WASHINGTON — Vice Adm. Sally Brice-O’Hara was relieved by Vice Adm. John P. Currier as vice commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard during a military change of watch ceremony held here Friday morning at Fort Lesley J. McNair.
Brice-O’Hara retired from the Coast Guard after more than 37 years of service as part of the same ceremony.
Brice-O’Hara assumed the duties of the 27th vice commandant May 24, 2010. As second in command she was responsible for executing the commandant’s strategic intent, managing internal organizational governance and serving as the component acquisition executive. During her tenure she oversaw the Coast Guard’s response to the BP Deepwater Horizon event, implemented the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell within the service, and managed the service’s recapitalization program to replace aging ships, boats and aircraft.
Currier became the 28th vice commandant after serving as the Coast Guard's first deputy commandant for mission support where he was responsible for oversight of human capital, lifecycle engineering, acquisition, telecommunications and information technology.
Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Robert J. Papp, Jr., presided over the event.
A change of watch ceremony formally restates the continuity and authorities of critical positions within the service’s command structure.
]]>WASHINGTON — A damaged hoist cable and the inability to find equipment needed to repair the fraying cable are the two causal factors in the Coast Guard’s unsuccessful rescue of an injured crewmember off the sailing vessel Freefall during heavy weather Oct. 28, 2008, according to a Coast Guard final action memo released Wednesday.
The memo directs 12 actions including reviewing existing policies, checklists, and maintenance and gear stowage procedures related to aircraft search and rescue mission preparation; determining the feasibility of equipping the MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter with cable chaffing guards in critical areas when right external fuel tanks are installed; and, evaluating the emergency rescue device for effectiveness in heavy weather hoisting operations.
The purpose of the investigation was to identify and better understand the factors that led to the unsuccessful rescue and what can be done to prevent future mishaps.
“The crew of CG 6003 attempted to prosecute this search and rescue case in the most hazardous conditions,” wrote Vice Adm. Sally Brice O’Hara, Coast Guard vice commandant. “The tragic loss of Freefall’s crewmember reminds us that we must continue to diligently commit and direct our efforts to perform operations as safely and effectively as possible.”
The 5th Coast Guard District command center received an emergency position indicating radio beacon signal from the sailing vessel Freefall the evening of Oct. 28, 2008. Subsequent reports indicated the vessel had rolled, de-masted and begun to flood, but flooding had been stabilized. The Freefall’s owner requested that he and his crew of two, which included a man who had been injured, be removed from the vessel.
The crew of the Coast Guard Jayhawk helicopter CG 6003 launched from Air Station Elizabeth City, N.C. On scene weather conditions consisted of 40-knot winds with gusts up to 50-knots, 20- to 40-foot waves, and low visibility.
Based on the condition of the vessel and weather conditions, the pilot decided to deploy the rescue swimmer to begin hoisting the crew from the vessel. Once aboard the Freefall, the rescue swimmer learned the injured male crewmember was ambulatory and decided to hoist the survivor from the water.
After multiple attempts to hoist the injured crewmember, a section of hoist cable was damaged, precluding further use without repair. The flight mechanic cut the cable, intending to splice it, but was unable to locate the device necessary to make the repair.
CG 6003 used the last remaining hoist option, the Emergency Rescue Device. While the Emergency Rescue Device was being rigged for use, CG 6003 deployed a life raft which the rescue swimmer recovered. The rescue swimmer then placed the injured crewman into the the life raft. The Emergency Rescue Device was lowered, the rescue swimmer attached it to his harness and maintained his grip on the crewmember, but the rescue swimmer was pulled violently through strong waves numerous times and was eventually separated from the injured crewmember.
The rescue swimmer, who was injured during the rescue attempt, was hoisted into CG 6003 without the Freefall crewmember. Without any further means to rescue the injured Freefall crewmember, the CG-6003 returned to base. A Coast Guard fixed-wing aircraft dropped a life raft for the injured crewmember, but he was never seen getting into it.
When recovered from the water approximately four hours later by an Air Station Cape Cod helicopter crew, the injured Freefall crewman was unresponsive. He was later pronounced dead.
