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Encyclopedia > Missions of the United States Coast Guard

The United States Coast Guard carries out five basic missions: Coast Guard Seal The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is a military branch of the United States involved in maritime law, mariner assistance, and search and rescue, among other duties of coast guards elsewhere. ...

A given unit within the Coast Guard may carry out more than one mission at once. For example, a 25-foot RHIB assigned to security around a key city also watches out for out-of-place or missing aids to navigation, pollution, and unsafe boating practices. Maritime Security is concerned with the prevention of intentional damage through sabotage, subversion, or terrorism. ... Any activity or effort performed to protect a nation against attack or other threats. ...

Contents


Maritime safety

Search and rescue

The Coast Guard has responsibility for search and rescue (SAR) operations in U.S. and international waters. Inland rescues are usually performed by 25-foot, 27-foot, and 41-foot (7.6 m, 8.2 m, and 12.5 m) boats. HH-60 and HH-65 helicopters serve on both the high seas and inshore. Search and Rescue (acronym SAR) is an operation mounted by emergency services, often well-trained volunteers, to find someone believed to be in distress, lost, sick or injured either in a remote or difficult to access area, such as mountains, desert or forest (Wilderness search and rescue), or at sea...


Search and rescue operations are numerous and varied. A sample of operations in February 2005 included:

  • CGS Chetco River, Oregon, dispatched its rigid-hull inflatable boat with a crew and an emergency medical technician on board to evacuate a fisherman whose hand was nearly amputated in an accident. The fisherman's hand was reattached.
  • A helicopter rescued two recreational snowmobilers in Anchor Bay, Michigan, whose vehicle crashed through the ice.
  • Boats from CGS Point Allerton in Hull came to the assistance of the fishing vessel Lady Lorraine, which was on fire off Scituate, Massachusetts.
  • Aircraft from Coast Guard Air Station Humboldt Bay, California, searched waters off Oregon for a missing light aircraft.

Large-scale search and rescue operations occur less frequently, but often involve many Coast Guard vessels and aircraft from a large area. Helicopters and rescue swimmers participated in the 36-hour rescue of six crew members from the 570-foot tanker Bow Mariner, which exploded and sank off of Chincoteague, Virginia, on February 28, 2004. Two rescue swimmers were awarded the Coast Guard Medal for their extraordinary efforts to keep the rescued mariners alive. Official language(s) None Capital Salem Largest city Portland Area  Ranked 9th  - Total 98,466 sq mi (255,026 km²)  - Width 260 miles (420 km)  - Length 360 miles (580 km)  - % water 2. ... The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view. ... Anchor Bay Entertainment: the home video/television distribution company. ... Official language(s) None (English, de-facto) Capital Lansing Largest city Detroit Area  Ranked 10th  - Total 97,990 sq mi (253,793 km²)  - Width 239 miles (385 km)  - Length 491 miles (790 km)  - % water 41. ... Hull is a town located in Plymouth County, Massachusetts. ... Scituate is a small seacoast town located in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, on Cape Cod Bay midway between Boston and Plymouth. ... Humboldt Bay is located in Humboldt County along the rugged north coast of California, United States. ... Official language(s) English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Area  Ranked 3rd  - Total 158,302 sq mi (410,000 km²)  - Width 250 miles (400 km)  - Length 770 miles (1,240 km)  - % water 4. ... Though the moniker rescue swimmer may be applied to any number of water rescue professionals, the term is most often applied to personnel in the Coast Guard, Navy, and Marine Corps. ... Chincoteague (IPA: ) is a town located in Accomack County, Virginia. ... February 28 is the 59th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... The Coast Guard Medal is a decoration of the United States military which is awarded to any service member who, while serving in any capacity with the United States Coast Guard, distinguishes themselves by heroism not involving actual conflict with an enemy. ...


Another large-scale operation took place in December 2004 in the Aleutian Islands, when the cargo ship Seledang Ayu, of Malaysian registry, broke in two in heavy seas. The Seledang Ayu carried soybeans, 424,000 gallons (1,600 m³) of fuel oil, and 18,000 gallons (68 m³) of diesel. The operation saved 12 of the ship's 18 crew members and prevented harm to nearby wildlife. Six of the ship's crew members died when a Coast Guard HH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crashed during the rescue. Looking down the Aleutians from an airplane. ... Binomial name Glycine max (L.) Merr. ... The gallon (abbreviation: gal) is an English unit of volume. ...


