By James Stavridis (Bloomberg Opinion) -- I spent much of my life in the U.S. Navy, including nearly 11 years on the deep ocean day-to-day, out of sight of land. This really drove home the fact that oceans cover 70 percent of the earth’s surface — all the world’s land would fit comfortably within the Pacific. Oceans produce much of the oxygen we breathe and a great deal of the … [Read more...]
VT Halter Reveals New Coast Guard Icebreaker Details
Mississippi-based shipbuilder VT Halter Marine has provided new details on the $745 million contract for the design and construction of the United States’ first new heavy icebreaker in more than 40 years. As we reported last month, the U.S. Department of Navy selected VT Halter as the prime contractor for the $745,940,860 fixed-price incentive-firm contract for the U.S. … [Read more...]
Incident Video: Coast Guard Vessel Carrying Mardi Gras Royalty Crashes Into Dock
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jcZgQ6KEXLY A U.S. Coast Guard buoy tender carrying the Zulu King and Queen of Mardi Gras and other Zulu royalty crashed into a dock on Monday as it arrived in New Orleans for Mardi Gras festivities. A spokesperson for the Coast Guard told local media that all power had cut out as the vessel, USCGC Cypress, approached the dock on the … [Read more...]
US Coast Guard Academy Enters The Space Race
by Grant Wyman (USCG) There is a new landmark at the Coast Guard Academy and it is helping to launch the Coast Guard into an era of space operations. The satellite communications ground station on the roof of Smith Hall was built by the Coast Guard Research and Development Center to support the Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Polar Scout project, which … [Read more...]
U.S. Homeland Security Chief Seeks Pay for Coast Guard as Service Members Miss First Paycheck
WASHINGTON, Jan 15 (Reuters) - U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen said on Tuesday she was working with the White House and Congress to pass legislation to fund the Coast Guard so that its workers could get paid even amid the partial government shutdown. "Like the other branches of the U.S. military, active duty @USCG should be paid for their service and … [Read more...]