The U. S. Coast Guard in 1988

This html article is produced from an uncorrected text file through optical character recognition. Prior to 1940 articles all text has been corrected, but from 1940 to the present most still remain uncorrected.  Artifacts of the scans are misspellings, out-of-context footnotes and sidebars, and other inconsistencies.  Adjacent to each text file is a PDF of the article, which accurately and fully conveys the content as it appeared in the issue.  The uncorrected text files have been included to enhance the searchability of our content, on our site and in search engines, for our membership, the research community and media organizations. We are working now to provide clean text files for the entire collection.

sel fuel. Utility boats from Coast Gm ^ Stations Atlantic City, Great Egg- ^an. Beach Haven rushed to the scene, ^D

In 1988, the nation’s leading maritime safety and law enforcement service fluc­tuated between some highs and some lows. The Coast Guard performed the usual number of heroic operations and a full plate of “ops normals” to keep those in Coast Guard blue busy around the world. At sea and in the air, thousands of people were saved from certain death and billions in property prevented from de­struction. Hundreds of smugglers were arrested and billions more in contraband kept off the nation’s streets. Maritime safety was enhanced by the world’s finest aids to navigation system and the quality of the marine environment improved by the prevention of oil spills and the cleanup of tens of thousands of gallons of hazardous materials.

During 1988, the Coast Guard suffered the now standard annual budget crisis, albeit spiced by a role reversal: Congress cut the Coast Guard budget and the ad­ministration supported it. While Con­gress fiddled, the service was forced to close or consolidate units to meet the budget crunch and, incredibly, the only “declared” war of the United States— the war on drugs—-was suspended as 55% of Coast Guard patrol operations were shut down awaiting the restoration of funds. After further consideration, the original $103 million budget cut was re­duced to $37.5 million. This eventually translated into the permanent reduction of 895 military billets and 162 civilian posi­tions when various operating units were closed or consolidated.

A quintessential example of the sad result of years of Department of Trans­portation (DoT) indifference and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) in­transigence to Coast Guard budget re­quests was observed as a global human interest story unfolded in thickening ice fields off Prudhoe Bay, Alaska. For more than five years, Coast Guard requests for replacement of its World War II-vintage icebreakers were stonewalled. In Novem­ber 1988, the world watched as two So­viet icebreakers freed trapped California grey whales because not one Coast Guard ice breaker was available to render assistance.

The service meant to expand its mili­tary role in 1988 and improve packaging itself to the public. The good news: It was at the center of the world stage with the Summit on Governors Island; the bad news: a political rebuff on defense opera­tions in the Persian Gulf.

Change was ubiquitous: i.e., sweeping new drug legislation directed what the service—and the Department of Defense (DoD)—recommended against: the crea­tion of a cabinet-level Drug Czar and a statutory role for DoD in the gathering of operational drug intelligence. There was the challenge of a new, high-tech mission in air interdiction, using sophisticated carrier airborne early warning (AEW) and interceptor aircraft. Sensitive opera­tional policies on zero drug tolerance, search and rescue (SAR) towing, and other items were reviewed, adjusted, and implemented. Headquarters was reorga­nized, and new names, functions, and faces became part of the policy land­scape, complete with a newly chartered, high-level Strategic Planning Council. Like all years. 1988 was a building block of the future as the budget for 1989 was formulated. But arguably, the average Coast Guardsman will remember 1988 most as the first full year of functioning under the most revolutionary reorganiza­tion of the service in a quarter century. Living and working through the turbu­lence surrounding this Perestroika is one of the most important aspects of what the Coast Guard accomplished during the year.

Program Statistics and Highlights

This section provides only a sample of the work routinely discharged by Coast Guardsmen. It is important to take note of the number and variety of operations listed for each program. Operations and policy issues were randomly selected to provide an overview of the myriad activi­ties that occupied both operational and staff personnel.

Search and Rescue: Without adding the equivalent dollars represented by the lives saved, just the property saved and assisted during 1988 SAR operations more than offset total annual Coast Guard appropriations. SAR cases run the gamut from huge multi-unit, multi-agency oper­ations consuming thousands of operating hours over several weeks, to incidents where a single phone call by a watch- stander resolves the case. Each is counted as one SAR case. The operations, policy’ and/or program issues that follow are in­tended to provide interesting but typical events.

