USCG AtoN:

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U.S. Coast Guard Checks Navigational Aids
To Insure Mariner's Safety
Web Editor: Beth Faulkingham, Producer 
Updated: 5/7/2008 7:57:40 AM

VIDEO LINK

BELFAST (NEWS CENTER) -- Lighthouses, buoys, and markers dot Maine's waterways, creating safe channels for Mariners to navigate. The U.S. Coast Guard does a systematic review of these aids every five years.

The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Tackle is mapping and recording 200 navigational aids in Penobscot Bay. Those aids include red and green buoys that make the boundaries of safe water channels.

"We're looking and seeing if the channels are marked adequately enough, if there's any changes that need to be made, so we'll take a look at the buoys and any fixed structures that are marked in the waterways as well," said Chief Warrant Officer Kurt Strauch.

The crew of the Tackle is making several sweeps up and down Penobscot Bay and its 31 tributaries. Coast Guard officials say it will take about three months to compete the review. They say it's a time-consuming job, but one that is important to keeping mariners safe as they navigate Maine's waters.

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A day in the life of America's last lighthouse keeper
Memorial Day, Monday, May 26, 2008
By Scott Malone

LITTLE BREWSTER ISLAND, Boston Harbor (Reuters Life!) - The sole remaining lighthouse keeper in the United States may be the last one but she isn't about to disappear.

PHOTO ALBUM

Sally Snowman, 56, is part historian, part tour guide and part maintenance worker who tends Boston Light, a beacon that rises 89 feet (27 meter) on its own island and had guided sailors for almost three centuries.

Her charge, and specifically the 12-sided rotating lens that casts its beam 27 nautical miles out to sea, fills her with a great sense of security.

"When you're out at night on the island, you can actually see the 12 rays," said the ex-schoolteacher. "It actually looks like the rays are going out to the curvature of the earth and it feels so protected, like nothing's going to harm me. It's awesome."

The U.S. Coast Guard has automated the other 278 federally run lighthouses, finding this a more cost-effective way to manage navigational aids that have become less critical since the advent of global positioning systems that harness satellite technology.

But Boston Light, which in 1716 became the first lighthouse in the former British colonies, keeps its keeper thanks to Massachusetts Sen. Edward Kennedy who two decades ago helped push through legislation requiring a full-time attendant.

Snowman got the job in 2003 when the Coast Guard decided it could be held by a civilian. Now she resides on the three-acre island for up to a week at a time.

She makes sure the lighthouse, keeper's cottage and other buildings are maintained, the 1,000-watt light is lit, and the grounds are in shape for the 4,000 tourists who travel the nine nautical miles from Boston Harbor each year.

RADIATING HOPE AND SECURITY

Snowman dresses the part, wearing a bonnet and long dress to reflect how women dressed in 1783 when the Commonwealth of Massachusetts rebuilt the tower that was blown up by retreating British troops in 1776, as the Revolutionary War got underway.

Twice a day she walks the island's perimeter to inspect its buildings, making sure that the light is still drawing power from an undersea cable stretching from the mainland, and that the island's water and communications systems work properly.

In between, she oversees a crew of about 100 volunteers who help to take weather readings and fill the hundreds of tiny holes that pock the island, thanks to a population of muskrats.

Automation is not the only change facing lighthouses.  As navigators rely on other technologies to find their way, the U.S. government has begun selling or donating to historic preservation groups lights no longer necessary for navigation.

More than 300 lights have passed into private hands this way, according to Coast Guard officials.

But for recreational boaters and small fishing vessels, which represent a sizable chunk of Boston Harbor traffic, the lights still play a role. 

"They help with approaches because they can be seen from a great distance away," said David Bryan, general manager of the Boston Sailing Club, which teaches sailing and navigation.

"If the idea is that now everyone is using GPS and you don't need light houses, I would say that redundant information is very important when navigating."

Beyond its role in navigation, Boston Light is also a tourist draw. Snowman has a theory as to why.

