Category Archives: USCG

Chinese Navy Inside US EEZ in Bearing Sea, again

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A Coast Guard Cutter Kimball crewmember observing a foreign vessel in the Bering Sea, September 19, 2022. (USCG Photo)

Looks like the frigate-sized (but not frigate-armed) USCGC Kimball (WMSL 756) has once again spotted another PLAN task group bumping around inside the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone, which is legal of course since they were still far enough out to be in international waters, but is still kinda creepy.

As detailed by the USCG PAO:

The crew of U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Kimball (WMSL 756) detected three vessels approximately 124 miles north of the Amchitka Pass in the Aleutian Islands, and an HC-130J aircrew from U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak detected an additional vessel approximately 84 miles north of the Amukta Pass.

All four of the People’s Republic of China vessels were transiting in international waters but still inside the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone, which extends 200 nautical miles from the U.S. shoreline.

“The Chinese naval presence operated in accordance with international rules and norms,” said Rear Adm. Megan Dean, Seventeenth Coast Guard District commander. “We met presence with presence to ensure there were no disruptions to U.S. interests in the maritime environment around Alaska.”

The Chinese vessels responded to U.S. Coast Guard radio communication and their stated purpose was “freedom of navigation operations.” Coast Guard cutter Kimball continued to monitor all ships until they transited south of the Aleutian Islands into the North Pacific Ocean. The Kimball continues to monitor activities in the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone to ensure the safety of U.S. vessels and international commerce in the area.

The Coast Guard, in coordination with U.S. Northern Command, was fully aware of and tracked the Chinese naval presence. In September of 2021 and 2022, Coast Guard cutters deployed in the Bering Sea also encountered Chinese surface action groups.

The Kimball patrolled under Operation Frontier Sentinel, a Coast Guard operation designed to meet presence with presence when strategic competitors operate in and around U.S. waters. The U.S Coast Guard’s presence strengthens the international rules-based order and promotes the conduct of operations in a manner that follows international norms.

Coast Guard Cutter Kimball is a 418-foot legend class national security cutter homeported in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Of course, this isn’t the first time the USCG, as mentioned above, has seen PLAN assets in local Alaska waters– remember the Navy has more or less pulled out of the area long ago, with the Dutch Harbor Naval Base shuttered in 1947 and Naval Air Facility Adak closed in 1997, leaving the Coasties to basically run point on the 49th state with the exception of the SEAFAC range and a USNR center in Anchorage.

However, the Coasties do this largely with cutters sent from the West Coast and Hawaii, as the only forward-deployed cutter in the region is the USCGC Alex Haley (WMEC-39), ex-USS Edenton (ATS-1), a 3,500-ton/18-knot circa 1968 British-built converted salvage ship that only carries a pair of 25mm guns and another pair of 50 calls.

Not a lot of muscle. 

The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Alex Haley returns to homeport at Coast Guard Base Kodiak, Alaska, on Jan. 12, 2023, following an extended seven-month dry dock maintenance period in Seattle, Washington. Following its dry dock period, the Alex Haley will be able to continue operating as the Coast Guard’s primary asset in the Bering Sea with renewed and improved capabilities. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Ian Gray

It would be nice if the USCG managed to order a 12th National Security Cutter to replace Haley, or even if the Navy managed to keep an ancient Tico around and station it in the region if nothing else than to serve as an old dog asleep on the porch that could bark whenever interlopers get too close to the fence. Leave it under Third Fleet control. Light up that big SPY radar every now and then. Fire off a few missiles every RIMPAC. 

Heck, even RADM Robert “Fuzzy” Theobald’s Dutch Harbor-based Task Force Tare managed to scrape together five cruisers in June 1942.

Maybe start rotating 3-4 P-8 Poseidons at a time through Adak from the six active and one USNR squadrons at NAS Whidbey Island, at least during the summer months when the Chinese seem to be braving the Northern latitudes. It’s a concept the Pentagon looked at a couple years ago.

Anyway, putting away my Alaska soap box now. 

