SEATTLE — Boom is deployed, May 15, 2012, to contain the oil sheen that was leaked after a boat fire sunk the fishing vessel Deep Sea on Sunday near Whidbey Island, Wash. A total of 2,100 gallons of diesel fuel has been recovered and 4,400-feet of boom deployed in response to the incident. U.S. Coast Guard photo.

SEATTLE — The Coast Guard, Washington Dept. of Ecology, Health, and Natural Resources continue to respond to the sunken fishing vessel Deep Sea, Tuesday, located in Penn Cove near Whidbey Island, Wash.

The cracked vent estimated to be leaking two gallons per minute was plugged and is no longer emitting fuel. Three deployable skimmers, two vacuum trucks, one vessel containing bales of absorbent material and two dive teams are on-scene. One boom-tending vessel is en route.

The dive teams continue to siphon fuel from the vessel’s external vents. Once complete, the teams will look for any remaining fuel located inside the vessel. Approximately 2,100 gallons of diesel has been recovered. In addition, 4,400-feet of boom has been deployed to contain the surface sheen.

Coast Guard pollution investigators will remain on scene until the containment and cleanup process is complete. The Oil Spill Liability Fund will remain open to pay for the response effort until completion.   

The Washington Dept. of Ecology continues to monitor shore areas for potential environmental effects from the spill.  Oil sheen - a very thin coating of oil - covers the surface of nearby waters.  Some sheen has reached shore in places.  The sheen is too thin for removal from the water.

Ecology is analyzing water samples collected on Monday from Penn Cove to help evaluate environmental impacts from the spill. There have been no injured or killed mammals or fish observed or reported.

The Washington Dept. of Health has temporarily closed Penn Cove to shellfish harvesting because of the diesel spill.  The major commercial shellfish operation in Penn Cove voluntarily stopped harvesting on Sunday before any diesel reached its shellfish. The volume of diesel spilled from the boat grew through Monday, leaving a visible fuel sheen over the commercial operation and leading the state to close the area. Recreational shellfish harvesting in Penn Cove is also being temporarily closed. Before the area is reopened to harvest, the shellfish will be tested to confirm that they’re safe to eat.

The Dept. of Natural Resources is developing options for salvaging the vessel once the Coast Guard and Ecology's environment assessment team have completed their work.

For additional information on the response, respectively contact:

13th Coast Guard District Public Affairs office at (206) 220-7237

Larry Altose, Dept. of Ecology at (425) 649-7009; cell: (206) 920-2600

Donn Moyer, Dept. of Health at (360) 236-4076; cell: (360) 280-0487

Toni Droscher, Dept. of Natural Resources at (360) 902-1523

SEATTLE — In recognition of National Safe Boating Week, May 19-25, 2012, the Thirteenth Coast Guard District is emphasizing boating safety and will be reminding Pacific Northwest boaters throughout the week and year with a series of boating safety messages.

In conjunction with the North American Safe Boating “Wear it! Always wear your life jacket!” campaign, the Coast Guard will reinforce the following boating safety messages:

• Take a paddler education course. Paddlesports are the fastest growing segment of recreational boating, with more than 300,000 paddlecraft (primarily kayaks) now being sold annually. Paddlecraft are an extremely affordable entry point to recreational boating.  Like any other watercraft, paddlers should seek out paddler education before heading out on the water.  CLICK HERE to obtain more information on paddlesport safety.
• Wear a personal floatation device/life jacket at all times.  The law states you must have a PFD for every person on board, but the Coast Guard suggests you go one step further and wear your PFD at all times when boating.  It is much more difficult to locate, access, or don a PFD at the moment the accident occurs.  CLICK HERE for more information on personal floatation devices/PFDs.
• File a float plan and leave it with someone who is not recreating on the water.  A float plan is a lifesaving device on paper and can assist emergency responders with locating a distressed mariner. To learn more about a float plan CLICK HERE.  For a blank float plan CLICK HERE.
• Have a marine band radio and visual distress signals.  All of these devices will greatly assist you if you are in distress.  CLICK HERE for more information on visual distress signals.
• Have a registered 406MHz Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon.  CLICK HERE to learn more about EPIRBs and registering your EPIRB.
• DO NOT boat under the influence of alcohol.  Alcohol affects judgment, vision, balance and coordination.  Factor in boat motion, vibration, engine noise, sun, wind and spray and a drinker's impairment is accelerated.  CLICK HERE for more information on boating under the influence.    
• Start the season off right with a thorough boat inspection, including the hull and propulsion equipment. Pay particular attention to through-hull fittings and hoses that may have cracked or become brittle over the winter.
• Obtain a free boat inspection from the Coast Guard Auxiliary. Boating safety courses are also available.

