Photo Releases

PHOTO: Cleveland-area Coast Guard employees receive public service awards

2012-05-15T21:27:02Z

Click the below thumbnail to obtain a high-resolution version

CLEVELAND — The keynote speaker and public service award recipients from the U.S. Coast Guard pose for a picture following the Cleveland Federal Executive Board's Wings of Excellence Federal Employee Recognition Ceremony at the Marriot Key Center in Cleveland, May 11, 2012.

Pictured left to right are: (back row) Greg Harris, vice president of development at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum; Lt. Richard Colby, an asset line manager at Civil Engineering Unit Cleveland; Petty Officer 1st Class Scott Hutton, a storekeeper with Base Support Detachment Cleveland; Petty Officer 1st Class Ben Phlipot, an information systems technician with Electronic Systems Support Unit Cleveland; Capt. Thomas Routhier, commanding officer of Base Cleveland; (front row) David Bolanz, area housing manager for the 9th Coast Guard District; Katherine Carver, a real property accountability specialist with Civil Engineering Unit Cleveland; and Lt. Cmdr. David Uhl, chief of reserve readiness for the 9th Coast Guard District.

NASA photo by Michelle M. Murphy

PHOTO: Coast Guard Station Frankfort, Mich., hosts local children for water safety demonstrations

2012-05-10T21:38:15Z

FRANKFORT, Mich. – Three and four-year-old children from Betsie Bay Cooperative Preschool visit Coast Guard Station Frankfort, May 9, 2012.

As part of National Safe Boating Week, the children were given a tour of the unit's boats and learned about the importance of wearing life jackets anytime that they are on a boat or near the water.

U.S. Coast Guard photo by Kate Bowe.

CLEVELAND — Personnel from Coast Guard Station Frankfort, Mich., hosted a class of three and four-year-olds from the Betsie Bay Cooperative Preschool, Wednesday.

The children visited the station, were given tours of the unit's boats and talked to crewmembers about the importance of wearing life jackets anytime that they are on an boat or near the water.

"It was great having the young children from Betsie Bay Cooperative Preschool in Frankfort come to the station learn about what we do, answer their questions and educate them about boating safety," said Petty Officer 1st Class Andrew Bowe, executive petty officer of Station Frankfort. "It is never too early to teach kids about the importance of water safety and wearing a life jacket at a very young age."

The event was held as a precursor to National Safe Boating Week, an annual event held the week before Memorial Day Weekend designed to heighten awareness among recreational boaters of the importance of boating responsibly and wearing a life jacket at all times.

PHOTOs: U.S. Coast Guard, Environmental Protection Agency practice oil recovery response near Chicago

2012-05-10T00:31:12Z

LAKE MICHIGAN - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency research vessel Lake Guardian transits through Lake Michigan near Chicago with a U.S. Coast Guard Vessel of Opportunity Skimming System attached to the ship during an exercise May 9, 2012.

The VOSS is intended for oil spill response and can be used on various types of vessels.

U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Lauren Jorgensen.

LAKE MICHIGAN - A U.S. Coast Guard oil skimmer sits on the deck of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency research vessel Lake Guardian as members of the EPA and the Coast Guard prepare to deploy a Coast Guard Vessel of Opportunity Skimming System during an exercise in Lake Michigan near Chicago May 9, 2012.

Though permanent vessel alteration is not necessary to use the oil-skimming apparatus, the Lake Guardian is permanently altered to allow for a more rapid response in the event it is ever necessary.

U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Lauren Jorgensen.

The VOSS is intended for oil spill response, can be used on various types of vessels, and was last used during the Deepwater Horizon response in the Gulf of Mexico.

U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Lauren Jorgensen.

PHOTOs: Cleveland and Detroit-based Coast Guardsmen conduct training near Cleveland Harbor

2012-05-04T19:42:48Z

LAKE ERIE — Fireman Pavel Yanovskiy (right), a break-in boat crewman, tosses a heaving line to Petty Officer 2^nd Class Dale Veverka, a boatswain’s mate from Coast Guard Station Cleveland Harbor, Ohio, during underway training, May 4, 2012.

Yanovskiy is in the final stages of becoming a qualified Coast Guard boat crewman.

U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 2^nd Class George Degener.

LAKE ERIE — A boatcrew from Coast Guard Station Cleveland Harbor, Ohio, aboard a 45-foot Response Boat-Medium, prepares to conduct training with an aircrew from Coast Guard Air Station Detroit, aboard an MH-65C Dolphin helicopter, May 4, 2012.