► The 138-foot merchant vessel Obi H

reported herself disabled and sinking after an engine room fire in the Wind­ward Passage as the winds and seas ot Hurricane Gilbert threatened the lives ot the six crewmen. The USCGC Seneca (WMEC-906) immediately departed Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to assist. The Obi drifted helplessly into Cuban territo­rial waters where she was able to anchor but was without any power and at the mercy of the storm. A passing merchant vessel arrived and stopped to help h^ut was unable to assist and was unwilling ¹⁰ stand by. The Seneca’s speed was re­duced to eight knots by the 100-kn^ot winds and heavy seas. Arriving on scene after daylight, she entered Cuban water* and commenced a tow at one knot. At'^er 14 hours of towing, the bridle failed- ^ commercial tug en route to the Obi had to return to port, so the Seneca resumed tin- tow and safely brought the vessel to Guantanamo Bay. ,

►  An alert Air Station North Ben aircrewman thought he saw somethin? unusual as his HH-52A transited th^e beach line at Coos Bay, Oregon. At tb­it looked like a man surf fishing, but on the second approach he realized the man was desperately signaling a critical di* tress situation. Two persons had bee^a caught in the ten-foot surf and were bemr swept out to sea. One was a young S^,r and the other a woman now floating >^a: down in the water. On the third '^vate landing, the aircrewman succeeded * bringing the young girl into the helo- •* had no choice but to enter the water rescue the unconscious woman. Figh^tia- through the surf, he brought her to wjj beach and immediately began CPR- B°. victims were transported to a local hosp¹ tal alive but in critical condition. .

►  An 80-foot tug with a 225-foot barg^e ^ tow reported a fire on board the barg five miles east of Atlantic City, New -w sey. The barge contained 22,000 gall°ⁿ’ of asphalt and 15,000 gallons of #2 ^

ai^

^t*^le'^r combined fire-fighting capabilities could not put out the blaze. The 82-foot Patrol boat Point Franklin (WPB-82350) and the 210-foot cutter Alert (WMEC- 30) were dispatched and a fire-fighting ^tearn put on board the barge. Vertical re­plenishment support operations were called for and the Coast Guard Air Sta- ¹⁰ⁿ at Cape May began the transfer of echnical personnel and equipment to the ^Scene. Using technical information gath­ered from the owners, Marine Safety Of- ^1Ce Philadelphia determined that the ''alves located in the fuel oil expansion ank were open and fueling the fire in the oiler. The team extinguished the fire.

^e barge and remaining cargo were -d and no injuries or pollution re-

to Navigation: Usually thought of ^a low-profile group of sailors, those in

the “Black Fleet” are in fact at the center of a long, contentious policy fight. DoT and OMB are using their standard “pa­ralysis by analysis” process to replace the old, worn out oceangoing and coastal buoy tenders. They are using numerous trial programs, economic analyses, and other studies to attempt to define pre­cisely how much of current Coast Guard aids-to-navigation work can be parceled off to contractors under the provisions of OMB Circular A-76. The administra­tion’s purpose seems simple, i.e., reduce federal outlays by giving the maximum amount of the work to the contractors, thus requiring less ship construction, per­sonnel allowances, and operating funds— and shrinking the federal work force. This matter has been under study since 1985. The Coast Guard has already lost 120 military and 35 civilian positions

Table 1 Search and Rescue

Operational Activity                     Fiscal Year 1987                     Fiscal Year 1988

Total SAR Cases ^Lives Saved Persons Assisted Property Saved Property Assisted

68,087

6,638

137,195

$955,000,000

$2,361,700,000 64,789

6,320

143,910

$960,140,000

$2,347,530,000

DoT spent the year studying ways to contract out some of the Coast Guard’s aids-to-navigation duties, such as planting shoal water beacons.

