MOMENT OF TRUTH - - LONG OVERDUE - -

 -TO ALL- 

ARMY, NAVY, MARINES, AIR FORCE, COAST GUARD, MERCHANT MARINE

Thanks to Bob Harkins, N. Wildwood, NJ (X Coastie Shipmate) for the above YouTube link

USCGC POINT WELCOME REMEMBERED

A TARGET OF OPPORTUNITY - VIETNAM 1966

IN MEMORY ON THIS MEMORIAL DAY 2012

Chief Patterson succumbed to cancer on April 12, 2010.  On June 16, 2010, a memorial service and burial at sea was held for this Vietnam War Era Coast Guard Hero, Chief Boatswains Mate Richard Patterson.  BMC Patterson was a legendary Coastie honored for his heroic courage under fire when the CGC Point Welcome (WPB 82329) was attacked by friendly fire from U.S. Air Force aircraft near the demilitarized zone in South Vietnam on August 11, 1966. Chief Patterson saved the cutter and the surviving crew and was awarded a Bronze Star with the combat “V” device for his actions.

TO ALL WHO HAVE GIVEN EVERYTHING

REST IN PEACE -

BACK in the DAY - FIVE FATHOM BANK LIGHTSHIP -



FIVE FATHOM BANK USCG LIGHTSHIP (WAL 530)
15 MILES OFF DELAWARE BAY

FIVE FATHOM BANK LIGHTSHIP circa 1966
Taken from USCG 30500 dropping off an Electonic's Tech

 After graduation from USCG bootcamp in Capt May, N.J. in 1965, my first duty assignment was "Cape May Station", Boathouse - A "Fireman Apprentice" at the time, I was assigned as Engineer crewman to the Patrol Boats that ran SAR calls off the coast of N.J. and the Delaware BAY.  In addition to Search and Rescue, we also ran "service calls" to the two Lightships off the Jersey Coast and the 5 lighthouses in the Delaware Bay.  Crew changes, supplies and other runs to the "lights" were made by one of the boats and crew from Cape May station.  I took this photo on one of my first runs as crewman aboard a 30ft CG Patrol Boat (CG 30500, Fiberglass 30ft patrol boat with Turbo-charged 671 GM Diesel).

"LIGHTSHIPS" were USCG floating Lighthouses which were anchored on or near dangerous shoals, marking their location to warn off  large vessels to steer clear.  They also sent out a constant radio signal (beacon) which often made them "targets" for large vessels running on "Auto-pilot" - - Lightships stayed put in virtually all weather they would sometimes "blow" off station.  Lightship duty was sometimes boring and could be dangerous - -

VESSEL DESIGNATION: LV 108 / WAL 530
_______________________________________
YEAR BUILT: 1923
BUILT AT: Bath (ME)
BUILDER: Bath Iron Works
CONTRACT PRICE: $200,000
SISTER VESSELS: LV 106,107,109,110,111
DESIGN: Steam screw; steel hull, steel pilot house and deckhouses; 2 masts with lantern galleries, smokestack amidships
LENGTH: 132'4" (loa); BEAM: 30'0"; DRAFT: 14'7"; TONNAGE: 775 displ

PROPULSION: Steam - compound reciprocating engine, 400 IHP; 2 oil fired Scotch marine boilers, 120 psi; 4 bladed propeller; max speed 9 knots
ILLUMINATING APPARATUS: 375mm electric lens lantern at each masthead
FOG SIGNAL: 12" steam chime whistle, submarine bell, hand operated bell
Delivered Sep 17, 1923-
Equipped with~ radio and radiobeacon when built-
1935: Fog signal changed to steam diaphragm horn-
1945: Fitted with detection radar-
1959: Steam power plant removed; repowered with GM 268A diesel 500HP, 4' 9" dia propeller; max speed listed as 6 knots-
1964: USCG lists vessel with duplex 375mm lens lantern on foremast, 15,000cp each lamp; F2T air diaphone; CR-103 radar, otherwise as shown above-
Radio and visual call sign NMGW (1940-1964)
HISTORICAL NOTES:
1929 Jun 8, crew rescued USCG warrant officer, pilot of amphibian aircraft which made forced landing near lightship; plane was brought alongside and pumped out; later picked up and taken ashore by tender-
1930 Jun, radiobeacon of Five Fathom LV 108 sequenced with Overfalls and Winter Quarter
1945-1970: She was stationed at Five Fathom Bank (NJ) until retired.

HistoryThe Five Fathom Bank Lightship station was located in the Atlantic Ocean about 14.7 miles and 100 degrees from the Cape May Lighthouse.While records indicate the station was established around 1837, there are some records that indicate it could have been as early as 1835. The first vessel stationed on Five Fathom Bank has not been identified, but contemporary accounts describe the vessel as "decayed and leaky."