Coast Guard boat and aircrews train together to maintain proficiency and ensure mission readiness.

U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 2^nd Class George Degener.

LAKE ERIE — Fireman Pavel Yanovskiy, Seaman Brooke Sauers and Petty Officer 1^st Class Matthew Springer, all from Coast Guard Station Cleveland Harbor, receive a basket from an aircrew aboard an MH-65C Dolphin helicopter from Air Station Detroit, May 4, 2012.

Coast Guardsmen from small boat and air stations conduct hoist training regularly to improve coordination during rescues.

U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 2^nd Class George Degener.

CLEVELAND — Coast Guard Station Cleveland Harbor personnel conduct boat operations training at the Cleveland Harbor entrance in Lake Erie on two 25-foot Response Boats-Small and a 45-foot Response Boat-Medium, May 4, 2012.

The crews also conducted helicopter basket hoists.

U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Brian Huth.

PHOTOs: Coast Guard, local ferry companies conduct law enforcement training on Lake Erie

2012-04-25T19:44:54Z

LAKE ERIE – Law enforcement officers from Coast Guard Station Marblehead, Ohio, board the Jet Express II ferry during cooperative law enforcement training between Coast Guardsmen and commercial ferry companies held near Put in Bay, Ohio, April 25, 2012.

The training was used to build on the existing partnership between the Coast Guard and local ferry companies.

U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3^rd Class George Degener.

LAKE ERIE – Seaman Jacob Lettington, of Coast Guard Station Marblehead, Ohio, clears a ladderwell aboard the Jet Express II ferry during cooperative law enforcement training between Coast Guardsmen and commercial ferry companies held near Put in Bay, Ohio, April 25, 2012.

Coast Guard boarding teams provided knowledge of boarding procedures during an incident aboard a commercial vessel.

U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3^rd Class George Degener.

LAKE ERIE – Petty Officer 3^rd Class Randy Kuhn, a boarding team member from Coast Guard Station Marblehead, Ohio, demonstrates proper tactics and procedures during law enforcement training aboard the Jet Express II ferry, April 25, 2012.

Law enforcement officers from Station Marblehead worked with local ferry companies to educate their crewmembers about Coast Guard boarding procedures during an incident aboard a commercial vessel.

U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3^rd Class George Degener.

LAKE ERIE – Seaman Kyle Love, a boarding team member from Coast Guard Station Marblehead, Ohio, demonstrates the proper application of handcuffs on a crewmember of the Jet Express II ferry during law enforcement training, April 25, 2012.

Coast Guard law enforcement officers demonstrated tactics and procedures used during an incident aboard a commercial vessel for ferry company personnel.

U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3^rd Class George Degener.

PHOTO: Coast Guard Station Rochester conducts heavy weather training

2012-04-23T19:06:40Z

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Coast Guardsmen aboard a 47-foot Motor Life Boat from Station Rochester took advantage of the opportunity to conduct heavy-weather training in gale-force winds and high waves, which were up to 14 feet, in the Genesee River near Rochester April 23, 2012.

The training is vital for Coast Guardmen to maintain boatcrew certifications and to be prepared to respond to emergencies in similar conditions.

U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Joshua Lurvey.

Additional photos of the training are available HERE and HERE.

PHOTOs: Coast Guard nears completion of seasonal buoy replacement operation throughout Great Lakes

2012-04-20T19:08:28Z

CLEVELAND — The Coast Guard is nearing completion of the mission to replace seasonal aids to navigation this week throughout the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence Seaway.

Operation Spring Restore, an annual mission to verify and replace 1,281 aids to navigation throughout the Great Lakes region, is nearly 80% complete and almost four weeks ahead of schedule, due to an unusually light 2011/2012 ice season.

The mission began on March 13. Click here to read about Operation Spring Restore's kickoff this year.

Returning ATON to their proper stations is important because the lighted and unlighted buoys and beacons permit safe navigation along the Great Lakes.

"After an unseasonably warm winter, we're ahead of schedule," said Lt. j.g. David Lieberman, 9th Coast Guard District cutter operations officer. "It's a good thing, too, because boaters are hitting the water earlier than they traditionally would, and these aids are critical for safe navigation."

Spring Restore's counterpart is Operation Fall Retrieve, which takes place in the Fall. Fall Retrieve involves the removal of the aids due to the decreased vessel traffic or replacement with sturdier winter aids to minimize damage from ice and severe weather.

