Local Coast Guard in the News
June 17, 2011 - Coast Guard News (coastguardnews.com)
Coast Guard Cutter Vigorous changes command in Cape May, NJ
CAPE MAY, N.J. – Capt. Brendan C. McPherson turned over command
of the Coast Guard Cutter Vigorous to Cmdr. Gregory H. Magee during a change
of command ceremony at Coast Guard Training Center Cape May Friday.
Magee graduated from the Coast Guard Academy in New London, Ct., in 1994 with a Bachelor of Science in Government and holds a Masters in Public Administration from George Mason University and a Masters of Military Studies from the Marine Corps Command and Staff College. He is a former resident of Cape May Court House, attending Middle Township Middle School and a year at Middle Township High School.
Coast Guard Cutter Vigorous is a multi-mission cutter responsible for conducting search and rescue, living marine resource protection, law enforcement and homeland security missions throughout the eastern seaboard and Caribbean Sea. The 80-person crew of the Vigorous most recently returned from a five week patrol in the North Atlantic Ocean enforcing the nation’s fisheries laws and ensuring safety of life at sea for the commercial fishing industry. Vigorous and its crew will be entering the Coast Guard Yards for a three month dry dock period this summer in Baltimore.
March 28, 2011 - Press of Atlantic City pressofatlanticity.com
Coast Guard moves markers used for navigation in Great Egg Harbor Inlet
By JOEL LANDAU Staff Writer pressofAtlanticCity.com
The Great Egg Harbor Inlet is now safer to navigate, officials say.
A crew from the U.S. Coast Guard moved the directional markers in the Great Egg Harbor Inlet on Saturday, Egg Harbor Township Mayor James “Sonny” McCullough said. The sand underneath the water often moves around, causing hazardous shallow waters for boaters that often results in accidents and damages vessels.
The Coast Guard worked to update the buoys that direct boaters how to travel through the water.
The mayor said the inlet is always dangerous because of the annual changing water levels.
“It’s a lot safer now,” he said. “I’m really happy with the Coast Guard for responding to the problem.”
John Bodin, operations manager for Towboat U.S., who also serves as the marine safety officer for Somers Point, said the markers were moved at least a few hundred yards north. The changes will benefit boaters trying to access the ocean.
“It’s right on the money,” he said.
March 08, 2011 - Coast Guard News (coastguardnews.com)
Coast Guard rescuers receive award as grateful rescuee looks on
EGG HARBOR TOWNSHIP, N.J. – Dec. 23, 2010 is a day Petty Officer 3rd Class John Opsal will remember the rest of his life. As an aviation survival technician at Coast Guard Air Station Atlantic City, N.J., Opsal trains to save people in distress everyday. But on this day, two days before Christmas, he was able to put that training into practice and give somebody the gift of having their life back.
Opsal was part of a four-person MH-65 Dolphin rescue helicopter crew that was honored on March 8, 2011, at Air Station Atlantic City along with other Coast Guard units who responded to a distress call coming from a 63-foot boat, the Sea Wolf, with two people aboard taking on water seven miles off the southern coast of Cape May, N.J.
“We spotted the boat off the right hand side and marked the position but could not see anyone in the water,” said Opsal.
The position was then given to the 47-foot Motor Life Boat crews from Coast Guard Stations Cape May and Indian River, Del., so they could arrive on scene and give assistance.
They radioed back saying they could see two people in the water and there is too much debris to get to them, said Opsal. Then the rescue boat crews requested that the rescue swimmer get deployed.
As Opsal was getting lowered down, he could see two people in the water and one of them was holding on to the life raft. The man holding on to the life raft was Eric Hopkins, 42, of Washington, D.C., the lone survivor, who Opsal was able to pull from the wreckage.
“I got him free of the raft and signaled that I was ready for pickup,” said Opsal.
The signal tells the helicopter crew to lower the rescue basket.
Opsal could not bend Hopkins’ legs to get him into the rescue basket because Hopkins was too hypothermic. Opsal removed Hopkins from the basket and communicated to the helicopter crew that they are going to have to use another method to get Hopkins aboard the helicopter.
