Pendleton departs Baton Rouge, LA, Feb. 12, 1952

 Troubles with the T-2 tankers

 What is a nor'easter?

 The Pendleton Rescue

 CG36500

 Who are the Surfmen?

 The Surfman's Creed

 

All are invited to attend an open house at Base Support Unit Boston to commemorate these rescues. The open house will feature guest speakers, imagery, artifacts, and the opportunity to meet those actually involved with the rescues.

This invitation is extended to the public so all are encouraged to invite family and friends to learn more about this proud chapter in Coast Guard history.

RSVP: Credentialed media representatives should contact Coast Guard Public Affairs at 617-223-8515 to facilitate entry.

BOSTON — The Coast Guard Cutter Willow crew responded to aid in a medical evacuation 30-miles off the New Jersey coast, Feb. 11, 2012.

The Willow is a Newport, Rhode Island cutter that was on a patrol near New Jersey.

A crewmember from the 78-foot fishing vessel Bald Eagle II, which was east of Manasquan Inlet, N.J., called watchstanders at approximately 4:50 a.m. stating a 32-year-old man aboard the Bald Eagle II tangled his arm in a net, suffered injuries and was in need of assistance.

Coast Guard Cutter Willow launched medical assist teams via small boat to stabilize the man. 

An MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew from Air Station Atlantic City, N.J. launched later to assist the man. Once on scene, helicopter crewmembers hoisted the man and transported him to JFK Medical Center in Edison, N.J., where he was transferred to awaiting medical personnel.

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BOSTON — The Coast Guard Cutter Webber, the Coast Guard’s first Sentinel Class patrol boat, arrived at Coast Guard Sector Miami Thursday.

The Cutter Webber is named after Coast Guard hero Bernard C. Webber, a coxswain of motor lifeboat CG-365000 from Station Chatham, Mass. Weber and his crew rescued 32 men on February 18, 1952, from the stricken tanker SS Pendleton, during a nor'easter that swept New England.

The 154-foot Webber is a Fast Response Cutter and will be able to deploy independently to conduct missions such as ports, waterways, and coastal security, fishery patrols, drug and illegal migrant law enforcement, search and rescue, and national defense operations along the Gulf of Mexico and throughout the Caribbean.

“I am very excited about the arrival of the Coast Guard Cutter Webber," said Rear Adm. Bill Baumgartner, commander of the 7th Coast Guard District. "It is the first of 18 Fast Response Cutters that are scheduled to be delivered to the 7th Coast Guard District over the next several years. This new cutter fleet will be a vital instrument in supporting illicit migrant and narcotic trafficking interdiction, but will only fill a portion of the critical gap we face in our operational capability. While the Fast Response Cutters are highly capable platforms, the Coast Guard is in need of an Offshore Patrol Cutter as well. These OPCs would be able to deploy greater distances, effectively extending our maritime border outward to prevent threats to our national security. The OPC would replace our aging Medium Endurance Cutter fleet, most of which are over 40 years old and in desperate need of recapitalization to meet the future security needs of America.”

The Webber is capable of speeds of 28-plus knots, armed with one stabilized, remotely operated 25mm chain gun and four crew-served .50 caliber machine guns, and crew capabilities to hold 24 people. It will be able to perform independently for a minimum of five days at sea, and be underway for 2,500 hours per year.

The new Sentinel Class patrol boats will all be named after Coast Guard heroes. Webber is credited with helping make one of the greatest rescues in Coast Guard history. 

“This month will mark the 60th anniversary of the loss of the tanker Pendleton off the coast of Cape Cod on Feb. 18, 1952,” said Baumgartner. “Bernard C. Webber’s heroic actions that night saved 32 of Pendleton’s 33 crewmembers. Today’s event is an opportunity for us to reflect and honor the bravery of the Webber’s namesake, who truly was the embodiment of what it means to be a Coast Guardsman.”

BOSTON — The Coast Guard Cutter Grand Isle crew is scheduled to return home after a 7-month overhaul in the Coast Guard Yard, located in Baltimore, Md., at 3 p.m., Friday.

The Grand Isle is a 110-foot Island Class Patrol Boat. 

