BOSTON — The Coast Guard medically evacuated a 60-year-old man from a charter vessel 19 miles southeast of Gloucester, Mass., Thursday. 

Watchstanders at the Coast Guard Sector Boston command center recieved a call at 12:16 p.m. from the 75-foot charter vessel Yankee Clipper, reporting that a 60-year old man aboard was experiencing chest pains.

A Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod MH-60T Jayhawk helicopter crew and a Station Gloucester 47-foot Motor Life Boat crew immediatley launched to assist.

The man was safely hoisted from the 47-foot Motor Life Boat to the helicopter and taken to Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.

"Helicopters provide the Coast Guard the capability to assist mariners in urgent need of medical care in a prompt, timely and effective manner," said Lt. j.g. Jared Carbajal, Public Affairs Officer at  Air Station Cape Cod.

Click HERE for video.

View Larger Map

BOSTON — A Coast Guard crew assisted a kayaker in distress, Thursday, near Deer Island, Mass.

The kayaker issued a Mayday call using his hand-held VHF-FM radio at approximately 11:28 a.m., after his kayak flipped over and he became exhausted about a quarter-mile off Deer Island.

A Coast Guard Maritime Safety and Security Team from Boston was conducting training in the area and arrived on scene at 11:30a.m. The crew pulled the uninjured kayaker aboard the 25-foot Response Boat-Small and assisted him back to his kayak. He was back on Deer Island at 11:34 a.m.

The kayaker was wearing a wetsuit, lifejacket and had a hand-held VHF radio.

“Having all the right gear probably saved his life,” said Petty Officer 1^st Class Jason Thorn, the operational unit controller at the 1^st Coast Guard District in Boston. “With National Safe Boating Week kicking off this weekend, this is a reminder to the boating community that lifejackets and safe boating practices save lives.”

U
View Larger Map

Who: The crew of Coast Guard Station Chatham, Mass., Coast Guard Auxiliary and local law-enforcement agencies

What: The public and media are invited to attend an open house to tour Station Chatham, the lighthouse and the 42-foot Nearshore Lifeboats and speak with members of the Coast Guard, Auxiliary and local law-enforcement agencies about safe boating practices.

When: May 19, 2012, from 12 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Where: Coast Guard Station Chatham, 37 Main Street, Chatham, MA 02633.

As part of an ongoing effort to educate boaters and improve safety on the water, the Coast Guard will provide information throughout National Safe Boating Week on topics ranging from communications to life jackets, emergency kits to float plans, as well as boating safety courses and vessel safety checks.

"With Memorial Day ahead, the official recreational boating season is about to start," said Chief Petty Officer Erik Watson, officer in charge, Station Chatham. "Boaters need to prepare now to ensure everything from their boat to their safety equipment is safe and ready for the new season."

Media interested in obtaining B-roll prior to the event is requested to the 1st Coast Guard District Public Affairs office at (617) 223-8515.

Nationwide, boating deaths increased 12.8 percent in 2011, from 672 in 2010 to 758. The fatality rate measured 6.2 deaths per 100,000 registered recrational vessels, which was a 14.8 percent increase from 2010.

In the 1st Coast Guard District there were 53 recreational boating deaths. The Coast Guard's Office of Boating Safety Division has released all statistics for 2011.

• Always wear your life jacket. Seventy percent of all fatal boating accident victims drowned, and of those, 84 percent were not wearing a life jacket.
• File a float plan with a family member or friend and ensure they know how to contact the Coast Guard. Include information about where you are headed, when you will return and how many people are on board your vessel. Including a detailed vessel description helps improve chances of a swift rescue.
• Perform routine weather checks. Conditions on the water can change rapidly, especially on the Chatham Bar and being aware and alert is critical to survival.
• Know your equipment. Ensure lights, anchors and ropes are in good working order. Always carry plenty of fresh drinking water to avoid dehydration. Having updated nautical charts and a global positioning device in good working order will also improve your safety.