For additional boating safety tips, go to http://www.uscgboating.org/default.aspx. Click on the “REGULATIONS” tab to get additional information on federal laws, federal regulations, state boating laws and navigation rules.

For media inquiries, to arrange a boating safety interview with a Coast Guard member or to obtain additional boating safety information, contact the Thirteenth Coast Guard District Public Affairs Office at (206) 220-7237.

SEATTLE — The Coast Guard, Washington Dept. of Ecology, Dept. of Health, and Dept. of Natural Resources continue to monitor the sunken fishing vessel Deep Sea, Monday, located in Penn Cove near Whidbey Island, Wash.   

The Deep Sea is discharging approximately one to two gallons of diesel fuel per minute. A boom deployment vessel and an oil recovery vessel are working to contain the leak. In addition, a Ballard Diving and Salvage dive team is siphoning diesel from the vessel's fuel tanks.

Two layers of containment boom have been placed around the vicinity of the sunken vessel with a third layer due to be in place. Approximately 550 gallons of fuel and 30 bags of absorbent pads have been recovered.

Coast Guard pollution investigators are on-scene and will continue to monitor the cleanup operation until it is complete.

Dept. of Ecology scientists are collecting water samples for laboratory analysis and are inspecting shore areas for possible spill-related damage to the habitat and wildlife.

The Dept. of Health is working with the shellfish harvester and local, state, and federal partners to monitor the situation. Fuel from the boat has been contained away from shellfish growing areas, so there's no need for harvest limitations based on the incident. The state health Shellfish Program supports the company's immediate voluntary decision to suspend harvest as a precaution.

The Dept. of Natural Resources is working in cooperation with the Coast Guard and Ecology to determine the best course of action for removing the vessel that will protect the environment and the shellfish resources.

For additional information on the response, respectively contact:

13th Coast Guard District Public Affairs office at (206) 220-7237

Larry Altose, Dept. of Ecology at (425) 649-7009; cell: (206) 920-2600

Donn Moyer, Dept. of Health at (360) 236-4076; cell: (360) 280-0487

Toni Droscher, Dept. of Natural Resources at (360) 902-1523

SEATTLE — The Coast Guard and Everett Fire and Rescue Dept. are responding to a missing person in the water near Everett, Wash., Monday.

The Coast Guard received a report, at approximately 1:30 p.m., that a good Samaritan located a person in the water. The rescued person stated that his 12-foot dingy sunk and a second person that was aboard the vessel was still missing.

The missing person in the water is not believed to be wearing a lifejacket.  

Two response boat crews from Coast Guard Station Seattle and an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Station Port Angeles, Wash., are conducting a search of the area. Everett Fire and Rescue are assisting with the search.

Weather conditions are clear skies, calm seas and calm winds.  

For additional information contact the 13th Coast Guard District Public Affairs office at (206) 220-7237.

SEATTLE — Pass by pass, an old lens turns through the decades. It is part of the rhythm of the Umpqua Coast. Turning with the ebb and flood of the tides, the sun and moon in the sky, its reliable beam shines out onto the sea.

It is an icon of the Coast Guard's ancestry, originally operated by the U.S. Lighthouse Service. It is a regional identity to the communities surrounding Winchester Bay, a sentimental relic to the ships that transit here, but of all the things that it is, a federal aid to navigation it is no longer.

