Alameda Cutter Recognized For Record Drug Interdiction

ALAMEDA, Calif. - The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Sherman was presented the Golden Eagle Award here today for superior performance in the interdiction of illicit drugs during the ship’s deployment to the U.S. Southern Command area of responsibility.

The award was presented by Mark Campbell, Chief of International Interdiction and U.S. Interdiction Coordinator executive director, and Patrick Ward, acting Deputy for Supply Reduction in the Office of National Drug Control Policy, both from Washington, D.C.

Working with the Coast Guard Cutter Hamilton, from San Diego, the two cutters recently recovered approximately 42,845 pounds of cocaine aboard the Panamanian flagged motor vessel Gatun during a maritime seizure.

Arctic Ocean Patrol Interview with Rear Admiral Gene Brooks

Arctic Ocean - The Seventeenth Coast Guard District Commander, Rear Adm. Gene Brooks, deployed on the Coast Guard Cutter Hamilton, which is the first of its class to patrol the Arctic Ocean.

During Brooks’ deployment with the Hamilton he made visits with community leaders in Little Diomede and met with the Hamilton crew to discuss the importance of their role in Coast Guard operations in the Arctic Ocean.

Before leaving the Hamilton, Rear Admiral Brooks spoke to Petty Officer Richard Brahm about the historic trip and what the Coast Guard hoped to learn from it.

Coast Guard Cutter Hamilton Arctic Patrol - Aug. 31, 2008

Journal Entry - Aug. 31, 2008 - Arctic Ocean

Position: Arctic Sea, 66-33.3N, 168-20.4W

Weather: Winds: NE 7kts. Temp: 45 F. Sea Temp: 48 F. Seas/Swells: 4 foot.

Crew Journal:

WHEC Hamilton was about to make Coast Guard History as I finished the evening the meal and headed towards the Armory. Just as I got comfortable in my favorite chair the bridge began to pipe “Now set the LE Bill, set the LE Bill. Blue Team on Deck, Boarding Team consists of LTJG Brook, ENS Edes, CWO Haldeman, GM1 Schoknecht, and GM1 Wilson.” Immediately GM1 Schoknecht and I raced up to the LE Staging Area, donned our MSD-900s, and waited to be issued our Law Enforcement Gear. At first it seemed like a typical boarding that presented no particular challenges to our highly experienced boarding team. Some of the team members have conducted hundreds of boardings pertaining to various types of CG missions such as Fisheries Enforcement, Recreational Boating Safety, and Drug Interdiction. “This is different. You are making history Wilson. No Coast Guard Cutter has done a Law Enforcement Boarding in the Artic since the Cutter Bear of the Revenue Cutter Service,” CWO Haldeman said. As things started to sink in about all the hype, I realized we might be making history but really this was no different than any other time we go out. You’ve got to stay focused, fall back on your training, and make the mission happen.

As I headed down the Jacob’s ladder into the Over the Horizon Small Boat I got a better idea of what the sea condition was actually like. It was sloppy with four to seven foot waves, and it goes with out saying that the water is cold up here. Finally, we were away. BM1 Young, the Coxswain, raced the team over to the vessel Geraldine home ported out of Alameda, CA. Once on scene we realized the 47 foot vessel was too small for the whole team to embark. LTJG Brook, Boarding Officer, made the call and instructed the team that the Assistant Boarding Officer, ENS Edes, and I would be the only ones to go over. The Coxswain skillfully pulled our small boat along side. In a matter of seconds all three of us were over the rail safely. “It would have been something you would have seen in an action movie like Bad Boys,” said GM1 Schoknecht. Once onboard we greeted the skipper and crew of the Geraldine. As the BO and ABO started with all the formalities I began to climb down into the engine room and commence the Initial Safety Inspection. Both Engines were immaculate, and there was barely any water in the bilge. I was impressed. It was almost like the boat had never left port before. By now the skipper informed LTJG Brook and ENS Edes of his recent engine troubles, particularly a possible governor malfunction. The governor malfunction prevented the vessel Geraldine from coming down to idle speed by freezing the throttle controls. Quickly, LTJG Brook called over to the Cutter asking for assistance. Hamilton answered the call and sent over a highly experienced small boat mechanic, MK2 Angulo. As the small boat raced back and fourth between the Cutter and vessel Geraldine, the boarding team continued with the boarding. I started to check for all required safety gear, immersion suits, pyrotechnics, and life rafts to ensure the vessel would be able to respond to any type of emergency. As we wrapped things up, MK2 Angulo arrived on scene. He spoke with the skipper and vessel’s engineer to see if we could offer assistance. Of course MK2 Angulo decided to climb down into the engine room and get a better look at the problem. I was impressed as I tried to offer him a hand. MK2 had a vast knowledge of the vessel’s configuration as he inspected the governor malfunction thoroughly. It felt like a hundred degrees down there and with the sea condition being less than tolerable, MK2 struggled but continued on. “That is what we are out here to do. Help people!” said ENS Edes. Finally, after MK2 completed his inspection, and offered the vessel engineer on how to correct the malfunction. This problem was deemed not as threatening as it first appeared and that they could fix it at their next port of call, Nome. The call was made to disembark the vessel. Prior to leaving, the skipper and all crewmembers thanked us for the help and praised us for our service to our Country. And with that, the first ever CG law enforcement boarding of a vessel in the Arctic Ocean by a modern High Endurance Cutter came to an end.