Major work completed on the Grand Isle included the replacement of one diesel engine, two new shafts, two new propellers, two new rudders, two new stabilizing fins, a new reverse osmosis system (used to turn salt water into potable water), and a replacement of over 530-square feet of the hull. The total cost for the 30-week project was approximately $2.7 million.

"It's great to have them back," said Lt. Joe Klinker, the 1st Coast Guard District public affairs officer. "Our cutters provide a persistent presence throughout the maritime domain. With the Grand Isle back in Gloucester, that means one more crew working with the fishing fleets, one more ship protecting the ports, and one more opportunity for someone when they need us most."

MEDIA: Media outlets are welcome to attend the homecoming and should contact Lt. Garrett Meyer at 617-223-5070 or Garrett.R.Meyer@uscg.mil with any questions.

Interviews with the ships commanding officer and chief engineer will be available.

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BOSTON — A U.S. Coast Guard helicopter crew transported a man experiencing heart attack-like symptoms from a fishing boat 60 miles southeast of Nantucket, Mass., to a Cape Cod, Mass., hospital, Wednesday night.

The crew of the fishing vessel Monomoy contacted Coast Guard Sector Southeastern New England at 11 p.m., reporting that a 46-year old crewman was experiencing severe chest pains, with tingling hands, clammy skin and heavy breathing and was in need of immediate medical attention.

The 1^st Coast Guard District Command Center conducted a conference call with the flight surgeon who recommended a medical evacuation.

An MH-60T Jayhawk helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod launched with a corpsman aboard. When performing a medevac, the helicopter crew always has a corpsman to administer first aid. Corpsmen aboard helicopters are required to have some of the same vigorous training as the rest of the helicopter crew such as emergency egress, dunk tank and low pressure chamber training. Coast Guardsmen's experience, skills and training allow for quick action and an appropriate and efficient response to all maritime needs.

Due to the boat’s rigging and sea conditions, a rescue swimmer could not be lowered safely from the helicopter so the crew lowered a rescue basket to the deck of the boat where the man could climb in to be hoisted up to the helicopter.

"The conditions were definitely challenging but the entire crew did an outstanding job and we were able to hoist the crewmember aboard where our corpsman administered life-saving medications while en route to the hospital," said helicopter co-pilot Lt. j.g. Zephyr Mays.

The weather on scene was 11-knot winds with 6-foot seas.

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BOSTON — The 100-person crew of the Boston-based Coast Guard Cutter Seneca returned home, Thursday, after a 65-day Living Marine Resources Law Enforcement patrol off the central and northeastern United States' coast.

During the patrol the Seneca crew conducted two search and rescue cases, towed two vessels safely to port, participated in the investigation of a boat capsizing where there was a loss of life and conducted more than 50 law enforcement boardings to ensure vessels were compliance with commercial fishing vessel safety and fishery regulations.

On Dec. 8, 2011, the Seneca crew towed the Paul Michelle along with its seven crewmen through 20-25 knot winds and 5-8 foot seas after the scalloper lost power approximately 26 miles south of Montauk, N.Y. Click HERE for the original release and photographs for this case.

On Jan.12, 2012, the Seneca crew aided another disabled vessel when the shaft of the 71-foot Olympic Javelin broke, leaving it’s four man crew became stranded in 8-10 foot seas 40 miles east of Chincoteague Inlet, Va. After a nearly 60-mile transit with the fishing vessel in tow, the Seneca crew transferred the Olympic Javelin to a commercial salvage company in the vicinity of Cape May, NJ. Click HERE for the original release and photograph for this case.

"We are very happy to return to Boston and reunite with our families and friends after a long but productive patrol,” said Cmdr. Charles Fosse, the commanding officer of the 270-foot Seneca. “The winter weather off New England and the Mid-Atlantic states offered challenges daily, but Seneca’s crew persevered in their normal fashion and did an outstanding job. We are proud of our involvement in search and rescue cases, including towing two disabled fishing vessels to safety in offshore storms, as well as our many positive interactions with fishing vessel crews during boardings from Cape Hatteras to Coastal Maine."

To see more photos from the Seneca's recent patrol, check out their Facebook page U.S. Coast Guard CGC Seneca.