On Apr. 14, 2012, under the precision of an antique Fresnel lens, Coast Guardsman passed the maintenance and operation of the Umpqua River Lighthouse to Douglas County, Ore. The story of the light is the intertwining story of the Coast Guard, Winchester Bay and the settlement of the west.

"We are only effecting this turnover because of our confidence in the ability of Douglas County, supported by community volunteers, to maintain and operate this light," said Cmdr. Daryl Peloquin, Chief of Aids to Navigation Branch for the 13th Coast Guard District.

When early settlers arrived at the Umpqua River, they found a rugged, but providing landscape. The Native American's name 'Umpqua,' translates to 'full belly,' reflecting the river's abundant and sustaining nature.

SEATTLE — Crewman of U.S. Lifesaving Service Station Umpqua River, Ore., pose for a photo in the station boat house in the 1890s. They are surrounded by lifesaving equipment of the era, and a remnant of the steamer vessel Tacoma, a famous shipwreck of the region, hangs above their heads. U.S. Coast Guard photo uploaded by Petty Officer 2nd Class Eric J. Chandler.

To the early settlers a lighthouse could establish a place in the local, national and global economy. It was critical to the region that ships could safely transit and recognize the ports of Winchester Bay, Reedsport and Gardner, allowing the export of lumber and operation of a strong fishing fleet.

Oregon in the early 1800s was still very much 'the Wild West.' Native Americans and settlers were not always in agreement. Settler's designs to construct a tower made local native people suspect that it was the beginning of a military fort, and they are said to have passively retaliated by walking off with tools from the construction site.

Despite these and the challenges of building on the region's sandy shores, the community completed the first lighthouse to identify the Oregon Coast on Oct. 10, 1857. A mineral oil lamp projected a beam through a rotating Fresnel lens.

The endeavor set the tone for the future of local developing coastal communities, however it is not the light that shines at the Umpqua entrance today. In January of 1864, storm damage eroded the foundation and the lens was removed only a week before the structure collapsed.

SEATTLE — Coast Guard personnel pose for a photo on recently modernized search and rescue equipment near Winchester Bay, Ore., in the 1940s. Until recently, shore patrols were conducted on horseback or on foot. U.S. Coast Guard photo uploaded by Petty Officer 2nd Class Eric J. Chandler.

It was 24 years before another light was built here. At the time the light functioned like a clock tower, with pulleys and weight keeping tension on a series of cogs, rotating a first-order Fresnel lens, sending two white flashes followed by one red. A watchman remained on duty to continuously reset and maintain the process, and ensure the lamp was lit.  

Seafaring economic prosperity was restored. Winchester Bay could no longer boast the original functioning Oregon light, but the maritime transportation system was operational again.

In 1883, the steamer Tacoma wrecked near the rivers entrance. The crew was being battered by storm waves within view of an unreachable shore until a group of hastily assembled volunteers gained national attention by rescuing the desperate men. In doing so they showed the need for a local U.S. Lifesaving Service Station. Later awarded gold and silver life saving medals, the volunteers were employed by the federal government to operate the first local lifesaving station, located on the north shore of the Umpqua.

By the 1940s and the end of World War II, both the Lifesaving Service, and Lighthouse Service had been enveloped into the expanding multi-mission service, the United States Coast Guard. The life saver's of Coast Guard Station Umpqua River would eventually inherit the responsibility of keeping the light and a new station and boathouse were built closer to the light on the south shore of the Umpqua.

The light was automated to an electric motor system in the 60s, and continued to shine across the Pacific Northwest seas unmanned. The automation allowed manpower to focus on other areas of the Coast Guard's responsibility.

SEATTLE — A U.S. Coast Guardsman carries a radio on beach patrol during World War II. During the 1st and 2nd World War, personnel at life saving stations were tasked with patrolling these shores in search of foreign threats. U.S. Coast Guard photo uploaded by Petty Officer 2nd Class Eric J. Chandler.

