Coast Guard Accepts New Response Boat-Medium and Rescue 21 Communications System

KEY WEST, Fla. — The U.S. Coast Guard formally accepted and introduced its new Response Boat-Medium and Rescue 21 advanced communications system during a ceremony held Monday at Coast Guard Sector Key West, here.

“We’re thrilled at the capabilities these assets bring to our efforts,” said Capt. Scott Buschman, Key West sector commander. “Our men and women are excited to finally have the cutting edge in response boat and search and rescue communications.” Read the rest of this entry »

Coast Guard Rescues 4 From Life Raft in the Gulf of Mexico

CLEARWATER, Fla. - The Coast Guard rescued four fishermen from a life raft at about 7:40 a.m. Friday after their 32-foot commercial-fishing vessel began taking on water and sunk 32-nautical miles west of Clearwater, Fla.

Capt. Darren Stanwood, 44, of Orlando, Fla., Tom Hunter, 46, of Zephyrhills, Fla., Dennis Grimm, 53, of Madeira Beach, Fla., and Lisa Mercer, 42, of Hudson, Fla., were aboard the Lady Juanita, homeported in Madeira Beach, when the crew noticed that the vessel was riding low in the water. A crewmember opened a forward compartment and saw that it was flooded. Four-foot waves began crashing over the bow of the vessel, and it quickly began taking on water. Stanwood called Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg, Fla., at 6:26 a.m., Friday, on VHF channel 16 and reported the vessel’s approximate coordinates and nature of distress.

Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg watchstanders used the Rescue 21 system to confirm the vessel’s position and launched an HH-60 Jayhawk rescue helicopter from Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater at 6:29 a.m. to assist the distressed fishermen.

At 6:33 a.m., the fishermen abandoned ship and entered a life raft before the vessel capsized and sunk. The Coast Guard helicopter located them at 7:11 a.m. and began hoisting the fishermen at 7:13 a.m. The rescue crew completed hoisting all four people at about 7:40 a.m. and brought the survivors to Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater in good health with no reported injuries.

“The fact that the Lady Juanita crewmembers kept the proper life-saving equipment onboard the vessel was instrumental in saving their lives,” said Petty Officer 1st Class Heath Montembeault, an operations controller at Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg. “They used a marine radio, life jackets and a life raft, and gave us quick, clear and concise information that helped us coordinate their rescue. In addition, with the use of our Rescue 21 system, we were able to obtain an accurate position of the vessel and rescue them very quickly,” added Montembeault.

Coast Guard Accepts New Response Boat-Medium and Rescue 21 Communications System

MIAMI - Rear Adm. Robert S. Branham, commander of the Seventh Coast Guard District, Rear Adm. Gary T. Blore, assistant commandant for Coast Guard Acquisition, and Capt. Scott Buschman, commander of Coast Guard Sector Key West, Fla., will formally accept and introduce a new Response Boat-Medium and Rescue 21 advanced communications system during a ceremony Monday at Sector Key West.

“We’re thrilled at the capabilities these assets bring to our efforts,” said Buschman. “Our men and women are excited to finally have the cutting edge in response boat and search-and-rescue communications.”

The RB-M is a new multimission asset that offers increased speed and maneuverability compared to the aging 41-foot utility boats, which it will eventually replace. Enhanced maritime capabilities and technological advances such as waterjet propulsion, armrest integrated steering and trim controls, self-righting capability and improved crew accommodations all represent significant upgrades over the legacy 41-foot utility boat. The first two RB-M’s were delivered to Coast Guard Stations Little Creek, Va., and Cape Disappointment, Wash., earlier this year.

Rescue 21 is an advanced command, control and communications system that provides cutting edge technology to mariners nationwide. As a marine version of 911, it facilitates better communications and interoperability in emergency situations. With its advanced direction finding capabilities and increased range, Rescue 21 helps the Coast Guard better ‘hear the call’ and quickly respond to boaters in distress, as well as to identify hoax distress calls made from land that can unnecessarily occupy Coast Guard assets, manpower and ultimately cost taxpayers money.