ADDITIONAL “Five Fathom” LV history can be found @ http://www.njlhs.org/njlight/fivefatham.html
(Gives additional background and history on Previous lightships stationed @ Five Fathom prior to WAL530)

RETIRED FROM LIGHTSHIP DUTY: 1970; AGE: 47
SUBSEQUENT DISPOSITION: Decommissioned Aug 31, 1970; donated Dec 29, 1971 (recipient not shown). Said to have been scrapped at Norfolk (VA), 1975

Below - Five Fathom Circa: 1945

U.S. COAST GUARD - INDUSTRY DAY, HERE, FEB 16,2012

INTERESTED IN MARINE OPPORTUNITIES ON

LAKE OF THE OZARKS?

You NEED to attend -

Find out what Federal requirements and licensing apply to various elements of operating passenger's for HIRE, such as Charter, Fish Guides, Water Taxi, Parasail, Assistance Towing and any similar operation in which you receive ANY form of compensation to carry passengers aboard your vessel or any other. 
QUESTIONS??

You can also call us @ 573 216-4701

MERRY CHRISTMAS and HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL!!

USCG SQUADRON ONE - VIETNAM - 1965 - 1975

IN MEMORY, 70 YEARS - DAY OF INFAMY
I POSTED THIS STORY BACK IN DECEMBER OF 2009 - - DECIDED TO RUN IT AGAIN-
The US Coast Guard Cutter Taney is one of seven Treasury/Secretary-class cutters built for the Coast Guard in the Mid-1930s. Home ported in Honolulu, Hawaii beginning in 1937, Taney was attached to Destroyer Division 80 in the summer of 1941 and was in action against Japanese planes during the Pearl Harbor attack. Of the 101 U.S. fighting ships present in Hawaiian waters on 7 December 1941, Taney is the only one afloat today.

At sea for 80 of the first 90 days of war, Taney carried out anti-submarine patrols off Hawaii, and later served as a convoy escort in the Pacific through 1943. Following a major refit, the cutter was transferred to the Atlantic in 1944 where she escorted six convoys between the east coast of the US and North Africa. On 20 April 1944, Taney helped fight off a German torpedo bomber attack on Convoy USG 38 off Algiers. Converted to an Amphibious Command Ship in 1945, she participated in the battle for Okinawa downing four Japanese Kamikazes and one "Betty" bomber.

Known as "The Queen of the Pacific," Taney was home ported in Alameda, CA, from 1946 to 1972 carrying out ocean weather patrol, law enforcement and search and rescue duties. During 1969-70, the cutter was assigned to Coast Guard Squadron III off South Vietnam where she helped interdict the flow of arms along the coast, fired over 3400 rounds of 5/38 ammunition in naval gunfire support missions, and provided medical assistance to over 5,000 South Vietnamese civilians.
Transferred to Little Creek, VA and later Portsmouth, VA, in 1972, Taney completed the last Coast Guard ocean weather patrol in 1977, and from 1977 to 1986 carried out search and rescue duties, training cruises for the Coast Guard Academy, and drug interdiction in the Caribbean. In one 1985 drug bust Taney seized a record 160 tons of marijuana. Decommissioned on 7 December 1986, she is displayed in Baltimore's Inner Harbor along with USS Torsk and Lightship 116.

Class: Secretary Cutter
Launched: June 3, 1936
At: Philadelphia Navy Yard, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Length: 327 feet
Beam: 41 feet, 2 inches
Draft: 15 feet, 3 inches
Displacement: 2,560 tons
Armament: One 5-inch/38 caliber gun (1986)

USCGC Taney is a National Historic Landmark.
Address: Baltimore Maritime Museum 802 S. Caroline St.
Baltimore, Maryland 21231
(410) 396-3453
Fax: (410) 396-3393
Email: administration@historicships.org
http://www.historicships.org/ see also http://www.historicships.org/taney.html
Latitude: 39.28581, Longitude: -76.606293
Google Maps, Microsoft Bing, Yahoo Maps, Mapquest

FREEDOM ISN'T "FREE"

SALUTE - - - -

CELL PHONE DISTRACTION, ROLE IN DEADLY "DUCK"" ACCIDENT

Cell phone usage plays role in deadly accident, says NTSB

Final desperate seconds caught on film before Barge strikes the disabled DUKW
via BITTER END BLOG - MarineLink.com is reporting:

“The deadliness of distraction” was at the heart of a collision last year between a “duck” tourboat and a sludge barge, according to an investigation conducted by the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board. The accident on July 7, 2010 on the Delaware River near Philadelphia, Pa., left two passengers dead and 27 others injured.