The final action memo for the Freefall mishap is publicly available online in the Coast Guard’s FOIA reading room by clicking here.
]]>WASHINGTON — The crew of the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Bernard C. Webber, the service’s first Fast Response Cutter, is scheduled to provide free, public tours of the cutter May 18, from 3 p.m. until 6 p.m., while moored here at the Washington D.C. Metropolitan Police Department Harbor Patrol pier, 550 Water St., SW.
People wanting to tour the Webber are reminded that they are visiting a working Coast Guard cutter, the design of which unfortunately cannot accommodate wheel chairs or persons assisted by crutches. While photos are permitted, large bags and weapons of any kind are not permitted aboard the cutter. People taking the tours should avoid wearing open toed shoes, high heels or other attire that could pose a safety hazard. Parking near the Harbor Patrol pier is limited, the use of mass transit is encouraged.
The public tours are the last in a series of events Webber will conduct during the cutter’s week-long port call here, including participation in the Coast Guard Vice Commandant’s change of watch ceremony, scheduled for 10 a.m. May 18. The May 18 tours are the only activities aboard Webber open to the public during its visit.
The Sentinel class Fast Response Cutters are designed to conduct maritime drug interdiction, alien migrant interdiction, search and rescue, national defense, homeland security, living marine resources and other Coast Guard missions. This class of patrol boat is capable of deploying independently to execute Coast Guard missions and prevent potential threats from approaching our shores and offers vastly improved capabilities over the aging 110-foot Island class patrol boats it replaces. The Fast Response Cutter is part of the Coast Guard’s layered approach to maritime security that includes the National Security Cutter and the Offshore Patrol Cutter.
The Webber is 154 feet long, has a beam of 25 feet and a maximum sustained speed of more than 28 knots. The cutter is armed with a stabilized 25mm machine-gun mount and four, crew-served .50-caliber machine guns. The Webber is named after enlisted Coast Guard hero Bernard C. Webber, who led his crew in the daring Pendleton rescue Feb. 18, 1952, saving 32 crewmen.
The cutter Webber is homeported in Miami and is scheduled to depart Washington May 19.
]]>WASHINGTON — Major steps in the Coast Guard's effort to eliminate sexual assault in its workforce were taken Wednesday as leaders released a new Coast Guard sexual assault prevention and response program manual formalizing improvements to its sexual assault prevention and response program, as well as announcing the seniority of officers allowed to act on certain sexual assault cases is being raised.
"These actions are major steps toward achieving our goal of eliminating sexual assault within the Coast Guard by ensuring a culture of prevention through improved education and training, response capability, victim support and accountability," said Coast Guard acting commandant, Vice Adm. Sally Brice-O'Hara.
Major improvements in the program manual include greater protection for sexual assault victims, enhanced accountability for response by unit commanders, and more rigorous and defined reporting procedures for all reports of sexual assault. The SAPR program manual, which replaces a previous Coast Guard instruction, is the culmination of a multi-year effort to put in place a more effective SAPR program across the service.
The service also announced the handling of certain sexual assault cases will be made only by officers holding the rank of captain or higher who possess special court-martial convening authority, beginning June 28. This will ensure a senior level of review by the Coast Guard's most experienced officers from the outset of certain sexual assault cases as well as ensure that the full measure of response, victim support and criminal investigative resources are brought to bear. This action aligns the service with a directive issued April 20 by Department of Defense Secretary Leon Panetta directing the same for the handling of sexual assault cases within components of the Defense Department.
The June 28 implementation date adopted by all five military branches coincides with the effective date of section 541 of the National Defense Authorization Act 2012 that reforms Unified Code of Military Justice offenses relating to sexual misconduct.
]]>WASHINGTON — Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Bob Papp underwent surgery to treat early stage prostate cancer at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., Monday, after it was diagnosed in a proactive health screening.
The Coast Guard’s highest ranking officer is using the situation as a learning opportunity on preventive health for the service’s approximately 57,000 military and civilian employees, 30,000 auxiliary volunteers, their families and retirees.