The light continued to shine, into another age of changing times. Large shipping traffic became less of a presence on the Umpqua and small recreational and fishing activity increased. The Coast Guard station moved again, to a location beside the newly constructed Salmon Harbor Marina.

Maritime navigation slowly changed as well. Global positioning satellites and advanced aid placement along the river's path of transit assisted boaters with perfect accuracy in rain, fog or dark of night. The light was now a romantic symbol of locality, antiquated and historic, and seldom used for more than a reference point.

This intricate navigational system requires a great deal of maintenance, and diverting personnel from active aids to maintain a historic one unnecessarily strained the manpower assigned here.

"Due to the weight of the lens, and its method of rotation on a track system, loss of power can damage the system," said Peloquin. "The wheels on which it rotates can only support the lens as long as it continues to turn. If it stops, blocks need to quickly be put in place to prevent the wheels from crushing under its own weight."  

Because of this, the light required an emergency response every time it stopped turning due to power outages or any other reason. This became difficult to manage for local units tasked with Coast Guard missions like search and rescue, homeland security and maintenance of more critical aids to navigation.

"Passing the care of the light to Douglas County enabled the community to keep its beacon, in interest of historical preservation, and its use by any mariners that may still use the light as a point of visual reference," said Peloquin.

It is a solution that allows the light to continue through the ages. To shine on the unknown future for both residence and Coast Guardsman. To remind us all of how the west was settled, and the small communities that ensured our place as one of the great maritime nations of the world.

ILWACO, Wash. — The Coast Guard invites the public to attend an open house and canned food drive at Station Cape Disappointment in Ilwaco, Saturday, May 19, 2012, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Station Cape Disappointment, the National Motor Lifeboat School, as well as the motor lifeboats and Homeland Security 25-foot response boat will be open for tours. A newly upgraded Coast Guard MH-60T Jayhawk helicopter will be on display, then flown by a crew to join a search-and-rescue demonstration with a 47-foot motor lifeboat crew.

A Coast Guard recruiter will be available to discuss career opportunities and the Coast Guard Auxiliary will be on scene to take vessel safety check appointments. Other local search-and-rescue agencies including fish and wildlife, fire and police will attend as well.

Canned food donations will be collected to benefit the Ilwaco Food Bank.

For more information, please contact Station Cape Disappointment at (360) 642-2382.

WHO: Coast Guard, Coast Guard Auxiliary, Washingon Dept. Fish and Wildlife, local police and fire, general public

WHAT: Coast Guard open house and canned food drive

WHERE: Coast Guard Station Cape Disappoinment, 322 Coast Guard Rd., Ilwaco

WHEN: Saturday, May 19, 2012, 9 a.m. - 3 p.m.

SEATTLE — Coast Guard Petty Officer 3rd Class Jennifer Mahn, a reservist from Coast Guard Station Portland, Ore., works as part of the Shorline Cleanup Assessment Technique team on the Gulf coast, 2010-2012. SCAT teams collect data on shoreline oiling conditions, prepare field maps detailing the areas surveyed and make cleanup recommendations. U.S. Coast Guard photo.

PORTLAND, Ore. — Coast Guard Petty Officer 3^rd Class Jennifer Mahn, a reservist with Coast Guard Station Portland, recently returned from an extended tour of duty for the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Response.

Mahn was called to active duty in August, 2010, and remained on active status for the 22 months following her report date.

During her tenure on the response, Mahn worked more than 1,500 hours as a Shoreline Cleanup Assessment Technique team member. SCAT teams perform a crucial role in environmental crisis response. Teams collect data on shoreline oiling conditions, preparing field maps and forms detailing the areas surveyed and making specific cleanup recommendations.

Mahn also served as the public relations outreach representative for the team.

“Petty Officer Mahn was placed in a role of great responsibility,” said Senior Chief Petty Officer James Richardson, an environmental liaison with the Gulf Coast Incident Management Team. “As a third class petty officer, she was in the unusual role as a federal representative on a major historic environmental response.”