Marine safety

The Coast Guard operates a Marine Safety Office (MSO), now being converted to combined commands called Sectors, in each major port in the United States. Typically the Commanding Officer of the MSO/Sector is also known as the "Captain of the Port" (COTP) for merchant mariners. Personnel from the MSOs inspect commercial vessels, respond to pollution, investigate marine casualties and merchant mariners, manage waterways, and license merchant mariners. The MSO/Sector also drafts recommendations for the transit of liquid natural gas carrier vessels. The Captain of the Port, in American waters, is a U.S. Coast Guard officer, usually of the rank of captain, who is responsible for Coast Guard law enforcement activities in his area of responsibility. ... Liquefied natural gas or LNG is natural gas that has been condensed into a liquid and is stored in tanks. ... Italian ship-rigged vessel Amerigo Vespucci in New York Harbor, 1976 A ship is a large, sea-going watercraft, usually with multiple decks. ...


In addition to this mission, the Coast Guard carries out investigations to determine the cause of accidents on American-flagged (Flag State) ships or ships (Port State) in American waters, such as the sinking of the Singapore-flagged and Greek-operated tanker Bow Mariner off the coast of Virginia on February 28, 2004. The investigators interview survivors and determine the probable cause of the accident. In the case of the Bow Mariner, the Coast Guard determined the accident was the fault of the captain and the operators of the vessel and filed for a civil penalty to be imposed against the operator in the amount of $11,000.


The official missions of Marine Safety are

A passenger ship is a ship whose primary function is to carry passengers. ... A cargo ship or freighter is any sort of ship or vessel that carries goods and materials from one port to another. ... Maritime Security is concerned with the prevention of intentional damage through sabotage, subversion, or terrorism. ...

Recreational boating safety

The Coast Guard and its auxiliary, working with the United States Power Squadrons, perform Vessel Safety Checks (VSC) on recreational boaters throughout the country. Qualified Vessel Safety Check inspectors check for proper registration, an adequate number and type of personal flotation devices (PFDs), loaded fire extinguishers, and the ability to send a distress signal, either visibly by flare or flag, or by radio. Although Auxiliarist and United States Power Squadron VSC inspectors do not have law enforcement authority, Coast Guardsmen can issue citations to vessels without adequate equipment, and in extraordinary cases terminate a voyage and order a recreational boat to return to port. The United States Coast Guard Auxiliary established in 1939 as the United States Coast Guard Reserve, is a volunteer civilian service that assists the United States Coast Guard in carrying out its noncombatant and non-law enforcement missions. ... The United States Power Squadrons (or USPS) is a non-profit educational organization, founded in 1914, whose mission is to improve maritime safety and enjoyability through classes in seamanship, navigation, and other related subjects. ... Look up Issue in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... A citation is a credit or reference to another document or source which documents both influence and authority. ... Seaport, a painting by Claude Lorrain, 1638 The Port of Wellington at night. ...


International Ice Patrol

Icebergs off the Grand Banks have always posed a problem for shipping. In 1833, the Lady of the Lake struck an iceberg and sank with the loss of 70 lives. Between 1882 and 1890, four more cargo vessels were sunk and 40 more damaged.


Following the sinking of the RMS Titanic in April 1912, an international conference of major Atlantic maritime powers agreed to fund USCG patrols to locate and report icebergs in the North Atlantic, in particular off the Grand Banks. The International Ice Patrol was founded as a result of this conference. RMS Titanic was an Olympic class passenger liner that became infamous for its collision with an iceberg and dramatic sinking in 1912. ... An iceberg off Antarctica An iceberg (a partial loan translation, probably from Dutch ijsberg (literally: mountain of ice),[1] cognate to German Eisberg) is a large piece of ice that has broken off from a snow-formed glacier or ice shelf and is floating in open water. ... The Grand Banks are a group of underwater plateaus southeast of Newfoundland on the North American continental shelf. ...