Scratch and Dent 4th Hand Coast Guard Cutter up for Grabs

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A port view of the Point class patrol boat USCGC Point Glass (WPB 82336) as it passes the starboard side of the harbor tug USS Arcata (YTB 768), Jan. 1983, likely in the Bremerton, Washington area. U.S. Navy Photo DNSC8506808 by PH3 F. Davidson, NARA 6392124

So this listing popped up for sale for a retired 82-foot USCG Point-class patrol cutter which appears to still be in very good shape:

The ad (for posterity):

Coast Guard cutter . Point glass. 82foot patrol boat. With a 4 foot dive platform which has a total length of 86 feet. Twin catipillar 3412 800hp turbocharged diesel motors. Hours are right over 2000 hours. Cummins twin diesel generators with around 600 hours…. History is from the us coast guard to NOAA. From NOAA to the Sea Scouts to myself. Always maintained. Many upgrades. Diver inspected. New zincs. Bottom, shafts and props are in good condition. Asking $150,000. Engines /trans/ alone worth $200,000. Reasonable offers considered.

USCGC Point Glass (WPB-82336) was built by the USCG Yard in Maryland and commissioned on 29 August 1962. Her Coast Guard service saw her stationed at Tacoma, Washington, from 1962 to 1970; Gig Harbor, Washington, from 1971 to 1989; and at Fort Lauderdale, Florida from 1990 until she decommissioned in 2000 when she was transferred to NOAA for use as a survey ship in the Gulf of Mexico.

Point Glass in her original early 1960s configuration without the racing stripe. Note the wooden punt. 

Point Glass had a key role in fighting the 1963 Tacoma dock fire, as noted by USCG History: July 14, 1963 — Pier 7 at Tacoma, Washington was engulfed in flames. CG-82336 (later designated USCGC Point Glass WPB 82336) based at Tacoma, proceeded immediately to the scene to assist the first department in fighting the blaze. The cutter towed the M/V Sanyo Maru away from the pier and was relieved of the tow by a tug. CG-82336 returned to the pier and towed the M/V Kikulo Maru to a safe anchorage. The Tacoma Fire Department then requested CG-82336 to coordinate firefighting efforts on the bay side of the pier, as the fire department was unable to cover the entire area because of the intensity of the fire. Unable to fight the fire under the pier, CG-82336 proceeded to a local boat mooring and acquired seven rental boats to assist. These boats, manned by local firemen and Coast Guard personnel, fought the fire under the pier. The fire was brought under control the next morning and Coast Guard units were secured. A fire Battalion Chief died and seven firemen were injured, but there were no Coast Guard casualties.

Point Glass in her later 1970s configuration with racing stripe and 81mm mortar/M2 .50 cal piggyback forward mount along with ready boxes. 

S/V Point Glass in her early 2000s NOAA configuration

She used to support the Sea Scouts on the Texas Gulf Coast from at least 2014 until 2020 when COVID basically killed the program.

Welcome Big Wave Dave

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The new 158-foot Sentinel (Webber) class cutter USCGC David Duren (WPC-1156) sailed into their new homeport of Astoria, Oregon, and became the first Fast Response Cutter to be homeported in the Pacific Northwest.

In doing so, she crossed the Columbia River Bar, known to mariners as the “Graveyard of the Pacific,” escorted by a quartet of 47-foot Motor Lifeboats from the famed National Motor Lifeboat School located in Ilwaco, Washington, making a series of great images.

Photos by Chief Warrant Officer (Ret.) Tom Molloy:

As noted by the USCG:

The cutter is named after Master Chief Petty Officer David Duren, a distinguished Coast Guard Surfman.
During his service in the Pacific Northwest, Duren used his Surfman skills and bravery to save many lives, earning the nickname “Big Wave Dave.”

Considered perhaps the finest boat driver in the history of the modern Coast Guard, he is remembered by his shipmates and mentees not only for his expertise in seamanship, but also for his leadership and character. Between 1979 and 1983, Duren deployed on search and rescue cases more frequently than any other officer-in-charge and, in one year, executed over 250 cases. During this tour, Duren received two Coast Guard Medals for exceptional heroism, and the Douglas A. Munro Inspirational Leadership Award. Perhaps more remarkable was the fact that the personnel under his watch at Depoe Bay earned a total of 24 medals and awards.

The legacy of Duren’s incredible bravery and dedication will live on through the missions performed by this new cutter for years to come.

Delivered by Bollinger in March– the 182nd vessel built for the USCG by the yard and the 56th FRC delivered– Duren is scheduled to be commissioned in late June.

