Funeral Scheduled for CG-6505 Crew Member AST1 David Skimin

Washington - The Coast Guard announced today that a memorial service for Petty Office First Class David Skimin will be held at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, September 20, 2008. AST1 Skimin was killed on September 4, 20008 in Hawaii when the HH-65C helicopter he was flying in, CG-6505, crashed.

The memorial service will be held at the Church of Jesus Christ of Lattter Day Saints, 3860 N. Waterman Ave, San Bernadino, CA 92404. Phone 909-881-0869. Directions to the church can be found at Yahoo Local.

The family has invited all Coast Guard personnel to attend. For those attending prescribed uniform is SDB Bravo. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Coast Guard Foundation in the name of AST1 David Skimin.

The Commandant also announced that the national ensign will be flown at half mast all day on all Coast Guard buildings, grounds and vessels not underway.

Three killed in Coast Guard helicopter crash, one remains missing

HONOLULU —  Coast Guard spokesman Lt. John Titchen says that three members of the crew of an HH-65 helicopter from Air Station Barbers Point were killed when their helicopter crashed in waters about five miles south of Honolulu last night.  Another crewmember remains  missing.

The helicopter crashed at 8:15 p.m. Thursday as the crew was conducting search and rescue drills with a 47-foot motor lifeboat from Station Honolulu.

The Coast Guard is not releasing the names of the crewmembers at this time.

The HH-65 helicopter was manufactured for the Coast Guard by Aerospatiale in the 1980’s and is not capable of water landings.

Coast Guard Continues Operation Salliq Above Arctic Circle

ANCHORAGE, Alaska - Coast Guard units continue testing operational capabilities of various assets during Operation Salliq in Barrow, Alaska. The 16-day operation includes two HH-65 Dolphin helicopters, one from Air Station Kodiak and another from Air Station San Francisco and two 25-foot response boats from Station Valdez. Boat and air crews have been in Barrow since July 27 and are expected to end the operation August 11. The overall exercise will determine what Coast Guard requirements and capabilities lie in the Arctic.

Based on priorities outlined in the National Security Council’s interagency review of Arctic policy, it is anticipated that the Coast Guard will have the following expanding Arctic roles and missions in the next five to ten years:

• Enhance National Security
• Project U.S. presence
• Protect sovereignty in Arctic
• Safeguard our oceans and resources
• Pollution prevention & response related to increased destinational shipping & offshore energy exploration in the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas Living Marine Resource protection
• Facilitate safe navigation and protect Arctic maritime commerce associated with destinational traffic Waterways management Arctic shipping standards via IMO Enhance Arctic Domain Awareness SAR (eco-tourism and subsistence fishing/hunting) Arctic mariner credential/licensing standards
• Support expanding year round research in Arctic

Video Breakdown

Part 1 Coast Guard members from around the state of Alaska arrive in Barrow to conduct Arctic operations.

Part 2 Coast Guard personnel forward deployed to Barrow from small boat stations around Alaska conduct small boat operations offshore.

Part 3 Members of Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak conduct rescue swimmer operations offshore of Barrow in support of the Arctic effort.

Coast Guard Accepts Fifth HC-144A Maritime Patrol Aircraft

Washington - The Coast Guard’s aviation recapitalization efforts show continued success as the fifth HC-144A “Ocean Sentry” Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MPA), Tail Number (CG 2305), departed the EADS construction facility in Seville, Spain on July 31 enroute to the Coast Guard Aviation Training Center in Mobile, Alabama. Three additional aircraft are on contract and scheduled for delivery to the Coast Guard by February 2009. Service plans call for a fleet of 36 fully missionized HC-144As by 2020.

Part of the Coast Guard’s Deepwater Major Acquisition Program, the HC-144As will replace the Service’s aging fleet of HU-25 Falcon jets. The HC-144A is a derivative of the EADS/CASA CN-235-300 and significantly enhances the mission execution capability of Coast Guard aircrews. This fixed-wing turbo prop aircraft will perform various missions, including maritime patrol, law enforcement, search and rescue, disaster response, and cargo and personnel transport. Additionally, the “Ocean Sentry” provides the added operational capability of a hydraulic-operated rear ramp, with superb fuel efficiency–consuming less fuel than the HU-25 or HC-130.

When equipped with its roll-on, roll-off Mission System Pallet (MSP) suite of electronic equipment, the aircraft crew is able to compile data from the aircraft’s multiple integrated sensors and transmit and receive both classified “Secret”-level and unclassified information to and from other assets, including surface vessels, other aircraft, local law enforcement, and shore facilities. With multiple voice and data communications capabilities, including UHF/VHF, HF, and Military and Commercial Satellite Communications (SATCOM), the HC-144A will be able to contribute to a Common Tactical Picture (CTP) and Common Operating Picture (COP) through a networked Command and Control (C2) system which provides data sharing via SATCOM. The aircraft is also equipped with a vessel Automatic Identification System, direction-finding equipment, surface search radar, an Electro-Optical/Infra-Red system, and electronic surveillance measures equipment to improve situational awareness and responsiveness. The aircraft systems are TEMPEST certified, meaning they meet current federal requirements to guard against the potential emanation of intelligence-compromising electromagnetic radiation (EMR) from computer and telecommunications equipment.