The first ships for the International Ice Patrol were the U.S. Navy destroyers Chester and Birmingham, which were dispatched for the remainder of the 1912 season. The Navy could not spare ships for these patrols in 1913, and the Revenue Cutter Service assigned RCS Seneca and RCS Miami to patrol. The Revenue Cutter Service was tasked with maintaining the IIP on February 7, 1914. February 7 is the 38th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ...


The IIP was continued into 1941, during the World War II, to allow the United States a legal pretext to sail to Greenland. In 1946, the IIP resumed operations flying three modified B-17 bombers and using cutters such as the USCGC Tampa. Today, this mission is carried out by Coast Guard HC-130 aircraft from CGAS Elizabeth City, North Carolina, forward-deployed to Gander, Newfoundland. These aircraft report sightings to the International Ice Patrol headquarters in Groton, Connecticut. Officers assigned to the IIP are required to hold not only a security clearance, but possess at least a master's degree in Marine science. Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City is a United States Coast Guard air station located at Elizabeth City, North Carolina, along the Albemarle Sound. ... Gander is a town in northeastern Newfoundland, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. ... The International Ice Patrol monitors the presence of icebergs in the northern Atlantic Ocean and reports their movements for safety purposes. ... Waterfront of Groton, Connecticut looking upriver Groton is a town located on the Thames River in New London County, Connecticut. ... Marine Science is a multidisciplinary field of study and research of ocean life and physics. ...


References: Enlisted-Professional Military Education Study Guide, Requirement 3-5.02-K


Maritime mobility

The Coast Guard maintains the LORAN-C and DGPS radio navigation systems, as well as buoys, daymarks, and other visual aids to navigation [ATONs] in U.S. waters and in selected foreign waters—a major activity of Coast Guard buoy tenders, and of special Auxiliary patrols. The Coast Guard has three large icebreakers, and many cutters can clear ice-clogged waterways for essential seagoing traffic. The Coast Guard operates many U.S. drawbridges, including the Woodrow Wilson Bridge in Washington, D.C.. LORAN (LOng RAnge Navigation) is a terrestrial navigation system using low frequency radio transmitters. ... Over fifty GPS satellites such as this NAVSTAR have been launched since 1978. ... A sea lion on navigational buoy #14 in San Diego Harbor A buoy is a floating device that can have various purposes, which determine whether the buoy is anchored (stationary) or allowed to drift: The word is derived from the Dutch boei. In North American English it is pronounced as... Table of geography, hydrography, and navigation, from the 1728 Cyclopaedia. ... In military tactics, to patrol, or conduct a patrol, is to conduct reconnaissance of a designated area or route. ... US Coast Guard icebreakers near McMurdo Station, February 2002 Icebreaker Polarstern An icebreaker is a special purpose ship designed to move and navigate through ice-covered marine environments. ... Interstate 80, a freeway in California with many lanes and heavy traffic. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Bascule bridge. ... Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Woodrow Wilson Bridge Woodrow Wilson Memorial Bridge, on the Potomac River at Alexandria, Virginia, completed in 1961 Interstate 95 (District of Columbia) redirects here. ... Nickname: DC, The District Motto: Justitia Omnibus (Justice for All) Location of Washington, D.C., with regard to the surrounding states of Maryland and Virginia. ...


Homeland and maritime security

Maritime security missions are coordinated through the Coast Guard Office of Law Enforcement, which is part of the Operations Directorate headquartered in Washington, D.C.


