U.S. Coast Guard employs drone to inspect new ATON structures
U.S. Coast Guard Civil Engineering Unit Providence, Rhode Island, piloted a short range Unmanned Aerial System to inspect the construction of new Aids to Navigation structures. The UAS saved the CEU more than 30 hours of work and reduced the risk of having to climb the structures.
“The UAS has allowed us to be more self-sufficient when it comes to accessing hard to reach assets, so we can better serve our operational partners,” Lt. Kieron D. McCarthy.
Clean-up crew: Facing aftermath from one of Florida’s most destructive hurricanes
The Florida Panhandle experienced pure devastation from Hurricane Michael, Oct. 10, 2018. It ripped through coastal towns and made its way inland, driving people from their homes and leaving thousands without power and fresh water. Relief efforts from federal and state agencies, as well as local and out-of-state volunteers, responded to help displaced survivors. The Coast Guard set up an Incident Command Post in Miramar Beach, Florida, in an effort to remove environmental threats from local waterways.
Unique teams maintain Alaska’s commerce flow
To keep the system moving safely and smoothly, Coast Guard members in Alaska have the unique opportunity of maintaining navigational aids to ensure the consistent flow of goods throughout Alaska’s marine highway. Despite limiting factors, Aids to Navigation Team Kodiak crew members work diligently to ensure the navigational aids are maintained, re-built and serviced.
Avoiding tragedy 100 years after Princess Sophia sinking
This year marks the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Canadian passenger steamer Princess Sophia. Princess Sophia had run aground in southeast Alaska and was unable to deploy its lifeboats, taking down with it at least 353 people. Today the Coast Guard conducts modern cruish ship exams placing emphasis on crew proficiency during emergencies to avoid another tragedy like the Princess Sophia.
Communication and connectivity following Mangkhut: A Rescue 21 story
Category 5 Typhoon Mangkhut recently impacted the islands of Guam and Rota, a commonwealth of the U.S. It plunged 80 percent of Guam into darkness and all of Rota, flooded areas and destroyed aids to navigation and damaged the Rescue 21 VHF and microwave radio sites in Guam and Rota. The U.S. Coast Guard sent supplies and crews to Rota to provide aid to the community and repair and restore power to the radio sites that are used to listen for distress calls throughout the Mariana Islands. Read here to learn more about the Rescue 21 system and how this 21st century technology assists these small Pacific islands.
U.S. Coast Guard ATON personnel honor lighthouse keepers
Crew members from the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Abbie Burgess (WLM-553) and Aids to Navigation Team (ANT) Southwest Harbor, Maine, placed flowers and national ensigns at the gravesites of Abbie Burgess and Isaac Grant, two renowned lighthouse keepers, during a visit to Thomaston, Maine, in August. Burgess was best known for keeping the Matinicus Light shining and later the Whitehead Lighthouse with her husband Grant.
Coast Guard RDT&E Program celebrates 50 years
During its 50 years of existence, the RDT&E Program has completed research that has been vital to the successful advancement of Coast Guard missions including search and rescue, aids to navigation, spill response, and port and cybersecurity as well as supporting the acquisition of new assets such as the national security cutter, offshore patrol cutter and unmanned aircraft system capability.
Coast Guard holds hurricane preparedness seminar in Opa-Locka
Florida-based Coast Guard units held the first of multiple training sessions in which people were educated on setting up and executing hurricane preparedness and evacuation plans. Coast Guard members and their dependents listened to high-ranking, experienced service members, including the Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard, Jason Vanderhaden about what can be done to prepare for a hurricane.
Gold Fever: A Driving Force in Nome
Before gold dredging pioneers can seek out their lucky cache of treasures on the Bering Sea floor, gold dredgers much have a safety inspection done on their vessels. A team of Coast Guard members annually visits the small town of Nome, Alaska, to provide inspections to maintain vessel safety and answer questions. This summer, the team inspected almost 20 gold dredgers in one week early this summer and went back for more in July. The Coast Guard also works with partners from the Department of Natural Resources to ensure safety of the dredgers and fishermen alike.
Surviving Hurricane Maria
The U.S. Coast Guard members who work at Sector San Juan had already been hit with Hurricane Irma but just two weeks later, they had to relocate and hunker down 10 miles away at Bayamon while Hurricane Maria wrought even more destruction to the island of Puerto Rico. Weeks later, those same member worked tirelessly to rebuild and become operational again.