Table 2

Operational Activity

Plating Aids ^Fi*ed Aids

Private Aids Authorized ^essel Traffic Service Transits

Aids to Navigation

Fiscal Year 1987

25,551

23,526

43,835

963,767

Fiscal Year 1988

26,931

23,131

44,785

642,706

Table 3

^rational Activity

Marine Inspection and Licensing

Fiscal Year 1987 Fiscal Year 1988

^^ew Construction • S. Vessels Inspected “reign Vessels Examined ^arine Investigations £ ^arine Licensing Transactions Oman’s Document Transactions

^^actory Visits/Inspections p'^,at Defect Campaigns ^ersons enrolled in Auxiliary Gating Education Courses “xiliary Courtesy Marine Examinations

Table 4

through “anticipatory reductions” of the success of the “trial program.”

Plans are moving ahead in conjunction with the Federal Aviation Agency for the construction of a mid-continent Loran-C range. This extremely accurate (and sta­ble) radio navigation grid would cover the entire country. This system expansion would be accomplished by the addition of three new stations and the double rating of an existing station that serves the mari­time region.

Marine Inspection and Licensing: As a result of comments received nationwide on its SAR towing policy, a new licens­ing requirement was established in Sep­tember 1988. A licensing endorsement process has been smoothly implemented for an Assistance Towing License for those who tow for a consideration.

Marine Environment Readiness: The year started eventfully for this Coast Guard program:       a catastrophic,

4,000,000-gallon oil spill. An Ashland Oil above-ground tank suddenly col­lapsed, sending a million gallon surge of #2 diesel oil over the containment dike, fouling the Monongahela River in Penn­sylvania. Tank debris, carried by the cur­rent, punctured another 1,000,000-gallon gasoline tank along the river. Although this tank’s contents were held in check by its containment dike, more than 1,200

ing into the overhead, the boarding P'

noted several vacuum-packed alum'

nui'

foil and plastic-wrapped bricks

Guard E-2C. An HU-25C was then tored for an intercept and Operation hamas and Turks and Caicos

vet'

W ,OPBAfl

oV^ef

people had to be evacuated. More than 80 city water supplies for a population of 1,000,000 people were affected. More than 100 miles of river eventually became contaminated. An enormous winter cleanup operation resulted. Although in­land, the Coast Guard immediately as­sumed on-scene commander responsibil­ity as the first federal official on scene. Atlantic Strike Team resources were dis­patched with personnel and equipment, and survey flights commenced tracking the oil.

Port Safety and Security: Incidents with the most sensitive international ram­ifications can occur during requests for asylum. Simply put, these cases come in varying degrees of awful for the Coast Guardsmen involved, depending mainly on the refugee’s nationality. A case ex­pertly handled by port security forces occurred in New York harbor when an Iraqi seaman jumped from his ship to a U. S. bunkering barge and requested asy­lum. The barge called the Coast Guard, which immediately dispatched a utility boat and removed the person to a Coast Guard cutter, where he was kept until Immigration Naturalization Service agents took custody of him and processed his request. Asylum was granted by the Department of State and the Iraqi ship set sail for her next port of call. The incident was quietly closed.

Enforcement of Laws and Treaties:

►   USCGC Boutwell (WHEC-719), as­sisted by surveillance/vectoring Air Sta­tion Sacramento C-130s, seized the Pana­manian merchant ship Encounter Bay, 600 miles west of Cape Flattery, Wash­ington. After overtaking the ship and de­termining her registry, the Boutwell's crew members requested authority from Panama to board and search the ship. Panama consented to the enforcement of (J. S. law on its ship but the Encounter Bay refused to answer all communica­tions directing her to stop for a boarding. Finally, after an appropriate caution, the Boutwell's .50-caliber and five-inch/.38 caliber guns fired warning shots across her bow. The ship would not stop. She was then warned that disabling fire di­rected at her engine room would com­mence if she did not immediately stop for a boarding authorized by her govern­ment. When she still continued, three bursts of .50-caliber disabling fire were directed into the Encounter Bay's engine room, and the ship stopped. There were no injuries. More than 50 tons of mari­juana was discovered on board. The ship was seized and her 18 crew members ar­rested.

