Caretaker Status for Cutters -- More to follow?

[PACS Steve Carleton]

I found this in Navy Times.com


July 06, 2006

Coast Guard icebreaker in deep freeze to save money

By Patricia Kime
Times staff writer


Coast Guard Chief Warrant Officer 4 Ken Stuber had his orders: Put the icebreaker Polar Star in “caretaker status” by July 1.

On June 30, Stuber, the commanding officer of the 399-foot ship, did just that, waiting until exactly 11:59 p.m., to remove the giant ship from operational readiness.


“There really wasn’t anything we did, but the logs say it happened just before midnight on June 30,” Stuber said from the ship July 3.

The Polar Star has been placed in “caretaker status” — stripped of a full crew, its engines and systems shut down — as a money-saving measure.

One of the Coast Guard’s two Antarctic icebreakers, it awaits a decision from the administration and Congress on the future of U.S. polar icebreaking.

For the past five years, the Coast Guard’s polar icebreaking mission has endured rough seas, including the deterioration of the vessels themselves and a funding flap that’s pitted the Coast Guard against the National Science Foundation.

The Polar Star and Polar Sea are celebrating their 30th anniversaries, and while they are aging gracefully on the outside, they both need service life extension projects for their innards.

There’s ongoing debate over whether the two ships are worth modernizing. Their repairs are so costly, the service might build new icebreakers if it continues to be assigned the polar icebreaking mission.

In caretaker status, the Polar Star’s crew is down 100 people, from 134 to 34. The special status allows the Coast Guard to put more money into Polar Sea, which recently came out of dry-dock and completed sea trials.

If the Polar Star gets an 11th-hour reprieve, the ship could be back in commission in 18 months, Stuber said.

“The hardest part would be getting a crew together,” Stuber said.

[BMCS Ian McVicker]

Talk about a quiet job.

[BMCM Stuart S. Slesh]

How is a CWO4, the Commanding Officer of an Ice Breaker ? Something is not right in Denmark.

[LT Arthur Nelson (MKC) (Ret)]

CWO Stuber was placed as CO of the Polar Star since it is now in a "special decommessioned" status with only a crew of 34 and everything turned off & secured. The ship will not getting underway anytime soon.

[BMCS Nick Pupo]

Not a bad deal for Mr Stuber. BMC to CWO, CO of the Lifeboat School now as CO of the Polar Star. Wonder what he did with his parrot?

[CMC Bruce Bradley]

I'll bet the bird is flying pretty freely around the CO's cabin on the boat. Or just about any place else. After all with only a crew of 34 you might go days and not see anyone.

I wonder if there's a line to relieve the Bosn?

[BMC John Phillips III]

while they are aging gracefully on the outside, they both need service life extension projects for their innards.

I think that settles the long debate over deckies vs engineers :p

[BMCM Stuart S. Slesh]

No the debate goes on. Paint is cheaper than parts. With paint it's one coat for dust, two coats for rust. With engineering, it doesn't matter how clean it is or how shiny, if it does work, it doesn't work.

JP3, pot stirrer.........sorry, you're going to need a bigger stick for this one. Probably not the first time that you've been told that.

[CMC Bruce Bradley]

JP3, I'll lend you another set of hands to stir that pot. There's nothing better than a little deckie vs snipe fun........

[BMC Chris Gempp]

Things are very quiet over there now, just a few contractors moving around. That's about the ONLY people you see

[MKC Art Bailly (ret)]

It's only broken because the way the operators used it. You break it we fix it. But you can only break it so many times before its not repairable anymore. Stir, stir, stirring the pot

[BMCS Burt Ford]

Do they get sea pay/time?

[BMC James M. Clark]

It's only broken because the way the operators used it. You break it we fix it.

Yep, next time you see an operator, thank him for your job security...

[BMCS R. Scott Pugh]

Can't we all just get along...

Sorry - that one has been used! :D

[PACS Steve Carleton]

Man, I sure hate that qoute function on this board because it loks like I said it, when I just copied and pastedthe article.

I was a Non-Rate on the Polar Sea and I recall many a paint party evolution, from the laundry room to the focsile to new non-skid.

Posted from a veteran of Deep Freeze 92 and damn proud of those 10 months and 28 days of Sea Time

[BMC Gene Daigle]

When the RB-M's become operational at STA's, if the warrenty contract is just like the RB-S's, the saying will go, we run'em, we break'em, and the MK's drive them to the marina to fix'em. Delegated to a hauling service. ;)

[MKC Art Bailly (ret)]

Even warranties run out and we then we go to work.