In related news, the USCG exercised a contract option to award Bollinger two additional FRCs in late May. This announcement brings the total number of FRCs awarded to Bollinger up to 67 vessels since the program’s inception.

The Strangest Combat Tug in Seattle

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The Sotoyomo-class fleet tug moored at 6716 East Side Dr NE #1-526, with a view of Seattle’s Space Needle, has had an identity conflict over the years.

Built at Gulfport Boiler and Welding Works, Port Arthur, Texas in the last four months of 1944, this 143-foot “war baby” commissioned and served in WWII (earning a battle star in the Pacific for support in the Okinawa campaign) as USS ATA-202, then picked up the name USS Wampanoag on 16 July 1948.

Then, loaned to the Coast Guard as USCGC Comanche (WATA-202) in 1959, she was struck from the Navy List a decade later and began her second life as a full-fledged white-hulled medium endurance cutter (WMEC-202) off the California coast until she was laid up in 1980, capping 36 years service.

Following a third career as a commercial tug in the PacNorthWest, she has been used as a running (she still gets underway from time to time) museum ship by a series of foundations since 2007 and has been in Seattle since 2021.

Saluting her blue-side WWII service, and then her years as a proud USCG cutter, she wears a split livery.

Confusing Frigate Developments

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Thursday’s contracts included an order for two more Constellation class frigates. Emphasis mine:

Marinette Marine Corp., Marinette, Wisconsin, is awarded a $1,044,529,113 fixed-price incentive (firm-target) modification to previously awarded contract (N00024-20-C-2300) to exercise options for detail design and construction of two Constellation-class guided-missile frigates, FFG 66 and FFG 67. Work will be performed in Marinette, Wisconsin (51%); Camden, New Jersey (17%); Chicago, Illinois (7%); Green Bay, Wisconsin (4%); Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (3%); Hauppauge, New York (3%); Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin (3%); Cincinnati, Ohio (3%); Kaukauna, Wisconsin (2%); Charlotte, North Carolina (2%); Bethesda, Maryland (2%); Millersville, Maryland (2%); and Atlanta, Georgia (1%), and is expected to be completed by April 2030. Fiscal 2024 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) funds in the amount of $1,044,529,113 will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity.

So far, we have the USS Constellation (FFG 62), USS Congress (FFG 63), USS Chesapeake (FFG 64), and USS Lafayette (FFG 65), all echoing traditional early Navy names.

This comes as our beloved SECNAV (here comes the Navy ship naming convention soapbox) announced that the future FFG 66 will be named…USS Hamilton.

Now don’t get me wrong, there have been a couple of Hamiltons on the Navy List in the past, both named for the Madison’s SECNAV that served during the first part of the War of 1812: the current Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Paul Hamilton (DDG 60) and the Wickes-class destroyer/fast minesweeper USS Hamilton (DD-141/DMS-18/AG-111) that served from 1919 through 1945.

USS Paul Hamilton DDG-60

However, this will not be for Paul Hamilton, but instead for Alexander Hamilton, the Army artillerist who was the first Secretary of the Navy and the guy generally seen as the father of today’s Coast Guard.

The reason this hoses me off is because of the Coast Guard’s long history with the name including a brand-new National Security class cutter USCGC Hamilton (WMSL-753) that was commissioned in 2014, the Vietnam/Cold War era 378-foot class leader USCGC Hamilton (WHEC-715) that served from 1967 to 2011, the Treasury class 327-foot cutter (WPG-34) which was sunk by a U-boat in WWII, as well as circa 1921, 1871, and 1830 cutters that carried the name.

BLACK SEA (April 30, 2021) U.S. Coast Guard members conduct boat and flight procedures on the USCGC Hamilton (WMSL 753) with Turkish naval members aboard the TCG Turgutreis (F 241) in the Black Sea, April 30, 2021

USCGC Hamilton (WHEC-715)

USCGC Alexander Hamilton (WPG-34) departs Boston for a Neutrality Patrol off the Grand Banks in November of 1939

The Hamilton at sea, 1978 painting at USCG Museum

Once the future USS Hamilton (FFG 66) joins the fleet, it will cause tactical confusion in the respect that there is already a San Diego-based destroyer USS Paul Hamilton (DDG 60), and the frigate-sized USCGC Hamilton (WMSL-753).