"For many, it has a sense of hope and spirituality, not religion, but spirituality," she said in an interview atop the tower, looking out over Boston Harbor. "They look at it and see it as a coming home and safety."

(Editing by Jason Szep)

Original Article

[Salty68]

Thanks Buoy....I have interests in lighthouses.... .... It started with the one in my home town, K.W., FL......

[sparky]

My interest in light houses started when I was stationed at Base Soo in the UP. In the entry to the barracks...(now group headquarters),, there was a fresnel lens mounted on a stand with a lamp in it lit all the time...one of my jobs was polishing the brass and keeping the lens dusted...it just kind of was a cool thing to look at.

Only part of a lighthouse restoration I've been a part of was sending some pictures of Avery Point Light in Groton (used to walk mid watches and use my Detex watch clock to long in at the lighthouse) as they were restoring it...if you google avery point light you can see what a great job Jim and the others did in the restoration. I had some photos from 1963 that I sent them so they could see how it looked then.

My claim to fame...very distant.

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D1 News Release Update
Date: August 01, 2008


COAST GUARD CUTTER KATHERINE WALKER
CHANGE OF COMMAND

 

New York-The Change of Command Ceremony for the buoy tender Katherine Walker was held today.  It is a time honored tradition and formal ritual conducted before the assembled company of Command as well as honored guests and dignitaries. The Change of Command transferred the responsibility and the authority from one individual to another, formally restating the continuity of the authority of command.

This ceremony recognized the change of command from Lt. Amy Florentino to Lt. Daniel Twomey.

Twomey, a Golden Valley, Minn., native, reported aboard from the Coast Guard Cutter Maple, where he served as the executive officer.  The Maple is home ported in Sitka, AK.  Twomey enlisted in the Coast Guard in 1988.  He served 13 years in operations, both afloat and ashore.  He advanced to Chief Petty Officer prior to accepting a commission as a Chief Warrant Officer in 2002, and was promoted to Lieutenant in 2006.

Florentino will enter a Coast Guard sponsored graduate school program. She will earn her Master's in Business Administration at Dartmouth College's Tuck School of Business. 

The Katherine Walker's primary mission is maintaining over 300 floating aids to navigation in and around New York harbor, Long Island Sound, Hudson and East River, the shore of Connecticut, New York and New Jersey. As the Coast Guard's premier maritime command and control platform in the tri-state region, Katherine Walker is used extensively for International and Homeland Security operations as well as other high profile missions including the Macy's Fourth of July Fireworks and New York Fleet Week. Katherine Walker also performs search and rescue, ice breaking, and environmental response and protection missions.

Press Release

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News Release
Date: August 15, 2008
CG District 8

Coast Guard Cutter Harry Claiborne
Welcomes New Commanding Officer

 
Lt. Cmdr. Bryan Crittendon, Sector Houston-Galveston chaplain; Chief Warrant Officer John Ward, incoming commanding officer of the USCGC Harry Claiborne; Rear Adm. Joel Whitehead, Eighth Coast Guard District commander and Chief Warrant Officer Charles Reynolds, USCGC Harry Claiborne outgoing commanding officer, salute the American Flag during a change-of-command ceremony, Friday, Aug. 15, 2008, in Galveston, Texas.

Family, friends and crewmembers gathered on the pier to take part in this Coast Guard ceremony. Whitehead officiated the ceremony and thanked both Reynolds and Ward for their continued service to the Coast Guard.  (U.S.C.G./Petty Officer 3rd Class Renee C. Aiello)

Press Release

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Photo Release
Date: September 15, 2008
CG District 8

Cutter Harry Claiborne Assesses Aids To Navigation
Following Hurricane Ike.