“My early diagnosis is an important reminder of the importance of staying current on health screening,” said Papp. “Taking care of yourself means you’ll be there for your family and others when they need you.”
Before the surgery, Papp sent an official message to Coast Guard personnel stationed throughout the U.S., aboard Coast Guard cutters at sea and in foreign offices explaining the diagnosis. His message also urges members to seek regular health assessments and screens as prescribed by medical professionals.
“As Coast Guard men and women, we must care for our health so we can answer the call and protect our nation, remaining true to our motto, ‘Semper Paratus’ – Always Ready,” said Papp.
Because prostate cancer can be very slow in progressing, Papp’s prognosis is excellent for his full recovery.
Vice Adm. Sally Brice-O’Hara, vice commandant of the Coast Guard, will temporarily lead the service while Papp recovers from surgery.
For more information on prostate cancer, go to the American Cancer Society web site at http://www.cancer.org/Cancer/ProstateCancer/index.
]]>WASHINGTON — The U.S. Coast Guard exercised a $78.54 million contract option Wednesday to purchase the service’s 16th and 17th HC-144 Ocean Sentry maritime patrol airplane from EADS North America.
The Coast Guard has already taken delivery of 13 Ocean Sentries, with the 14th due by July. The Coast Guard exercised the first option on the contract for the 15th Ocean Sentry in August 2011 with delivery expected in the summer of 2013.
Even before the Coast Guard formally accepted the first Mission Systems Pallet, which provides enhanced sensors and communications equipment, for the Ocean Sentries in March 2008, the HC-144 was already proving its value and capability. The airplane conducted its first search and rescue mission in February 2008, when the aircraft and crew oversaw search efforts following the collision of two U.S. Air Force F-15C fighter jets over the Gulf of Mexico. Although still undergoing integration and operational testing at the time, the Ocean Sentry’s mission system collected Automatic Identification System data, which in turn helped identify and communicate with civilian vessels in the area of the crash, including a good Samaritan vessel that was vectored to help locate the downed airmen.
The Ocean Sentry’s 10-hour, long-range capability, its ability to fly at lower speeds than its HU-25 Falcon jet predecessor and its passenger capacity proved key as the plane was selected by the 8th Coast Guard District commander to respond to flooding in the Midwest in the summer of 2008. The Ocean Sentry conducted flights over flooded areas, helping Coast Guard leaders determine where to deploy rescue and recovery resources and to provide the maritime industry information about the flood’s impact on the maritime transportation system.
The Ocean Sentry’s sensor array and C4ISR (command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance) capabilities provided real-time situational awareness of conditions in Haiti following the 7.0 magnitude earthquake that devastated the island-nation in January 2010. The Ocean Sentry’s Mission System Pallet, a roll-on, roll-off suite of electronic equipment, allows for superior collection, interpretation and dissemination of data from the aircraft’s multiple sensors, and the ability to transmit and receive classified and unclassified information from other aircraft, surface vessels or shore facilities. The Ocean Sentry is also equipped with an Electro-Optical/Infra-Red system and a multi-mode search radar. About 90 percent similar to the Mission System Pallets found on the Coast Guard’s HC-130Hercules airplanes, the Ocean Sentry’s Mission System Pallet allows for common training and operation.
The Ocean Sentry’s joint operations capabilities were demonstrated again in November 2011 as an HC-144 crew from Coast Guard Aviation Training Center Mobile, Ala., conducted the first high altitude-low opening and high altitude-high opening parachute joint training exercise with the Special Forces Operational Detachment Alpha and the U.S. Army’s 7th Special Forces Group.
The Ocean Sentry’s value as a maritime patrol airplane is demonstrated daily in the Coast Guard, but was highlighted in an alien migrant interdiction operation off the coast of Puerto Rico in April 2011 where the HC-144’s crew detected a dangerously overloaded 20-foot yola, and directed the interdiction and rescue of the 21 illegal migrants aboard the small open vessel.
