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Coast Guard History
The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is a military branch of the United
States involved in maritime law, mariner assistance and search and rescue, among
other duties of any coast guard. One of the seven uniformed services of the
United States, and the smallest armed service of the United States, its stated
mission is to protect the public, the environment, and the United States
economic and security interests in any maritime region in which those interests
may be at risk, including international waters and America's coasts, ports, and
inland waterways.
It has a broad and important role in homeland security, law enforcement, search
and rescue, marine environmental pollution response and the maintenance of
river, intracoastal and offshore aids to navigation (ATON). It also lays claim
to being the United States' oldest continuous seagoing service. The United
States Coast Guard has about 40,150 men and women on active duty.
The Coast Guard's motto is Semper Paratus, meaning "Always Ready".
The Coast Guard began as the Revenue Cutter Service which was founded on August
4, 1790 as part of the Department of the Treasury. An act of the U.S. Congress
created the Coast Guard in 1915, with the merger of the Revenue Cutter Service
and the United States Lifesaving Service. The United States Lighthouse Service
was merged into the Coast Guard in 1939. The legal basis for the Coast Guard is
Title 14 of the United States Code, which states: "The Coast Guard as
established January 28, 1915, shall be a military service and a branch of the
armed forces of the United States at all times." Upon the declaration of war or
when the President directs, the Coast Guard operates under the authority of the
Department of the Navy. The Coast Guard later moved to the Department of
Transportation in 1967, and on February 25, 2003 it became part of the
Department of Homeland Security.
Organization
The headquarters of the Coast Guard is on 2100 Second Street, SW, in Washington,
DC. In 2005, the Coast Guard announced plans to relocate to the grounds of the
former St. Elizabeth's Hospital in Washington.
Senior officers
Admirals
The Commandant of the Coast Guard is the Coast Guard's senior officer, who, by
law, holds the rank of Admiral. The Commandant is selected for a 4-year term,
which may be renewed for additional 4-year periods. The current incumbent is
Admiral Thomas H. Collins, who assumed command on May 30, 2002. On January 20,
2006, President Bush announced he intends to nominate Vice Admiral Thad Allen to
serve as the next Commandant of the Coast Guard. Admiral Allen will receive his
fourth star and promotion to Admiral when he assumes the position of Commandant.
Vice Admirals
The Vice Commandant of the Coast Guard is Vice Admiral Terry Cross.
The Chief of Staff of the Coast Guard is Vice Admiral Thad W. Allen. He also
serves as Commanding Officer of Coast Guard Headquarters. After Hurricane
Katrina struck the Gulf states in September 2005, Admiral Allen was sent to
coordinate rescue and relief operations under Federal Emergency Management
Administrator Michael Brown. Mr. Brown was relieved of day-to-day operations on
September 9 and Admiral Allen was placed in charge of the overall effort.
Admiral Allen was relieved of this position on January 27, 2006 and has resumed
his duties as Chief of Staff until he is appointed to the position of
Commandant.
The Commander of the Atlantic Area and Maritime Defense Zone Atlantic is Vice
Admiral Vivien S. Crea, who assumed the command in July 2005. The Commander of
the Pacific Area and Coast Guard Defense Forces West is Vice Admiral Harvey E.
Johnson, Jr.. In early April 2006, VADM Harvey Johnson, Jr. was nominated by
President Bush to become the Deputy Director of FEMA, following his retirement
from the Coast Guard.
Rear Admirals
The Superintendent of the United States Coast Guard Academy is Rear Admiral
(upper half) (RADM) James C. Van Sice. The Director of Reserve and Training is
RADM Sally Brice-O'Hara. In addition, each District is commanded by a Rear
Admiral.
Commodores
The rank of Commodore is no longer used in the regular Coast Guard. The
equivalent rank is Rear Admiral, Lower Half. The chief elected officers of the
Coast Guard Auxiliary are called Commodores. This is not a military rank,
however.
