Operation Safe Crab 2007 embarks upon Westport, Wash.

SEATTLE – Operation Safe Crab 2007 kicked off Monday in Westport, Wash., as Coast Guard vessel safety examiners conducted safety compliance checks and voluntary dockside examinations aboard Dungeness crab fishing vessels. The Coast Guard examiners spot-checked primary lifesaving equipment and pot loading practices on vessels such as, watertight integrity, survival suits, Emergency Position Indicating...

Coast Guard Sector San Francisco Commander Announces Retirement

ALAMEDA, Calif. – Capt. John E. Long, chief of staff of the 11th Coast Guard District, has been appointed as temporary commander of Coast Guard Sector San Francisco following the retirement announcement of Capt. William Uberti. Rear Adm. Craig Bone, Commander of the 11th District, appointed Long to serve as sector commander until a permanent replacement is named. Uberti served in the position...

Coast Guard assists damaged freighter

BOSTON – The Coast Guard is assisting a damaged freight vessel today about 150 miles southeast of Cape Cod, Mass., after the vessel’s master requested permission to enter Boston to repair damage sustained during a storm. Coast Guard Sector Boston received the call around 5 p.m., Wednesday, from the vessel RSCL Express, a 350-foot vessel registered in the Pacific Marshall Islands. The Coast...

Coast Guard suspends search, body of missing fisherman located

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. – The Coast Guard suspended its search today for Jerry Berwick, 64 of Philadelphia, who went missing when the boat he was on capsized about five miles off the coast of Atlantic City. A TowBoat U.S. salvage team re-righted the boat at about 1 p.m. and discovered the body inside the boat’s cabin. The 25-foot pleasure craft is currently being towed to Somers Point, N.J. Coast...

Coast Guard and Border Patrol Sign Cooperation Agreement

SAN JUAN, PR – The U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Border Patrol signed a memorandum of understanding for cooperation as part of the recently formed Caribbean Border Interagency Group (CBIG) Thursday. Ramey Sector Border Patrol Chief Michael DeBruhl and the Commander of U.S. Coast Guard Sector San Juan, Capt. James E. Tunstall, signed the cooperation agreement in a ceremony held at the Coast Guard’s...

Don’t Let a Boating Ejection Ruin Your Holiday Trip

TAMPA, Fla. – The Coast Guard, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office and other local law-enforcement agencies urge boaters to use caution on the water and boat safely and responsibly. “First and foremost, always wear your lifejacket. Lifejackets save lives, period. Pay attention to your speed and the sea conditions, and properly...

Coast Guard Centralizes Mariner Licensing Program

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Coast Guard National Maritime Center (NMC) reached a milestone in a major restructuring and centralizing project. In December 2007, the NMC will move into a new specially designed credential-production facility in Martinsburg, WV. Since 2005, the NMC has been managing a project to consolidate the functions of 17 independently operating Regional Exam Centers (REC) into...

Defense Department, VA Test New Disability Eval System

By Fred W. Baker III WASHINGTON, Nov. 29, 2007 – The departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs have teamed to test a pilot disability evaluation program that officials hope will streamline the confusing and often frustrating process for servicemembers and their families. For the next year, officials will test the new system at military hospitals in the national capital region, officials announced...

Cutter Mackinaw Continues Christmas Tree Ship Tradition

CHICAGO — The Coast Guard Cutter Mackinaw (WLBB-30) will arrive here, Friday, with a delivery of 1,000 Christmas trees that will be provided to needy families at the Navy Pier in downtown during a public ceremony Dec. 1, 2007, at 10 a.m.USCGC Mackinaw (WLBB 30) is in her second year as the Christmas Tree Ship, continuing the tradition of its predecessor (WAGB-83), which resurrected the Christmas...