“At that point, the helicopter had pulled away and I could see the rescue boat coming right at me,” said Opsal. “I knew right away we had a change of plans and we were going to the boat.”
Opsal swam over to the rescue boat crew with Hopkins and handed him to a couple crewmembers to bring him aboard.
To get Opsal and Hopkins off the rescue boat a double hypothermic lift was used, which hoists both Opsal and Hopkins into the helicopter at the same time.
Once Opsal and Hopkins were aboard, the helicopter crew realized they had little time to get back.
“At that point we were at bingo and were low on fuel,” said Opsal. “We went to the closest airport and the bravo helicopter crew met us there.”
The helicopter crew had to land in Wildwood, N.J., to transfer Hopkins to another helicopter.
Opsal and the flight mechanic on his helicopter, and the swimmer and mechanic on the other helicopter quickly made the switch.
“All four of us grabbed him out of the helicopter and took him from one to the other,” said Opsal.
The second helicopter crew transported Hopkins to AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center in Atlantic City.
The Coast Guard small boat crews tried to rescue Greg Arlotta, 62, of Florida, the other man aboard the Sea Wolf, but he was unresponsive and was reported to have sunk with some of the debris.
To express his gratitude, Hopkins wrote a thank-you letter addressed to Opsal and the rest of the helicopter crew saying how grateful he is to be alive.
The letter was given to Opsal so he can have something to remember the first life he saved in the Coast Guard.
“I will keep it as my first case and first legitimate life saved,” said Opsal.
March 01, 2011 - Coast Guard News (coastguardnews.com)
First female Gunner’s Mate advanced to Chief Petty Officer
Cape May – In today’s world it is exceedingly difficult to become the first person to achieve a particular feat. Add trying to make that accomplishment in the oldest continuous seagoing service, in one of the oldest rates, and you have quite a phenomenal achievement.
Breaking down that barrier and creating history is exactly what happened on March 1, 2011 in a small ceremony held at the Ida Lewis Auditorium aboard Coast Guard Training Center Cape May, N.J., when Petty Officer 1st Class Kristin Werner accepted her anchors and the title as, the first female Chief Gunner’s Mate.
It’s a Coast Guard tradition to ask two people who you admire to remove your old rank and replace it with your new rank. Werner requested this honor be given to Senior Chief Petty Officer Crystal Sparks and Chief Petty Officer John Ruchser who pinned on her anchors, marking Werner’s huge personal accomplishment.
While the gunner’s mate rating was formally established in 1797, women have served in the rating for only the last 35 years. According to Master Chief Petty Officer Timothy Wallace, the Gunner’s Mate Rating Force Manager, there are currently 695 active duty gunner’s mates of which only 37 are females, or about 5% of the rate.
Deciding to become a gunner’s mate was an easy choice for Werner because she knew the rate would allow her to work on mechanical equipment and would give her the opportunity to share her knowledge with a wide variety of personnel through weapons safety training and range training.
“After A-school I wanted an assignment on a 378-foot, high-endurance cutter, because they have the majority of systems that a gunner’s mate can work on and it would give me the experience I needed in my rating,” said Werner.
Gunner’s mates are small weapons specialists that work with everything from pistols, rifles and machine guns to 76mm gun weapons systems. They are responsible for training personnel in the proper handling of weapons, ammunition and pyrotechnics.
“I never touched a weapon before I joined the Coast Guard,” said Werner as she laughed about being from the suburbs. “As a gunner’s mate it’s not all about shooting, that’s only a small part of the job, it’s about maintaining equipment, teaching, trouble shooting and accounting for parts and ammunition.
In the 15 years Werner has served in the Coast Guard she has spent seven years underway.
“Being underway is one of the most unique jobs in the world,” said Werner. “I’ve been able to sail around the world with 120 plus of my closest friends and get paid.”
According to Werner unless you’ve done time aboard a cutter it’s hard to understand what it means or entails to spend months at sea with a diverse group of people all sharing the same core values and understanding the role they play at their unit and in the Coast Guard.
“It’s like being in an exclusive fraternity,” said Werner. “When you’re out in the middle of the ocean, you only have each other to rely on. When you pull into foreign ports, you have your shipmates to explore with and the opportunity to experience new things and build new memories, it’s priceless.”