Ensuring your communications equipment is in good working order is critical to your safety at sea. Cell phones, satellite phones, emergency position indicator radio beacons and VHF marine-band radios can improve your survival in an emergency. The Coast Guard discourages cell phones as a primary method of communications on the water.

EPIRBs can be triggered automatically or manually, but it is vitally important to ensure they are properly registered with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The device signals your location to a satellite that relays information to the nearest rescue coordination center. A satellite phone is a type of mobile phone that connects to orbiting satellites.

Alcohol and water don't mix: It is illegal to operate a boat while under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

• Maintain a safe boating speed at all times, especially in "no wake" zones and when the waterway has heavy traffic.
• Don't overload your boat: Resist the urge to invite more people aboard than your boat was designed to carry.

"Boaters are also highly encouraged to contact the Coast Guard Auxiliary and have a courtesy vessel check," said Watson. "This will give operators and owners confidence that they are carrying the proper amount of safety gear and that all of it is in working order. Coast Guard Station Chatham is looking forward to a safe and enjoyable summer season on the water."

View Larger Map

BOSTON — The public and media are invited to attend an open house at Coast Guard Station Gloucester, Mass., to kick off National Safe Boating Week from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday.

The event is part of ongoing efforts to educate boaters and improve safety on the water. the Coast Guard will provide information throughout the event on topics ranging from communications to life jackets, emergency kits to float plans, as well as boating safety courses and vessel safety checks.

What:  Safe Boating Day event

Who:  Representatives include Coast Guard Station Gloucester, Coast Guard Auxiliary, U.S. Power Squadron, State of Massachusetts Marine Environmental Protection, commercial fishing safety representatives, Massachusetts Maritime Heritage and many others.

Where:  17 Harbor Loop, Gloucester, MA 01930.

When:  Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The station will showcase an assortment of search-and-rescue demonstrations, boating under the influence information, flare demonstrations, commercial fishing vessel safety, tours of Station Gloucester and its vessels, structured boating and paddling safety and various informational booths.

“The goal is to put all aspects of boating safety back in the public eye as we approach our spring and summer boating season,” said Chief Warrant Officer Luis Munoz, the commanding officer of Station Gloucester.

Media interested in obtaining B-roll prior to the event is requested to the 1st Coast Guard District Public Affairs office at (617) 223-8515.

Nationwide, boating deaths increased 12.8 percent in 2011, from 672 in 2010 to 758. The fatality rate measured 6.2 deaths per 100,000 registered recrational vessels, which was a 14.8 percent increase from 2010.

In the 1st Coast Guard District there were 53 recreational boating deaths. The Coast Guard's Office of Boating Safety Division has released all statistics for 2011.

• Always wear your life jacket. Seventy percent of all fatal boating accident victims drowned, and of those, 84 percent were not wearing a life jacket.
• File a float plan with a family member or friend and ensure they know how to contact the Coast Guard. Include information about where you are headed, when you will return and how many people are on board your vessel. Including a detailed vessel description helps improve chances of a swift rescue.
• Perform routine weather checks. Conditions on the water can change rapidly and being aware and alert is critical to survival.
• Know your equipment. Ensure lights, anchors and ropes are in good working order. Always carry plenty of fresh drinking water to avoid dehydration. Having updated nautical charts and a global positioning device in good working order will also improve your safety.

Ensuring your communications equipment is in good working order is critical to your safety at sea. Cell phones, satellite phones, emergency position indicator radio beacons and VHF marine-band radios can improve your survival in an emergency. The Coast Guard discourages cell phones as a primary method of communications on the water.

EPIRBs can be triggered automatically or manually, but it is vitally important to ensure they are properly registered with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The device signals your location to a satellite that relays information to the nearest rescue coordination center. A satellite phone is a type of mobile phone that connects to orbiting satellites.