The Ocean Sentry has even assisted in the protection of living marine resources. A Mobile, Ala., based HC-144 and its crew transported 20 endangered Kemp’s Ridley sea turtles from Hanscom Air Force Base, Lincoln, Mass., to Orlando, Fla., where the turtles were rehabilitated at Sea World before being released back into the wild. The turtles had been rescued from waters near Cape Cod, Mass., and were being treated by staff and volunteers from the New England Aquarium.
Since the delivery of the first Ocean Sentry, HC-144’s and crews have logged more than 26,350 flight hours, with more than 10,250 of those flown in 2011.
]]>WASHINGTON — A failure to maintain situational awareness while transitioning from a hover to forward flight are among four factors the Coast Guard says contributed to the crash of a HH-65 Dolphin helicopter on Lake Huron, April 20, 2010, according to a final action memo drafted here and released today.
“Although no single factor caused this mishap, it is likely that it could have been avoided had the crew been more deliberate in recognizing their limitations,” wrote Vice Adm. Brian Salerno, deputy commandant for operations, in the memo that summarizes the key findings of an administrative investigation into the crash. The principal purpose of the investigation was to identify and better understand what went wrong and what can be done to prevent future crashes.
The memo directs seven actions including identifying training opportunities for Great Lakes air stations that have a reduced opportunity to practice hoisting survivors from the water due to lake freezing in winter, providing additional training to emphasize the need for pilots to effectively scan their instruments during transition, conducting an instrument take off when transitioning from a hover to forward flight while over water ,and avoiding over-reliance on night vision goggles.
The Coast Guard Air Station Detroit helicopter was conducting routine hoist training with a 41-foot boat from Coast Guard Station Port Huron. Immediately after completing night hoist training and while transitioning from a hover to forward flight, the helicopter crashed into Lake Huron. All three crewmembers successfully egressed the helicopter and suffered no significant injuries. CG 6523 sustained significant structural damage and remains out of service.
In the past five years, Coast Guard aircrews have saved 2,628 lives, assisted 5,000 people and flown 292,891 sorties totaling more than 582,161 flight hours. Included in those flights were 70,796 sorties in support of Coast Guard law enforcement, homeland security, environmental protection efforts totaling more than 170,669 flight hours.
The final action memo for the CG-6523 crash is publicly available online in the Coast Guard’s FOIA reading room a http://www.uscg.mil/foia/docs/CG%206523%20FAM.pdf.
]]>WASHINGTON — The Coast Guard saved taxpayers $1.7 million as it awarded a contract option worth a total of $87.9 million to Huntington Ingalls, Industries, Inc., Friday to acquire long lead time material for the production and delivery of the Coast Guard’s sixth National Security Cutter
The savings of $1.7 million was achieved by executing procurement and negotiation for the long lead time material within one year of that for the fifth National Security Cutter, which strengthened bargaining positions with vendors. That move, coupled with the increased value of the U.S. dollar to the euro, resulted in the decreased costs when compared to the January 2011 long lead time material costs for the fifth National Security Cutter.
This purchase of long lead time material one year before production also decreases the cost of the sixth National Security Cutter by allowing an earlier start of production, reduced inflation and a reduced gap in production between ships five and six.
The full production contract for the 5th National Security Cutter was awarded Sept. 9, 2011, only 10 months after that for NSC 4. The cost for the fifth National Security Cutter is nearly identical to the cost for the fourth, which is the first National Security Cutter purchased on a fixed contract.
"We have achieved a level of maturity and momentum in the NSC acquisition program that is yielding significant efficiencies," said Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Bob Papp. "Maintaining this pace will allow us to deliver the remaining ships in this program at a cost savings of tens of millions of dollars each. This ultimately places American made, quality built, best value National Security Cutters in the hands of Coast Guard crews who need them to protect American security and prosperity."
The contract option award includes materials such as critical main propulsion and navigation systems, generators, electrical switchboards, and major castings, using $75.9 million appropriated for this purpose in fiscal year 2012. Two sub-contract line item numbers will be established – one for valves worth $2.8 million and one for the Ships Integrated Control System valued at $9.1 million. Funding requested in the president’s fiscal year 2013 budget request supports this remaining $12 million, unless funding is made available sooner.