The NTSB investigators say the mate operating the tug was distracted by repeated use of his cell phone and lap top. Further, rather than being in the upper wheel house as expected, the mate was navigating from its lower wheel house where visibility of the channel ahead was limited.

The complete MarineLink.com post is here.

KNOW THE SIGNS!! They really could be DROWNING!!!!

Drowning Doesn’t Look Like Drowning

Our Lake weekend was marred by the unfortunate Drowning of a 39 year old man from St Louis, just off a dock and after mid-night.  We have many similar drownings each year, often within "feet" of shore or dock, sometimes with people only yards away and looking on  - -  not realizing the person is in trouble, BECAUSE the waving, splashing, and yelling that dramatic conditioning (television) prepares us to look for, is rarely seen in real life.  The Instinctive Drowning Response – so named by Francesco A. Pia, Ph.D., is what people do to avoid actual or perceived suffocation in the water. And it does not look like most people expect.   PLEASE TAKE A MOMENT AND READ THE SHORT ARTICLE LINKED BELOW - -  You may save a life!

READ ENTIRE ARTICLE HERE

LEARN THE SIGNS

Note:  

Thanks to Captain Doug Gould RED RIGHT RETURNING for the link!!

MEMORIAL DAY - 2011

U.S. COAST GUARD MEMORIAL DAY MESSAGE

ADM Papp

" Shipmates, Memorial Day is the day we remember the sacrifice of our fellow Coast Guardsmen who gave their lives in service to our nation. By taking time today to attend to the manners of our profession, we show respect to our shipmates and honor those brave men and women who have gone before us. Their service is part of our heritage."

As a retired USCG Chief Warrant Officer and a USCG VIETNAM COMBAT VETERAN, I want thank ALL who have served and who continue to serve in our ARMED SERVICES and remember the sacrifices of those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice for us all

AIN'T YOUR DADDY'S COAST GUARD - - or is it?

I was told some time back that TODAY'S Coast Guard ain't like "your daddy's was" - -

I tend to disagree - - - HISTORY shows a different view - - - - 

TODAY

YESTERDAY

WORLD WAR I,  The USRC Miami, circa 1912.

PICKET BOAT - RUM WARS (Late 20's , Early 30's)

USCGC SPENCER WWII

VIETNAM 1965  "POINT COMFORT"

CGC MIDGETT WHEC 726

AND ON, AND ON, AND ON,

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT "YOUR DADDY'S" COAST GUARD, GO TO:

U.S. Coast Guard Historian's Office

http://www.uscg.mil/history/default.asp

4000+ MILES, Yet still touched - TSUNAMI

Brookings, Oregon, March 11, 2011 - over 4000 miles from JAPAN, yet, still touched by this terrible tragedy - As shown on BITTER END BLOG yesterday - the TSUNAMI traveled around the world to cause problems for us in the US.  I echo the thoughts of Capt Rodriguez in his BLOG POST yesterday:  "The devastation in Japan is unfathomable. Our hearts and prayers go out to the Japanese people."


While in the Coast Guard, I spent a lot of time in JAPAN in the 1980's and worked in many of the area's that have been hardest hit - I hope that many of the friends I made while there are safe - - -


CM

COLD WATER BOOT CAMP - A Must See

We were introduced to this during our C-PORT CONFERENCE the end of January in California - IT sheds a lot of new light on the whole concept of "Hypothermia", and what REALLY happens to the human body when subjected to "COLD WATER IMMERSION"  DON'T let the term COLD water fool you - - were not talking about frozen water - WE'RE TALKING ABOUT WATER TEMPERATURES OF 59 DEGREES OR LESS!!  

TODAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2011, The Lake of the Ozarks water temperature is 39 degrees - - - and it will be a LONG TIME, before that temperature exceeds 59 degrees.

I always hesitate to add any video to this blog that lasts more than a minute or two, but in THIS case, if YOU BOAT, FISH or come anywhere close to the water in the winter months or COLD water at any time - - YOU SHOULD WATCH THIS  - - AND LEARN -  IT MAY SAVE YOUR LIFE - - - AND ABOVE ALL (Cold Water or NOT)  - - WEAR YOUR LIFE JACKET!!! - you will see why - -



Cold Water Boot Camp USA was produced by the National Water Safety Congress under a grant from the Sport and Fish Restoration and Boating Trust Fund, administered by the U.S. Coast Guard. Cold Water Boot Camp USA takes eight hardy volunteers from across America and puts them into cold water to see what really happens.