Alcohol and water don't mix: It is illegal to operate a boat while under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

• Maintain a safe boating speed at all times, especially in "no wake" zones and when the waterway has heavy traffic.
• Don't overload your boat: Resist the urge to invite more people aboard than your boat is designed to carry.

View Larger Map

WASHINGTON — Vice Adm. John P. Currier, a native of Westbrook, Maine, will become the 28th vice commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard during a military change of watch ceremony scheduled for Friday, here at Fort Lesley J. McNair.

The assignment will make him second-in-command of the military service.

Currier is the son of William and Janet Currier of Westbrook. He is a 1970 graduate of Cheverus High School and a 1975 Graduate of the University of Southern Maine. He served as a Westbrook police officer prior to entering the Coast Guard.

As vice commandant, Currier will oversee the Coast Guard’s operations, strategic development, organizational governance, and management of the service’s more than 57,000 employees and 30,000 volunteers. He will also stand in for the Commandant, the service’s most senior officer, when needed.

Currier attended officer candidate school in 1976 and completed flight training to become a Coast Guard aviator in 1977. He performed search and rescue, law enforcement and other duties as a helicopter pilot at Coast Guard Air Stations Cape Cod, Mass.; Sitka, Alaska; Traverse City, Mich.; and Astoria, Ore.

He commanded Coast Guard Air Stations Detroit and Miami. While at Miami, his unit was the busiest air-sea rescue unit in the world, conducting more than 1,500 search and rescue and law enforcement missions per year with a fleet of HU-25 Falcon jets and HH-65 Dolphin helicopters.

Over his flying career, he earned the Distinguished Flying Cross and two Air Medals awarded for hazardous rescue missions.

Currier was promoted to Rear Admiral (lower half) in 2005.

Since becoming a flag officer, Currier served in several senior leadership positions, including command of the 13th Coast Guard District in Seattle. He has served as the chief of staff and deputy commandant for mission support since 2010. His team managed human capital, procurement, engineering, and information technology, and management of 20,000 Coast Guard active duty and civilian employees.

Currier has received numerous military awards during his career. He also received the 1981 Harmon International Aviation Trophy, 1982 American Helicopter Association Fredrick L. Feinberg Award, 1982 Naval Helicopter Association Search and Rescue Aircrew of the Year Award, and 1983 Alaska Air Command Search and Rescue Pilot of the Year Award. All were awarded for demanding rescue operations.

He earned a masters degree from Embry-Riddle University in 1997 and graduated from the United States Air Force War College in Montgomery, Ala.

Currier is married to the former Mary Jane Greenleaf of South Portland, Maine, and has two married sons and four grandchildren.

The Coast Guard protects those on the sea, protects America from threats delivered by sea, and protects the sea itself across all U.S. coasts and waters. This area includes approximately 3.5 million square miles of exclusive economic zone, 95,000 miles of coastline and 50,000 miles of navigable waterways.

BOSTON — The Coast Guard is searching for a missing towboat captain west of Pocasset, Mass., Wednesday.

Watchstanders from the Sector Southeastern New England command center received a distress call at approximately 1 a.m. from the captain of the 29-foot TowBoat U.S. vessel Triple J, reporting that his vessel was taking on water.

A 25-foot Response Boat from Station Cape Cod Canal, a 41-foot utility boat from Station Woods Hole and the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Tigershark were immediately launched to search for the captain.

The Wareham, Mass., harbor master found the Triple J unmanned and partially submerged around 6 a.m. approximately three miles south of Hog Island Channel.

“He called us on a VHF-radio and we were able quickly find a fixed position,” said Lt. Brian Hall, the command duty officer at Sector Southeast New England. "We launched several assets and are conduct a thorough search of the area."

Assisting in the search are:

• Bourne, Mass., Police Department
• Wareham Harbor Master
• Marion, Mass., Harbor Master

View Larger Map

BOSTON — The Coast Guard has ended its search for the missing TowBoat U.S. captain off Pocasset, Mass., Wednesday.