Immediately after the September 11, 2001 attacks, the Coast Guard imposed restrictions on traffic in American waters. Vessels over 300 tons displacement must file notice within 96 hours of estimated time of arrival in American waters, or 24 hours for short voyages. Liquefied natural gas carriers are forbidden to enter American waters without escort and to anchor near major cities. Coast Guard and Auxiliary units patrol key harbors and waterfronts and intercept foreign merchant vessels for identification and crew checks. The Coast Guard stepped up patrols in waters near New York City and Washington in 2004 after receiving reports of increased threats. The explosion resulting from the crashing of United Airlines Flight 175 into the South Tower. ... The word ton or tonne is derived from the Old English tunne, and ultimately from the Old French tonne, and referred originally to a large cask with a capacity of 252 wine gallons, which holds approximately 2100 pounds of water. ... Look up displacement in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Liquefied natural gas or LNG is natural gas that has been processed to remove impurities and heavy hydrocarbons and then condensed into a liquid at atmospheric pressure by cooling it to approximately -163 degrees Celsius. ... Italian ship-rigged vessel Amerigo Vespucci in New York Harbor, 1976 A ship is a large, sea-going watercraft, usually with multiple decks. ... A threat is an unwanted (deliberate or accidental) event that may result in harm to an asset. ...


Maritime security patrols increase in number and intensity around special events, such as the Super Bowl, national political conventions, and Independence Day celebrations. Such patrols were provided during the 2004 Republican Party national convention in New York City; the June 2004 G-8 Summit at Sea Island, Georgia near Savannah, Ga.; and the January 20, 2005, presidential inauguration in the Potomac and Anacostia rivers of Washington, D.C. In addition, following the July 7, 2005 London bombings, Coast Guard units were placed on a higher level of alert. The winning Super Bowl team receives the Vince Lombardi Trophy. ... Metro Toronto Convention Centre, late 2004. ... In the United States, Independence Day (commonly known as the Fourth of July or simply the Fourth) is a federal holiday celebrating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain. ... The Republican Party, often called the GOP (for Grand Old Party, although one early citation described it as the Gallant Old Party) [1], is one of the two major political parties in the United States. ... G-8 work session; July 20-22, 2002. ... Sea Island is an isolated resort island in Glynn County, Georgia. ... January 20 is the 20th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Potomac River flows into the Chesapeake Bay, located along the mid-Atlantic coast of the United States (USA). ... The Anacostia River is a river that flows about 8. ... [edit] For news on the current explosion reports see 21 July 2005 London bombings On Thursday, 7 July 2005, a series of four bomb attacks struck Londons public transport system during the morning rush hour. ... Alert is the northernmost permanent settlement in the world. ...


Coast Guard helicopters enforce temporary flight restriction zones in Rotary Wing Air Intercept missions with the North American Air Defense Command, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and the United States Secret Service. Mil (Russian Federation) Mi-8, by far the most common model of helicopter in the world with more than 12 thousand units built, sixfold quantity comparing to production of the second most common model Sikorsky S-70. ... The NORAD logo. ... The Federal Aviation Administration is the entity of the United States government which regulates and oversees all aspects of civil aviation in the U.S. // Activities Along with the European Joint Aviation Authorities, the FAA is one of the two main agencies worldwide responsible for the certification of new aircraft. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

Proposed assets
Proposed assets

As part of the Coast Guard's Deepwater program, cutters will carry 70 unarmed surveillance unmanned aerial vehicles. Image File history File links Systemofsystems. ... Image File history File links Systemofsystems. ... This article needs to be wikified. ... Surveillance is the monitoring of behavior. ... Pioneer UAV flying over Iraq UAVs in a hangar A Boeing 720 being flown under remote control as part of NASAs Controlled Impact Demonstration An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is one of the latest generation of pilotless aircraft. ...


Port and waterways security

The Coast Guard is responsible for the security of 361 U.S. ports and 95,000 statute miles (150,000 km) of waterways.


The local Coast Guard commander has legal authority over shipping in American waters as Captain of the Port. This role has increased in importance since the Sept. 11 attacks. The Captain of the Port can declare inland waters in his jurisdiction to be "special security zones", wherein commercial vessels must report their movements to the nearest Coast Guard station. This article is about law in society. ... In politics, authority (Latin auctoritas, used in Roman law as opposed to potestas and imperium) is often used interchangeably with the term power. However, their meanings differ. ... The Captain of the Port, in American waters, is a U.S. Coast Guard officer, usually of the rank of captain, who is responsible for Coast Guard law enforcement activities in his area of responsibility. ... Italian ship-rigged vessel Amerigo Vespucci in New York Harbor, 1976 A ship is a large, sea-going watercraft, usually with multiple decks. ... In a general sense, locomotion simply means active movement or travel, applying not just to biological individuals. ...