Surely, there is no shortage of traditional early U.S. Navy names that can be recycled without both ripping off the Coast Guard and causing confusion down the line. Perhaps there could be an 11th USS Ranger, ninth USS Hornet or USS Dolphin, eighth USS Lexington, seventh USS Shark, sixth USS Franklin, USS Ticonderoga, USS Hancock, or USS Concord, or fourth USS Valley Forge? Just saying.

Or, how about this: the USS Benjamin Stoddert, after the first SECNAV? Only two ships have carried it in the past– DD-302 and DDG-22– and it has been missing from the Navy List since 1991?

But then again, ole Ben Stoddart doesn’t have a hit Broadway musical to his credit.

Cape Jellison, is that you?

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It seems a used– but not too abused– Cold War-era former Cape class cutter/patrol boat is up for sale– cheap.

One of the nine 95-foot Type B Capes completed in the 1950s (there were 36 of the vessels, which were intended to be coastal subchasers in time of war, constructed between 1953 and 1959), USCGC Cape Jellison (WPB-95317) patrolled first the waters of San Diego (1956-73), and then Seward, Alaska (1973-November 1986), primarily Search and Rescue and Law Enforcement missions.

In her SAR role, she rescued the power craft El Gusto (1969), sailboat Siestar, power craft Cleff, and power craft Dowager Jones (1970), along with the FV Kathy Joanne (1982), while her LE patrols yielded a couple of large pot busts. Hey it was the 80s. 

She carried the curious Coast Guard-invented piggyback Mk 2 Mod 0 and Mod 1 .50 BMG/81mm mortar forward, seen above while in Alaskan waters.

Post decommissioning in December 1986, she was transferred to the Navy for use as a range control and dive support boat at San Clemente Island/Naval Base Coronado, then donated in turn to the Boys and Girls Club of South San Francisco as the Cape Hurricane and then later to the Sea Scouts where she operated as SSS Challenger until at least 2020.

She has seen better days but still looks great, and could easily be preserved as a small museum ship.

Spotted in the Redwood City, California Craigslist “boat” section, listed since 15 April and repeated here for posterity:

95’ RETIRED CAPE CLASS USCG CUTTER
FORMERLY USCGC CAPE JELLISON (WPB-95317)

Builder: US Coast Guard Yard – Curtis Bay, MD
Year Built: 1955
Length Overall: 95’
Beam: 19’
Draft: 6.5’
Displacement: ~90 tons
Last yard period: 2019

HULL, STRUCTURE, INTERIOR
Keel, bottom, topsides & decks: Steel
Superstructure: Aluminum
Deck Hardware: One single boat davit with 110 VAC electric winch, one electric smooth-drum vertical capstan with wildcat for anchor chain, Danforth anchor in hawsepipe with all-chain rode, eight mooring bitts with closed chocks
Berthing: Accommodations for 25 as follows: One Single berth commanding officer’s stateroom, two two-berth staterooms, two forward berthing spaces with six and three berths respectively. One aft berthing space with 11 berths
Heads: Three heads, each with shower and sink. One forward, one amidships, one aft.
Galley: Equipped with four-burner full size electric range with oven, two-basin sink with hot/cold water, full size refrigerator with top freezer, dry goods storage
Mess Deck: Two mess tables with seating for 16
Wheelhouse: Wheel steering with pneumatic engine controls. Furuno radar, Furuno depth sounder, two Uniden VHF radios. Em-Trak AIS Class A with GPS, Nav center with full size chart table

SYSTEMS
Main Engines: Four Cummins VT-12, 12-cylinder Turbo-Diesels, tandem installation (two engines per shaft). Fresh water cooled with sea water heat exchangers. Pneumatic start, pneumatic controls. Three engines operational, one disassembled (many parts on hand). Vessel normally operated on two engines.
Gears: Capitol Gears ~3:1 reduction with selectable engine engagement (enables 1 or 2 engines per side to drive the propeller)
Propellers: Two five-blade bronze construction propellers
Generators: Two Detroit Diesel, model 2-71, 24-volt DC electric start, 20 kw, 440 volts three-phase AC generators
Electrical System: DC System: One 12-volt 8D battery for wheelhouse electronics, two 2-volt 8D batteries series wired for 24 VDC generator starting. AC system: 50 amp 440 volts three phase, 220 volts for galley range, 117 volts three phase house power. Shore power: 50 amp 440 volts three phase primary shore power. Also equipped to accept 110 volts shore power to supply house loads, configurable for 110 or 220 volts input.
Fuel System: Three integral storage tanks, ~3,100 gallon total capacity. One integral day tank, ~150 gallon capacity. Electric transfer pump (storage tanks to day tank) with triplex fuel filter/water separator. Duplex fuel filler/water separator at each main engine, single fuel filter/water separator at each generator.
Fresh Water System: Two integral storage tanks, ~1,100 gallon total capacity, electric water heater.
Pneumatics: Two electric air compressors, two storage tanks for starting air, one storage tank for control and service air.
Steering System: Manual wheel steering, cable-driven with hydraulic assist, two rudders, emergency hand operation
Ventilation: Natural and blowers. Two-speed supply and exhaust fans forward and aft. Two Two-speed supply fans for engine room
Black Water System: ~150-gal steel holding tank with electric discharge pump and hand backup. Thru-hull (locked secure) and main deck discharge

