responded to a collision that occurred when a tanker & a tug pushing 2 barges collided in the Houston Ship Channel. CG Marine Safety Office Houston was notified that the 8ØØ-ft motor vessel St Helen, a Maltese-flagged tanker, & the tug David & Colleen collided near the intersection of the Intracoastal Waterway & the Houston Ship Channel. The tug was pushing 2 fully-loaded barges at the time of the accident. One barge was reportedly carrying a petroleum product, which is reportedly leaking at a rate of 75-1ØØ gallons per minute. The tug's crewmembers remain aboard & have repositioned themselves out of the channel. The St Helen is running under its own power in transit to the Boliver Roads anchorage & is reportedly not leaking any of its cargo. The Houston Ship Channel is closed to vessel traffic around the site of the accident. Investigators from the MSO Unit in Galveston are on scene & will be investigating the cause of the accident.

PORTSMOUTH, VA The crew of the CGC FORWARD held a ceremony to recognise their efforts in a recent drug seizure. A crewmember will affix a sticker representing the seizure of 56ØØ lbs of marijuana & 1ØØ pounds of hash to the hull of the 27Ø-ft cutter. Traditionally, CGC crews place a sticker on the hull to represent a significant drug seizure. There are 2 types of stickers—a marijuana leaf & a snowflake (to represent cocaine). Each of the icons is represented with a red "X" over top of them to emulate the apprehension of illegal drugs. In January, FORWARD teamed with other CG assets & ICE to stop 2 go-fast drug smuggling vessels & 8 suspected smugglers.

ASTORIA, OR The CG rescued a minimum-security prisoner who fell 15Ø-ft down a cliff while working at Ecola State Park. The prisoner 44, was on a working party from South Forks Forest Camp in Tillamook when he fell off. Because of his precarious location, Seaside Fire & Rescue requested assistance from Group/Air Station Astoria. A HH-6Ø Jayhawk helo launched & located Hallock. A rescue swimmer was lowered to the injured man on the cliff face & hoisted him into the helicopter & flew to the air station to an awaiting ambulance that further transported him to Columbia Memorial Hospital in Astoria.

PORT-au-PRINCE, Haiti CGC STATEN ISLAND, a 11Ø-ft patrol boat homeported in Atlantic Beach, NC, saved 13 people after their vessel lost power & began to drift into shore in the vicinity of Port-au-Prince harbor. STATEN ISLAND despatched a rescue & assistance team on the Cutter's deployable small boat to assess the situation & determined the vessel needed to be towed to safety. The crew of STATEN ISLAND connected a towline to the vessel & towed Lovely Express to a safe anchorage without incident. The crew of STATEN ISLAND had been patrolling near Haiti as part of Homeland Security Task Force Southeast. That Task Force was stood down when the CG assumed the role of Maritime Component Commander for Combined Joint Task Force-Haiti, for whom STATEN ISLAND is now working. STATEN ISLAND continues to be a part of the enhanced CG presence in the Windward Pass & Gulf of Gonaves as deterrence to migrant voyages,& safety of life at sea,& to support stabilization operations in Haiti.

SEATTLE The captain & crew of the FV Stormy Sea were awarded the CG Distinguished Public Service Award for their heroic rescue of 3 people from the Bering Sea in 2ØØ2. Timothy M. Vincent, master of the Stormy Sea, accepted the award from RADM Jeffrey Garrett, CDR 13th District, at the Jackson Federal Building here. Vincent, William Edwards & Ken Peterson risked their lives to rescue the 3 crewman who had abandoned their FV Rocket II in the Bering Sea near Dutch Harbor, about 9ØØ miles W of Anchorage, Oct 21, 2ØØ2. The Rocket II had an engine casualty & was being pushed toward breaking surf & a rocky shore. As the crew of the Rocket II struggled to keep it from being thrown into the surf & rocks, Jeb Morrow of the Rocket II radioed for assistance. The Stormy Sea & two larger processing vessels responded to the call. While they were en route to the distressed boat's position, heavy seas & wind ripped the life raft that contained 2 dry suits & several flares from the deck of the Rocket II. The high winds & seas were quickly pushing the Rocket II into the jagged Alaskan coast were rocks & 2Ø-ft surf would ultimately destroy the boat. The crew of the Rocket II abandoned ship with only 1 dry-suit among the 3 crewmen before their vessel drifted into the surf zone. Vincent determined that his crew was the best suited to attempt the rescue of the 3 men because the other processor vessels were much larger, carried more people & had deeper drafts. Vincent knew he had little time before the crew of the Rocket II either succumbed to hypothermia or was pushed into the surf zone & crushed. He manoeuvred his vessel into 2Ø-ft seas & 4Ø-knot winds so the crew of the Stormy Sea could pull the men from the water. The CG's Distinguished Public Service Award is the CG's highest public service recognition.

