8 of 10 Coast Guard cutters yanked off patrol in Keys

Miami Herald ^ | 12/01/2006 | CAMMY CLARK

[khnyny]

bump for later read.

[deport]

Thanks for the insight and hopefully some enlightenment to the thread.

[GAB-1955]

Because the Coast Guard doesn't operate in the dark. Note that all the cutters are painted white!

Really, it's to pressure Congress to fund more National Security Cutters to replace the 110-footers.

The problems with the 110-footers have been getting worse for a while; the modernization did not work.

[GAB-1955]

The Coast Guard will find other cutters by pulling them from the other districts and putting them in the Seventh.

[GAB-1955]

Northrop Grumman has LOTS of experience with ships. They build the carriers and half the submarines for the country, as well as the DDG. The problem was that someone tried to fix worn-out hull on the cheap instead buying new hulls.

Most Naval ships are too big for this mission, by the way. The Navy is loaning the Coast Guard 5 of the Cyclone-class patrol boats, but the 110 footer is good for coastal patrols because it can get closer in to shore than a Perry-class frigate. I have been in Norfolk watching the big grey boats run in and out and shepherding them was an 81-footer Bainbridge Island class. It was like a toy boat.

[TheLion]

"Makes you wonder why they want to announce it to the world."

That was my first thought as I was reading this article! Some things should just never be in the news.

[tanknetter]

Are there no old Navy ships in mothballs that we might reactivate for the Coast Gaurd?

The USCG is already partnering with the Navy in operating some of the Cyclone-class PCs. If there are any available in Little Creek (I know some are doing deployments in the Persian Gulf) I would imagine that they are going to be heading South, asap.

Some time ago there was a suggestion floated that the USCG be given some of the USN's Perry-class FFGs. There are a good number of these in mothballs that might be candidates for reactivation. They'd be expensive to operate, but they might be the best out of a lot of bad short-term options in a beggars-can't-be-choosers situation.

[cmotormac44]

CWO--
How about the CG building some wooden 83 footers with upgraded engines instead of the old Viking II gas jobs---they should be able to kick them out at Curti Bay or a shipyard like Wheelers---then guys like me can volunteer again and do all the things we did 60 years ago---CMoMM Resflo 1 Normandy WW2

[skepsel]

Well we could issue letters of marque and reprise and let the free market work its wonders! I know, privateers were banned by treaty in the 1850s or '60s but I can dream can't I?
There oughta be a place for commercial military forces tho'.

Free Companies and such. Executive Outcomes and other outfits were doing well several years ago and then they vanished from the scene. Apparently governments didn't like the competition or the unfavorable comparisons of relative effectiveness vs. cost.

[cyborg]

Coast Guard is so pathetically underappreciated. No excuse for this imho.

[skepsel]

I have a book somewhere called "Florida's Army" published by the Florida National Guard as a fund raiser about 20 years ago. One section is about Florida State Troops, they weren't NG.
Among the State forces were revenue Cutters commissioned in the '20s and earlier to help combat smuggling and to patrol Florida's long coastlines. Any reason it couldn't be done again? Lots and lots of good sized ships in our marinas, some even have helos on board!

[Thunder90]

Does this mean that the US Army can become National Guard units if need be??

[OKIEDOC]

Looks like on the surface someone or company may have taken the US Government to the cleaners err I mean didn't do their jobs.

So this upgrade was authorized but mishandled.

I think for the amount of money spent the Democrats need to have and investigation of the Clinton administrators mishandling of this conversion.

[OKIEDOC]

Did not the Navy have some of this kind of problem with the Liberty destroyers during World War Two?

Did not the Navy take care of this problem post haste?

[Solitar]

To skepsel: You describe a naval version of a militia -- there undoubtedly are numerous vessels around Florida who could help do the job. The average American boat or ship owner and crew volunteering to help the regular forces.

To Thunder90: I'm afraid that could happen. In fact I suspect it has already happened -- near Waco. A certain General mentioned as a possible 2008 presidential candidate apparently made that happen. See General Wesley Clark (then again, that source may be biased).

To CWOJackson: Thank you for that detailed info. It greatly helps us understand what the rest of the story is.

[timer]

Wasn't it grumman that had a HUGE problem with folding buses some years ago? It looks like Gates will have another problem on his hands besides Iraq : Grumman.

[Kimberly GG]

"This does not sound good. More open border problems about to occur; plus an increase in drug traffic."

Keep in mind, devane, that 'open borders' are, in fact, not a problem to the OBLers who want them open. And make no mistake, the appointment of Martinez was no accident. Thankfully, I no longer live in Florida. Hopefully, our anti-OBL leadership will put a stop to any plans that might be in the works for accepting an insurmountable number of Cuban 'refugees'.

And yes, I do find this timing of this suddenly absolutely necessary removal of all 8 of only 10 cutters, to be suspect of such an agenda.

[Non-Sequitur]

It would be better to shift other resources to the area before you make the announcement.

There are no other resources to shif them to.

[Non-Sequitur]

Dollars to Donuts this lack of strategic planning can be traced back to Bubba.

The Republicans ran Congress for 6 or 8 years. Obviously they lacked strategic planning as well.

[Non-Sequitur]

I wonder if we have any spare A10 Warthogs that could be thrown into the breach.

It isn't aircraft they're lacking, it's ships.