Eagle, South!

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America’s tall ship, the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Eagle (WIX 327), broke out canvas to depart Fort Trumbull in New London, on Saturday to begin the training vessel’s annual three-month summer cruise. Some 88 years young, she is carrying her fifth, recently installed, figurehead on her bow, in addition to a working cargo of mids.

For those not already aware, Eagle, a trophy ship from WWII, is a majestic 295-foot, three-masted barque used as a training vessel for future officers of the USCG and NOAA and is simultaneously the largest tall ship flying the Stars and Stripes and the only active square-rigger in U.S. government service.

Eagle’s 2024 full summer schedule includes port visits to:

  • May 25 – May 28: Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
  • June 4 – June 7: Cartagena, Colombia
  • June 14 – June 17: San Juan, Puerto Rico
  • June 24 – June 27: Bridgetown, Barbados
  • July 7 – July 10: Hamiliton, Bermuda
  • July 18 – July 21: Halifax, Nova Scotia
  • July 26 – July 29: Portsmouth, New Hampshire
  • Aug. 2 – August 5: Rockland, Maine
  • Aug. 9 – August 12: Boston, Massachusetts

Eagle is scheduled to return to New London on Aug. 16.

A more detailed look at her sked:

If you have a chance to visit her, you will not be disappointed.

Seperated by 9,000 miles: 66 & 77

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80 years ago.

Two Gator (LST Mk 2) sister ships, built almost side-by-side in the same yard in Indiana (Jeffboat), were hard at work on opposite sides of the globe in two very different campaigns in the same week.

USS LST-66 disembarking troops while beached at Red Beach #2, Tanah Merah Bay, Dutch New Guinea (Hollandia Operation), 23 April 1944. (US National Archives Identifier 205584995, Local Identifier 26-G-2184, U.S. Coast Guard Photo # 2184. by Coast Guard photographer Struges)

USS LST-77 lands Fifth Army M-4 Sherman medium tanks on the Anzio Waterfront, Italy, on 27 April 1944. National Archives SC 189668

USS LST-66, under the command of LT. Howard E. White, USCGR, had been built by the Jeffersonville Boat & Machine Co., Jeffersonville, Indiana between August 1942 and April 1943. Sailing for the Pacific, she joined LST Flotilla Eleven where she landed troops and equipment during the Bismarck Archipelago operation (Cape Gloucester, Admiralty Islands), Eastern New Guinea (Saidor), Hollandia, Western New Guinea (Toem-Wakde-Sarmi, Biak, Noemfoor, Cape Sanaspoor, Morotai), Leyte, Luzon, Mindanao, and Balikpapan, earning eight battle stars and the Navy Unit Commendation. Decommissioned, on 26 March 1946 and struck soon after, she was sold for scrap in 1948.

USS LST-77, under the command of LT(jg) Anothy Kohout Jr., USNR, had been built by the Jeffersonville Boat & Machine Co., Jeffersonville, Indiana between February and July 1943. She sailed to Europe and fought off German attacks as part of the hard-luck Convoy UGS-37, landed troops and equipment at Anzio, and participated in the Dragoon Landings in Southern France– delivering troops to Grande Beach on 24 August 1944 and St Tropez the following week. Loaned to the Royal Navy in December 1944, she was sailed around the Adriatic as a part of the 11th Flotilla, carrying troops, partisans, and civilians until October 1945 when handed back over to the USN. She was stricken from the NVR in 1946 and sold the following year for scrap, having earned two battle stars.