The Coast Guard’s first two National Security Cutters, the Bertholf and Waesche, have already demonstrated their operational capabilities during patrols conducted between July and December 2011 in which the two cutters interdicted illegal narcotics bound for U.S. shores with an estimated street value of $85.8 million. The advanced capabilities of the National Security Cutter led to its selection by Papp for deployment to the Arctic this summer to provide command and control for operations in the Beaufort and Chukchi seas.
For more than 220 years the U.S. Coast Guard has safeguarded America’s maritime interests – at home and around the world – protecting those on the sea, protecting the nation from threats delivered by sea and protecting the sea itself. The National Security Cutters are faster, better equipped, more durable, safer and more efficient than the 30- to 45-year-old cutters they replace.
The third National Security Cutter, the Stratton, was commissioned Saturday in Alameda, Calif.
For more information about the National Security Cutter, visit http://www.uscg.mil/acquisition/NSC/default.asp . For more information about Coast Guard recapitalization, visit http://www.uscg.mil/acquisition/programs/pdf/CG9recap.pdf.
]]>WASHINGTON — A failure to observe altitude restrictions and maintain situational awareness at low altitudes and high speeds are among six factors the Coast Guard says contributed to the fatal crash of a MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter near La Push, Wash., July 7, 2010, according to a final action memo drafted here and released Monday that summarizes the key findings of an administrative investigation into the crash.
“…operation of the helicopter at high speed and low altitude created a situation in which there was little margin for error,” wrote Vice Adm. Sally Brice-O’Hara, Coast Guard vice commandant, in the memo. “And even a momentary lack of attention increased the potential for a mishap.”
The Jayhawk was being transferred to Air Station Sitka, Alaska, from the Aviation Logistics Center in Elizabeth City, N.C., following a six-month overhaul period. An ALC crew flew the helicopter to Air Station Astoria, Ore., where the Sitka-based crew took custody of the helicopter.
Shortly after departing, the aircraft struck power transmission lines and broke apart in flight, coming to rest in approximately 10 feet of water near the Quillayute River Inlet. Three of four crewmembers were killed -- the copilot survived.
The memo directs 16 actions including a review of existing policy relating to low-level flight, an audit of Coast Guard-maintained power lines and towers to ensure they are adequately marked and a reassessment of existing policy on flying over Coast Guard boats.
The principal purpose of the investigation was to identify and better understand what went wrong and what can be done to prevent future crashes.
“Coast Guard operations are inherently dangerous, whether carrying out a mission or carrying out daily routine operations,” said Brice-O’Hara. “We hope to honor the memory of those lost by learning all we can from this accident to ensure Coast Guardsmen are fully prepared to safely and proficiently conduct operations.”
The memo was posted to the Coast Guard’s FOIA reading room and is accessible by visiting http://www.uscg.mil/foia/docs/CG%206017%20FAM.pdf.
]]>WASHINGTON — The U.S. Coast Guard announced Friday the final rule for standards for living organisms in ships' ballast water discharged into waters of the United States is scheduled for publication March 23 in the Federal Register.
A public inspection copy of the final rule is available online. Go to http://www.archives.gov/federal-register/public-inspection and select the option "View the Special Filing Document List."
The Coast Guard is amending its regulations on ballast water management by establishing a standard for the allowable concentration of living organisms in ballast water discharged from ships in waters of the United States. The Coast Guard is also amending its regulations for engineering equipment by establishing an approval process for ballast water management systems.
"These new regulations will aid in controlling the introduction and spread of nonindigenous species from ships' ballast water," said Jeffrey Lantz, director of the Coast Guard's Office of Commercial Regulations and Standards. "This final rule establishes a ballast water discharge standard that is protective of the marine environment and is also consistent with the discharge standard adopted by the International Maritime Organization in 2004."
The numerical limits set by the discharge standard in this final rule are supported by reports from the National Academy of Sciences and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Science Advisory Board in 2011 as the most stringent that vessels can practicably implement and that the Coast Guard can enforce at this time.
The final rule is effective 90 days after publication in the Federal Register, which is available through the new Federal Digital System at http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/.
]]>