►  Dope smugglers are a resourceful lot, but not as determined as a boarding party from the USCGC Vigorous (WMEC- 627). One evening she intercepted the U. S. 35-foot sailing vessel Star and boarded her in the Yucatan Pass. The boat had gear, stores, and clothes adrift and piled so high it made searching her extremely difficult. The owner turned out the lights in the lower spaces claiming that he needed to conserve his batteries. Waiting until daylight to complete their inspection, the boarding party observed a small portion of overhead paneling in one of the bunk rooms that was not quite flush. Using a fiber-optic scope and drill­

lafty

¹   . U

whi^ch

contained 250 kilos of cocaine. Th^e- seized the boat and arrested the crew- ► A Cessna 402 was initially acqu^,r^₍ south of Cuba and tracked by a La

helicopters alerted. As the Cessna flew the Bahamas, the OPBAT heli*-⁰^ ter, with Royal Bahamian police board, was scrambled and vectored to

^Lessna'

s vicinity. The smuggler sought

®nald Reagan (looking through a J ^erscope, used to locate illegal ^^ugs on board ships) kept his eye the drug war during his tenure as

Resident.

thg ^{3 ma}h^eshift airstrip on Chub Cay with tail         helicopter on the Cessna’s

_t ' The Bahamian police arrested the ⁰ occupants, who fled the aircraft and ^niptcd to hide in the woods. The ^Ssna contained more than half a ton of

►  Haitian patrols are normally no picnic. It is tough duty protecting our borders from economic migrants who hope only to acquire what every American wants for his family—a better life. The boats are floating death traps, grossly overloaded and in extremely poor repair. In January 1988, the USCGC Dauntless (WMEC- 624) came alongside a dilapidated 30- foot boat and discovered a welter of ille­gal Haitian migrants on board. They took 89 people off the sinking sailboat, but 90 were repatriated to Haiti. Seven hours after the boarding, Storekeeper Second Class David Rokes delivered a baby girl from a 35-year-old migrant mother.

►  A Haitian patrol scenario for two days went as follows: Monday morning the USCGC Vigorous (WMEC-627) located 154 persons abandoned with no crew and supplies on a 40-foot Haitian sailing ves­sel. The Vigorous took them on board and sank the boat as a hazard to naviga­tion. That afternoon, while en route to Haiti, the Vigorous located a 35-foot sail­boat with 60 migrants on board. Tuesday morning, the USCGC Acatia (WLB-406) located a 45-foot Haitian motor sailer with 88 migrants on board and transferred them to the Vigorous. The 210-foot Coast Guard cutter, with her crew of 75, then proceeded to Port au Prince and repatri­ated 302 persons.

Ice Operations: Nineteen eighty-eight was the nadir of the Polar Ice Operations Program. The decade started with a fleet of five ice breakers and now only two are left. Three Commandants bent their picks working this problem and yet a national

policy, backed by resources, was as elu­sive in 1988 as in 1983 when the polar replacement program began to fully take shape. In 1984, a high-level interagency study group chartered by OMB con­cluded that a fleet of four Coast Guard- owned and -operated icebreakers were the most cost-effective way to meet all the sovereign, national defense, and sci­entific objectives of the nation. The price tag for these vessels, in terms of Coast Guard budgets, is huge—approximately $300 million each. How to avoid these costs has been one of the serious sticking points in establishing a national policy.

Inexplicably, the National Science Foundation has embarked on an initiative to obtain its own single-mission ship; in­cluded in the alternatives was a ship of foreign registry. This reopened matters, especially in light of the question of such a ship’s ability to project U. S. sovereign presence in polar regions. We had to call on the Soviets once, to save the whales. A final decision can come none too soon if the Coast Guard is to protect all na­tional interests in polar regions.

Defense Readiness: The reduced num­ber of exercises in 1988 (49 versus 68 in 1987) belies an increased emphasis and program activity in defense operations during the year. For example, more than 3,300 Coast Guardsmen participated in Ocean Venture 88 (almost 10% of the service). Sixteen surface units from the East and Gulf coasts as well as the Carib-. bean teamed with Coast Guard aviation units from air stations Miami, Boren- quen, and Brooklyn for the month-long military exercise directed by the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS).