The title of Commodore is occasionally granted to senior officers (typically of
of pay grade 0-6, which is a Captain) who is placed in command of a group or
squadron of cutters. It is not a flag rank, but rather a title used to signify
command of multiple units afloat.
Captains
Coast Guard Captains, like their Navy counterparts, rank immediately below Rear
Admiral (lower half). Coast Guard Captains command most large operational units
-- sectors, large cutters, large air stations, integrated support commands,
training centers and large headquarters units. Captains also direct most
headquarters, area and district staff elements. Most captains have served in the
Coast Guard for 21 to 30 years.
By maritime tradition, the commanding officer of a ship is also called "captain"
regardless of actual rank held. Thus, a young Lieutenant commanding a patrol
boat is properly called "captain" even if his or her actual rank is Lieutenant,
or Lieutenant (Junior Grade). This tradition has also carried over to many shore
units. Occasionally, terms like "old man" and "skipper" are also used, though
not usually in the presence of the "captain." However, in current usage, the
person in charge of a Coast Guard or Coast Guard Auxiliary boat is the
"coxswain" (pronounced cok-sun).
Chief Petty Officers
The Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard (MCPOCG) is the senior
enlisted person of the Coast Guard and serves as an advisor to the Commandant.
Like the Commandant, the MCPOCG serves a four-year term. The current MCPOCG is
Frank A. Welch, who assumed this position in 2002; his term expires in 2006, and
his replacement is being sought. The Master Chief of the Coast Guard Reserve is
MCPO Jeff Smith.
Chief Petty Officers, often called "the Chief", are one of the leadership
backbones of the Coast Guard. Chiefs are well versed on most anything, and the
old addage of "go ask the Chief" holds true today. Chiefs are Officers-in-Charge
of Motor Lifeboat Stations, act as Executive Petty Officers on Patrol Boats, and
keep larger Coast Guard cutters on a true head bearing as Deck Watch Officers.
Regional responsibilities
The Coast Guard is divided into two Areas, the Atlantic and the Pacific, each of
which is commanded by a vice admiral, with each being designated Maritime
Defense Zones.
The Coast Guard is then organized into districts, each responsible for a portion
of the nation's coastline.
U.S. Coast Guard Districts District Region District Office Area of
Responsibility
First District Atlantic Boston, Massachusetts New England states, New York, and
northern New Jersey
Fifth District Atlantic Portsmouth, Virginia Pennsylvania, southern New Jersey,
Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and North Carolina
Seventh District Atlantic Miami, Florida South Carolina, Georgia, eastern
Florida, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands
Eighth District Atlantic New Orleans, Louisiana Inland waters of the U.S. and
the Gulf of Mexico
Ninth District Atlantic Cleveland, Ohio Great Lakes
Eleventh District Pacific Alameda, California California, Arizona, Nevada, and
Utah
Thirteenth District Pacific Seattle, Washington Oregon, Washington, Idaho and
Montana
Fourteenth District Pacific Honolulu, Hawaii Hawaii and Pacific territories
Seventeenth District Pacific Juneau, Alaska Alaska
In each district, large operational centers known as Groups are being merged
with Marine Safety Offices and being re-designated Sectors. Smaller boat
stations are Stations, while aircraft fly from Coast Guard Air Stations.
Stations report to Sectors, while Sectors and Coast Guard Air Stations report to
District offices.
An example of this is Sector Baltimore, which is located at Curtis Bay,
Maryland. Sector Baltimore is responsible for the waters from the C&O Canal
north of Baltimore to the south shore of the Potomac River. In this sector there
are several stations, including Coast Guard Station Annapolis, located near the
United States Naval Academy, Coast Guard Station Washington, D.C., located on
Bolling Air Force Base in Washington, D.C., Coast Guard Station St. Inigoes,
Maryland, and Coast Guard Station Quantico, Virginia, among others. Sector
Baltimore also has the Baltimore Marine Safety Office. To the south of Sector
Baltimore is Sector Hampton Roads, Virginia; to the north is Sector Delaware
Bay. Sector Baltimore has no air station under its operational control, but
helicopters from Coast Guard Air Station Atlantic City and Auxiliary aircraft
overfly the area on patrol.