And in USCG News…

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Lots of stories from the Coast Guard that you may have missed (as they don’t get much press).

Polar Star Returns

The 48-year-old USCGC Polar Star (WAGB-10) and her crew have returned home to Seatle after a monumental 138-day deployment to Antarctica in support of Operation Deep Freeze 2024.

The crew of the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Polar Star (WAGB 10) stands on the ice in front of the cutter in McMurdo Sound, Antarctica, Dec. 29, 2023. Every year, a joint and total force team works together to complete a successful Operation Deep Freeze season. Active, Guard, and Reserve service members from the U.S. Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, and Navy work together to forge a strong JTF-SFA that continues the tradition of U.S. military support to the United States Antarctic Program. (U.S. Coast Guard photo

During their deployment, the crew traveled over 27,500 miles, navigating through various oceans and breaking through thick Antarctic ice to ensure the delivery of vital supplies, including nine million gallons of fuel and 80 million pounds of cargo, to resupply the United States Antarctic stations, in support of the National Science Foundation (NSF) – the lead agency for the United States Antarctic Program (USAP).

After arriving in Antarctica, the cutter broke a 38-mile channel through fast ice up to 12 feet thick, creating a navigable route for cargo vessels to reach McMurdo Station. The Polar Star and crew executed three close-quarters ice escorts for cargo vessels through difficult ice conditions to guarantee the delivery of nine million gallons of fuel and 80 million pounds of cargo to advance scientific endeavors in the most remote region of the world. The cutter departed the Antarctic region on Feb. 14 after 51 days of operations in support of Operation Deep Freeze 2024.

Harriet Lane Flexes in the Pacific Rim

The 40-year-old 270-foot USCGC Harriet Lane (WMEC 903), the only member of her class deployed to the Pacific, just completed her inaugural 15,000-mile, 79-day Operation Blue Pacific Patrol in Oceania.

Just moved to the Pacific after a 15-month SLEP, it looks like they ditched her old MK75 OTO for a 25mm MK38 Mod 2, which offers better optical fire control but far less punch. At least she still has her AN/SLQ-32 electronic warfare suite that hopefully has been updated to a (V)3 standard, which would allow her to jam. Plus, in theory, she could carry an MH-60. 

U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Harriet Lane (WMEC 903) crew renders honors to the Battleship Missouri Memorial as the Harriet Lane and crew return to home port in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, April 9, 2024. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Senior Chief Petty Officer Charly Tautfest)

Based now in Hawaii, Harriet Lane and crew “partnered alongside allies and several Pacific Island countries from January to April 2024. Among those countries were Samoa, Fiji, Vanuatu, Australia, Papua New Guinea, Nauru and Marshall Islands. The focus was on advising and sharing best practices, along with bolstering our partners’ capabilities to promote and model good maritime governance in the region.”

Of note, the Chinese ambassador said that USCG boarding of their trawlers in Oceania is illegal, so there’s that.

Bertholf Returns from West Pac Deployment

The more modern 4,600-ton USCGC Bertholf (WMSL 750) and crew returned home on 10 April following a 21,000-mile, 98-day Indo-Pacific deployment in support of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command and U.S. Navy’s Seventh Fleet.

Throughout the deployment, Bertholf led international engagements in the Republic of Singapore, Malaysia, and India, strengthening interoperability and maritime governance through joint at-sea exercises, professional engagements, and subject matter expert exchanges.

U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Bertholf (WMSL 750) transits near the Singapore Straits, on Feb. 29, 2024. The Bertholf is a 418-foot National Security Cutter currently deployed to the Indo-Pacific region under the tactical control of the U.S. 7th Fleet. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer Steve Strohmaier)

Meanwhile, in the 4th Fleet AOR…

Coast Guard Reserve crews from three Port Security Units (PSU) will be conducting exercise “Poseidon’s Domain” along the northeast and eastern coasts of Puerto Rico from April 8 to April 25. The exercise will train crews from PSUs 305, 307, and 309 on Coast Guard Reserve PSU functions in support of national defense and homeland security missions.

The company-sized units deployed– with their boats and equipment– via USCG HC-130s, which is cool.