 
GALVESTON, Texas - Chief Warrant Officer John Ward, Commanding Officer of the CGC Harry Claiborne, homeported in Galveston, Texas, explains aids to navigation to members of the media during an assessment patrol off of Galveston Island. With the Houston ship channel closed, the Coast Guard is now assessing the waterway for hazards and obstructions in order to reopen it to the many vessels and tankers waiting offshore in the Gulf of Mexico. (Coast Guard photo by PA1 Alan Haraf)


 
(L)  More than 103 vessels wait outside the Port of Houston-Galveston Sept. 15, after approximately 90-percent of aids to navigation markers were moved or destroyed during Hurricane Ike.  (R)  Chief Petty Officer Chris Boss, of the CGC Harry Claiborne, explains aids to navigation to members of the media during an assessment patrol off of Galveston Island. The Coast Guard is now assessing the waterways for hazards, obstructions, and displaced buoys in order to reopen the ports to the many vessels and tankers waiting offshore.  (U.S. Coast Guard Photo/Petty Officer 1st Class Alan Haraf)


Photo Release

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Photo Release
Date: September 15, 2008
CG District 8

AtoN Units Deployed To Gulf To Hasten Repairs

   
(L)  Coast Guard Petty Officer 1st Class Melissa Pusey (left) and Petty Officer 3rd Class Cory Wellnitz tie up to a range marker in Sabine Pass to conduct repairs Tuesday, Sep. 16, 2008.  The crew deployed from the Aids to Navigation Team in Mobile, Ala., to assist with damaged aids from Hurricane Ike. The ATON team replaced solar panels, batteries and lights on the range markers.  (M)  Machinery Technician 3rd Class Cory Wellnitz (top left) and Seaman Jeremy Grubbs reach down to Boatwains Mate 1st Class Melissa Pusey for tie down equipment while repair a buoy at Sabine Pass. (R)  Machinery Technician 3rd Class Cory Wellnitz from the Aids to Navigation Team in Mobile Ala., prepares to tie up to a range marker and conduct repairs in the Sabine Pass. (U.S. Coast Guard photo/Petty Officer 3rd Class Jaclyn Young)

 
(L) Petty Officer 3rd Class Stephen Blowe ties up a line used to tow a buoy that had floated to the middle of the channel in Sabine Pass Tuesday, Sep. 16, 2008.  Crewmembers from the Aids to Navigation Team (ATON) in Mobile, Ala., came to help the Coast Guard ATON units affected by Hurricane Ike. The Mobile, Ala., crew is working throughout the Port Arthur, Sabine and Lake Charles area to restore the navigational channels.  (R)  Boatswain Mate 3rd Class Stephen Blowe of the Aids to Navigation Team in Mobile, Ala., prepares a heaving line to throw a tug boat line used while towing a buoy from the Sabine Pass navigational channel.  (U.S. Coast Guard photo/Petty Officer 3rd Class Jaclyn Young)

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Press Release
Date: September 17, 2008
CG District 8

Coast Guard focuses on recovery operations and
restoring AtoN system, multiple units deployed to help.

KATY, Texas – Coast Guard crews continue recovery operations in the wake of Hurricane Ike, focusing on search and rescue, pollution response and reopening the Houston Ship Channel.

Since Friday, search and rescue crews in a joint effort with the Texas National Guard and the California Air National Guard flew 511 missions, saving 209 lives.

To date, 101 pollution cases are reported in the Houston-Galveston and the Port Arthur areas. Reports continue to come in, and that number is changing.  Some of these materials can be dangerous to boat operators and their vessels.  The Coast Guard and other federal, state and local agencies are evaluating the cases and developing plans to mitigate the impact.

• The Houston Ship Channel is open to outbound commercial vessels with a draft of 12 feet or less.
• The Gulf Intra-coastal Waterway is open from the Houston-Galveston area west toward Corpus Christi.
• The Port of Freeport, Texas is now open to vessels with a draft of less than 36 feet for daylight transits only and day and night transits for vessels with drafts of 16 feet or less.
  

There are 110 vessels in the queue waiting to transit to facilities in Houston, Galveston, Freeport and Texas City.