Divers from the Wareham, Mass., Fire Department located the man deceased inside the cabin of the 29-foot Triple J around 8:30 a.m.

“Ending a search like this is a hard outcome to accept,” said Lt. Brian Hall, the command duty officer at Coast Guard Sector Southeastern New England. “Our thoughts are with his family and friends.”

The Coast Guard and other agencies began the search after watchstanders from the Sector Southeastern New England command center received a distress call at approximately 1 a.m. from the Triple J’s captain, reporting that his vessel was taking on water.

A 25-foot Response Boat from Coast Guard Station Cape Cod Canal, a 41-foot Utility Boat from Coast Guard Station Woods Hole and the Coast Guard Cutter Tigershark were immediately launched to search for the captain.

The Wareham, Mass., harbormaster found the Triple J unmanned and partially submerged around 6 a.m. approximately three miles south of Hog Island Channel.

Other agencies involved in the search were:

• Bourne, Mass., Police Department
• Wareham Harbormaster
• Marion, Mass., Harbormaster

"Sadly, accidents like these are a very real danger of working on the water,” said Lt. Daniel Tanksley, a command
duty officer at the 1^st Coast Guard District Command Center. “In the wake of tragedies like this, we urge mariners to recognize these dangers, operate safely, and be prepared for the worst.”

BOSTON — The Coast Guard terminated the voyage of a fishing vessel approximately two miles from Port Corea, Maine, Monday, when a boarding team discovered multiple safety violations. 

A Coast Guard Cutter Moray boarding team conducted a routine at-sea boarding of the Corea, Maine-based, 38-foot fishing vessel Calypso, and found several safety violations.

There were no personal flotation devices, no visual distress signals and no life rings aboard, which are all required by law.  

The Coast Guard terminated the crew's voyage at approximately 12:30 p.m., and escorted them to Port Corea.

"It's important that the commercial fishing fleet pay special attention to the safety devices on board," said Lt. Adam Schmid, the command duty officer at the 1st Coast Guard District in Boston. "Lifejackets can keep you alive in an emergency, they give you time so the Coast Guard can find you."

The Moray is an 87-foot patrol boat homeported in Jonesport, Maine.

View Larger Map

BOSTON — Coast Guard crews medically evacuated a fisherman at approximately 8:00 a.m., Wednesday, approximately two miles west of Block Island, R.I. 

Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Southeastern New England received a notification at 7:52 a.m. from the fishing vessel Explorer, homeported in New Bedford, Mass., reporting that a crewmember sustained a head injury due to the parting of a wire.

A Coast Guard Station Point Judith 47-foot Motor Life Boat crew immediately launched and safely transferred the fisherman to waiting emergency medical services at Station Point Judith for further transport to South County hospital, R.I.

"Crews were able to get underway in less than 10 minutes after notification, he was transferred to waiting EMS at 8:36 a.m.,” said Chief Petty Officer Jesse Jordan, the command duty officer at Sector Southeastern New England

Coast Guard crews work closely with the commercial fishing fleet, not only to enforce federal fishing regulations, but to ensure the safety of men and women that operate in the near-shore and offshore environment.

View Larger Map

BOSTON — The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Campbell returned to their homeport of Kittery, Maine, after a successful 62-day patrol in the North Atlantic, Tuesday.

As an essential component in the Coast Guard's variety of offshore missions, Campbell’s crew conducted 72 fisheries and recreational boardings, ensuring compliance with safety regulations and enforcing fisheries laws during the patrol, and conducted a search and rescue case involving a reported lost kayaker near Nahant, Mass. 

Campbell was also a part of a search and rescue exercise involving multiple naval and air assets, including Coast Guard Sector Southeastern New England, the 1st Coast Guard District, Station Castle Hill and Station Point Judith in Rhode Island, and Air Station Cape Cod in Massachusetts. With on scene endurance unique to the Coast Guard's offshore assets, Campbell acted as the on scene coordinator during the exercise. 

