http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/uscg/ en-us Thu, 2 Oct 2008 23:30:09 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2096205/posts WASHINGTON, Oct. 2, 2008 – Legislation imposing tough penalties for operating undocumented semi-submersible vessels in international waters would help drug-interdiction efforts, the deputy chief of the Coast Guard’s Law Enforcement Office said Sept. 30. Self-propelled semi-submersibles, or SPSSs, are small sea vessels, usually less than 100 feet in length, designed to sink themselves when detected, Coast Guard Cmdr. Cameron Naron explained to bloggers in a teleconference. Drug traffickers are adapting the technology with increasing success to evade law enforcement, he said. “Drug-trafficking organizations continue to adapt these vessels … to our law enforcement successes,” Naron said. “These SPSSs were once... American Forces Press Service http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2096205/posts#comment Thu, 2 Oct 2008 23:30:09 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2094310/posts WASHINGTON — The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Midgett and U.S. Navy maritime patrol aircraft teamed up to interdict a stateless, self-propelled, semi-submersible vessel Wednesday with seven tons of cocaine aboard approximately 400 miles south of the Mexico-Guatemala border. The 60-foot, self-propelled, semi-submersible (SPSS) craft was detected by a U.S. Navy aircraft. The aircraft vectored Midgett to the location of the SPSS whereupon the Coast Guard quickly commenced a boarding of the stateless SPSS. The Coast Guard boarding team located 295 bales of cocaine, valued at more than $196 million, in a huge forward compartment. The SPSS became unstable and began... USCG Press Release http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2094310/posts#comment Tue, 30 Sep 2008 21:44:19 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2091998/posts Somebody has it. Nevada Smith, a lieutenant commander in the Coast Guard, a search and rescue helicopter pilot, has that gut feeling. “I find things,” he said, “I decode things, I break things down. We go to Alaska and look for a guy and say: Is he hunting for mountain goats? He’d be on the top of the mountain. Is he hunting for deer? He’d be at the bottom of the mountain.” So simple. But this is Portsmouth where a parking lot is flat and a missing photo album can’t send up any signals to say, “Hey! I’m over here!”... The Virginian-Pilot http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2091998/posts#comment Sat, 27 Sep 2008 22:10:11 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2088145/posts ROTA, Spain, Sept. 22, 2008 – Civilian leaders who visited here today had seen the Coast Guard in action in U.S. waterways, patrolling ports and harbors, interdicting drug smugglers, and sometimes conducting heroic search-and-rescue missions as depicted in the movie, “The Guardian.” So Coast Guard Capt. Robert Wagner, commander of Coast Guard Cutter Dallas, greeted Joint Civilian Orientation Conference participants here today with the rhetorical question he knew all had on their minds: “What is the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Dallas doing in Rota, Spain?” In addition to its historic role protecting U.S. coastlines from external threats while promoting... American Forces Press Service http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2088145/posts#comment Tue, 23 Sep 2008 01:03:58 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2082254/posts Ever since Russia planted a flag under the North Pole last year, the issue of sovereign rights under an increasingly slushy arctic has tensed. In a race to claim ownership of some of the arctic seabed, a two-ship caravan of Canadian and U.S. scientists is sailing around the Arctic Ocean right now. Their mission, which will last from September 6th to October 1st, is to measure the seabed and the continental margins in an attempt to solidify our possible rights over the far north—an area that will become accessible to oil drilling and mining as the earth warms and arctic... popsci.