This is what makes it all worth while, the sheer fact that we go out to help others. That to me is what the Coast Guard was founded upon, and that is the reason why I wake up every morning to do the mission to my highest ability.

Article written by:

GM1 Joshua G. Wilson

Coast Guard Cutter Hamilton Arctic Patrol - Aug. 29, 2008

Journal Entry - Aug. 29, 2008 - Beaufort Ocean

The Coast Guard is extending High Endurance cutter operations from the Bering Sea into the Chukchi Sea, the Beaufort Sea, and the Arctic Ocean. This operation supports the Department of Homeland Security’s efforts to extend maritime safety and security to the Arctic region in the face of retreating polar sea ice. The Coast Guard Cutter Hamilton will be the lead cutter in the United States’ push to extend security to U.S. Arctic waters. As part of this historic operation, the Hamilton is providing daily journal entries.

Position: Beaufort Ocean, 71-22.8N, 156-45.5W; 3 NM North of Point Barrow

Weather: Winds: NE 10kts. Temp: 40 F. Sea Temp: 40 F. Seas/Swells: 1 foot.

Crew Journal:

Today we did a SAREX in the Artic Ocean with USCGC SPAR. All of the following was simulated for the SAREX; The SPAR was acting as the Cruise Ship, Spirit of the Spar. The cruise ship struck an iceberg which injured two people, sent one overboard, and started to flood out a compartment. Hamilton launched the Helo to Medivac injured people off the SPAR, one small boat to retrieve the person that fell over board, and the second small boat to send over the Rescue and Assist Team (R&A Team) to dewater a compartment that was flooding. I am the On Scene Leader (OSL) of the R&A Team. When we set the R&A Billets I gathered up my team which consisted of MK3 Ward, MK3 Dale, MK3 Ybanez, and DC3 Walden. We quickly dressed out in our cold weather gear and collected our equipment to fight flooding. I went to the bridge to get briefed on the situation. After the brief, the R&A Team and I went to the Starboard main deck to board the small boat (HAM I) and proceed to the SPAR. Once we got on scene, I was the first one to embark onto the SPAR, so I could assess the situation. While I was talking to the crew of the Spar to get a better handle on what was going on, my team was also boarding the vessel to bring our gear onboard. After my short brief with the crew of the SPAR we decided to use their pumps to dewater the space because it was an internal compartment with no way to get the exhaust gases from our pump outside. We used a P-100, rigged with extensions for the exhaust, and a peri-jet eductor to dewater the space. Once the water was low enough in the space, my team entered the space and plugged the hole that made from the collision with the iceberg. Once the hole was plugged and the space was de-watered, we secured form the drill. The crew of the SPAR was all dressed out in civilian clothes which added to the realness of the situation. They were really pleased with how well we responded to the circumstances. They also gave us a quick tour of their ship and then we boarded HAM I and rode back to the Hamilton. Overall, it was a really neat experience and great training. Hopefully now that the Coast Guard is going to be patrolling the Artic Ocean that we won’t need to respond to a real case like this, but if we do, I know that the R&A Team and the rest of the Hamilton crew will be able to respond quickly and save the lives on the other ship and the ship itself.