ANACORTES, WA The CG is searching for a 62-year old man E of Anacortes in Padilla Bay. While on patrol, a 47-ft motor lifeboat crew from CG Station Bellingham discovered a 4Ø-ft pleasure craft drifting in Padilla Bay. The boat’s engines were running & its anchor was deployed but not holding the vessel in place. The CG crew hailed the boat & received no answer. CG Group Seattle called the owner’s home and was told her husband was out testing the engines since it had recent maintenance. She had recently talked to her husband & said he was anchored near Cape Sante, N of Anacortes. Searchers on board a Dolphin helo from Group/Air Station Port Angeles, the Cutter WAHOO, a Skagit County Sheriffs boat & a Snohomish tribal boat are searching for the man.

SEATTLE The CG is searching for an 8Ø-year old man on the SE side of Marrowstone Island in the Puget Sound. Group/Air Station Port Angeles received a call from a man located on shore who reported seeing a 15-ft small boat running in circles. A Dolphin helo & a 25-ft small boat from Station Port Angeles were launched to investigate. CG crewmen identified the registration numbers on the small craft & determined it belongs to a man whose wife reported him overdue from a fishing trip. A USN patrol craft & 3 Good Samaritan boats are assisting in the search.

SAN DIEGO The Seattle-based CGC MIDGETT offloaded more than 29ØØØ lbs of cocaine with an estimated street value of more than $264 million that was seized during 3 separate cases off the coast of Central America. MIDGETT’s arrival caps a record-breaking patrol for the most cocaine seized by a Cutter on a single patrol. The success of this effort, however, would not be possible without the proactive interagency cooperation between the CG, DEA, & ICE to interdict the drugs at sea, & the U.S. Attorney’s office to prosecute the cases. These cases highlight the cooperation involved in enabling the Dept of Homeland Security to counter all maritime threats. The following details are provided on each case: #1: MIDGETT intercepted the 1ØØ-ft F/V Grichi 25Ø miles SW of the Galapagos Islands on March 12 & detained 8 suspected smugglers & seized 134 bales of cocaine weighing approx 8576 lbs. The detainees & cocaine will be turned over to federal authorities for prosecution. #2: MIDGETT intercepted the 6Ø-ft F/V San Juanero 4ØØ miles NW of the Galapagos Islands on Feb 27. MIDGETT detained 8 suspected smugglers & seized 197 bales of cocaine weighing approx 975ØØ lbs. The detainees & some of the cocaine were turned over to federal authorities for prosecution in Tampa, FL. The remainder will be turned over to federal authorities. #3: After an ICE P3 tracker plane spotted the 6Ø-ft FV Don Isaac 325 miles S of Acapulco, Mexico, MIDGETT intercepted the vessel on Feb 21. MIDGETT detained 8 suspected smugglers & seized 214 bales of cocaine weighing approx 1Ø7ØØ lbs. The detainees & some of the cocaine were turned over to federal authorities for prosecution in Tampa. The remainder will be turned over to federal authorities.

CG NETS The CG Radio Amateur SSB Net is on the air each Saturday from 12-13ØØ ET on 143ØØ (14313 alternate). At 13ØØ ET the Net shifts to 14327 & continues, usually for about 3Ø minutes. Dick Anderson, KE7A, in the Dallas-Ft Worth area, is the NCS. A CW Net with Fred Goodwin, K7LF, as NCS, is on 14Ø52/7Ø52 & runs simultaneously.

REUNIONS

CGC CASCO Any former crewmembers who would like to be placed on a mailing list of shipmates & activities that includes a reunion every several years, contact: Gordon C Kelly, P O BOX 141, Lyon, WI 53148.

COAST GUARD AIR 17-18 May, Reno. For further info contact ADC Bob Haley, Ret., 317 Jesse Ave, Roseville, CA 95678-2Ø35, fone 916 782 75Ø9, email behaley@aol.com.

AP TRANSPORT (CG-MANNED) 13-14 June at Newton, MA. Contact Chuck Ulrich, 35 Oak Lane, New Hyde Park, NY 11Ø4Ø, fone 516 747 7426.

COAST GUARD CW OPERATORS 27–31 October at Las Vegas, NV. Further info contact J J Huffman, email bird63@ak.net.

MEMBERSHIP There are 548 members in our club. DE AD4PT 73 & Semper Paratus.