LISTEN TO WHAT THESE FOLKS HAD TO SAY!! 

WATER TEMP WAS 45 deg.

Coast Guard Hoax Caller Sentenced

MILITARY.COM Reports

December 02, 2010

Knight Ridder/Tribune

In November 2008, 20-year-old Nicholas Barbati pretended to be a Coast Guard lieutenant commander, called into a secure line and reported a supposed threat to space shuttle Endeavour less than an hour before it was set to launch, federal authorities said.

The day before, as he sat in his Daytona Beach home, Barbati made a distress call to the Coast Guard and claimed to be onboard a 32-foot yacht carrying "10 souls" that was taking on water off the New York coast. - -

READ ENTIRE STORY HERE

We really need a to nail a few more of these guys!  Of course one day SAR maybe "outsourced"  and we could get this:

DECEMBER 7th, 1941 and a tribute to COAST GUARD Pearl Harbor Survivor

"On the quiet Sunday morning of 7 December 1941, an initial attack force of 183 Japanese naval aircraft attacked ninety-four ships of the United States Navy at Pearl Harbor. This strategic surprise attack on America's largest Pacific naval base truly became a day of infamy. Today it is clearly the most recognizable of all American battles or events. Historians have well documented the Navy's role in the attack, but have all but forgotten that Coast Guard vessels also participated. The Coast Guard, while only a small force at Pearl Harbor, actively took part in the battle."

FROM U.S. COAST GUARD HISTORY

The Coast Guard and the Japanese Attack
7 December 1941

by

Robert M. Browning, Jr.

READ ENTIRE NARRATIVE HERE

PAINTING OF USCGC TANEY, DEC 7th, 1941

U.S. COAST GUARD NEWS RELEASE - NOVEMBER 24, 2010

Coast Guard Pearl Harbor survivor made honorary chief petty officer

PETALUMA, Calif. – Coast Guard Training Center Petaluma held a ceremony this morning to honor retired Coast Guard Petty Officer 1st Class George C. Larsen, promoting him to an honorary chief petty officer for his service during the attack on Pearl Harbor and for his continued contributions to the community.

READ ENTIRE ARTICLE WITH PHOTO'S HERE

Retired Coast Guard Petty Officer 1st Class George C. Larsen is promoted to an honorary chief petty officer, Monday, Nov. 22, 2010. Larsen, a Pearl Harbor survivor, served in the Coast Guard from 1939 to 1945 as a radioman. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Kevin Metcalf.

AS EACH DAY GOES BY, WE LOSE MORE AND MORE OF OUR PEARL HARBOR AND WORLD WAR II VETERANS - - 

THIS DECEMBER 7TH PLEASE STOP FOR ONE BRIEF MOMENT AND THANK THEM BY WORD OR DEED OR THOUGHT - - 

THREE COAST GUARD CREWMAN LOST IN CHOPPER CRASH

3 Sitka-based Coast Guardsmen killed in helicopter crash

FLIGHT: Aircraft may have hit power line on Washington coast.

Read more: http://www.adn.com/2010/07/07/1357055/coast-guard-chopper-crashes-on.html#ixzz0tSynYjay


THIS HAS BEEN A VERY BAD YEAR FOR USCG AVIATION - I EXTEND MY DEEPEST SYMPATHY TO THE FAMILIES OF MY FELLOW COAST GUARDSMEN FOR THEIR LOSS AND SACRIFICE - - MAY GOD BLESS - -

Local USCG Auxiliary Basic Skills and Seamanship

I had the privilege to teach the USCGA Boating Safety Course "Equipment for Your Boat" chapter last Tuesday evening (3-2-10)  to a great group of students - with heavy concentration on wearing your PFD!  This 8 week class (one evening a week for two hours) on "Basic Skills and Seamanship" is presented by the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary.  Click logo below to see additional local USCGA course information and schedules.  

Successful completion of this course also qualifies you for the Missouri Boating Safety card required for all persons born after January 1, 1984 and operating a boat on Missouri waters.

CG Nominee Wants to Cut Terror Mission

Military.com news is reporting:
February 25, 2010

Associated Press

WASHINGTON --- President Obama's pick to lead the Coast Guard wants to make major cuts to the agency's counterterrorism mission over the next five years.

An internal memo from Vice Admiral Robert J. Papp Jr., Obama's nominee to become Coast Guard commandant, says that starting in 2012, he would slash funding for programs in the agency's homeland security plan, including patrols and training exercises.

The memo, marked "sensitive --- for internal Coast Guard use only," was obtained by The Associated Press. --

READ ENTIRE AP ARTICLE HERE