Previously delivered HC-144A aircraft already have proven their capabilities in the field. During a routine training flight on February 20 of this year, a HC-144A was diverted to assist with a search and rescue mission following the collision of two Air Force F-15 aircraft over the Gulf of Mexico. The HC-144A quickly became the on-scene rescue coordinator and successfully led a multi-agency rescue mission, which included assets from the Coast Guard, the Department of Defense, and civilian partners. The HC-144A also provided invaluable reconnaissance capabilities during the Midwestern floods on June 19, 2008, when it assisted Coast Guard and local government officials determine where response and recovery resources should be utilized in the ongoing flood relief efforts. In both cases, the HC-144A’s long range, loitering capability, endurance, and passenger capacity suited to the requirements of the mission, demonstrating the HC-144A is well-matched to the multi-mission Coast Guard it will serve.

Next Steps:

The fifth aircraft will supplement the previously delivered aircraft as the HC-144A undergoes a formal Operational Test and Evaluation (OT&E) process prior to entering operational service for the Coast Guard in 2009. Key elements of that process are listed below:

* OT&E, Phase 1, “Test Planning and Preparation,” was completed in June 2008.
* OT&E, Phase 2, “Data Collection,” commenced July 28, 2008 and will continue through November 2008.
* OT&E, Phase 3, “Analysis and Reporting,” is scheduled for December 2008 through mid-February 2009.

For more information, check out the HC-144A “Ocean Sentry” website.

First Operational Helicopter Landing on Coast Guard’s newest Cutter

Los Angeles – U.S. Coast Guard Pacific Area Commander, Vice Admiral David Pekoske, arrived on the Coast Guard’s new National Security Cutter Bertholf at approximately 11:45 this morning. VADM Pekoske’s arrival aboard a Coast Guard Air Station Los Angeles helicopter marked the first operational landing by a Pacific Area Unit.

VADM Pekoske joined Bertholf out at sea today for its homecoming voyage and first homeport arrival to Alameda, Calif. After arriving at the Los Angeles International Airport, VADM Pekoske and his aide Lieutenant Jason Cameron met with Aircrew members Lieutenant Commander Toby Holdridge, Lieutenant Jorge Porto, and Chief Warrant Officer Brian Carlton at Coast Guard Air Station Los Angeles to fly the Dolphin off the California Coast to meet Bertholf.

Bertholf is the first ship in the Coast Guard’s new class of highly capable, technologically advanced, mulit-mission cutters built by Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding, Pascagoula, Miss. Christened on November 11, 2006, Veterans’ Day and named after Commodore Ellsworth P. Bertholf, the first Commandant of the Coast Guard. Bertholf is the first of eight National Security Cutters to be built for the Coast Guard. Bertholf will be pulling into its new homeport Wednesday at 11:00 a.m.

Coast Guard Falcon Makes Emergency Landing in Indiana

A U.S. Coast Guard Falcon  jet landed safely after circling the Purdue University airport for about an hour this afternoon.The plane had been trying to burn off fuel before attempting a landing with what pilots thought might be damaged landing gear.

The plane, had three people on board, according to Betty Stansbury, Purdue airport director. The Falcon 20 is a mid-sized transport jet.

Stansbury said the plane was scheduled for a planned fuel stop at Purdue when a landing gear indicator light came on.

The plane started circling about 11:45 a.m. and landed around 1 p.m.

Police, firefighters and other emergency crews had assembled at the airport, waiting for the plane to land.

HC-130 launches to search

KODIAK, Alaska - A HC-130 Hercules airplane from Air Station Kodiak launches to search for a missing Japanese balloonist in the North Pacific Ocean Feb. 1, 2008.

Official U.S. Coast Guard video by PA1 Kurt Fredrickson.

Coast Guard Rescues F-15 Pilot South of Oahu

HONOLULU - Oahu-based Coast Guard crews rescued a downed Hawaii Air National Guard pilot about 60 miles south of Oahu today at approximately 2:15 p.m.

Three rescue aircraft crews from Coast Guard Air Station Barbers Point and crewmembers aboard the Coast Guard cutter Ahi, an 87-foot patrol boat, immediately responded to the incident, which occurred at 1:37 p.m. The Coast Guard was notified at 1:45 p.m. concerning the distress.

A crewmember aboard one of the rescue helicopters hoisted the pilot and transferred him to The Queen’s Medical Center at approximately 3 p.m. The pilot was reported to be in good condition.

Crewmembers from the cutter Ahi, the cutter Kukui, a 225-foot buoy tender, and Coast Guard aircraft crews will stay on scene to check for pollution and debris.