This was the busiest year for Coast Guard activity in the JCS arena. The De­fense Reorganization Act of 1986 re­quired the JCS to perform a net assess­ment of the capabilities of the U. S. armed forces and its allies vis-a-vis the capabilities of our potential enemies. The legislation directed that the Coast Guard be included in the assessment.

In the same vein, the service now par­ticipates in JCS and the Commander-in­Chief’s Conference War Game. The Commandant joins other service chiefs in the free-play game that examines national security issues and strategy at the highest levels.

International Affairs: The service con-

Last year was the nadir of the Coast Guard’s Polar Ice Operations Pro­gram—by the end of the year only two icebreakers were left in the fleet, including the Polar Star (WAGB-10).

Table 9 compares fiscal year 1988 bud­get authority and personnel allowances by appropriation with the fiscal year 1989

tinued its active program of training for­eign nationals in areas of special exper­tise (i.e., maritime law enforcement, search and rescue, port security, seaman­ship, and fisheries enforcement). Almost 1,000 students from 30 countries, mostly developing nations, were assisted in their home countries. Coast Guard mobile training teams composed of four to five Coast Guardsmen conduct one- to two- week in-country training courses tailored to the specific needs of the host country.

The Budget budget request. The numbers indicate that more dollars are being appropriated to accomplish Coast Guard business but fewer hands are available to execute it. A look inside the budget provides three principal reasons for the Coast Guard’s decrease in size:

►  The loss of 507 military and 51 civilian billets to a continuation of anticipatory reductions based on the administration’s OMB Circular A-76 process (the use of commercial contracting personnel in lieu of the Coast Guard military and civilian work force)

► The substitution of 345 Coast Guard military billets instead of having addi­tional personnel authorized to operate new hardware ► The loss of 697 military and 53 civilian man-years of employment in the annuali­zation of 1988 program cuts.

Table 10 depicts the out-years of the acquisition, construction, and improve­ment (AC&I) appropriation. For years Congress had chaffed because OMB lim­ited information on Coast Guard capita¹ requirements from getting to its commit­tees. A portion of authorization legisla­tion now directs that a projection of Coast Guard-derived capital requirements be provided to them. Interestingly- $728,595,000 of unspecified hardware is not shown because these items cannot be contained in the annual allowances pr°" vided by OMB.

the drug menace does not necessan

rily

translate into a reversal of the decreasing size of the Coast Guard. Moreover, a n^L''' Secretary of Transporation and stall

and budgets of departments and ageⁿ'

ictf⁵

th^e

National Director has unusual

Unlike the former Drug Policy Board ^aa National Narcotics Border Interdict' ^ System, the new National Director h^a^ charter to influence directly the op¹

ier³'

U»'

The Future: Some Major Issues

As an operating agency, the vitality of the Coast Guard’s future can in some measure be gauged by the capital equip­ment it is authorized to buy. The pro­grams and projects funded by the AC&I appropriation, under the supervision of the new Office of Acquisition, provides insight into its near-term operational ca­pability. Mature programs for cutters, the 378-foot fleet rehabilitation and moderni­zation program, 270-foot medium-endur­ance cutter replacement, and patrol boat procurement ensure that the backbone of the fleet will be refurbished with techno­logically improved replacement vehicles. New programs for replacement of ocean­going and coastal buoy tenders are at the point of further defining requirements and developing specifications so that in­dustry design proposals may be solicited in 1990 if departmental and OMB ap­provals can be obtained. In June 1988, a contract was awarded for the prototype

Coast Guard aviation completed its renaissance in 1988 by selecting the HH-60J as the replacement for the HH-3F to join its growing force of new HH-65A helicopters, shown with two Island-class cuttters.

design and construction of a replacement for the venerable (fleet age 25 years) 44- foot and 52-foot motor life boats.

The renaissance of Coast Guard avia­tion, begun in 1976 with the procurement of the HU-25A (the replacement for the HU-16E), will be completed with the acquisition of the HH-60J replacement for the HH-3F. In a departure from the recent past, when the purchase of foreign “off-the-shelf” airframes came with unanticipated, horrendous support prob­lems, the HH-60J is a derivative of a U. S.-built Navy helicopter. Spares and support equipment are being bought now and the construction of the first Coast Guard airframe began in October 1988 with delivery expected in March 1990. A flight simulator is part of the buy.