The Coast Guard has dedicated Port Security Units (PSUs) that can be deployed around the U.S. or overseas, as in the Persian Gulf War. Coast Guard PSUs from Seattle, Washington; San Pedro, California; Port Clinton, Ohio; Gulfport, Mississippi and St. Petersburg, Florida were called up for active duty in the Persian Gulf between December of 2002 and December of 2004. Coast Guard members also jointly staff the U.S. Navy's Naval Coastal Warfare Squadrons (NCWRONs), part of the Naval Coastal Warfare command structure. Coast Guard members assigned to NCWRONs have served in the Persian Gulf, the Balkans, Korea and elsewhere around the world. Both PSUs and NCWRONs are primarily staffed by Reserve personnel. // Overview A US Coast Guard PSU TPSB guarding th USS John F. Kennedy in the Middle East . Coast Guard Port Security Units are elite deployable units organized for sustained force protection operations. ... See also: 2003 invasion of Iraq and Gulf War (disambiguation) C Company, 1st Battalion, The Staffordshire Regiment, 1st UK Armoured Division The Persian Gulf War was a conflict between Iraq and a coalition force of 34 nations led by the United States. ... Nickname: The Emerald City Location of Seattle in King County and Washington Coordinates: ) 47°36′N 122°19′W Country State County United States Washington King County Incorporated December 2, 1869 Mayor Greg Nickels Area    - City 369. ... San Pedro is a community within Los Angeles, California, annexed in 1909 and a major seaport of the area. ... Port Clinton is a city located in Ottawa County, Ohio. ... Gulfport, Mississippi city flag. ... Aerial photograph of St. ... The United States Navy (USN) is the branch of the United States armed forces responsible for naval operations. ...


Another element in security are Maritime Safety and Security Teams. The MSST or Maritime Safety and Security Team is a new USA anti-terrorism team homeported to protect local maritime assets. ...


In 2006, the U.S. Coast Guard's Ninth District and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police began a program called "Shiprider", in which a 12 Mounties from the RCMP detachment at Windsor and 16 Coast Guard boarding officers from stations in Michigan ride in each other's vessels. The intent is to allow for seamless enforcement of the international border. (PA1 John Masson, "Territorial Teamwork", Coast Guard Magazine 2/2006, pp. 26-27). Royal Canadian Mounted Police heraldic badge. ...


Drug interdiction

The Coast Guard is the lead agency in maritime drug interdiction. It shares legal responsibility with the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Coast Guard units coordinate their Caribbean Sea activities with the U.S. Navy, the Royal Navy, and the Royal Netherlands Navy. Map of Central America and the Caribbean The Caribbean (pronounced or ) Sea is a tropical sea in the Western Hemisphere, part of the Atlantic Ocean, southeast of the Gulf of Mexico. ... The United States Navy (USN) is the branch of the United States armed forces responsible for conducting naval operations. ... The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the senior service of the British armed services, being the oldest of its three branches. ... Flag of the Royal Netherlands Navy Royal Netherlands Navy Jack The Koninklijke Marine (Royal Netherlands Navy ) is the navy of the Netherlands. ...


Coast Guard missions were responsible for about 52% of the cocaine seized by the U.S. government in 2002. For example, in February 2004, the USCGC Hamilton (WHEC-715), based in San Diego, California, operating north of the Galapagos Islands, seized 6,000 pounds of cocaine from a vessel. The Hamilton launched a helicopter that fired at and disabled the vessel's engine. Another vessel with 2,600 pounds of cocaine was also seized. This article is about the drug cocaine. ... NASA Satellite photo of the Galápagos archipelago. ...


The Helicopter Interdiction Tactical Squadron (HITRON), based in Jacksonville, Florida, flies armed Stingray helicopters. Since its foundation in 1998 and formal commissioning, it has participated in 104 separate go fast interdictions.


