SEATTLE — The Coast Guard Maritime Force Protection Unit Bangor, Wash., is scheduled to conduct an on-water exercise on May 9, 2012, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The exercise will be held on the Hood Canal and will include boat tactics, security zone maintenance and weapons capabilities.
During the exercise, Coast Guard personnel will be firing blank rounds to increase the realism of the training. Blank rounds have no projectiles.
The Coast Guard trains to fulfill its motto of being “Always Ready” for all threats, all hazards, all the time. The goal of the exercise is to maintain and improve qualifications of personnel that are charged with protecting the community, maritime environment and other naval vessels.
There will be a 1000-yard safety zone in effect during the exercise. A Broadcast Notice to Mariner’s will be transmitted before, during and at the completion of the exercise.
The Coast Guard is committed to the safety of maritime environment, marine mammals and ensuring they are protected. Specific marine mammal spotters will be on all Coast Guard vessels during the exercise, and if a marine mammal is spotted the exercise will cease or be delayed until the marine mammal moves on.
For more information contact U.S. Coast Guard, District 13 Public Affairs Officer at (206) 220-7237.
]]>SEATTLE - Coast Guard Station Bellingham, Wash., invites the public and media to view the new, multi-mission, 45-foot Response Boat-Medium (RB-M), at an open house event, Tuesday.
The RB-M, which is manufactured in Kent, Wash., replaces the 41-foot Utility Boat, which has been in use since the 1970s. The RB-M brings new capabilities in performance, efficiency and operational availability to the international border and San Juan Islands, Wash. The increased capabilities will vastly improve Station Bellingham’s ability to continue to carry out Coast Guard missions including recreational boating safety, marine environmental protection, enforcement of laws and treaties, port, waterway, and coastal security and defense operations.
WHO: Representative Rick Larsen, Rear Admiral Keith Taylor, 13th Coast Guard District Commander, and Chief Warrant Officer Chris Robinson, Coast Guard Station Bellingham Commanding Officer, as well as crewmembers from Station Bellingham, will host the event.
WHAT: A welcoming ceremony and open house for Station Bellingham’s new 45-foot Response Boat-Medium, highlighting capabilities and familiarizing local stakeholders with the new Coast Guard multi-mission platform. Station personnel will be available for interviews.
WHERE: Coast Guard Station Bellingham, 28 Bellwether Way, Bellingham, Wash., 98225.
WHEN: Representative Larsen, Rear Adm. Taylor and Chief Warrant Officer Robinson will begin opening remarks Tuesday, Apr. 10, at 2 p.m. Public and media are asked to arrive by 1:30 p.m. for an opportunity for a dockside tour of the new vessel. There is room for two members of the media to get underway on the response boat with Representative Larsen and Rear Adm. Taylor from 2:45 p.m. to 4 p.m. These positions will be filled upon first request.
Media wishing to attend will need to RSVP with Thirteenth Coast Guard District Public Affairs, at (206) 220-7237, by 3 p.m., Monday, April 9, 2012.
]]>ASTORIA, Ore. — The Coast Guard will host a seven-day leadership conference for 30 Naval Sea Cadets at Camp Rilea in Warrenton, Ore., Apr. 1-7, 2012.
The conference, called the Petty Officer Leadership Academy, is funded by the U.S. Naval Sea Cadet Corps, a non-profit youth organization for students aged 11-17 that wish to learn about the military with no obligation to join.
The objective of the Petty Officer Leadership Academy is to provide cadets with basic leadership skills to handle more advanced roles and responsibilities. Cadets will learn military science, leadership and communication techniques, undergo team building exercises and practice military drill and physical fitness activity.
The cadets attending the conference are from Oregon, Washington and California.
Media interested in attending should contact Chief Petty Officer Justin Eaton at (503) 969-2998.
]]>PORTLAND, Ore. — The Coast Guard will commemorate the death of Damage Controlman 3rd Class Edward Alan Carbaugh in Kalama, Wash., Wednesday, at 11:30 a.m.
Crewmembers from the Coast Guard Cutter Bluebell will place a wreath into the water near the spot where Carbaugh was fatally injured in the line of duty while responding to a marine fire aboard the motor vessel Protector Alpha on Feb. 15, 1982.
Carbaugh's brothers, Mark and Paul, and Chief Warrant Officer Joseph Hoffman, USCG, ret., who was injured in the incident, are scheduled to attend the ceremony.
The tragic accident aboard the Protector Alpha prompted a National Transportation Safety Board investigation and several recommendations to enhance International Maritime Organization marine firefighting standards. The accident also led to the creation of the Maritime Firefighting and Safety Association (MFSA) in Portland, Oregon.