A major milestone of this renaissance has been the design of the HU-25C Night Stalker interceptor. Outfitted with the APG-66 intercept radar and the WF-360 forward-looking infrared, nine of the HU-25A fleet were converted in record time and within budget when the last plane was delivered to Aviation Training Center Mobile, Alabama, on 20 Decem­ber 1988. Another success story was the acceptance of two high-performance E-2Cs from the Navy for use in air inter­diction, as well as the acquisition of addi­tional aerostats for use along the southern border of the United States. The combi­nation of air interdiction aerostats, E-2Cs, and HU-25Cs resulted from the work of a powerful team—operations, engineering, and acquisition personnel working together under the leadership of a new office. As a result of their efforts, the Coast Guard went from having no air interdiction capability to regularly bust­ing air smugglers in the space of a year.

The policy future is less clear. Inter­nally, some midcourse corrections of the reorganization will certainly be made, both at Headquarters and in the field. Supporting increasing numbers of more sophisticated operating platforms and possibly expanding workloads in envi­ronmental protection, with a shrinking pool of personnel and inadequate deci­sion support systems will be a formidable challenge. Externally, the potential f°^r change has never been greater. A ^ne'^v administration that has pledged to redu^ce have to be brought up to speed on d’^L service and its programs.

The policy influence of the new D^rtlr Czar is at this time an unknown. His ^ sponsibilities are far-reaching and ⁰ rectly influence the most visible and Ins est growing Coast Guard program- ¹ | new Director of National Drug Cont^ft Policy has sweeping power. He can:

►  Promulgate a National Drug Con^tr Strategy and oversee the implements*¹¹ of this strategy

►  Develop a National Drug Control P*^a gram Budget to be submitted along ^vV the President’s budget, which will be special analysis of the budgets of the n^1, partments and agencies involved in hf ing drugs

►  Recommend to the President chanf _f in organization, management, persons

The title Czar is appropriate since

author# tional performance of all agencies, mistakably, how he interfaces with *h° . agencies and then exercises this auth‘^,r • in executing a national strategy is ol P^a j mount importance to the Coast Gu^af

The Coast Guard Auxiliary

By Lieutenant Commander W. Russ Webster, U. S. Coast Guard

In today’s environment of budget cuts and curtailment °f some of the duties of the regular Coast Guard, the Coast Guard Auxiliary’s cost-effective labor and experi­^ence is a valuable asset. History has shown that the work­load of the Coast Guard Auxiliary is proportional to the hard times and needs of the Coast Guard regulars. The ^more the regulars need, the more the auxiliarists have helped.

The modern-day Coast Guard Auxiliary has its origins ^ln the Coast Guard Reserve. The Coast Guard Reserve Act °l 1939 created a non-military service made up primarily °f volunteer boat owners and pleasure boaters whose mis- ^S|ons paralleled those of today’s Coast Guard Auxiliary. In February 1941, Congress changed its original legislation and called the new act the Coast Guard Auxiliary and Reserve Act. Two reserves were thus formed, the regular reserves and the temporary reserves. The forerunners of today’s auxiliary often joined in the war effort by serving ^wtth the temporary reserves. Some served for weeks at a time and, although furnished with uniforms, their effort ^Was strictly voluntary and most were not paid. Their mis- ^'°ns included: guarding the approaches to the United mates, patrolling and protecting waterfront facilities,

^°astal picket patrols, surveillance, rescuing survivors ^r°m torpedoed or scuttled vessels, and engaging the ^enemy where possible. More than 50,000 auxiliarists ^Served during World War II, using as many as 2,000 of heir personal vessels in the war effort. The regular Coast s^ard had operational control over these vessels, and their etews had full military ranks, ratings, and authority.

T’lie Coast Guard Auxiliary of Today: After World /'ar II, the Coast Guard Auxiliary resumed its recreational oating safety duties. Today’s auxiliarists’ main tasks in- ude recreational search and rescue, public education, and j-°urtesy marine examinations. They also are involved to a esser degree in safety and regatta patrols, private aids-to- ^navigation, harbor and pollution patrols, assisting during mobility exercises, and are active recruiters for the regular Coast Guard. The Coast Guard Auxiliary also provides platforms and personnel for realistic drug law enforcement training acts as blue/orange forces during readiness exer­cises. Auxiliarists also have participated in military readi­ness events by providing craft of opportunity (COOP) ves­sels for port and harbor mine surveys for mine warfare scenarios.