[MKC Curtiss Diehl]

Yep, next time you see an operator, thank him for your job security...

You also have to thank us for your job security, once you break it we do fix it and then we leave all the snipe tracks for you. :D

[MKC Craig Thorngren (Ret)]

Curtiss,
But remember, you can't forget the job security they give us... Especially with the defender class boats. When you hit something at 40+ knots, something is going to break... If I could figure out how to upload pics here, I've got some that are pretty amazing...Yep, Bosn' Mates have been the best job security I could have asked for during my career. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to the head to give birth to a baby Bosn' mate :eek:
Waiting for the broadsides to return fire...

Craig

Damn, I guess I figured out how to add pics after all...

[BMCS Jim Madsen]

And the scary thing about that pic is that there is a mounted automatic weapon on the front. Probably a PIW that you can't see in the pic either. Just speculating based on the number of mishaps I have seen.
I would love to lob a few shots back, but that pic pretty well makes your argument for you.

[BMC Chris Gempp]

Craig,
Returning fire! Is that a MSST pic? Thats probably how they avoid running people over when they fall off the boat..

[MKC Craig Thorngren (Ret)]

Chris,
I'm not sure of the unit involved, but I did crop the picture to take out an identifying landmark that would have narrowed it down... Because I know of the location, I'm leaning towards a particular station, but it could be an MSST boat since they deploy any place they are needed... I can guarantee you that it doesn't matter whether it's an MSST or Station, that hull has damage, caused by the "operator", who more than likely is a BM. There is the off chance that it's an MK (Can't say I've met any other Coxswains), but odds are its a BM. The point I was trying to make is that there is nothing known to man that a boatswain can't break, misuse or lose.
Now as for the the running someone over remark... The person in question who was run over was a YN2. He was run over by a BM1. This again is a prime example of BM's being other ratings job security. In this case the two corpsman who treated the YN2 (whose callsign is now "Road Kill") :eek: .

Craig

[BMCS R. Scott Pugh]

Having been on one, I would say that picture is from a MSST, (Side Note - I have seen the 'un-cropped' picture and I really like it). I know some of my guys used to take pictures underway and hope for that money shot doing two boat ops.

Scott

[BMCS Nick Pupo]

Seems to me we once again have given somebody too much boat for their ability.

Oh yeah, Craig, its not giving "birth to a baby boatswain mate". It's called deploying the rescue swimmer. But either way when your done, dont forget to wipe your MK.

All in good fun.

[PACS Steve Carleton]

Um Scott, your unit "my guys used to take pictures underway," so where are the images? There are a lot of really great images that get taken by the boatcrews and others in the field that we never see until someone starts circulating around the messgae boards and e-mail. There is a central repository of imagery that is maintained at HQ (G-I), oops, I mean CG-092. let's get some of those images out to where people can see them and possibly be used in magazines, advertisements, etc.

If your units need help in getting imagery into the database or need guidance on how to release it, contact your local PA shop.

PA Manual states:

3. Official Photography and Video.

a. Photographic and video equipment on Coast Guard ships, boats, aircraft and stations, is subject to command policy. All photographs and video, including those taken with personal cameras, taken aboard Coast Guard units are subject to screening and approval of the commanding officer prior to release for commercial or public use. All such photography is considered official and may not be sold under any circumstances for private gain.


d. Personal photography or video by Coast Guard personnel. As a team Coast Guard member – whether active duty, reserve, Auxiliary, or civilian employee -- you may have access to news events that the media and other members of the public cannot see. You may not sell or market in any way either photos or video that you take of these events. Federal law prohibits federal employees and military members from accepting any compensation for activities that pertain to the member’s official duties. For additional guidance, see the Standards of Ethical Conduct for Employees of the Executive Branch, which is available from your district or area legal office.

e. The Coast Guard retains the right to use personal photography or video to support Coast Guard missions. The Coast Guard can take temporary possession of any video or photographs, including negatives, taken on federal property. While in the Coast Guard’s possession, the images are not official photographs or video and will not be released to the public without the owner’s permission.

f. Commanding officers, or other competent authority, can confiscate any imagery — photographic or video — aboard their units whenever those photographs deal with an official matter that is, in their opinion, of a highly sensitive nature (e.g., a law enforcement case or SAR operation), or violates security requirements, whether those images were shot by a Coast Guard member, a member of the news media or a civilian. Photographs containing classified information become official Coast Guard photographs. Unclassified materials may revert to the owner.