Originally from Seattle, Werner graduated from Coast Guard Recruit Training in December 1995 with Whiskey 147 and is currently serving as a company commander. She graduated company commander school in September 2010 and is currently training her third company, Sierra 184.
“I made the decision to be a company commander when I was here in 1999 attending recruiter school,” said Werner. “We were allowed to shadow a company and I knew that being a company commander would be something I would accomplish in my career.”
Chief Petty Officer Kristin Werner is presented her advancement certificate
by Capt. William Kelly. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer Jonathan Lindberg.
Training Center Cape May is where all enlisted Coast Guard members begin their
career and take their first small step towards their futures.
“It is very fitting that this ‘first’ was achieved here at the training center where so many careers have begun,” said Captain William G. Kelly, commanding officer. “The young people that go through here have dreams of graduating from basic training and achieving the highest ranks they can. Today, they have seen a historic first and now they know that whatever they put their minds to can be accomplished.”
“I am extremely honored to be accepting the title of first female Gunner’s Mate Chief Petty Officer,” said Werner. “It’s a humbling experience to be standing in front of my company getting my anchors. I know that the shipmate’s in my rate work hard to advance and I feel that I was just fortunate to place high on the advancement list this year. I hope one day soon there will be no more female firsts.”
Febrfuary 11, 2011 - Coast Guard News (coastguardnews.com)
Coast Guard
Cutter Vigorous returns from 5-week patrol
CAPE MAY, N.J. — The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Vigorous is scheduled to return Saturday to their homeport of Cape May at 2:30 p.m. following a 37-day patrol of the Caribbean Sea covering more than 7,500 nautical miles.
The crew of the 210-foot Medium-endurance Cutter deployed to the Windward Pass and North Coast of Haiti in January to provide a presence and act as a deterrent for illegal migrants while also providing maritime security to the region. The cutter was also designated as the commanding unit for operations in the area and was in charge of the strategic placement of several different Coast Guard ships and aircraft
During the deployment, the crew completed tactical maneuvers and exercises with the Coast Guard MH-65 Helicopter Interdiction Tactical Squadron based out of Jacksonville, Fla. HITRON are armed helicopters that deploy to high threat drug trafficking and high risk security areas.
“The Coast Guard’s mission success depends on multiple ships and aircraft working together to accomplish the same goals,” said Lt. j.g. Matt Lane, a crewmember on the Vigorous. “Our missions cannot be completed unless there is good coordination and communication amongst each unit. These exercises are paramount to the law enforcement and successful interdiction of illegal smuggling at sea.”
Since the earthquake that occurred in January 2010, the Coast Guard has provided continuing support and assistance to the Haitian government to prevent the loss of life at sea and provide support to the ongoing relief efforts. This year, the Coast Guard has interdicted more than 240 Haitian migrants at sea. The crew of the Vigorous continues to support this mission by providing humanitarian support and security for Haiti.
November 23, 2010 - Coast Guard News (coastguardnews.com)
Coast Guard and American Red Cross sponsor Operation Fireside
CAPE MAY, N.J. – Local community members participating in Operation Fireside are scheduled to pick up 370 recruits at Coast Guard Training Center Cape May, Thursday at 9 a.m., to celebrate Thanksgiving.
The Cape May County Chapter of the American Red Cross has sponsored Operation Fireside with training center Cape May since 1981.
November 15, 2010 - Coast Guard News (coastguardnews.com)
Coast Guard and good Samaritan rescue 2 near Brigantine, N.J.
BRIGANTINE, N.J.
— The Coast Guard along with a good Samaritan rescued two people after
their 14-foot boat they were aboard capsized in the vicinity of the Brigantine
Hotel Sunday.
The Coast Guard received a call at 11:30 a.m. from a good Samaritan reporting
they picked one person from the water but were having trouble getting the
other person aboard and were requesting assistance.
A 25-foot Response Boat crew from Coast Guard Station Atlantic City, N.J.,
arrived on scene and rescued the person from the water and transported him
back to the station where he was transferred to awaiting emergency medical
personnel.