Coast Guard Air Stations
The first Coast Guard Air Station was established in 1920 at Morehead City,
North Carolina. Another Air Station was established in Biloxi, Mississippi
between 1933 and 1947, and yet a third at Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn, New
York.
First District
CGAS Cape Cod, Massachusetts
Fifth District
CGAS Atlantic City, New Jersey
CGAS Elizabeth City, North Carolina: This is both an operational and a training
air station. Enlisted Coast Guardsmen in aviation ratings are taught at its
Aviation Technical Training Center.
Seventh District
CGAS Clearwater, Florida
CGAS Miami, Florida
CGAS Savannah, Georgia
CGAS Borinquen, Puerto Rico
Eighth District
CGAS Houston, Texas
CGAS Corpus Christi, Texas
CGAS New Orleans, Louisiana
Coast Guard Aviation Training Center, Mobile, Alabama: This is both an
operational and a training air station. Besides performing operational missions,
Coast Guard Aviators (pilots) receive flight training on the HH-65, HH-60, and
HU-25 aircraft.
Ninth District
CGAS Detroit, Michigan
CGAS Traverse City, Michigan
Eleventh District
CGAS Humboldt Bay, California
CGAS Sacramento, California
CGAS San Francisco, California
CGAS Los Angeles, California
CGAS San Diego, California
Thirteenth District
CGAS Astoria, Oregon
CGAS North Bend, Oregon
CGAS Port Angeles, Washington
Fourteenth District
CGAS Barbers Point, Hawaii
Seventeenth District
CGAS Kodiak, Alaska
CGAS Sitka, Alaska
Personnel
Officer Corps
Commissioned officers join the Coast Guard by several means:
U.S. Coast Guard Academy
The United States Coast Guard Academy is located on the Thames River in New
London, Connecticut. It is the only military academy, apart from the specialized
Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, to which no Congressional
or Presidential appointments are made. All cadets enter by open competition
utilizing SAT scores, high school grades, activities, etc. About 175 cadets are
commissioned ensigns each year. Graduates of the Academy must serve 5 years'
active duty.
Officer Candidate School
In addition to the Coast Guard Academy, officers may enter the Coast Guard
through a 17-week Officer Candidate School (OCS) at the Coast Guard Academy in
New London, Connecticut. Graduates of OCS must serve 3 years' active duty. OCS
is a rigorous seventeen-week course of instruction which prepares candidates to
serve effectively as officers in the United States Coast Guard. In addition to
indoctrinating students into a military life-style, OCS also provides a wide
range of highly technical information necessary for performing the duties of a
Coast Guard officer.
Graduates of the program receive a commission in the Coast Guard at the rank of
Ensign and are required to serve a minimum of three years of active duty.
Graduates may be assigned to a ship, flight training, to a staff job, or to an
operations ashore billet. However, first assignments are based on the needs of
the US Coast Guard. Personal desires and performance at OCS are considered. All
graduates must be available for world wide assignment.
Chief Warrant Officer
Highly qualified enlisted personnel from E-6 through E-9 compete every year for
appointment as a Chief Warrant Officer. Successful candidates are chosen by a
board and then commissioned as Chief Warrant Officers (W-2).
In addition to United States citizens, foreign cadets and candidates also attend
Coast Guard officer training.
Enlisted
Newly enlisted personnel are sent to eight weeks of Basic Training at Coast
Guard Training Center Cape May in Cape May, NJ. The training schedule includes:
Physical fitness
Water survival and swimming qualifications
Wellness and nutrition
Self discipline
Military skills
Military bearing
Following graduation, most members are sent to their first unit while they await
orders to attend advanced training, in Class "A" Schools, in their chosen
rating, the naval term for military occupational specialty (MOS). Some members
go directly to "A" School upon graduation from Basic training.