Her most recent duty assignment was that of executive aid to the Federal On-Scene Coordinator.

“Jennifer’s contributions have been essential to the continued response efforts,” Richardson said. “Her perseverance, devotion to duty, initiative and flexibility are highly commended.”

In addition to working long and varied hours, Mahn also volunteered her time to serve as an assistant coach to the Gulf Breeze High School junior varsity softball team in Gulf Breeze, Fla.

Mahn has recently been accepted into Smith College School of Social Work, where she will be pursuing a master’s degree in social work.

For additional information contact the 13th Coast Guard District Public Affairs office at (206) 220-7237.

SEATTLE — Coast Guard Sector Puget Sound is monitoring the 128-foot fishing vessel Deep Sea, which sank in Penn Cove, Sunday, as a result of an onboard fire.

Ballard Diving and Salvage is scheduled to make an assessment dive, at approximately 9 p.m., to plug vents and seal the vessel’s fuel tanks to prevent any potential leakage.

Two skimmers are currently placing boom around the area of the sunken vessel. The Coast Guard Cutter Terrapin, based in Bellingham, Wash., is also on-scene providing a 200-yard safety zone.

Sector Puget Sound pollution investigators are en route to monitor the situation.

Information on the inital response to this vessel fire can be found at http://www.d13.uscgnews.com/go/doc/21/1430691/. 

For additional information contact the 13th Coast Guard District Public Affairs office at (206) 220-7237.

SEATTLE — The Coast Guard, Camano Island, Wash., and Whidbey Island, Wash., Fire Depts. have responded to a boat fire on an anchored 128-foot fishing vessel located in Penn Cove off Whidbey Island, Sunday. 

The Coast Guard received a report at 11:45 p.m., Saturday, from Island County Dispatch stating the vessel Deep Sea was completely engulfed in flames.

Attempts to put out the fire were ceased after the water from the fire fighting caused the Deep Sea to list. The concern was any additional water would cause it to sink. Meanwhile, the vessel fire resumed.

A 45-foot Response Boat-Medium crew from Coast Guard Station Seattle is on-scene to provide a 500-yard safety zone. The Coast Guard Cutter Terrapin is scheduled to relieve the station from the safety zone.    

Coast Guard Sector Puget Sound is working to locate the owner of the vessel. Sector investigation Dept. and pollution responders are scheduled to arrive on scene, Sunday.

For additional information contact the 13^th Coast Guard District Public Affairs Office at (206) 220-7237.

SEATTLE — Coast Guard Sector Puget Sound held their Boating Safety Expo in conjunction with the 2012 Seattle Maritime Festival at Bell Harbor Marina/Pier 66 on the waterfront near downtown Seattle.

SEATTLE — The U.S. Coast Guard  signed a final rule for the Hood Canal floating drawbridge near Port Gamble, Wash.

The  rule modifies the drawbridge operating regulation for the Hood Canal floating drawbridge near Port Gamble. The new rule allows the draw of the bridge to not open for maritime traffic from 3:00 p.m. until 6:15 p.m. every day during the summer months; from May 22 until September 30, every year. Vessels which do not require a bridge opening may continue to transit beneath the fixed sections of the bridge during this closure period.

“This modification would relieve heavy afternoon rush hour road traffic on State Routes 3 and 104.” said Cmdr. Daryl Peloquin, 13^th Coast Guard District Waterways Manager, “The rule allows the draws of the bridge to not open for maritime traffic during afternoon rush hour in the summer months.” 

Vessels of the U.S. Navy and vessels assisting with U. S. Naval operations, as well as commercial tug and tow vessels are exempt from this regulation.

This information is published in the Thirteenth Coast Guard District’s Local Notice to Mariners.  The  rule is not yet published in the Federal Register; its publication is anticipated this week  

For more information contact U.S. Coast Guard, 13th District Public Affairs Officer at (206) 220-7237.

SEATTLE — The Coast Guard rescued three fishermen, Wednesday, after their 37-foot vessel Karanna ran aground on the Chibahdehl Rocks, approximately four miles west of Neah Bay, Wash.