Currently being installed at Coast Guard sectors nationwide, Rescue 21 has already proven its worth.

Earlier this year, the service used its remote operations capability to seamlessly maintain coverage and communication along the New Orleans coast during Hurricane Gustav and through the aftermath. This acceptance formally brings those capabilities to Key West and increases total U.S. coastline currently covered by Rescue 21 to about 23,000 miles. Once the rollout is complete, Rescue 21 will provide communications coverage along 95,000 miles of U.S. coastline.

“We’re very pleased with these two projects,” said Blore. “This acceptance was made possible by the dedicated work of countless Coast Guard and industry personnel, as well as the unwavering support of our commandant and Congress.”

Coast Guard reminds boaters about remote activated fog signals

SEATTLE — The U.S. Coast Guard reminds boaters that the Chetco River, Ore., South Jetty fog horn is now a user activated signal, an advance made under the new Coast Guard Short Range Aids to Navigation Strategic Plan.

Visibility detectors and remote activated phone line switches were problematic, sometimes causing continuous operation of the fog signal, which resulted in numerous complaints from nearby residents. The fog horn is now activated by mariners using VHF marine band radios. Keying the microphone five times while on channel 79a (156.975 MHZ) will activate the fog horn for a period of 30 minutes, after which the fog horn automatically shuts off.

The Coast Guard Short Range Aids to Navigation Strategic Plan and its usage of VHF radio’s for activation aligns with the emphasis of the Coast Guard’s Recreational Boating Safety and Rescue 21 Programs to advocate the carriage of VHF radios by all mariners.

For more information or to report a problem with the operation of the Chetco River South Jetty fog horn please call Coast Guard Station Chetco River at(541) 469-3885.

Rescue me

By Petty Officer Third Class Tara Molle, 13th Coast Guard District Public Affairs

“I have a high regard for the Coast Guard because I’m aware of what they do…and the risks that they take…if you don’t have times to get off a ‘Mayday’, then Rescue 21 is helpful for people that use the water for pleasure and for commercial use. Probably the greatest asset the Coast Guard has had as a benefit for their use is Rescue 21…the equipment saved my life.” Boater George Strawn - describing his rescue off Ocean City Inlet in Maryland. (December 2005)

For recreational and professional mariners, safety is a top priority. However, safety sometimes may not be at the top of the list. Whether it is commercial or leisure fishing, chartering a vessel, working on a freighter or just enjoying a sunny day on a boat, people just want to do their own thing and get lost in whatever task is at hand. Unfortunately, disaster can strike at any time. Harsh weather, vessel malfunctions or a person accidentally falling off a boat can mean tragedy if not dealt with quickly. Mariners may not have time to grab life jackets, let alone trying to call for help. For these and other reasons, the Coast Guard modernized outdated National Distress and Response System and created Rescue 21. The goal - to minimize the time between a call for help and the rescue.

Rescue 21 provides direction-finding capability and Digital Selective Calling, resulting in a more timely response to mariners in distress. The system also allows for protected communications during law enforcement and homeland security operations. Digital Selective Calling uses digital data rather than voice transmission to increase the range of maritime communications, the accuracy of data transmitted and the ability to direct that information to selective units.

“Rescue 21 is a leading edge VHF-FM radio system that replaces the outdated system from the 1970’s,” said Chief Petty Officer Mike Smith, an operations unit controller in the Puget Sound Joint Harbor Operations Center at Coast Guard Sector Seattle. “Rescue 21, how it applies here in the Puget Sound area is that it gives the ability for the Coast Guard to monitor simultaneously different radio frequencies and direction find on those frequencies and provide assistance to the mariners out on the water.”

Rescue 21 replaces outdated technology and provides the Coast Guard with upgraded tools to protect the nation’s coasts and rescue mariners at sea. Currently, Rescue 21 is operating across 16,557 miles of coastline. When completed, the system will cover more than 95,000 miles of coastline, navigable rivers and waterways in the continental United States, Alaska, Hawaii, Guam and Puerto Rico.