Approximately 90-percent of the ATON markers in the area have been moved or destroyed by Hurricane Ike and made some waterways unsafe and un-navigable.  Coast Guard crews are aggressively working to replace the markers in the channel and waterway so ships can resume normal operations.


(L)  The CGC Clamp arrives in Galveston.  (M)  Petty Officer Chris Schwarz, of the Coast Guard Cutter Clamp, uses hand signals, Sept. 17, 2008, to direct crane operations while taking on wood that will be used to rebuild some of the nearly two dozen ranges in the Houston Ship Channel that were damaged by Hurricane Ike.  More than 90 percent of the buoys and ranges in the Houston Ship Channel were damaged or destroyed by the storm and there is a massive effort underway to temporarily turn Sector Field Office Galveston into the largest buoy yard in the Coast Guard.  More than 10 Coast Guard Cutters have been dispatched to Sector Field Office Galveston to begin repairing the ship channel in an effort to re-open the port as quickly as possible.  (R)  The 225-foot Coast Guard cutter Cypress from Mobile will join other units in reestablishing the AtoN system.    

The following cutters and Coast Guard assets are in the Houston-Galveston area to assist with ATON repairs and replacement:

• U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Hatchet
• U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Clamp
• U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Harry Claiborne
• Four vessels from Aids to Navigation Team from Galveston
• Two vessels from ANT Corpus Christi

 
(L) A Sea of buoys is being created at the Aids to Navigation Team, Galveston buoy yard, Sept. 17, 2008 as Coast Guard aid to navigation teams work to get the Houston Ship Channel re-opened.  (R)  Petty Officer Ed Botting of Aids to Navigation Team, Galveston pilots a fork lift through the Buoy Yard here Sept. 17, 2008, carrying wood that will be used to rebuild one of about 20 ranges that were damaged by Hurricane Ike.  (U.S. Coast Guard photos/ Petty Officer Patrick Kelley)

The following cutters are en-route and will assist with ATON repairs and replacement in the Houston-Galveston waterways:

• U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Mallet
• U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Pamlico
• U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Saginaw
• U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Cypress
• U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Barbara Mabrity

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Press Release

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Photo Release
Date: September 19, 2008
CG District 8

Massive AtoN Restoration Effort Continues In Gulf.

KATY, Texas – There are 110 vessels waiting to transit to facilities in Houston, Galveston, Freeport and Texas City.  Approximately 90-percent of the ATON markers in the area have been moved or destroyed by Hurricane Ike and made some waterways unsafe and un-navigable.  Coast Guard crews are aggressively working to replace the markers in the channel and waterway so ships can resume normal operations

Progress is being made as AtoN crews put
in long hours to restore the AtoN system.

• The Houston Ship Channel is open to outbound commercial vessels with a draft of 12 feet or less.
• The Gulf Intra-coastal Waterway is open from the Houston-Galveston area west toward Corpus Christi.
• The Port of Freeport, Texas is now open to vessels with a draft of less than 36 feet for daylight transits only and day and night transits for vessels with drafts of 16 feet or less.
  

     

GALVESTON, Texas (Sept. 19, 2008) – (L)  Buoys are staged onto the pier at Coast Guard Sector Field Office Galveston Sept. 19, and are being loaded onboard the Coast Guard Cutter Barbara Mabrity (left), a 175-foot buoy tender and the 225-foot buoy tender Cypress (right).  The Barbara Mabrity and the Cypress were deployed to Galveston to help repair and replace aids to navigation in the Houston, Texas, Ship Channel and Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, after nearly 90-percent of them were destroyed by Hurricane Ike.  (R)  A crewmember from the Coast Guard Cutter Cypress, a 225-foot buoy tender homeported in Mobile, Ala., holds a line to guide a buoy onboard Sept. 19.  (U.S. Coast Guard photo/Petty Officer 3rd Class Rob Simpson)

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Video Release
Date: September 19, 2008
CG District 8

Ride Along With The WLM Harry Claiborne To
Evaluate AtoN Damage While Over One Hundred
Ships Wait To Enter The Houston Ship Channel.