Members of the media are invited to attend the ceremony aboard the CGC Bluebell. For more information, or to R.S.V.P., please contact Lt. Luke Elder at 503-240-9316.
WHO: U.S. Coast Guard and crewmembers of the USCGC Bluebell.
WHAT: Commemoration of the death of DC3 Alan Carbaugh and the Protector Alpha tragedy.
WHEN: Wednesday, February 15th, 2012, at 11:30 a.m.
CONTACTS: Lt. Luke Elder at 503-240-9316
]]>ASTORIA, Ore. - Coast Guard Sector Columbia River members will be awarded Army Achievement Medals and members of the Oregon National Guard 102nd Civil Support Team (CST) will be awarded Coast Guard Achievement Medals during a ceremony at Sector Columbia River in Warrenton, Ore., Wednesday, at 10 a.m.
The medals are being awarded to honor the Coast Guard and Army National Guard partnership during the offshore boarding of the vessel Pan Pac Spirit Apr. 8, 2011.
The freight vessel Pan Pac Spirit transited through waters in the vicinity of Fukushima, Japan. The vessel passed radiation screening and was cleared to enter port.
The collaborative efforts of Station Cape Disappointment, Wash., Air Station Astoria, Ore., Marine Safety Unit Portland, Ore., and Oregon National Guard 102nd CST provided a skilled and thorough risk assessment to help ensure the health and safety of the populace within the Sector Columbia River Captain of the Port Zone.
For more information about the boarding, please visit http://www.d13.uscgnews.com/go/doc/21/1073111/Feature-Release-Joint-agency-boarding-first-of-its-kind.
To RSVP, please contact the 13th Coast Guard District Public Affairs Detachment at (503) 861-6132.
WHO: Coast Guard Sector Columbia River and Oregon National Guard 102nd CST
WHAT: Award Ceremony
WHERE: Coast Guard Sector Columbia River, 2185 SE 12th Place, Warrenton, OR, 97146, in the gym
WHEN: Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2011, 10 a.m.
]]>SEATTLE – Coast Guard Capt. Scott J. Ferguson, Commander of Sector Puget Sound and Capt. of the Port of Seattle, will be available for media interviews regarding the 73-foot sunken vessel Justin, 200 yards off shore of West Seattle, at 2:30 p.m., Friday.
Ferguson will be hosting a small boat tour to the location of the accident for media interested. A media pool will be formed prioritizing availability to earliest arrivals.
Coast Guard representatives will be present at the front gate to assist media.
WHO: Capt. Scott J. Ferguson, Commander of Sector Puget Sound
WHAT: Media Interviews and a small boat tour regarding the 73-foot sunken vessel Justin
WHEN: Media pool to form at 2 p.m., Friday, Oct. 14, 2011
WHERE: Coast Guard base at 1519 Alaskan Way Seattle, WA 98134
For additional information contact the District 13 Public Affairs office at (206) 220-7237.
]]>SEATTLE — The Coast Guard will present the Silver Life Saving Medal to Petty Officer 1st Class Juston L. Heacox and a Certificate of Valor to Barney McGinley for their heroic effort that saved two lives off of Point No Point State Park in Hansville, Wash., July 26, 2010.
The ceremony is scheduled for Friday, Sept. 23, 2011, at 1:30 p.m.
Heacox and McGinley were on the beach when they heard screams coming from two boys who were caught in a rip current approximately 200 yards from shore.
The two men waded out into the 52-degree water toward the boys. They provided instruction for them to swim toward shore at an angle in an effort to draw them closer. While struggling to keep their footing in the strong current, Heacox and McGinley were able to reach the boys with a rope, which they carried from shore.
Upon return to shore, Heacox and McGinley treated the boys for hypothermia and exhaustion. Despite their own hypothermic conditions they remained on scene and ensured the boy’s conditions were properly treated.
The Silver Lifesaving Medal is awarded by the Commandant of the Coast Guard to any person who rescues, or endeavors to rescue, any other person from drowning, shipwreck, or other peril of water. The rescue or attempted rescue must either take place in waters within the United States or subject to its jurisdiction, or one of the parties must be a citizen of the United States or be from a vessel or aircraft owned or operated by citizens of the United States. Since 1874, approximately 1,900 Silver Lifesaving Medals have been awarded.
WHO: Petty Officer 1st Class Juston L. Heacox and Barney McGinley
WHAT: Receiving the Silver Life Saving Medal and Certificate of Valor Award, respectively, for their heroism in saving two boys at Point No Point State Park in Hansville, Wash.
WHEN: During a 1:30 p.m., ceremony on Friday Sept. 23, 2011
WHERE: Kvelstad Pavillion, adjacent to Port of Poulsbo Marina on Front Street NE in downtown Poulsbo, Wash.
