Getting people out of bad situations
This story originally appeared at Coast Guard Pacific Southwest and was written by Petty Officer 1st Class Thomas McKenzie and Petty Officer 1st Class Rachel Polish. It began with a 911 call from someone stranded aboard a 17-foot recreation boat [...]
Search and rescue: Oceania
Standing the Hawaiian Islands watch requires a force of on call specialists, always ready for the surge capacity nature of the job. Modern search and rescue methodology has sprinted forward in recent decades, keeping pace with evolving technology. Sometimes a Coast Guardsmen’s best lifesaving tool is not only more than two hundred year of lifesaving tradition, but also products of the digital era.
Braving the surf at Cape Disappointment
In order to be masters of their craft, Cape Disappointment’s crews conduct training in the surf whenever possible. During the 2012 to 2013 winter season the crew conducted more than 115 hours of surf training in conditions ranging from 40 knots of wind to stinging hail. From October 2012 to March 2013, the crew documented their training and now you can see the action!
Got questions? These operations specialists have answers.
We asked our Facebook fans if they could ask an operations specialist anything, what would it be? And with more than 200 questions asked, it was clear you were all eager to hear more about the men and women who make up the operations specialist rate. We picked the top five most “liked” questions and asked two operations specialists to help answer them: Petty Officer 1st Class Jeremy Young and Petty Officer 2nd Class Brandon Daves.
A day in the life at Station Yankeetown
Coast Guard crewmembers at small boat stations across the country stand watch 24 hours a day, seven days a week, rain or shine, hot or cold, 365 days a year. Ready at a moment’s notice, these men and women spring into action whenever called upon to save those in peril. To them, it’s just a day in the life of a small boat station.
Shipmate of the Week – FN Jacob Smith
Quick reflexes and fast thinking were put to the test late on a late Friday afternoon when the Station Bodega Bay, Calif., duty crew sprinted into action at the sound of the search and rescue alarm. Fireman Jacob Smith, who been stationed at Bodega Bay for the past three years, was a crewman on the 47-foot motor lifeboat that launched when they received word of a fishing vessel that was taking on water with two people aboard.
Shutter Shootout Final Four
We’ve made it to the final four and your winners from each division have been chosen! Still in the competition is an aids to navigation team, helicopter flight operations, a moment of remembrance and a cutter underway in the Pacific. Now it’s your turn to find out who goes to the finals of “Shutter Shootout” – your chance to select the Coast Guard photo of the year.
The Arctic region: An emerging maritime frontier
Operating in the Arctic is not a new venture for the Coast Guard. However, adapting to changing conditions will require foresight, focus and clear priorities. It will also require the closest of collaboration with our partners in the State of Alaska. Improving awareness, modernizing governance and broadening partnerships will best position our Service for long-term success by ensuring safe, secure and environmentally responsible maritime activity in the region.
Shutter Shootout Elite 8
The Elite 8 round of March Madness is here! That means we’ve entered the next round of “Shutter Shootout” – your chance to select the Coast Guard photo of the year. Throughout the past year, Coast Guard members, families and fans from around the world captured remarkable photographs of rescues, patrols, operations and training days to take you behind the scenes of life in the U.S. Coast Guard.
Shipmate of the Week – BM3 Michael Valdes
In 1867 the U.S. Revenue Cutter Service, predecessor service to the U.S. Coast Guard, transported the first federal officials to the territory of Alaska. From this modest beginning, cutters would eventually sail into the Arctic and the Bering Sea to protect the sea and those on it. Thus, “The Bering Sea Patrol” was born. Today, Coast Guard men and women continue to sail the Bering’s frigid waters, from the Akutan to the Pribilofs. It takes a certain type of sailor to perform operations in these waters; Petty Officer 3rd Class Michael Valdes is one such Coast Guardsman.