BOSTON — A 26-foot pleasure boat, registered in the U.S., was located 20 miles off the northern coast of Spain, Jan. 17, 2012, three and a half years after stormy sea conditions ejected its crew off the coast of Nantucket, Mass.

The U.S. Coast Guard received the report of the located flotsam from Maritime Rescue Coordination Center Madrid Jan. 24, 2012, and was able to link the vessel to a search and rescue case that occurred Aug. 25, 2008, near Nantucket, Mass.

During that case, the Coast Guard responded to reports of two men who had been ejected from the center console vessel Queen Bee while attempting to cross a bar in 6 to 8-foot sea conditions. Both men were able to swim to Esther Island, Mass., and were provided first aid upon recovery.

Aboard the vessel were:

Scott Douglas
Rich St. Pierre 

The men located a rescue bag with a PFD and swam for two hours in an effort to reach the nearest shoreline. "Three things popped out after we got hit," said Douglas, the vessel owner and operator. "Rich, me, and that bag."

"There were times when both of us didn't think we were going to make it," said Douglas. "Everything had to go our way. It was a miracle."

Due to the dangerous sea state, the vessel was left to drift once the men were rescued.

The Queen Bee likely drifted into the Gulf Stream and then north to the North Atlantic Current, said Art Allen with the Coast Guard's Office of Search and Rescue. From there it would have headed east to Spain before being located 1,241 days later, after a 3,500 nautical mile trip.

Referring to the boat's extended voyage, Dr. Don Murphy with the U.S. Coast Guard's International Ice Patrol said that a trans-Atlantic drift is rare, but not unheard of. 

The Coast Guard deploys data collection buoys designed to track, study, and report currents in the northern Atlantic, said Murphy. Those buoys have been recovered anywhere from regions north of Scotland to, most recently and coincidentally, Spain.

BOSTON — The U.S. Coast Guard and Massachusetts College of Art and Design teamed up this winter to develop a series of multimedia projects designed to help educate the public about Coast Guard missions.

By law, the Coast Guard has 11 missions:

• Ports, waterways, and coastal security
• Drug interdiction
• Aids to navigation
• Search and rescue
• Living marine resources
• Marine safety
• Defense readiness
• Migrant interdiction
• Marine environmental protection
• Ice operations
• Other law enforcement

The 1st Coast Guard District public affairs office in Boston reached out to MassArt last summer to get some ideas on how to share those missions visually.

"In public affairs, it's our job to keep Americans informed about how the Coast Guard gets the job done," said Lt. Joe Klinker, 1st Coast Guard District public affairs officer. "We could just do that the old-fashioned way through news releases and the occasional TV appearance, but the age of new media opens up endless possibilities for creativity. That's where MassArt came in."

The goal of the project was to work with students who would come to the table with fresh perspectives and an ambition for visual storytelling, said Klinker. Klinker teamed up with Lisa Rosowsky, a graphic design professor at MassArt, to come up with a plan that met everyone's needs.

Each of Rosowsky's students were assigned a mission and then told to arrange visits to units throughout the northeast. After several weeks of visits to boat stations, cutters, air stations, and other operational units, the students presented their projects.

"Our students got the experience of going out on the water, of going inside the facilities and actually talking with the people who were involved in the day to day missions of the Coast Guard," Rosowsky said.

While some of the work has already been used in boating safety campaigns and news releases, the 1st Coast Guard District intends to work with students over the months ahead to ensure that every detail is ready for public visibility.

Below are snapshot icons of student work. Find out who the student was by scrolling over the image:

BOSTON — The Piscataqua River, in the vicinity of the Memorial (US-1) Bridge in Portsmouth, N.H., will be closed to all marine traffic from 7 a.m. on February 6, 2012 to approximately 7 a.m. on February 9, 2012.  The river closure is necessary to provide for the safety of all waterway users and construction workers during bridge demolition operations.

The rescheduling of the closure will allow additional preperations to be made in order to successfully complete the removal of the bridge span.