The New Jersey State Police transferred the other person from the good Samaritan
and transported him to the station where he was also transferred to emergency
medical personnel.
November 10, 2010 - Coast Guard News (coastguardnews.com)
Coast Guard Cutter Vigorous returns from 50-day patrol
CAPE MAY,
N.J. — The Coast Guard Cutter Vigorous is scheduled to return to its
homeport of Cape May following a 50-day training and fisheries law enforcement
patrol in the north Atlantic Ocean Wednesday.
The crew of the Vigorous began its deployment in late September by completing
three weeks of training at Naval Station Mayport, Fla. Coast Guard cutters
undergo rigorous Tailored Ship’s Training Availability every 18 months
to ensure its crews are proficient in operating the cutter and ready to respond
to shipboard emergencies. After months of preparation, the crew of the Vigorous
was evaluated by a specialized team of experienced Coast Guard and Navy inspectors
in the areas of navigation, seamanship, damage control, weapons proficiency,
emergency medical treatment and engineering casualty response. The crew successfully
completed 118 drills and exercises with an overall average score of 96 percent.
The cutter flew a straw broom from its port yardarm signifying a clean sweep,
an overwhelming or decisive victory, by earning the Battle “E”
Award for operational excellence in all mission areas.
“A cutter is only as good as its crew,” said Capt. Brendan C.
McPherson, commanding officer of the Coast Guard Cutter Vigorous. “Based
on the crew’s performance during this challenging training cycle, I’d
say the Vigorous is top-notch.”
The Vigorous and its crew then deployed to the North Atlantic for the next
four weeks in support of Operation Atlantic Venture, an operation to enhance
commercial fishing vessel safety and enforce federal fisheries laws and regulations.
The cutter’s crew patrolled multiple fishing areas between the Long
Island Sound, the Atlantic Ocean between Connecticut and Long Island, N.Y.,
and the Gulf of Maine. The crew provided at-sea enforcement of federal regulations
to protect valuable fish stocks. The crew of the Vigorous conducted more than
20 boardings of American Maine lobster, blue fin tuna and Atlantic scallop
fleet vessels. The crew terminated the voyages of four commercial fishing
vessels because they lacked required safety equipment and issued three violations
for failing to have required fisheries documentation or licenses aboard. Commercial
fishing industry vessels are held to high safety and licensing standards due
to the hazards imposed by their work. Commercial fishing continues to be one
of the most dangerous occupations in America accounting for more than 500
deaths over the past five years.
“We are dedicated to ensuring that all mariners are safely conducting
their work,” said Lt. Adam Disque, the operations officer aboard the
Vigorous. “It is our job to enforce these regulations to help prevent
the loss of life and property at sea.”
The crew of the Vigorous helped search for a fisherman lost overboard from
the fishing vessel Lindsey II off the coast of Gloucester, Mass., Oct 30.
The Vigorous joined several cutters and aircraft during an extensive 26-hour
search, combating 30 knot winds and 8-foot seas to search more than 800 square
miles. Despite their best efforts, the missing fisherman, who was not wearing
a life jacket, was never found.
The crew also responded to an automatic distress signal from the 140-foot,
Cape May-based fishing vessel, Retriever Nov. 8. Within hours of its activation,
the Coast Guard determined that the Retriever was not in distress and the
Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon was accidentally activated after
the boat had been hit broadside by a large wave.
The Coast Guard Cutter Vigorous is a 210-foot medium-endurance cutter, which
serves a wide variety of missions including search and rescue, homeland security,
maritime law enforcement and commercial fisheries.
November 02, 2010 - Press of Atlantic City pressofatlanticity.com
Coast Guard aids fisherman experiencing seizure off Cape May
A 40-year-old
fisherman having a seizure Monday off Cape May was taken by helicopter to
the mainland for treatment, Coast Guard officials
said.
The victim,
Chris Martin, was reportedly in stable condition at AtlantiCare Regional Medical
Center in Atlantic City later in the day. Coast Guard Air Station Atlantic
City received the call for help at 11:55 a.m. from the 87-foot commercial
fishing vessel Star Bright. The
vessel was working about 70 miles offshore.