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2082254/posts#comment Sun, 14 Sep 2008 17:56:25 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2077767/posts WASHINGTON, Sept. 8, 2008 – In the wake of Hurricane Gustav, the Coast Guard is making preparations for a possible wave of tropical storms and hurricanes, a senior Coast Guard officer said Sept. 5. “We don’t have a lot of bench strength, but we’re moving forces around in preparation for each one of these operations to position them so that we can respond,” Coast Guard Vice Adm. Robert J. Papp Jr., commander of the Coast Guard Atlantic Area, told bloggers during a teleconference to address the current storm systems in the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. To be... American Forces Press Service http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2077767/posts#comment Tue, 9 Sep 2008 00:24:14 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2070243/posts WASHINGTON, Aug. 28, 2008 – The Coast Guard Cutter Dallas has finished off-loading humanitarian relief supplies in the Georgian city of Batumi and has left port, a Defense Department official said here today. Since Russia invaded Georgia on Aug. 9, all of the U.S. aid that has gone to the nation has been humanitarian relief, Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman told reporters. Defense officials said that Russia still has troops in Georgia and is not living up to the terms of a cease-fire agreement. The Dallas unloaded 34 short tons of aid at the port, raising the U.S. total to 947... American Forces Press Service http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2070243/posts#comment Fri, 29 Aug 2008 00:49:06 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2068929/posts (CBS/AP) The United States has canceled plans to try to dock a military ship carrying humanitarian aid in the Georgian port of Poti, where Russian forces are posted on the outskirts, a U.S. Embassy spokesman said Wednesday. The ship, the Coast Guard cutter Dallas, was to have come to the Black Sea port Wednesday morning. But embassy spokesman Stephen Guice said the vessel instead will dock in Batumi, a port well south of the zone of fighting in this month's war between Russia and Georgia. Guice said he did not have information on why the plan was changed. Poti's port... CBSNEWS.COM http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2068929/posts#comment Wed, 27 Aug 2008 09:01:31 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2067979/posts WASHINGTON, Aug. 25, 2008 – The Coast Guard is testing and compiling initial lessons learned from its ongoing Arctic operations, a senior officer said last week. “It became obvious to me 18 months to two years ago that with the retreat of the multiyear polar sea ice, the Coast Guard was going to have to do more than it had in the past to provide maritime safety and security to northern and western Alaska, the Arctic Ocean and the Beaufort Sea,” Coast Guard Rear Adm. Arthur E. Brooks, commander of the 17th Coast Guard District, told bloggers and online journalists... American Forces Press Service http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2067979/posts#comment Tue, 26 Aug 2008 00:22:48 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2065841/posts NAPLES, Italy, Aug. 21, 2008 – Two Navy ships and a Coast Guard cutter are transporting humanitarian relief supplies to Georgia. Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Jeff Weaver and Petty Officer 2nd Class Gary Smith prepare humanitarian aid supplies for loading aboard USS McFaul at Souda Bay, Crete, Aug. 20, 2008. Nearly 55 tons of supplies were loaded as part of the humanitarian assistance for the Georgia following the conflict between Russian and Georgian forces in the former Soviet republic. U.S. Navy Photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Eddie Harrison   (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. These deployments... American Forces Press Service http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2065841/posts#comment Thu, 21 Aug 2008 23:40:51 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2062698/posts WASHINGTON, Aug. 15, 2008 – Coast Guardsmen soon will be training to join Navy SEAL teams, a senior Coast Guard officer said today. Rear Adm. Thomas F. Atkin, commander of the Coast Guard’s deployable operations group, said four Coast Guardsmen -- two officers and two enlisted sailors -- will be selected to begin basic underwater demolition school later this year. If they graduate, the admiral said, they will become full-fledged members of Navy SEAL teams and deploy with those teams worldwide. Atkins called the development the beginning of an exciting new era in the Coast Guard. “Certainly this is historic,... American Forces Press Service http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2062698/posts#comment Sat, 16 Aug 2008 00:51:34 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2060298/posts NEW YORK (Reuters) - A U.S. Coast Guard cutter will embark on an Arctic voyage this week to determine the extent of the continental shelf north of Alaska and map the ocean floor, data that could be used for oil and natural gas exploration. U.S. and University of New Hampshire scientists on the Coast Guard Cutter Healy will leave Barrow, Alaska, on Thursday on a three-week journey. They will create a three-dimensional map of the Arctic Ocean floor in a relatively unexplored area known as the Chukchi borderland. yahoo http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2060298/posts#comment Tue, 12 Aug 2008 