The Coast Guard continues to work closely with the New Hampshire Department of Transportation (NHDOT) to help facilitate their plan to replace the Memorial Bridge and to ensure the safety of all waterway users.  The Coast Guard has published a Temporary Interim Rule in the Federal Register that establishes a Regulated Navigation Area (RNA) to encompass a 300-yard radius over all navigable waters on the Piscataqua River, surface to bottom, in the vicinity of the Memorial Bridge construction zone in between Portsmouth, NH and Badgers Island in Kittery, ME.  The RNA is in effect from January 30, 2012 to December 31, 2013.  To minimize unexpected or uncontrolled movement of water during hazardous construction operations, the RNA will limit vessel speed and wake for all vessels operating in the vicinity of the bridge construction zone, as well as provide a means to suspend all vessel traffic for emergent situations that pose an imminent threat to waterway users in the area.  

After the 72-hour closure, the navigable water will reopen to all vessel traffic.  However, the RNA will remain in effect through December 31, 2013 to ensure safety during NHDOT's bridge replacement project, which is expected to conclude by the end of 2013.

To view the RNA in the Federal Register, click here.

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BOSTON — A U.S. Coast Guard rescue crew medically evacuated an ill crewman from the 84-ft fishing vessel Polaris, 12-miles east of Nantucket, Thursday.

Coast Guard Sector Southeastern New England watchstanders received a report from the captain of vessel at approximately 5:30 p.m., stating that a 37-year old male on board was suffering from severe stomach pains.

A Coast Guard MH-60 Jayhawk rescue helicopter crew from Air Station Cape Cod launched immediately to aid the ill man.

The man was given first aid assistance and was transported to Hyannis Airport at 7:15 p.m., where emergency medical services were waiting to take him to Cape Cod Hospital.

"The coordination with Hyannis Airport and Cape Cod Hospital was seamless," said Lt. j.g. Jared Carbajal, the Public Affairs Officer at Air Station Cape Cod. "It resulted in immediate medical transportation and treatment once the helicopter arrived at the airport."

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BOSTON — The crew of the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Spencer returned to their homeport of Boston Sunday, after a 60-day patrol in the North Atlantic and the Caribbean Sea.

Throughout the patrol, crewmembers patrolled the fishing grounds near Cape Cod. The crew conducted three commercial fishing vessel safety boardings, helping prepare vessels for winter and rougher weather.

Crewmembers worked jointly with the U.S. Navy to seize a Honduran fishing vessel transporting 1.5 tons of contraband and 17 smugglers.

In addition, Spencer also participated in an international training exercise with the Colombian navy and coast guard. Crews simulated a joint pursuit of a go-fast vessel and conducted mock boardings.

After refueling in Key West, Fla., last week, the crew began the long transit home. Spencer returned to her homeport in Boston to prepare for a crew-swap with her sister ship, Escanaba.

The Mission Effectiveness Project is a fleet-wide initiative to ensure the operational reliability of the Coast Guard’s 13 270-foot Famous Class cutters remains viable until replacement by the Offshore Patrol Cutter. While the Escanaba is undergoing the refurbishment to improve living quarters and common spaces, MEP also focuses on replacing decks, tanks, piping, electrical wiring and troublesome engineering systems and equipment.

The overall goal is to ensure a seamless transition with minimal impact to the Coast Guard’s operational capabilities and mission execution. Multi-crew initiatives such as this keep crews fully trained to respond to the Coast Guard’s ever changing missions and ensures there is no loss in mission capabilities as a result of cutter overhauls and implementation of new cutter platforms.

BREWSTER, Mass. — The U.S. Coast Guard has ended their search for the missing aircraft and its two-person crew off Brewster, Mass., Sunday.

The two people aboard the small aircraft were located deceased by a Coast Guard MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew from Air Station Cape Cod and a Brewster Fire Department crew at Saint’s Landing in Brewster, Mass.

Brewster Fire Department located the first person and the helicopter crew located the second person shortly after.

“The search conditions were challenging, but we had good communications with the Dennis Police Department and other ground crews, which enabled us to direct ground crews to the second person when we located him in the surf,” said Lt. j.g. Jared Carbajal, the Coast Guard helicopter co-pilot.

Neither the plane nor its wreckage has been located.

“It’s a sad way to end a flight,” said Carbajal. “It’s certainly not the outcome we were hoping for, but I just hope the families will be able to have some closure.”

Both names are being withheld pending next of kin notification by the Brewster Police Department.