As of July of 2008, Rescue 21 has been fully implemented in the 13th District.

“Rescue 21 is a series of remote towers that are capable of transmitting, receiving and direction finding,” said Eric Cookson, an operations unit controller in the Puget Sound Joint Harbor Operations Center at Coast Guard Sector Seattle.

There are 28, Rescue 21 towers set up throughout the 13th Coast Guard District.

“Rescue 21 has been in the Puget Sound/eattle area for approximately a year and a half to two years now and the system has proved itself to be very beneficial to us,” said Smith. “We also have Digital Selective Calling that is part of the system, in essence, that is a panic button on a radio that a mariner can hit and that automatically will send a distress message along with a position of where they are to the Coast Guard.”

Smith went on to explain how Rescue 21 works.

“[Our watchstanders utilize] radio monitors and dual monitor displays. On one monitor, we have a chart that shows us where mariners are located according to their lines of bearing from the RFF (Remote Fixed Facility). Anything that comes over Channel 16, which is our distress frequency, will appear red on the screen. Normal mariner calls will be in blue.”

“We use this for search and rescue (SAR) as well,” continued Smith. “In a SAR case, a mariner may only have the time to call ‘help’ or ‘mayday.’ In a matter of a few seconds after receiving that transmission, we are able to take the lines of bearing, which provides a location showing where that person is.”

“Rescue 21 also gives us the ability to determine whether calls for help or maydays are real or a hoax,” said Smith. “Hoaxes cost the Coast Guard thousands of dollars each year. Using Rescue 21, we are able to determine, through the direction finding system, if the call is coming from water or on land.”

Smith went on to add that many times children (and sometimes adults) will stand on the water’s edge and will make a call saying that they are sinking or are in immediate distress.

Just recently, the 13th District has endured several hoax calls from children. On one transmission, the child gave his name and a partial address to his house.

“The ‘mayday’ hoax call was from a young child reporting that his boat was sinking,” said Cookson. “Rescue 21 was able to direction find his location to the Maple Valley (Washington) area.”

“What this does for the Coast Guard is that it causes us to launch rescue units to go investigate and look in the area where we think the call came from,” said Smith. “How we use Rescue 21 on a hoax is it will produce a line of bearing where the call came from, however it won’t give us an actual position or it may not triangulate. We may only get one bearing of call based upon its location and how the hills and mountains in the area affect the transmission.”

The Coast Guard takes every distress call seriously and will launch assets immediately to the location of the call.

“We will send a boat or helicopter, which costs thousands of dollars per hour to operate to search for the person or persons we think are in distress,” said Smith.

“Persons committing a hoax are subject to prosecution as a Class D felony and could be liable for a $5,000 fine including all costs the Coast Guard incurs as a result of the individuals action,” said Cookson.

“False distress calls not only cost taxpayers money and place Coast Guard members at increased personal risk, but more importantly, they divert limited resources from mariners who are in actual distress,” said Capt. Mark D’Andrea, chief of response for the 13th District.

Hoaxes are not the only thing that presents a problem for the Coast Guard. Man-made and natural disasters such as Hurricane Katrina and the 2007 Pacific Northwest storms caused several communication problems throughout the troubled areas affected by heavy winds and rain. Rescue 21 is able to provide portable, deployable towers for the restoration of communications.

All and all, the new system will close 88 known coverage gaps in coastal areas of the United States, enhancing the safety of life at sea.

“With every rescue made and life saved, we are seeing the return on our investment in Rescue 21,” said Admiral Thad Allen, during a speech he made in Scottsdale, Ariz., to the joint Coast Guard and General Dynamics project team about the operational importance of Rescue 21. “Rescue 21 is helping the Coast Guard take the ‘search’ out of search and rescue.”

Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer Mike Smith of the Sector Seattle Joint Harbor Operations Center gives an insight into the implementation of the Coast Guard’s Rescue 21 system.