DC2 John Eister R&A Team OSL
Beaufort Ocean71-22.8N, 156-45.5W; 3 NM North of Point Barrow

Coast Guard Cutter Hamilton Arctic Patrol - Aug. 28, 2008

Journal Entry - Aug. 28, 2008 - Beaufort Ocean

The Coast Guard is extending High Endurance cutter operations from the Bering Sea into the Chukchi Sea, the Beaufort Sea, and the Arctic Ocean. This operation supports the Department of Homeland Security’s efforts to extend maritime safety and security to the Arctic region in the face of retreating polar sea ice. The Coast Guard Cutter Hamilton will be the lead cutter in the United States’ push to extend security to U.S. Arctic waters. As part of this historic operation, the Hamilton is providing daily journal entries.

Position: Beaufort Ocean, 71-33.8N, 156-54.1W; 20 NM North of Point Barrow

Weather: Winds: NW 6kts. Temp: 45 F. Sea Temp: 40 F. Seas/Swells: 2 feet.

Crew Journal:

Written by: Captain Victor Gronmyr

Canadian Coast Guard

Pacific Region

On the 27th of August the Hamilton slowly worked its way around a 3/10 to 5/10 finger of ice roughly 10nm offshore from Wainwright in the fog. Just before lunch, the visibility improved and the ice was unveiled for the first time for the Captain and Crew of the Hamilton. I thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity of being with 175 people experiencing ice for the first time.

Thursday, 28th of August, 2008. I spent time with some of the bridge watches comparing notes on radar use for detecting ice in reduced visibility. I was impressed with the vigilance and competence that the watchkeepers displayed in keeping a safe watch.

Rear Admiral Gene Brooks, MCPO Vanderwerf and Joel Casto departed the ship today. I enjoyed having the opportunity to swap sea stories and exchange ideas about the differences as well as the common interests that both the American and the Canadian Coast Guards share. The Admiral seemed to have the better sea stories, though as it seems to be his nature, always said mine were better. I was very impressed with the admiral and his staff. I truly believe that District 17 is in good hands.

At quarters prior to his departure, the Admiral spoke of his time aboard and to the officers and crew about maintaining the ship in a state of readiness to answer the call of duty. How even though the ship may be de-commissioned some day in the future, the ship had to be ready and that all could count on him to back them up to ensure that the ship would get everything it needed in order to be ready to answer the call.

I continue to enjoy my tour aboard the Hamilton as a Supernumerary. Interacting with the Officers and Crew who are genuinely interested with everything to do with the arctic is both refreshing and inspiring.

Coast Guard Cutter Hamilton Arctic Patrol - Aug. 27, 2008

Journal Entry - Aug. 27, 2008 - Arctic Ocean

The Coast Guard is extending High Endurance cutter operations from the Bering Sea into the Chukchi Sea, the Beaufort Sea, and the Arctic Ocean. This operation supports the Department of Homeland Security’s efforts to extend maritime safety and security to the Arctic region in the face of retreating polar sea ice. The Coast Guard Cutter Hamilton will be the lead cutter in the United States’ push to extend security to U.S. Arctic waters. As part of this historic operation, the Hamilton is providing daily journal entries.

Position: Arctic Ocean, 71-28.8N, 156-32.3W; 5 NM North of Point Barrow

Weather: Winds: E 7kts. Temp: 38 F. Sea Temp: 39 F. Seas/Swells: 1 foot.

Crew Journal:

Written by ENS Mark Byrne

Today was an exciting day making way through the Arctic Ocean. I stood my watch as Break-In OOD from 0230-0530 under the instruction of LTjg Dunlevy as we anxiously looked for icebergs and any sign of Arctic wildlife. It was quite the new experience getting up on the bridge at 0200 and seeing sun still on the horizon having never set from the prior night. Later on in the day after we recovered the helicopter from an ice recon, we started to run into more pieces of ice scattered closer than before. As we neared a larger Bergy Bit (chunk of blue ice) we saw a polar bear laying on it. So, 2 weeks into the Coast Guard, I was the Conning Officer and had to maneuver the ship under the instruction of ENS Kellogg as the crew took a few photos of the Polar Bear. It is August right now, and the wind chill must have been around 20 degrees. What an awesome experience to maneuver a Coast Guard Cutter through ice and also see some Arctic wildlife that some people would never even come near in a lifetime.

