ALAMEDA, Calif.- The crew of U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Morgenthau, homeported here, was awarded Tuesday the Operational Readiness “E” Award for excellent performance during Tailored Annual Cutter Training April 29, 2008.
The Operational Readiness Award is based on the TACT cycle and is also divided into individual training area awards. Morgenthau received awards in navigation and seamanship, damage control, medical, engineering and combat systems, earning crew members the operational readiness “E” ribbon as well.
“Although the crew is certainly deserving of this outstanding recognition, the TACT cycle is really a validation of our training and readiness that we have maintained over the entire year, thus evidenced by the crew’s superb record of accomplishments out on patrol where it really counts,” said Capt. Kevin O’Day, Morgenthau’s Commanding Officer.
The cutter’s primary missions are maritime law enforcement and national defense throughout the Pacific basin, but its foremost mission is safety of life and property at sea. With a flight deck capable of landing a Coast Guard HH-65 Dolphin helicopter, a state-of-the-art communications and sensor suite, and extended endurance, Morgenthau is a floating command center capable of coordinating ships and aircraft for search and rescue or responding to natural and environmental accidents and disasters.
Underway for the next six months, the Morgenthau is scheduled to participate in international training exercises Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) and South East Asia Cooperation Against Terrorism (SEA-CAT) 2008.
The departure Monday of the 378-foot high endurance cutter represents the 14th time the U.S. Coast Guard has participated in these bilateral training exercises. From 1995 to 2001, the Coast Guard provided support with deployed teams to provide maritime law enforcement and search and rescue training to the host nations.
This year, CARAT will be hosted in the countries of Indonesia, Singapore, Brunei, Thailand, Malaysia, and the Philippines. The Morgenthau will serve as the lead unit for most of the security boarding team events that include visit, board, search-and-seizure exercises, and legal discussions. The intent is to foster cooperation between the various nations’ naval and Coast Guard forces.
Morgenthau is a high endurance cutter with a crew of 179.