                         

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Feature Story Release
Date: October 7, 2008
CG District 5

Buoy tending, dirtiest job in the Coast Guard
(Story and photos by Petty Officer 3rd Class Crystalynn A. Kneen)

The day began around 6 a.m. The sun hadn't yet begun to rise and the sky had a purple tint forming just above the horizon. Bags in hand, the sleepy-eyed crew make their way on to what will be their home for the next five days.

It is not a secret what they do on their 175-foot home made of steel. Two buoys larger than the size of two small cars rest on the deck. The crew does not ask for glory or recognition. When they are asked about their unknown or unseen tasks, they smile, look away and reply, "It's my job. It is what it is."

The crew of the Philadelphia based Coast Guard Cutter William Tate's task is to insure the safety of the Delaware River and surrounding areas by maintaining the buoys for the flow of commerce, safety and navigation for the public and cargo ships.


(L)  Petty Officer 2nd Class David Mann services a buoy aboard the Coast Guard Cutter William Tate Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2008. (R) Petty Officer 1st Class Mischa Winters checks a chain as Seaman Jordan Tate stands by for safety procedures during a buoy evolution aboard the Coast Guard Cutter William Tate, home ported in Philadelphia, Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2008. During a four day trip the crew of the Tate serviced five buoys and replaced two.
 
"We are responsible for maintaining approximately 263 buoys," said Lt. Megan Cull, commanding officer of the Tate. "We go out, do our job and go home."

The process to maintain 263 buoys is both difficult and challenging. The weight brought on deck can range anywhere from 3,000 to 18,000 pounds. The crewmembers work as a team to inspect the chain, the cement anchor and the buoy to make sure it will last until the next evaluation in two years. With this much weight the crew has to be very careful. They lookout for each other and maintain all safety procedures necessary to get the job done in a safe and consistent manor.

"Safety is paramount," said Chief Petty Officer Jonathan M. Wall, a supervisor aboard the Tate. "When you are moving around that much weight, everyone has to be aware of their surroundings. The chain could break or a wire cable could fail. You have to have your wits."

The dangers of the job are known but are well maintained.  When the buoy is raised on the deck, the crew has approximately one safety officer not counting everyone on the bridge looking out for the team. The buoy deck supervisor, who is in charge of the entire buoy deck evolution, a damage control man and three to four personnel qualified to run all equipment on the buoy deck ensure personal safety.

"Another danger to be concerned about when raising a buoy is the new people who are learning their job. Besides the evolution you have a couple of people who have never seen anything like this before and they are going to be doing this," said Wall. "It's a little discouraging. The best feeling is when we have that buoy back in the water and everything is secured."

After the buoy is secured back in the water, the job is not over. In the dark with flood lights approximately 12 hours since they left the pier the crew still has to stow all the gear they used and lower the anchor so they can stop for the night.

The limitation of the crew is judged during safety briefs discussed by the entire crew. They use a green safe, amber caution, and red danger evaluation system for risk assessment to weigh risk versus gain for each evolution, and discuss concerns out of the normal activity. Depending on how long the crew has worked is when they all decide if it's time to stop.

"We all pay attention to the crew," said Wall. "If mistakes are starting to be made, and the crew is getting grouchy, they've had enough. There is no reason to work beyond fatigue limits. It's time to stop for the day."

After a long day, the crew sits down for a meal.

"The crew relaxes in the dining area at night. They sit down together like a small family and strike up a game of cards or watch television," said Petty Officer 2nd Class Christina J. Parsley, a crewmember aboard the Tate.

Parsley says with a crew of approximately 24 people and the size of the cutter, it can get a little restless after a while, especially for the younger people who have never experienced this type of environment.

"The experience on this cutter is physical and dirty", said Cull. "But if your smart about it, anyone can do this job and be apart of the mission."

