See a complete description at the link: It also employs an innovative stern launch and recovery system using an Aluminum hulled inboard diesel powered waterjet boat.
I believe Terell was his Exec officer and a chief.. The CO is only a JG
That sounds about right; the JG was very likely an academy graduate.
From the other thread:
The incident occurred as a small boat launched from the Coast Guard Cutter Halibut, based in Marina del Rey, was approaching a panga-type vessel suspected of illicit activities, said Coast Guard spokesman Adam Eggers.
Web site: http://www.uscg.mil/d11/cgchalibut/
CO of cutter may have screwed up by putting the small boat over to soon. Personally I would have kept the gun on them and came along side.
That's what we did in Vietnam. I spent a year on an 82-foot cutter there doing the same thing except for preventing arms smuggling from North Vietnam not drugs (see picture on my FR homepage). Stateside the crew was made up the same way, but in Nam the captain was an academy JG or LT, the XO also a JG (my rank) and we had a chief QM or BM on board together with a PO3 gunner's mate. The latter three of us took turns in charge of the watch (4 hrs on, 8 hrs off, at sea usually 5-7 days at a time on patrol, 2 days in port in country for refuel and resupply then back to sea).
The CG is such a small service the death of a member in the line of duty affects us all (active and former) very personally. May he rest in peace and the Lord comfort his family and shipmates.