SANDUSKY BAY, Lake Erie - Petty Officer 2nd Class Christopher Kohl of Aids to Navigation Team Detroit directs a fellow boat crewmember to lower Bay Point Shoal Lighted Buoy 2 into Sandusky Bay during Operation Spring Restore April 19, 2012.

Spring Restore is an annual mission to verify and replace 1,281 aids to navigation throughout the Great Lakes region.

U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Lauren Jorgensen.

SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. – Seaman Zach Beyer, of Coast Guard Cutter Buckthorn, removes a battery on a lighted, radar-reflective buoy during routine shoreside maintenance at Coast Guard Sector Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., April 16, 2012.

Beyer, originally from Johnsburg, Ill., and the rest of the cutter crew will set and commission nearly 300 buoys near the St. Marys River between lakes Superior and Huron within the next four to six weeks, as part of Operation Spring Restore.

U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Charles C. Reinhart.

ST. MARYS RIVER, Mich. -- Buoy deck team members of the Coast Guard Cutter Buckthorn prepare to set and commission a lighted, radar-reflective ice buoy in the channel near Neebish Island in Lake Huron April 17, 2012.

The buoy is Canadian and will be deployed by the Buckthorn crew as part of an aids-to-navigation partnership with the Canadian Coast Guard.

U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Charles C. Reinhart.

LAKE ERIE - A 49-foot Stern Loading Buoy Boat from Aids to Navigation Team Detroit departs the Sandusky Yacht Club Marina in Sandusky, Ohio, with a full deck of buoys April 19, 2012.

The ANT placed the bouys into Lake Erie for the 2012 boating season as part of Operation Spring Restore.

U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Lauren Jorgensen.

SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. - Seaman John Kozloski of Sterling Heights, Mich., and fellow buoy deck team members of the Coast Guard Cutter Buckthorn hoist a 5-foot diameter, 11-foot tall lighted, radar-reflective buoy aboard their ship April 17, 2012.

The operation followed commissioning of six buoys along the Neebish Island river channels in support of Operation Spring Restore.

U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Charles C. Reinhart.

ST. MARYS RIVER, Mich. - Coast Guard Cutter Buckthorn buoy deck personnel prepare to bring aboard a winter mark buoy from the channel near Neebish Island during Operation Spring Restore April 17, 2012.

They will replace it with a lighted, radar-reflective buoy which is more visible during the boating season but not so durable during the winter ice season.

U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Charles C. Reinhart.

PHOTOs: Coast Guard Sector Lake Michigan accepts, demonstrates new communication system.

2012-04-20T17:42:22Z

MILWAUKEE — Senior Chief Petty Officer Bud Holden, a search-and-rescue controller in the command center at Coast Guard Sector Lake Michigan, provides a demonstration of Rescue 21, the Coast Guard’s new communications system, before the official acceptance ceremony, here, April 20, 2012.

Rescue 21 was created to more efficiently locate mariners in distress to save lives and property at sea and on navigable waterways.

U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3^rd Class George Degener

MILWAUKEE — Capt. Matthew Sibley, commander of Coast Guard Sector Lake Michigan, acts as master of ceremonies during a ceremony marking Sector Lake Michigan’s acceptance of Rescue 21, the Coast Guard’s new communication system, April 20, 2012.

Since Rescue 21 became operational at Sector Lake Michigan in December 2011, it has been used in more than 58 search and rescue cases.

U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3^rd Class George Degener

MILWAUKEE — Rear Adm. Michael Parks, commander of the 9^th Coast Guard District, delivers the keynote address during a ceremony marking Coast Guard Sector Lake Michigan’s acceptance of Rescue 21, the Coast Guard’s new communications system, April 20, 2012.

Rescue 21’s state-of-the-art technology is enhancing search and rescue mission execution and maritime safety along Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, and Michigan’s nearly 1,500 miles of Lake Michigan shoreline.

U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3^rd Class George Degener

MILWAUKEE — The Coast Guard held a ceremony and demonstration in Milwaukee Friday to accept the new Rescue 21 communications system at Sector Lake Michigan, which spans all but the northernmost portions of Lake Michigan.

Rescue 21, the Coast Guard’s advanced command, control and direction-finding communications system, was created to more efficiently locate mariners in distress to save lives and property at sea and on navigable waterways.