The crew of the Tate's main mission is aids to navigation. They also have secondary missions such as ice breaking, oil recovery, law enforcement and search and rescue.

"Aids to navigation is a totally different mission," said Wall. "It's the most physical, back breaking and labor intensive job in the Coast Guard, but the reward is seeing on a day-to-day basis the results of your work. We see what we completed. We know we did that and we feel good about it. It's a job I believe everyone should try at least once. It gives you a point of view and that much more respect for the job."

PO2 David Mann repairs a buoy damaged by a tug boat in the Delaware River
Feature Story Release

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News Release
Date: October 9, 2008
CG District 11

Coast Guard prepares for San Francisco Fleet Week 2008

     
(L)  A buoy sits on the deck of CGC Aspen October 8, 2008 prior to being set in the San Francisco Bay. The buoy will serve as the center point for Fleet Week.  (M)  Members of the CGC Aspen buoy detail prepare to deploy the Fleet Week center buoy here Oct. 8, 2008.  (R)  Petty Officer 3rd Class Liston Jackson, stationed on the CGC Aspen, tends a line to the Fleet Week center buoy here Oct. 8, 2008. The buoy is used as a point of reference for air show performers, such as the Navy Blue Angels, during the San Francisco 2008 Fleet Week. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Erik Swanson)

San Francisco, Calif. - CGC Aspen sets a buoy Oct. 8, 2008 in preparation for San Francisco Fleet Week 2008. The buoy serves as the center point for Fleet Week events and a visual marker for air show performers, such as the Navy's Blue Angels. In coordination with local Bay Area agencies, Coast Guard units, including CGC Aspen, will maintain safety and security zones during Fleet Week.

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Press Release

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News Release
Date: October 15, 2008
Source:  District 13 Blog

ANT Kennewick installs experimental
LED system on Columbia River
Posted by SD Eggert at 6:55 PM

In this image released by the Coast Guard, Seaman Aaron Grammatico, and Petty Officer David Martin
lower a battery to Chief Gary Hurdle from an Aids to Navigation platform on the Columbia River in Kennewick,
Wash. Aids to Navigation Team Kennewick is replacing the old 155mm ATON lamp from the platform with
an experimental CR-LED lamp. The new lamps are self-contained and require no additional wiring
or external power sources. (U.S. Coast Guard/Petty Officer Second Class Shawn Eggert)

KENNEWICK WA. - The waters of the Columbia River were glassy and calm Wednesday as members of Aids to Navigation Team Kennewick, Wash., installed an experimental, new, self-contained LED light into an ATON platform. The new lights are being tested by the Coast Guard throughout various regions of the U.S. and require no external battery or wiring. Testing of the lights will take three to four years while the Coast Guard measures the durability and reliability of the device.

"The system is all based on LED, Light Emitting Diodes," said Chief Gary Hurdle, Commanding Officer of ANT Kennewick. "They're supposedly more efficient, and more reliable. That's what the testing hopes to prove, anyway."

District 13 Blog

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Photo Release
Date: October 25, 2008
Contact: D1 Public Affairs

Cutter Juniper Resets Buoys
To Extend Ambrose Channel

 

NEW YORK — Crewmembers aboard the Coast Guard Cutter Juniper, a 225-foot buoy tender homeported in Newport, R.I., service buoys and check lights as the buoys are brought farther to sea, Mon. Oct 20, 2008.

The Juniper is working to extend the Ambrose Channel, the main shipping channel that goes to the waters of New York and New Jersey, to allow ships with a deeper draft to transit in.

 

Petty Officer 2nd Class Scott Clayton (left above) rigs a buoy aboard the Juniper to be dropped in the Ambrose Channel roughly nine miles off the shore of New York City.  Seaman Savannah Sibley (above right) takes a rest while waiting to change an LED light on a buoy aboard the Coast Guard Cutter Juniper.  (Coast Guard Photos by Petty Officer Seth Johnson)

Photo Release