02:37:38 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2056557/posts     SERVING THE BEST TROOPS IN THE WORLD This week we celebrate the birthday of The United States Coast Guard! August 4 is celebrated as Coast Guard Day to honor the establishment on that day in 1790 of the Revenue Cutter Service, forbearer of today's Coast Guard. The United States Coast Guard is this nation's oldest maritime agency. SEATTLE - A Maritime Safety and Security Team member conducts a vertical insertion demonstration from an HH-60 Jayhawk helicopter from Air Station Astoria, Ore., during Seattle Seafair on Lake Washington. Seafair is one of the Pacific Northwest's largest maritime festivals.... Serving The Best Troops And Veterans In The World http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2056557/posts#comment Tue, 5 Aug 2008 01:00:42 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2056516/posts 8/4/2008 - WASHINGTON (AFPN) -- The following birthday message is sent to the men and women of the U.S. Coast Guard from Adm. Michael G. Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff: On this, the 218th birthday of the United States Coast Guard, our nation pauses to say thanks to you, our guardians of the sea. For more than two centuries, you and your families have stood, always ready for the call, in light or darkness, with sunny skies or through howling gales, to respond to crises and to fight in every one of our nation's armed conflicts. Today,... Air Force Link http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2056516/posts#comment Mon, 4 Aug 2008 23:44:31 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2056264/posts U.S. Coast Guard Day Commemorate the 1790 founding of the Revenue Cutter Service, which in 1915 merged with the Life Saving Service to form the U.S. Coast Guard. Holidays on the web http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2056264/posts#comment Mon, 4 Aug 2008 16:11:24 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2045390/posts Report: 63% of All Oil in U.S. Waters Comes From Nature, 1% From Offshore Drilling 07/14/2008 - 03:51:26 PM FOX News reports that 63 percent of all oil in U.S. waters comes from natural seepage, 32 percent comes from consumers (boaters, jetskiers, etc.) and only 1 percent comes from offshore drilling. They also note that the U.S. Coast Guard has documented a dramatic reduction in oil spills in the last 30 years as environmentally friendly drilling technology has advanced. demint.senate.gov http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2045390/posts#comment Mon, 14 Jul 2008 21:47:52 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2042636/posts WASHINGTON, July 8, 2008 – Long known to protect the waters surrounding the United States, the question asked each time someone sees them is, “What is the U.S. Coast Guard doing here?” Chief Petty Officer Daniel Kinville and Petty Officer 2nd Class Lauren Kowalewski are part of an eight-person unit from the Coast Guard’s 1179th Deployment Support Brigade, and are the only two Coast Guard personnel in Afghanistan. “Usually, everyone’s first reaction when they see us is shock,” said Kowalewski, a Pittsburgh native. “They can’t seem to figure out why we’re so far from the U.S. coast and why we’re... American Forces Press Service http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2042636/posts#comment Tue, 8 Jul 2008 23:09:56 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2040849/posts The Coast Guard just rolled out the most sophisticated ship it’s ever commissioned, packed with new technology to help in the hunt for drug smugglers and terrorists.The cutter Bertholf — 418 feet from stem to stern — is set to patrol the Pacific from California to Ecuador — a patch of ocean as large as the United States.“The bubble that’s around this ship that we can see and hear and respond to is much larger than any cutter we've ever built,” said Adm. Thad Allen, commandant of the Coast Guard, referring to the range of the guns, fast boats,... Fox News / Various http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2040849/posts#comment Fri, 4 Jul 2008 20:31:17 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2033568/posts For your lunchtime reading and viewing: Popular Mechanics editor-in-chief James Meigs was kind enough to send an advance copy of the magazine’s July 2008 issue. I can’t put it down. The cover story is about an amazing Coast Guard rescue effort in March, when the Alaska Ranger ship sank.Read all about it and watch video here.As an aside, the Coast Guard cutter Munro is named after Coast Guard signalman and Medal of Honor recipient Douglas Munro, whose bravery I wrote about while working at the Seattle Times and recounted here. Amazing stories of heroism, then and now.Go Coast Guard! MichelleMalkin.