Today in Coast Guard History
1883 – The sloop Madge Schults capsized as she was passing in through Rockaway Inlet, about half a mile distant from the Rockaway Point Station (Third District). The only crewman of the sloop clung to the bottom of his craft and made signals for help. They were seen by the lookout at the station and the life-saving crew went off in their boat. He was taken from the water and landed on Barren Island.
1944 – The Coast Guard-manned frigate USS Rockford and the Navy minesweeper USS Ardent attacked and sank the Japanese Navy submarine I-12 mid-way between Hawaii and California. There were no survivors. In sinking I-12, Ardent and Rockford unwittingly avenged the atrocity I-12 had perpetrated on 30 October 1944 when, after sinking the Liberty Ship John A. Johnson, the submarine rammed and sank the lifeboats and rafts and then machine-gunned the 70 survivors.
Blogs
Veterans Day reflections – Coast Guard Compass
Written by Master Chief Petty Officer Eric Heimburger.
In November 1919, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed November 11 as the first commemoration of Armistice Day. That day, U.S. Army Gen. John Pershing led a parade of 25,000 U.S. heroes of World War I down Fifth Avenue in New York City before thousands of cheering citizens. Pershing’s legacy continues to this day as America’s Parade – the largest Veterans Day parade in the country. My shipmates and I had the privilege to march in this parade allowing me to reflect on Veterans Days past.
Coast Guard Cutter SPAR back in action in Alaska – Coast Guard Alaska
The crew of Coast Guard Cutter SPAR was underway for the first time in almost three months after a long dockside period at the end of October. During the first day underway, members of the crew participated in a shakedown to reintroduce underway protocols and to test the ship’s machinery. Many in port qualifications were received by the crew and it was again time to work on underway skills. While many of the crew members only needed to refresh their familiarity with underway life, there were a few crewmembers who earned their sea pay for the first time.
Zulu 188 Recruit Journal: Week 04 – Coast Guard Boot Camp
Week 05 had been full of ups, downs, highs, and lows for Zulu company. In a way, this week has been our confidence course. We’ve had plenty of hurdles to overcome unfortunately not all of us made it to the other side. We lost many of our own this week due to reversions and injury. In one morning alone, 07 shipmates were sent away because they were not up to the company standards.
TRAIN: A ‘how-to’ guide for succeeding at any assessment – Coast Guard All Hands
Afloat Training Group San Diego recently was on board Coast Guard Cutter Mellon from Seattle for their Command Assessment of Readiness and Training. CART is an overall assessment of the cutter’s on board training teams and its materiel and administrative readiness for operations and training. ATG San Diego had the opportunity to see how the ship’s crew prepared for the assessment, implemented necessary changes and succeeded with minimal discrepancies. While ATG usually goes on board cutters to assess, train and give recommendations for improvements, this time we learned a few things from Mellon’s crew we’d like to share with the fleet!
Elsewhere
On Watch: Vin Pica – WindCheck
The informative and entertaining “From the Captain of the Port” columns in WindCheck are written by Vincent T. Pica, II, the District Commodore of the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary’s First District Southern Region.
“I grew up in Westchester County, New York, and boating on Long Island Sound was always a part of my life,” says Vin. “Canoes, rafts, sailboats, motorboats…if it floated, we were on it. My friend Marty Boorstein started me on set and drift and things of that nature, and we’re still very close friends. My first boat was a 17-foot Sea Hunt called Maruna after my children Mariel, Rudi and Natalie. I had a 46 Ocean that I took from Maine to Florida, and a 43-foot Robertson and Caine sailing catamaran. My current boats are a 25-foot Parker that I do Coast Guard work with, and a 38-foot Robertson and Caine cat.”