Coast Guard confirms hoax call from 7 year old boy

SEATTLE - Coast Guard Sector Seattle received two distress calls via VHF channel 16 from a 7-year-old boy in Maple Valley, Wash., Sunday.

In the first call, received at noon, the boy stated that he was drowning. At 6 p.m. he made a second call saying his boat had a hole in it and was sinking.

The watch stander at Sector Seattle was able to get a partial address from the child and both times the child gave his name.

The address collaborated with the Coast Guard’s Rescue 21 lines of bearings received from communications high sites. King County deputies were able to locate the child’s home in Maple Valley using the partial address.

The child admitted to the deputies that he made the distress calls while his father was asleep.

The Coast Guard is once again urging people to not make hoax calls to emergency responders.

“Hoax and prank calls not only diminish the Coast Guard’s ability to respond to real emergencies and cost taxpayers tens of thousands of dollars, they also needlessly place Coast Guard men and women and other first responders at risk,” said Rear Admiral John Currier, Coast Guard District 13 Commander.

Every moment spent responding to a false report takes away from time that could be vital in the case of a genuine emergency.

Last month the response to a suspected hoax call cost in excess of $38,000 for a 12 hour search.

Another important factor to consider is the cost to those who are found guilty of making false reports. Children especially should be informed of the risks involved with making false reports.

Two Oregon youths were found guilty of making several false reports in 2005 and fined a combined total of $63,884.30 and were ordered to serve a combined total of 40 days in juvenile hall.

It is a federal felony for anyone to knowingly and willfully communicate a false distress message to the Coast Guard or cause the Coast Guard to attempt to save lives and property when no help is needed. Penalties include up to six years in prison, $250,000 fine, $5,000 civil penalty, and possible reimbursement to the Coast Guard for costs of the search. For example, a Florida man was sentenced to pay $597,000 after he made a false report during Hurricane Alberto in 2006.

A breakdown of Coast Guard operating costs can be found at http://www.uscg.mil/directives/ci/7000-7999/CI_7310_1L.PDF

Sector Mobile Suspends One Search, Continues Another

MOBILE, Ala. - The Coast Guard has suspended its search for Colin Rayner, 28, after he was reported by the Long Beach Police Department to be safely on shore early this afternoon.

The Coast Guard is continuing to respond to a Mayday distress call received this morning from the Rescue 21 Tower, the Pinnacle St. Joe, that reported the vessel Cobalt to be in distress approximately 64-miles southeast of the Panama City Pass.

Coast Guard Sector Mobile has launched a HU-25 Falcon jet and crew from the Aviation Training Center here, the Coast Guard Cutter Bonito, homeported in Pensacola, Fla., and has issued an Urgent Marine Iformation Broadcast to local Mariners in the area to stay alert for possible people or a vessel in distress.

Sector Mobile conducting multiple search and rescue operations

MOBILE, Ala. - Coast Guard Sector Mobile is actively engaged in two different search and rescue cases today.

The Coast Guard is searching for a missing man, Colin Rayner, 28, who reportedly fell overboard from his 18-foot pleasure craft north of Ship Island, Miss., at approximately 6:50 p.m. Monday. Sector Mobile launched a 25-foot smallboat and crew from Station Gulfport, a HU-25 Falcon jet and crew from the Aviation Training Center here, a HH-65C Dolphin rescue helicopter and crew from Air Station New Orleans and issued an Urgent Marine Information Broadcast for mariners in the area.

Also searching for Rayner is the Long Beach Police Department and the Department of Marine Resources.

The Coast Guard is also currently responding to a Mayday call received this morning from the Rescue 21 Tower, the Pinnacle St. Joe, reporting that the vessel Cobalt was in distress approximately 64-miles southeast of the Panama City Pass.

Sector Mobile launched a HU-25 Falcon jet and crew also from the Aviation Training Center, the Coast Guard Cutter Bonito, homeported in Penscola, Fla., and issued a UMIB to local mariners in the area to stay alert for possible people or a vessel in distress.