Working with Air Station's Elizabeth City, Cape Cod, and Atlantic City, the crews conducted over 250 helicopter evolutions on five separate occasions.

The Campbell is a 270-foot Medium Endurance Cutter homeported in Kittery at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard.

###

BOSTON — The Coast Guard is implementing the use of a non-lethal signaling and warning device to support the service’s ports waterways and coastal security mission along Southeastern New England.

The LA51 signal and warning device is fired from a 12-gauge military shotgun to produce a visible and audible signal at a range of 100 meters. Training will be conducted in a designated firing range offshore and it will be used in approved locations throughout Cape Cod, The Islands and Rhode Island. 

The LA51 signal and warning device is considered a safer alternative to the current warning devices used by Coast Guard personnel. It is a shorter range round, and the flash and noise produced by the device are more prominent than a splash in the water caused by the M16 tracer round. Additionally, the Department of Defense’s joint non-lethal weapons program has determined through their testing that the LA51 has a low risk of significant injury.

"The new LA51 warning device is designed to warn boaters in a safe and effective manner if they do not respond to calls on the marine radio from the Coast Guard or comply with our instructions in case of a security violation," said Capt. Verne Gifford, commander of Coast Guard Southeastern New England. "Our crews have recieved extensive training on using the device safely and properly as one of several options for responding to potential maritime threats."

The Coast Guard has been using the LA51 as a warning signal during alien migrant interdiction operations and counter-drug operations. The LA51 warning device will now be used during security zone enforcement and the execution of the ports waterways and coastal security mission.

View video of the LA51 in use at: http://cgvi.uscg.mil/media/main.php?g2_itemId=1474578

BOSTON — The Coast Guard Cutter Spencer crews hosted a local Boy Scout Troop 127, from Lincoln, Mass., at Base Boston, April 29.

The in-depth guided tour was part of Troop 127’s visit to Coast Guard Base Boston. The tour also included a presentation on Coast Guard missions and capabilities, a tour of the Sector Boston Command Center, a 45-foot Response Boat-medium, a 25-foot Response Boat-small and the Coast Guard Cutter Flying Fish.

Scouts got a chance to look at some of the inner-workings of the ships navigation system on the bridge of the Spencer. Lt. j.g. Matt Malacaria, Spencer's public affairs officer, showed the scouts the correlation between how Coast Guard vessels use navigation on the water and how they might use navigation on land.

From the bridge, the scouts were taken outside to view some on the external workings of the ship.

Petty Officer 2nd class Ron Rosko, a Spencer gunner’s mate, gave the scouts a tour of the ship’s weapon and damage control systems.

"Boy Scout Troop 127's trip to Coast Guard base Boston was a great success", said Will Bursaw, a Boy Scout Troop 127 spokesman. "All around the Coast Guard personnel were very friendly and accommodating, several we encountered were Eagle Scouts."

As the scouts saluted the national ensign and disembarked, they left with a new found understanding and appreciation for the men and women of the Coast Guard, and their shared commitment to service others, said Malacaria.

BOSTON — The U.S. Coast Guard and the Kostas Research Institute for Homeland Security at Northeastern University joined together in holding an inter-agency conference on building local and national resilience on May 1, 2012, in Burlington, Mass.

Kostas Institute founding co-directors Dr. Stephen Flynn and Peter Boynton led a round-table discussion with senior leaders from local, state and federal agencies about the importance of resilience as a national and homeland security imperative. Next Boston Globe columnist and former Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security, Julliette Kayyem shared the lessons she learned from her leadership role in helping to manage the federal response to the 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon disaster. And, Dr. Joseph DiRenzo, Chief of the Operations Analysis Branch at the U.S. Coast Guard Atlantic Area headquarters in Portsmouth, Virginia, made a presentation on novel patrolling tactics to bolster the security of port and waterways.