"First and foremost, our thoughts and prayers go out to the family and friends," said Lt. Joe Klinker, 1st Coast Guard District public affairs officer. "We could see it on the faces of all the first responders. Everyone was hoping the search would end very differently."

In addition to the helicopter crew, an HU-25 Falcon jet crew from Air Station Cape Cod, a Coast Guard Auxiliary aircraft, a 41-foot Utility Boat crew from Coast Guard Station Cape Cod Canal and a 47-foot Motor Lifeboat crew from Coast Guard Station Provincetown spent several hours searching for the single engine plane and its crew. 

The Coast Guard began searching for the plane after receiving a report from the Federal Aviation Association stating they had lost communication with the plane after the crew reported having smoke in their cabin. 

The initial release can be found here.

BOSTON — The U.S. Coast Guard and Coast Guard Auxiliary are searching for a small aircraft after receiving a report the aircraft may be in distress in the vicinity of Dennis, Mass., and Yarmouth, Mass., Sunday.

The Federal Aviation Administration contacted Coast Guard Sector Southeastern New England command center at 10:23 a.m. and indicated they lost all communication with the four-seat airplane after receiving a report from the crew of smoke in the cabin.

The command center diverted a Coast Guard Auxiliary aircraft and a Coast Guard HU-25 Falcon jet crew from their scheduled patrols to search. They also launched an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod. A 41-foot Utility Boat crew from Coast Guard Station Cape Cod Canal and a 47-foot Motor Lifeboat crew from Coast Guard Station Provincetown were also launched.

The command center crew contacted the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center to inquire if they received any reports of a downed aircraft or if the plane’s beacon went off. They have not received a report of either.

“We are working with our partners from Barnstable, Yarmouth and Dennis to locate the missing aircraft,” said Lt. Bryan Swintek, the command center chief.

It is unknown at this time how many people are aboard the plane that was flying from Martha’s Vineyard, Mass., to Hyannis, Mass.

"There's still work left to do to determine the location and status of the aircraft and its passengers," said Lt. Joe Klinker, 1st Coast Guard District public affairs officer. "But our crews got on scene quickly and our command center personnel are coordinating the entire operation. This is exactly what they're all trained to do."

BOSTON — Recreational boating and paddling fatalities on waters of the northeastern U.S. have remained nearly the same for the second year in a row.

The 1st Coast Guard District recorded a preliminary total of 51 deaths during 2011. There were 50 fatalities in 2009 and 51 fatalities in 2010. Capsizing or falling overboard while not wearing a life jacket were the main factors resulting in fatalities.

Boating fatalities were divided between 29 deaths on motorized vessels and 22 deaths on non-motorized vessels.

Due to the tremendous growth in kayaking over the past decade, and the long-standing interest in canoeing, northeastern paddle-sport fatalities are typically double the national average.

Out of the 51 deaths last year, 44 of the boaters were not wearing lifejackets.

"Lifejackets save lives", said Walt Taylor, recreational boating safety specialist, 1st Coast Guard District "Take a boating education course, ensure you have all the required safety equipment to have a safe and fun boating season next year."

One memorable case in 2011 involved the death of N.Y. Police Department officer Patrick Luca who drowned while kayaking with his son off Long Island (Click here for original release.). The high-profile nature of the case captured public interest and emphasized the significance of simple decisions, like wearing a life jacket.

"It's extremely important to get these statistics out," said Lt. Joe Klinker, 1st Coast Guard District public affairs officer. "But it's even more important for all of us to realize that these aren't just numbers. They were friends, parents, spouses, sons and daughters. They were neighbors in a very close maritime community."

While the Coast Guard continues to deliver the message of safe boating, this year, said Klinker, the Coast Guard is making a special plea to the friends and families of all boaters: Hold your loved ones accountable and make sure they take the right steps to come home safe.

RESOURCES:

For a geographic breakdown and overall numbers of incidents and fatalities in 2011, click here.

For boating safety information, click here.

As the Coast Guard records the national statistics for 2011, the 2010 information is available here.

Safe-boating courses are available through the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary and U.S. Power Squadrons. Course information may be found at:

U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary
U.S. Power Squadrons
U.S. Coast Guard Office of Auxiliary and Boating Safety
National Association of State Boating Law Administrators