For additional information contact the District 13 Public Affairs office at (206) 220-7237.
]]>ASTORIA, Ore. — The final section of the derelict barge Davy Crockett will be lifted out of the Columbia River near Camas, Wash., Thursday.
Members of the Unified Command - comprised of the Coast Guard, Washington Department of Ecology (Ecology) and Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) and a representative from Ballard Diving and Salvage will be available for interviews.
The 431-foot former World War II-era Liberty Ship partially sank Jan. 27, 2011, while moored near the Washington shoreline. The vessel buckled due to structural instability, likely caused by improper deconstruction practices. Approximately 70 gallons of oil discharged to the river in late January, causing patches of sheen 14 miles downriver. The Unified Command was established at that time to respond to the unknown environmental threat posed by the Davy Crockett.
A cofferdam and impermeable barrier were built to surround the barge during deconstruction to keep any hazardous material releases contained inside. The decision to do in-water deconstruction was made after exhausting all feasible dry dock options.
Work will continue for several more weeks while divers dredge the river bottom inside the cofferdam to remove contamination resulting from the deconstruction work. The cofferdam will be removed after worksite cleanup is complete.
Media are invited to watch alongside representatives of the Unified Command, which has provided daily oversight of the nearly seven-month effort to remove this environmental hazard from one of nation’s most important river and estuary systems.
WHAT
Final section of Barge Davy Crockett removed from Columbia River
VISUALS
A crane lifting the final piece of the barge from the river will signify the end of the barge deconstruction work.
WHO
Members of Unified Command: Coast Guard Captain Daniel LeBlanc; Ecology incident lead Jim Sachet; DEQ incident lead Mike Greenburg and a representative from Ballard Diving and Salvage
WHEN
Thursday, Aug. 25, 2011
9:50 to 10 a.m. – Media gather at Port of Camas-Washougal boat launch
10: 10 a.m. – Boat departs for Davy Crockett cofferdam
Noon – Reporters return to boat launch
WHERE
Port of Camas-Washougal for escort to barge. Directions: http://www.columbiawatertrail.org/access/port_camas_washougal_boat_ramp_and_marina
Bring safety gear: steel or hard-toe boots or shoes; safety glasses; hard hats; long-sleeved shirts. Safety glasses and hard hats can be provided to visitors.
Space is limited. Video and photography pooling may be necessary.
Media Contacts:
Kim Schmanke, Ecology media relations, 360-407-6239
Shawn Eggert, Coast Guard, 503-861-6237
Barge Davy Crockett website: http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/spills/incidents/DavyCrockett/DavyCrockett.html
]]>ASTORIA, Ore. — The Coast Guard helicopter crew that rescued two climbers stranded on a cliff July 29, 2011, will meet with one of the survivors and his family at Air Station Astoria, Ore., Monday.
17-year-old survivor Hunter Nelson, along with family members, will be at Air Station Astoria at noon, Monday, to thank the MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew and meet the entire air station staff.
The other survivor, Danny Riat, is still recovering from injuries.
The Coast Guard MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew rescued Riat and Nelson after Riat fell more than 50 feet down a cliff side near Archer Mountain in Skamania County, Wash. The video release from this rescue can be found at http://www.d13publicaffairs.com/go/doc/21/1152483/.
Media interested in attending should contact Petty Officer Nate Littlejohn, 13th Coast Guard District Public Affairs Detached Office Astoria, at (503) 861-6132.
]]>SEATTLE – The U.S. Coast Guard wants all boaters to enjoy Seattle’s Seafair festivities this week, but is concerned that personal oversights in recreational boating safety measures may result in injuries or fatalities.
Capt. Scott J. Ferguson, Commander of U.S. Coast Guard Sector Puget Sound, is available to discuss recreational boating fatalities, the national increase in small- and paddle-craft fatalities, the causal factors of those fatalities and the steps recreational boaters can take to increase their safety while on the water.
“The number of people recreating on the water continues to increase annually, especially when it comes to small- and paddle-crafts,” said Ferguson. “Nationally, paddle-craft fatalities account for nearly 40 percent of all boating deaths and the majority of those deaths occurred when people were not wearing life jackets.”
“It’s never easy calling a family about a boating incident involving their loved one(s) when you know, in your gut, that boating safety measure could have prevented the incident,” added Ferguson.
The Coast Guard continues to work with other federal, state, county and local response agencies to assist boaters in distress, but there are preventative measures recreational boaters can take to increase their safety while on the water.
To interview Capt. Ferguson concerning recreational boating safety, contact Lt. Jon Lane, Sector Puget Sound Public Affairs Officer, at (206) 217-6254.
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