The operator of the vessel stated that he had fallen asleep while transiting, which resulted in the vessel grounding.

The Coast Guard launched a 47-foot motor lifeboat crew from Station Neah Bay and an MH-65C Dolphin helicopter crew from Air Station Port Angeles, Wash., after receiving a report that the vessel was taking on water at 3:35 a.m.

The motor lifeboat crew arrived on scene but was unable to pull alongside the Karanna due to the shallow waters. However, the three fishermen were able to swim to the motor lifeboat where they were safely brought onboard. The members were transferred to local EMS on shore and eventually released.

"I cannot emphasize enough the importance of standing a taut and vigilant watch when you are underway,” said Capt. Scott Ferguson, Commander of Coast Guard Sector Puget Sound. “The alternative could result in loss of life and significant impacts to the environment. Please stay sharp out there."

A salvage operation will be conducted as soon as weather permits.

For additional information contact the 13^th Coast Guard District Public Affairs office at (206) 220-7237.

ASTORIA, Ore. — Coast Guard Sector Columbia River, located in Warrenton, Ore., has filed a Class I Civil Penalty against a man for allegedly operating a recreational vessel for commercial purposes without proper state or Coast Guard issued commercial credentials.

Coast Guard Sector Columbia River’s Marine Safety Unit, located in Portland, Ore., took action after learning about an illegal charter operation from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.

WDFW undercover officers responded to an advertisement for $50 salmon fishing trips aboard the 32-foot recreational vessel Sherry Ann out of Chinook, Wash., in August 2011. The vessel’s owner/operator accepted payment from the officers for a day of fishing.

Sherry Ann’s owner/operator was arrested by WDFW and charged for operating without a WDFW issued limited entry commercial charter license and his vessel and fishing gear were seized for state forfeiture proceedings. Under state law, chartering without a license is a gross misdemeanor offense, punishable by up to a year in jail and a $5,000 fine.

Coast Guard Marine Safety Unit Portland initially issued a notice of violation to the owner/operator for operating an uninspected passenger vessel without a Coast Guard issued master’s license. If the owner/operator is found guilty of the recently filed Class I Civil Penalty, he faces up to $27,500 in fines.

“Many state and federal regulations associated with vessel operators taking passengers for hire are intended to protect the public’s safety,” said WDFW Deputy Chief Mike Cenci. “We take this collaborative agency role very seriously.”

“Legal charter operators and their vessels receive more scrutiny and oversight than everyday recreational fishermen,” said Chief Warrant Officer Howard McCarthy, investigating officer for Coast Guard MSU. “Charter operators require additional inspections and licenses. Illegal operators not only pose a safety hazard to those aboard their vessels and the vessels around them, they cheat the system and the legal charter businesses with whom they compete.”

The Coast Guard and WDFW will continue to aggressively enforce maritime and fishery regulations and prosecute violators to the fullest extent of the law.

For more information, please contact Petty Officer Nate Littlejohn at (503) 861-6132.

ASTORIA, Ore. — Coast Guard members from Station Cape Disappointment and Air Station Astoria respond to a man experiencing seizures aboard a fishing vessel near Long Beach, Wash., May 7, 2012. Coast Guard video by Station Cape Disappointment and Sector Columbia River.

ASTORIA, Ore. — The Coast Guard hoisted a man from a fishing vessel near Long Beach, Wash., Monday.

A Coast Guard MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew was diverted to the scene seven miles west of Long Beach when Sector Columbia River, in Warrenton, Ore., received a report that a crewmember aboard the fishing vessel Dorby S was suffering from seizures.

A 47-foot motor lifeboat crew from Station Cape Disappointment in Ilwaco, Wash., was also dispatched to the vessel where they assessed the man's condition.  The man was hoisted into the helicopter and flown to waiting medical personnel at Sector Columbia River.

For more information regarding this case, please contact Petty Officer Shawn Eggert at 503-861-6237.

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.