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2033568/posts#comment Thu, 19 Jun 2008 22:27:56 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2030361/posts U.S. Coast Guard Tall Ship Eagle If you've ever wanted to tour a tall ship, now is your chance. Starting Thursday, the U.S. Coast Guard will sponsor free tours of the only square-rigged sailing ship in the U.S. fleet when it docks in Astoria at the Maritime Museum, 1792 Marine Drive. The tall ship Eagle, also known as the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Barque Eagle, has been under way for the past two months, serving as a hands-on classroom for Coast Guard cadets at the Coast Guard Academy in New London, Conn. According to Coast Guard spokesman Lt. Adam... The Oregonian http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2030361/posts#comment Fri, 13 Jun 2008 02:51:11 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2029778/posts WASHINGTON, June 11, 2008 – The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said last night that military and federal agencies should become more like the Coast Guard by stepping up levels of flexibility, mutual engagement and cooperation. Speaking to the Coast Guard Foundation here, Navy Adm. Mike Mullen described his vision for the future of the U.S. armed forces. “I’m fond of saying that the military should become more ‘Special Forces-like’ today -- more agile, lethal and networked,” the nation’s top military officer said. “But I also think we should become more ‘Coast Guard-like’ -- more flexible, more engaged... American Forces Press Service http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2029778/posts#comment Thu, 12 Jun 2008 01:04:05 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2028198/posts Joy from rescue of 5 Aggie boaters turns grim when 6th member of capsized boat crew is found dead amid wreckage A day that started with the joyous rescue of five crew members of a Texas A&M University at Galveston sailboat closed with the somber discovery of the sixth sailor's body in the wreckage of the sunken ship. Roger Stone, whose body was recovered by a salvage crew Sunday about 27 miles southeast of Freeport, was called a hero for helping two students escape from below decks seconds before the Cynthia Woods capsized. "I'm sure that's what lost his life,"... Houston Chronicle http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2028198/posts#comment Mon, 9 Jun 2008 08:13:26 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2024927/posts NORFOLK A 20-year Coast Guard veteran was sentenced today to 9 months in federal prison for passing confidential information to his mistress, the owner of a fishing fleet who was convicted of hiring illegal immigrant workers. Morris Wade Hughes of Chesapeake, a petty officer, also was ordered to serve 150 days of home confinement after his release from prison. U.S. District Judge Raymond A. Jackson imposed a $2,000 fine as well. During a three-year affair with Michelle Peabody, whose family runs Peabody Corp., a commercial fishing company based in Newport News, Hughes passed confidential information to Peabody regarding the location... The Virginian-Pilot http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2024927/posts#comment Mon, 2 Jun 2008 19:37:31 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2019376/posts Our president was busy today with public events. President Bush signed H.R. 493, the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008, President Bush Signs H.R. 493, the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008 President Bush marked this the Day of Solidarity with the Cuban people. President Bush Discusses Cuba, Marks Day of Solidarity He met with the Maronite Patriarch of Lebanon Nasrallah Sfeir in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, President Bush met with Veterans of Foreign Wars National Commander George Lisicki in the Oval Office. Vice President Dick Cheney delivered the main address during U.S. Coast... Yahoo News Photos; Whitehouse.gov http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2019376/posts#comment Wed, 21 May 2008 22:14:58 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2019424/posts WASHINGTON, May 21, 2008 – The efforts of the men and women of the U.S. Coast Guard are essential to victory in the war against terrorism, Vice President Richard B. Cheney told graduating cadets at their academy commencement today in New London, Conn. Video “When you stepped forward to serve the United States, it was already clear that these are decisive times in the life of our country,” Cheney told members of the Class of 2008 at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy. “It’s rare for an academy class to begin during a war and then graduate during that same... American Forces Press Service http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2019424/posts#comment Wed, 21 May 2008 23:44:43 GMT