Petty officers follow career development paths similar to those of the Navy.
Enlisted Coast Guard members who have reached the pay grade of E-7, or Chief
Petty Officer, must attend the U.S. Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer Academy at
Petaluma, California, or an equivalent Department of Defense school, to be
promoted to pay grade E-8. United States Air Force master sergeants, as well as
international students representing their respective maritime services, are also
eligible to attend the CPO Academy. The basic themes of this school are:
Professionalism
Leadership
Communications
Systems Thinking and Lifelong Learning
Equipment
The U.S. Coast Guard uses cutters and small boats on the water, and fixed- and
rotary wing (helicopters) aircraft in the air.
Cutters
A cutter is any Coast Guard vessel, with a permanently assigned crew and
accommodations for the extended support of that crew. See chapter 10 USCG
Regulations (Cutters are traditionally 65 ft. or greater in length). Larger
cutters (over 180 feet (55 m) in length) are controlled by Area Commands
(Atlantic Area or Pacific Area). Smaller cutters come under control of District
Commands. Cutters usually carry a motor surf boat and/or a rigid-hulled
inflatable boat. Polar-class icebreakers (WAGB) carry an Arctic Survey Boat (ASB)
and Landing Craft. The CGC Ahi is the last 87-foot cutter to be added to the
Coast Guard fleet.
Currently, the Coast Guard is leasing five PC-179 coastal patrol ships from the
U.S. Navy; two (including CGC Monsoon operate from San Diego) and three from
Pascagoula, Mississippi. These vessels are used primarily for counterdrug
patrols. (PA3 Brian Leshak, "CG Leases Navy Ships, Fights Drug War." Coast Guard
Magazine 2/2006, pp. 32-33).
Any Coast Guard crew with Officers or Petty Officers assigned has
law-enforcement authority (14 USC Sec. 89) and can conduct armed boardings.
378-foot High Endurance Cutter (WHEC) USCGC Hamilton, commissioned in 1967 (U.S.
Coast Guard Photo)
Polar-Class Icebreaker (WAGB): There are 3 WAGB's, all home ported in Seattle,
Washington. Two are Polar Class 399' (Polar Sea and Polar Star) and one newer
420-foot icebreaker, the Healy.
High Endurance Cutter (WHEC): These are 378 feet along the waterline. There are
12 WHECs (Homeports are: Charleston, South Carolina (2), Seattle, Washington
(2), Alameda, California (4), San Diego, California (2), and Honolulu, Hawaii
(2).)
Inland Icebreaker (WLBB): USCGC Mackinaw (WLBB-30), was launched on April 2,
2005 at the Marinette Marine Shipyard in Marinette, Wisconsin.
Training Barque Eagle (WIX): The Eagle is home ported at the Coast Guard Academy
in New London, Connecticut. It is used for training voyages for Coast Guard
Academy cadets and Coast Guard officer candidates. The USCGC Eagle was built in
Germany as the Horst-Wessel, and was seized by the United States as a prize of
war in 1945.
Medium Endurance Cutter (WMEC): These are mostly 210-foot and 270-foot cutters,
although three "mature" class cutters fall into the WMEC category (Alex Haley,
Acushnet, and Storis - all stationed in Alaska)
Seagoing Buoy Tender (WLB): There are 16 Juniper-class buoy tenders being
commissioned.
Coastal Buoy Tender (WLM)
Inland Construction Tender (WLIC)
Icebreaking Tug (WTGB)
River Buoy Tender (WLR)
Patrol Boat (WPB)
Inland Buoy Tender (WLI)
Coastal Patrol Boat (WPB)
Small Harbor Tug (WYTL)
Aircraft
A USCG HC-130 Hercules near Oahu
The Guard owns about 210 aircraft. Fixed-wing aircraft, such as (HC-130 Hercules
turboprops and HU-25 Guardian jets) operate from Air Stations on long-duration
missions. Helicopters (HH-65 Dolphin, HH-60 Jayhawk, and MH-68 Stingray) operate
from Air Stations, Air Facilities, and flight-deck equipped Cutters, and can
rescue people or intercept smuggling vessels.