 

The PSU training events will include boat operations, unmanned aerial system operations, and Life Support Area establishment. PSU crews will also work with the U.S. Army Reserve 432nd Transportation Company, U.S. Customs and Border Protection-Air and Marine Operations Fajardo Maritime Unit, Maritime Surveillance Division FURA and Policía de Puerto Rico Distrito Vieques to enhance joint maritime security capabilities in the region.

Finally, an embarked USCG Law Enforcement Detachment (LEDET) aboard the elderly Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Leyte Gulf (CG 55) recently intercepted three different vessels while on patrol in the Caribbean Sea under USSOUTHCOM/JIATF-South orders.

One of the vessels, it should be pointed out, was a narco sub (self-propelled semi-submersible drug smuggling vessel), which then became the subject of a SINKEX.

240322-G-N3764-1001 ATLANTIC OCEAN (March 22, 2024) – The Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Leyte Gulf (CG 55), embarked U.S. Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment (LEDET) and Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 50 work together to intercept a self-propelled semi-submersible drug smuggling vessel (SPSS), in the Atlantic Ocean, March 22, 2024. Leyte Gulf is on a scheduled deployment in the U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command area of operations, employed by the U.S. Fourth Fleet to support joint and combined military operations, which include counter-illicit drug trafficking missions in the Caribbean and the Atlantic. (U.S. Coast Guard Courtesy Photo/Released)

Douglas World Cruisers at 100

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This month marks the centennial of the first successful aerial circumnavigation of the globe.

Kicked off on 6 April 1924 when four pairs of U.S. Army Air Service pilots and mechanics, using modified War Department-owned Navy Douglas DT torpedo bombers, departed West from Seattle’s Sand Point Aerodrome, some 27,550 miles and 175 days (363 flying hours) later, two planes flew back in from the East on 28 September 1924, having made 74 stops in 22 different countries– the latter high number both for publicity as well as refuel/repair.

Keep in mind these were open-cockpit aircraft produced only two decades after the Wright Brothers first proved flying a powered heavier-than-air machine was even possible. 

The four planes included the Seattle (No. 1)– Maj. Frederick L. Martin (Pilot and Flight Commander) and Staff Sgt. Alva L. Harvey (Mechanic), Chicago (No. 2)– Lt. Lowell H. Smith (Pilot, subsequent Flight Commander) and 1st Lt. Leslie P. Arnold (Mechanic), Boston (No. 3)– 1st Lt. Leigh P. Wade (Pilot) and Staff Sgt. Henry H. Ogden (Mechanic), and New Orleans (No. 4)– Lt. Erik H. Nelson (Pilot – Engineer) and Lt. John Harding Jr. (Chief Mechanic).

Seattle at Vancouver Barracks

Chicago. When crossing the open ocean, the DT-2s were fitted with floats

Boston at Vancouver Barracks

New Orleans at Vancouver Barracks

Airplanes New Orleans, Chicago, and Boston at Rockwell Field, San Diego, California, March 1924 before the expedition’s launch in April. NH 884

Chicago and New Orleans finished the flight (both of which are preserved) with Smith, Arnold, Wade, Nelson, and Ogden winning the Mackay Trophy, and all fliers were authorized a medal of honor and a $10,000 bonus by Congress.

Chicago at NASM NASM-NASM2020-07130-000001

Seattle crashed in dense fog into a mountainside near Port Moller on the Alaska Peninsula in April while Boston was lost at sea near the Faroes in August, with both crews (eventually) recovered alive.

Besides being done in what were essentially converted Navy torpedo bombers, the Navy and Coast Guard extensively supported the flight. In particular, USS Noa (DD-342), USS Charles Ausburn (DD-294), USS Hart (DM-8), USS Milwaukee (CL-5), and USS Richmond (who rescued the crew of Boston), were assigned to assist with cross-ocean portions of the trip. 

Navy supporting “Around the World Flyers” 1924. NH 883

USS Milwaukee (CL-5) At Ivigtut, Greenland, July 1924, awaiting the arrival of the U.S. Army around-the-world fliers. Donation of Mr. & Mrs. Don St. John, 1990. NH 96690

U.S. Army Around the World Flight, 1924 Three U.S. Army Air Corps flyers on board USS Richmond (CL-9), explaining their route to Sailors. Photographed at Hunters Bay, Orkney Islands, Scotland, circa mid-1924. The flyers are Lieutenants Arnold, Smith, and Wade. NH 880

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