"Rescue 21 will significantly enhance the sector's ability to hear and quickly answer the call when assistance is needed," said Rear Adm. Michael Parks, commander of the 9th Coast Guard District. "Rescue 21 helps take some of the 'search' out of 'search and rescue.' It also reduces unneccesary and wasteful responses to hoax calls. But most of all, it saves lives."

Since Rescue 21 became operational at Sector Lake Michigan in December 2011, it has been used in more than 58 search and rescue cases. More information about Rescue 21, which is operating throughout the U.S., can be found at http://www.uscg.mil/acquisition/rescue21.

Click here for more information about the ceremony held at Coast Guard Sector Lake Michigan.

PHOTO: Coast Guard responds to grounded vessel near Manistee, Mich.

2012-04-14T15:34:03Z

MANISTEE, Mich. — A boatcrew from Coast Guard Station Manistee, Mich., aboard a 47-foot Motor Lifeboat, responds the grounding of the integrated tug and barge Invincible, in Lake Michigan near the Manistee Breakwall, April 14, 2012.

Personnel from Station Manistee and Coast Guard Sector Field Office Grand Haven, Mich., are monitoring the situation and coordinating salvage of the vessel with the owner.

U.S. Coast Guard photo courtesy of SFO Grand Haven.

CLEVELAND — A boatcrew from Coast Guard Station Manistee, Mich., and personnel from Coast Guard Sector Field Office Grand Haven, Mich., responded to the report of a grounded vessel with 17 people aboard near Manistee at about 5:45 a.m., CDT, Saturday.

The boatcrew from Station Manistee, aboard a 47-foot Motor Lifeboat, responded to the report of the 579-foot integrated tug and barge Invincible taking on water.

The vessel grounded in Lake Michigan about 600 feet north of the North Manistee Breakwall and is reportedly obstructing about 30 percent of the channel. The Coast Guard is enforcing a safety zone 100 yards around the vessel.

CLICK HERE for for information about the Coast Guard's response.

PHOTOs: Coast Guard ice rescuers from Michigan return from Alaska on trip to cross-train with local first responders

2012-04-12T17:37:18Z

Click the below thumbnail images to obtain high-resolution versions.

BARROW, Alaska — Mike Hudson, the ice rescue program manager for the 9th Coast Guard District, Petty Officer 1st Class James Collins, a boatswain’s mate with Station/Aids-to-Navigation Team Saginaw River, and Petty Officer 2nd Class Ryan Sayers, the lead ice instructor for STANT Saginaw River, observe as two Barrow search and rescue workers perform ice rescue techniques in the Barrow High School pool April 6, 2012.

Ninth Coast Guard District ice-rescue personnel travelled to Barrow and Nome to cross train with local search and rescue agencies.

U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Grant DeVuyst.

BARROW, Alaska — Petty Officer 2nd Class Ryan Sayers, the lead ice instructor for Coast Guard Station/Aids-to-Navigation Team Saginaw River, demonstrates the use of a sling on Master Chief Petty Officer Gerald Backus, officer-in-charge of STANT Saginaw River, at the Barrow High School pool April 6, 2012.

The sling was one of many tools 9th Coast Guard District ice rescue personnel brought to Alaska for cross training with local search and rescue workers.

U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Grant DeVuyst.

Click here to read a blog post about the Great Lakes Coast Guardsmen's training trip to Alaska.

CLEVELAND — Ice rescue instructors from the Coast Guard's Ice Capabilities Center of Excellence, located at Station/Aids-to-Navigation Team Saginaw River in Essexville, Mich., returned Sunday from two weeks in Alaska, where they trained alongside local first responders in ice rescue techniques.

The Coast Guardsmen from the 9th Coast Guard District in the Great Lakes and the 17th Coast Guard District in Alaska trained with about 40 local emergency responders in Anchorage, Nome and Barrow, Alaska.

Although the staff of the ICCE are not strangers to training ice rescue teams, the Alaska trip allowed for their exchange of training techniques with a culture of people who endure some of the harshest conditions on earth

"The biggest thing that I brought back was reassurance that the techniques, skills and equipment we train at the Ice Center are similar to techniques used in the Arctic region," said Master Chief Petty Officer Gerald Backus, officer-in-charge of STANT Saginaw River.

Backus notes another success came following a conversation he had with the fire chief in Barrow.

"He mentioned this was the first training event they've held in which they were able to get participation from so many emergency service members within the community."

Click here for information and safety tips on recreating in a cold water and icey environment.