Posse Comitatus

The Posse Comitatus Act prohibits the other armed services from enforcing US laws. The Coast Guard provides Law Enforcement Detachments (LEDETs) to Navy ships and the LEDETs do the actual boarding, interdiction and arrests with the assitance of the Navy. The Posse Comitatus Act is a United States federal law () passed in 1878 after the end of Reconstruction. ...


Alien migrant interdiction

The Coast Guard, especially its Florida-based Seventh District, enforces U.S. immigration law at sea. Major areas of operations are off the Florida coast, the Mona Passage between the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico, and Guam. Many of these missions are also search-and-rescue missions, since many migrants take to sea in unseaworthy vessels. Nationality law is the branch of a countrys legal system wherein legislation, custom and court precendent combine to define the ways in which that countrys nationality and citizenship are transmitted, acquired or lost. ... The Mona Passage is a strait that separates the islands of Hispaniola and Puerto Rico. ...


However, interdiction does not always succeed. In October 2002, for example, a 50-foot (15 m) wooden freighter carrying 220 undocumented Haitians ran aground near Miami.


U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone and Living Marine Resource

The Coast Guard is the lead federal agency for at-sea enforcement of U.S. fisheries laws. The Coast Guard's legal authority to enforce fisheries laws flows from the Magnuson-Stevens Fisheries Conservation and Management Act of 1976, which extended U.S. authority over fisheries to the 200 miles (370.4 kilometers) authorized by international law. Their missions include: Sea areas in international rights In international maritime law, an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) is a seazone over which a state has special rights over the exploration and use of marine resources. ... The Magnuson-Stevens Fisheries Conservation and Management Act of 1976, also known as the big fat boner, established regional fishery management councils comprised of federal and state officials, including the Fish and Wildlife Service. ...

  1. Protecting the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone from foreign encroachment
  2. Enforcing domestic fisheries law
  3. Maintaining international fisheries agreements

Law and treaty enforcement

Law and treaty enforcement account for about 1/3 of the Coast Guard's budget. Title 14, U.S. Code, Section 2 states: "The Coast Guard shall enforce or assist in the enforcement of all applicable laws on, under and over the high seas and waters subject to the jurisdiction of the United States."


National defense

During wartime, the Coast Guard falls under the operational orders of the Department of the Navy. In other times, Coast Guard Port Security Units are often sent overseas to guard the security of ports and other assets. The Coast Guard also jointly staffs the U.S. Navy's Naval Coastal Warfare Groups and Squadrons (the latter of which were known as Harbor Defense Commands until late-2004) which oversee defense efforts in foreign littoral combat and inshore areas. Seal The United States Department of the Navy was established by an Act of Congress on April 30, 1798, to provide administrative and technical support, and civilian leadership to the United States Navy. ... // Overview A US Coast Guard PSU TPSB guarding th USS John F. Kennedy in the Middle East . Coast Guard Port Security Units are elite deployable units organized for sustained force protection operations. ... The United States Navy (USN) is the branch of the United States armed forces responsible for naval operations. ...


In 2002, the Coast Guard provided several 110-foot Patrol boats that were shipped to the Persian Gulf to conduct maritime interception operations in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. These ships became the core of a new unit, home ported in Bahrain, known as Patrol Forces Southwest Asia (PATFORSWA). In addition to the patrol boats, PATFORSWA serves as the supporting unit for other Coast Guard units deployed in the Global War on Terrorism. Numerous Port Security Units, Harbor Defense Commands/NCW Squadrons and Law Enforcement Detachments (LEDETs) from the elite Tactical Law Enforcement Teams (TACLETs) have also been deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Categories: Ship types ... It has been suggested that Persian Gulf States be merged into this article or section. ...


Special Forces

The Coast Guard is not a regular part of the United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM or USSOC), however see the Port Security Unit, Maritime Safety and Security Team and United States Special Operations Forces articles for more information on the Coast Guard's participation in special military operations. Emblem of the United States Special Operations Command. ... // Overview A US Coast Guard PSU TPSB guarding th USS John F. Kennedy in the Middle East . Coast Guard Port Security Units are elite deployable units organized for sustained force protection operations. ... The MSST or Maritime Safety and Security Team is a new USA anti-terrorism team homeported to protect local maritime assets. ... The United States Special Operations Forces is the official category where the United States Department of Defense lists the US military units that have a training specialization in unconventional warfare and special operations. ...