According to a recent congressionally mandated study, today’s 32,385 Coast Guard auxiliarists are a highly cost- effective, professional, and efficient arm of the Coast Guard. Many auxiliarists assist the Coast Guard in these austere times by doing administrative duties. Some retired auxiliarists even put in 40-45 hours a week helping out.

It makes sense to close with two examples of award­winning rescues performed by Coast Guard auxiliarists recounted in the 31 May 1988 Commandant's Bulletin.

On 28 January 1980, the Coast Guard cutter Blackthorn (WLB-391) and the 580-foot tanker Capricorn collided in Tampa Bay, killing 23 Coast Guardsmen. Kenneth Ander­son, of the Coast Guard’s 7th District (Miami), was one of the first divers to enter the debris-filled waters. He spent 15 hours searching the ship’s superstructure. He made the 50-foot dive five times and recovered four Coast Guardsmen.

In Mississippi Sound, Reba and Mortimer Johnson helped five people on board a 21-foot boat whose anchor was dragging. It was dark when they made their rescue. Their initial efforts at a stern tow were thwarted by a squall that broke the towing rig. Their dogged determina­tion enabled them to re-rig the tow and make for safe waters.

Commander Webster is currently a student at the Naval Postgraduate School and is working toward a master of science degree in the command, control, and communications curriculum.

^ federal government faced with a

n ^rlJli Nin

Cri

*•            debt and Graham-Rudman-

G_u ^la8^s will surely include the Coast 'ⁿk a ^m '^ts P*^ans f°^r eliminating the red in j/*ⁿ important Coast Guard mission 8^rarri '^s *^{10W t0 esca}P^e multiple pro- Do^ ^an(I budget threats. In the past, c_atl( ^aPP^ropriations have offset signifi- eo^uisition. operational, and support iti_0r^' ^'^lh DoD funding under pressure V>w_e ^{lan at an}y time in the past decade, arjy ^Ver’ this assistance will be in jeop- bf,_)u ^as never before. Indeed, 1988 fen_Se ^SOme ominous smoke to the de- itiabji-Stations P^rog^ram horizon. The fo_r p ¹ y to gain congressional approval $id_er^Cr.^s'^an Gulf operations could be con- p_Q^e a caution light.

^SPo_ns^rrh^ally’ G°^ast Guard defense re- ¹ ilities will not materially change

in the near term, but with the potential of a reduced threat overseas, there is sure to be an impact on its ability to promote the significance of its Maritime Defense Zone responsibilities to its budget re­viewers. In such an environment, the shrewdest Coast Guard apologists will be needed to weave policies sustaining de­fense operations and reserve programs.

To this laundry list of budget and pro­gram perils must be added the normal exposure the Coast Guard faces from the general budget squeeze on the non-DoD sector of the government. This is espe­cially so in a department and an OMB long preoccupied with politically active agencies having billions in trust funds to expend on transportation programs.

The foregoing is a partial list of the major issues the Coast Guard faced in 1988. The previous year had an equally impressive catalog of changes, uncertain­ties, and challenges, which the service met successfully. Nineteen eighty-nine will be no different.

Captain Duca retired as Chief of Staff, 7th Coast Guard District, in 1986 after 29 years of service, and is now employed as an Assistant Technical Director of Mantech Services, Inc. In 1984, as chief of opera­tions of the 7th Coast Guard District, he conceived and executed Operation Wagon Wheel, the first mul­tinational, multiservice, winter drug interdiction op­eration, which included protracted operations in the Caribbean, off the coast of South America, and in the Bahamas. In 1981, he coauthored the joint Navy- Coast Guard Study on Wartime Tasking, which gave rise to the Maritime Defense Zone concept and the Navy-Coast Guard (NavGuard) Board. An aviator, he served as Chief of Coast Guard Aviation and as Chief of Program Analysis at Headquarters.