The Kostas Research Institute was established in the fall of 2011 with a $12 million grant by George J. Kostas of Houston, Texas, a Northeastern University graduate from the Class of '43 and a member of the University's Board of Trustees. The mission of the institute is to foster collaborative, use-inspired research that will help the nation to better withstand, respond to, recover from and adapt to manmade and natural catastrophes. "We live in a world with no risk-free zones,” said Flynn, “and it will be the communities, regions, and countries that demonstrate a capacity for resilience that will end up having a comparative advantage over those that do not.” The conference participants concurred that identifying what it takes to be resilient and acting on that knowledge will be indispensable to achieving growth, safety, and security for the United States.

“Given the Coast Guard’s broad scope of safety and security missions, it is the ideal agency to help inform and apply the kind of resilience efforts underway at the Kostas Research Institute,” said Boynton.” Coast Guard Rear Admiral Dan Neptune, who commands the First Coast Guard District headquartered in Boston agreed. "The Coast Guard is locally-based, nationally deployed, and globally connected, bringing military expertise and response capability to the nation's ports and waterways. The range of our missions demands innovative initiatives that we can develop and share with others by partnering with the Kostas Institute,” Neptun said.

Attending the day-long conference were senior officials from the U.S. Coast Guard, Boston’s Federal Executive Board, Massachusetts Office of Emergency Management, Transportation Security Administration, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Boston Fire Department, Boston Police Department, Naval Criminal Investigative Service, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Massachusetts Port Authority and the Massachusetts Executive Office for Public Safety.

BOSTON — The Coast Guard medically evacuated a fisherman 12 miles south of Jonesport, Maine at 10 a.m. Wednesday.

Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Northern New England received a 911 relay at 9:25 a.m. from the 41-foot fishing vessel Sandy Rose, homeported in Beals Island, Maine, reporting that a 47-year old crewmember had severely injured his hand while hauling gear and was requesting assistance.

A Coast Guard Station Jonesport, Maine, 25-foot response boat crew immediately launched and safely transferred the fisherman to waiting EMS at Station Jonesport.

He was taken to Bangor Eastern Maine Medical Center.

"Communication between the command center and station was quick and successful," said Chief Petty Officer Rob Childress, the command duty officer at Coast Guard Sector Northern New England. "Having proper radio equipment helped the distressed fishermen reach us so we could arrive on scene as quickly as possible."

Coast Guard crews work closely with the commercial fishing fleet, not only to enforce federal fishing regulations, but to ensure the safety of men and women that opperate in the near-shore and off-shore environment.  

View Larger Map

BOSTON — The Coast Guard has suspended its search pending further developments for a 48-year-old man who was reported to have fallen overboard from a Boston-bound tugboat approximately nine miles south of Newport, R.I., Thursday at 1:36 p.m.

Coast Guard crews covered more than 775 square miles searching for the master of the New York-based 91-foot tug Steven-Scott.

The crew of the Steven-Scott contacted the Coast Guard Sector Southeastern New England Command Center at 2:40 p.m., Wednesday, reporting that the man was last seen at approximately 1:30 p.m. and that he may have gone overboard.

“The Coast Guard conducted a thorough search with multiple assets through the night, but unfortunately they did not yield new information,” said Petty Officer 1st Class Joaquin Alayola, a search and rescue controller at the 1st Coast Guard District in Boston.

Searching were crews from:

• A Coast Guard Station Point Judith 47-foot Motor Life Boat
• A Coast Guard Station Castle Hill 45-foot Response Boat-Medium
• A Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter
• The Coast Guard Cutter Tiger Shark, an 87-foot Patrol Boat from Newport, R.I.
• The Coast Guard Cutter Sanibel, a 110-foot Patrol Boat from Woods Hole, Mass.

In the Northeast, the Coast Guard has responded to three boat-related drownings since April 1 of this year. Boaters and beach-goers are encouraged to remain cautious as the weather warms, follow safe boating practices, and always wear a lifejacket. 

View Larger Map