The Coast Guard flies five aircraft types:
HC-130 Hercules
HU-25 Falcon / Guardian [1]
HH-60 Jayhawk [2]
HH-65 Dolphin
MH-68 Stingray U.S. Coast Guard HITRON: [3]
The Coast Guard is planning to purchase 36 CASA CN-235 from Spanish aircraft
manufacturer Construcciones Aeronáuticas SA (CASA) for medium range search. As
of February 2, 2006, the first of the aircraft are under construction for
delivery in early 2007 [4].
In addition to regular Coast Guard aircraft, privately-owned general aviation
aircraft are used by Coast Guard Auxiliarists for patrols and search-and-rescue
missions.
Boats
USCG motor life boat escorting the Spirit of Ontario I Fast Ferry into the port
of Rochester, New York on 2004-08-08
A Coast Guard 25-foot Defender- class boat from Station Seattle enforces a
security zone around a Washington State Ferry in Elliot Bay Dec. 22, 2003.
The Coast Guard operates about 1,400 boats, defined as any vessel not designated
as a Cutter (traditionally less than 65 ft. (20 meters) in length), which
generally operate near shore and on inland waterways. The most common is 41 feet
(12.5 meters) long, of which the Guard has more than 200; the shortest is 12
feet (4 meters).
Arctic Survey Boat (ASB)
Motor Life Boat (MLB)
Utility Boat (UTB)
Deployable Pursuit Boat (DPB)
Aids to Navigation Boats (TANB/BUSL/ANB/ANB)
Transportable Port Security Boat (TPSB): 25-foot boat, based on the commercial
version of the 25' center-console Boston Whaler, suitable for work in inland
waters, easily transportable by trailer. These are primarily used by Port
Security Units for force protection in naval support areas abroad, as well as,
ports of embarkation/debarkation in expeditionary areas. Most recently these
boats and units were deployed to Kuwait in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
The durability, versatility, and mobility of these boats make them ideal for
this type of operation.
Rigid Hull Inflatable Boat (RHI) Rigid inflatable boats are deep-V
glass-reinforced plastic hulls wrapped in a multi-compartment buoyancy tube.
They are powered by a gasoline outboard motor or an inboard/outboard diesel
engine. The RHI can be easily deployed from a cutter with a four-point bridle
for davit lifting and lowering. The RHI's portability and ruggedness allow it to
be used on many kinds of missions.
USCG Short Range Prosecutor (SRP): 7-metre launch that can be launched from a
rear launching ramp, at speed
USCG Long Range Interceptor (LRI): 11-metre high-speed launch that can be
launched from the rear ramps of the larger Deepwater cutters.
The Coast Guard recently introduced a standard search-and-rescue (SAR) and
response boat, the is 25-foot Defender-class boat, to replace nonstandard boats
and platforms at Coast Guard stations. The Defender class can go faster than 40
knots (75 km/h), cruise at 35 knots, mount an M-60 or M-240 machine gun in the
bow, and be transported by a C-130 Hercules aircraft (or, more prosaically, a
boat trailer.) The Defender class has twin Honda outboard motors and has a range
of 105 or 125 nautical miles, depending on the type of fuel tanks used. It can
launch with a 2-person crew, but has a carrying capacity for 10 persons. It has
less than 1 meter (3 feet) draft.
Small Arms
Since 1986, Coast Guardsmen on patrol have been armed with Beretta 9 mm pistol.
The Coast Guard is transitioning to the .40 caliber SigSauer P229R DAK). As of
April 2006, this transition was officially complete.
Source
wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Coast_Guard"
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