Coast Guard Cutter Hamilton Arctic Patrol - Aug. 26, 2008

Journal Entry - Aug. 26, 2008 - Arctic Ocean

The Coast Guard is extending High Endurance cutter operations from the Bering Sea into the Chukchi Sea, the Beaufort Sea, and the Arctic Ocean. This operation supports the Department of Homeland Security’s efforts to extend maritime safety and security to the Arctic region in the face of retreating polar sea ice. The Coast Guard Cutter Hamilton will be the lead cutter in the United States’ push to extend security to U.S. Arctic waters. As part of this historic operation, the Hamilton is providing daily journal entries.

Position: Arctic Ocean, 70-34.2N, 162-26.7W

Weather: Winds: E 5kts. Temp: 38 F. Sea Temp: 42 F. Seas/Swells: 3 feet.

Crew Journal: LT BJ Miles, senior aviator CG AIRSTA Kodiak, ALPAT

Welcome to ice country! Today’s mission; find ice, report position of major concentrations take photos. Well mission accomplished. For the last 2 weeks we have been drooling over weather products showing illustrations of where the ice should be. We even had a C130 fly over yesterday to attempt to visually identify the ice edge, and drop a package to the cutter filled with needed aviation charts and gummy worms. All of which were much appreciated. For the first time we have now put eyes on our nemesis. They look harmless enough just sitting there, but most of us know their history as a force to be reckoned with.

The AVDET onboard includes: LT BJ Miles, LT Pat Lineberry, AET1 Barry Butler, AMT2 Al Musgrave, AET3 Bill Gilbert and AET3 Matt Lotz. All 5 are members of ALPAT, the HH65 squadron solely responsible for supplying Bering Sea bound CG cutters with aircraft and crew. Most of us are used to the hostile nature of the Bering, but ice is entirely new to most of us. Lucky for the Hamilton we are here in such benign conditions. Bump the winds up to 45kts and add a splash of 10 foot seas for good measure and the true measure of Mother Nature’s humbling powers become all too evident.

But today was as good as it gets up here. Calm winds, glassy seas and beautiful blue ice sculptures dotting the seascape. Our sight seeing mission has an important goal; find the ice now before we bump into it in the night. Surprisingly the predicted ice edges were right about where they were supposed to be. We brought along CMD Vic of the Canadian Coast Guard to help identify the quantity and density of ice and to bring back first hand navigational recommendations. For his efforts we rewarded him with one of the nicest sunset flights you’ll get up here. The Brown bears running on the beach at Icy Cape were an unexpected surprise and they looked surprisingly healthy considering the scarcity of food on these barren northern coasts.

Back to the cutter, land and put the plane to bed. Another day of ice patrols starts at first light tomorrow to guide the Hamilton past Barrow and into the history books as we accomplish the first ever WHEC patrol in the Arctic Sea.

Coast Guard Conducts First Search and Rescue Exercise in the Arctic Ocean

JUNEAU, Alaska - The Coast Guard is conducting its first Arctic search and rescue exercise Friday near Barrow, Alaska, in an effort to better understand mass rescue operations in the Arctic.

The Kodiak-based Coast Guard Cutter SPAR and the San Diego-based Coast Guard Cutter Hamilton are currently deployed to the Arctic Region and, along with aircraft from the Coast Guard Air Station in Kodiak, will be the principle players in the exercise.

The SPAR, a 225-foot buoy tender, will simulate a small cruise ship that is in distress after striking a large piece of sea ice. This collision will result in flooding, injuries to personnel and the loss of one passenger into the water.

The 378-foot high-endurance cutter Hamilton, on patrol in the region, will respond to SPAR’s call for help with a combination of forces and tactics, including having dewatering pumps delivered from a Kodiak-based C-130 Hercules aircraft. An HH-65 Dolphin helicopter, deployed aboard the Hamilton, will also be used to evacuate “injured” crewmembers and search for the person lost overboard during the SPAR’s collision with the sea ice.

Also during the exercise, communications will be tested between the Hamilton, SPAR, Coast Guard Communication Station Kodiak, the Rescue Coordination Center in Juneau, Air Station Kodiak and Sector Anchorage, Alaska.

“This exercise is just another step in the Coast Guard’s effort to not only understand the challenges of the Arctic, but to continue to hone the response strategies needed to be effective in the region, said Capt. Michael Inman, chief of response for the Seventeenth Coast Guard District.