Protection of natural resources

Marine pollution education, prevention, response and enforcement

Marine pollution occurs not only through carelessness, but through accident. In the event of large vessels sinking, after the rescue of any crew, the Coast Guard's next goal is to prevent oil and other hazardous materials from coming ashore.


For example, on November 26, 2004, the Athos I, a 750-foot cargo vessel of Cypriot registry, lost 30,000 gallons (114 m³) of heavy crude oil near Philadelphia as it was en route to the Citgo oil facility in Paulsboro, New Jersey. This incident triggered a response from the Coast Guard's Philadelphia Marine Safety Office, the Environmental Protection Agency, the New Jersey State Police, and from Citgo. November 26 is the 330th day (331st on leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Heavy crude oil is the type of crude oil which is characterised by the presence of high amount of wax in it, as compared to light crude oil which contains a lesser amount of wax. ... Nickname: City of Brotherly Love, Philly, the Quaker City, the City that Loves You Back Motto: Philadelphia maneto (Let brotherly love continue) Location in Pennsylvania Coordinates: Country State County United States Pennsylvania Philadelphia Founded Incorporated October 27, 1682 October 25, 1701 Mayor John F. Street (D) Area    - City 369. ... Paulsboro highlighted in Gloucester County. ... EPA redirects here. ... The New Jersey State Police is the state police force for the state of New Jersey. ...


The Coast Guard's role was firstly, to minimize the damage from the spill, by setting up protective booms around the spill, and secondly, to work with the New Jersey State Police in air and boat patrols to assess the damage.


Foreign vessel inspections

According to Title 33 of the Code of Federal Regulations, vessels entering American waters must provide in advance to the Coast Guard data about the ship's cargo, the names and passport numbers of each crew member, details about the ship's ownership and agents, and a list of recent port calls in a "Notice of Arrival" form. This information is collated in the National Vessel Movement Center in Martinsburg, West Virginia, and shared with U.S. Naval Intelligence in Suitland, Maryland as well as with the Port State Control (PSC) offices in major ports throughout the United States. From there, the Captain of the Port or his representatives in the PSC determines if the vessel involved needs a security inspection, a safety inspection, or both. Vessels must be inspected every 6 months. The United States Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) is the codification of the general and permanent rules and regulations published in the Federal Register by the executive departments and agencies of the Federal Government. ... Suitland-Silver Hill is a census-designated place located in Prince Georges County, Maryland. ...


In September 2002, Coast Guard inspectors searched a container ship in New Jersey based on intelligence information and because the inspectors detected radiation in the vessel. The cargo turned out to be ceramic tiles. Container ship Rita being loaded at Copenhagen; note crew standing on deck, and stacks of containers on shore. ...


See also: www.uscg.mil/hq/g-m/pscweb


Living marine resources protection

See above under U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone and Living Marine Resource


Marine and environmental science

The Coast Guard is the only one of the armed services that has an enlisted rate for environmental technician.


A Typical Day in the Coast Guard

The Coast Guard occasionally publishes a list of statistics that summarizes their activities. The following is a list published in June, 2005 of an average day for the Coast Guard:

  • Save 15 lives
  • Assist 117 people in distress
  • Conduct 90 search and rescue cases
  • Protect $2.8 million in property
  • Enforce 129 security zones
  • Interdict and rescue 15 illegal migrants at sea
  • Board 4 high interest vessels
  • Board 192 vessels of law enforcement interest
  • Board 122 large vessels for port safety checks
  • Seize 71 pounds of marijuana and 662 pounds of cocaine with a street value of 21.1 million
  • Conduct 317 vessel safety checks and teach 63 boating safety courses
  • Conduct 19 commercial fishing vessel safety exams
  • Respond to 11 oil and hazardous chemical spills
  • Process 280 mariner licenses and documents
  • Service 140 aids to navigation
  • Monitor the transit of 2,557 commercial ships through U.S. ports
  • Investigate 20 vessel casualties involving collisions, allisions and groundings


 
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