Wet Gazette February 2021

Wet gazette Department of Homeland Security Rob Bonnem, Commander USCG Auxiliary Gordon Thomas, Vice Commander Flotilla 11-10 Kristi Mackey, Immediate Past Commander Dunedin, Florida Ron Shebanek, Publications Officer

Commander’s Corner

What a difference a year makes! One year ago, 1 March, I was running my first ever 10k race: The Sunshine Skyway 10k, to benefit military families. I was able to run with team Coast Guard as all branches of the military were represented. It was a blast, C- 130 flyover, HH-60 Jayhawk helos and the starting gun was a 105 mm Howitzer. Fast forward one year and now the race is virtual. Although the funds raised are still going to military families, the “Esprit de Corps” is missing.

I am sure you, my shipmates, are finding USCGAUX participation at present to be not as uplifting as you were used to. In-person meetings, fellowship, vessel examination (VE) blitzes, partner visitors (PV)s, public affairs (PA) events, etc. have all been put on hold until we are on the other side of this pandemic. There is an end in sight. We just need to be aware, take precautions and we will get through this difficult time.

Flotilla 11-10 has adapted to these trying times. Zoom meetings and public education (PE) courses. Individual VEs done with protective gear precautions in place and the enormous amount of online courses our members are taking. I am so proud of the workarounds our flotilla has taken to keep engaged and that our membership rolls remain consistent. I feel honored to have been elected as your Flotilla Commander.

Thanks for all you do...Bravo Zulu 11-10

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Wet Gazette February 2021

Team Coast Guard, photo by Sharon Bonnem, March 1, 2020

Vessel Examination with COVID-19 Protocols. Rafael Caridad is our Flotilla Staff Officer - Information Services (FSO-IS) and Vessel Examination trainee. Photo by Gordon Thomas.

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Wet Gazette February 2021

USCGC Blackthorn Tragedy

Forty-one years ago, a freak set of circumstances led to catastrophe on the evening of Jan. 28, 1980. That is how long it has been since the Coast Guard suffered the worst peacetime tragedy in its history. USCGC Blackthorn (WLB-391) was a 180-foot (55 m) seagoing buoy tender.

In 1979–1980, Blackthorn underwent a major overhaul in Tampa, Florida. However, on 28 January 1980, while leaving Tampa Bay after the completion of the overhaul, she collided with the tanker SS Capricorn. Shortly after the collision, Blackthorn capsized, killing 23 of her crew. The cutter was raised for the investigation, but ultimately was scuttled in the Gulf of Mexico after the investigation was complete. She currently serves as an artificial reef for recreational diving and fishing.

At least one of the ships was too close to the center of the channel near the Sunshine Skyway bridge. As the Blackthorn headed out to Mobile, Alabama — and then on to Galveston, Texas —and the Capricorn in toward Weedon Island, lights from a nearby cruise ship may have made it difficult for the two ships’ crews to see each other until it was too late. Once the crews did spot one another, an inexperienced Blackthorn officer failed to effectively communicate with the Capricorn, according to two government reports.

Even given those factors, the initial collision between the two ships was not catastrophic. The vessels hit almost head-on, with the Blackthorn running down the port side of the much larger tanker. No one on the Capricorn was harmed.

It was the Capricorn’s 13,500-pound anchor that sealed the Blackthorn’s fate. It tore into the cutter’s hull, then pulled the ship down. Water began gushing into the Blackthorn.

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Wet Gazette February 2021

On board, chaos. After less than ten minutes, the vessel was sunk, 23 of its crew of 50 lost.

Seaman Apprentice William Flores, age 18, heroically went down with his ship, As the Blackthorn capsized, Flores stayed aboard, throwing life jackets to his fellow seamen. He allowed even more jackets to float to escaping crew members by propping open a locker door with his own belt.

The Coast Guard awarded Flores the service’s highest honor, the Coast Guard Medal, in 2000. Eleven years later, the Coast Guard named its third Sentinel-class cutter USCGC William Flores. It now serves out of Coast Guard District 7 in Miami.

He was also honored with the unveiling of a concrete statue of Flores for the Circle of Heroes underwater monument off the coast of Clearwater.

These statues, arranged as a 100-foot-wide ring, were sunk to a depth of 47 feet. They are located near the Veterans Reef dive spot, which is a popular dive location located nine miles off Clearwater Beach. The Circle of Heroes monument is the nation’s first underwater dive memorial to honor veterans. It initially featured 12 life-sized statues of soldiers from all branches of the military. Flores is number 13 in what is planned to be 24 statues in total.

Article based on Tampa Bay Times story.

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Wet Gazette February 2021

Vessel Examination Update

Gordon Thomas is the Flotilla Staff Officer for Vessel Examination (FSO-VE) and Flotilla Vice Commander (VFC). He also volunteers at Air Station Clearwater.

Dunedin is holding a "Child Safety Drive Thru" event on March 6th 10 AM to 1 PM at Highlander Park in Dunedin. The public will drive thru gathering info from the various manned stations and life jackets for children ages 1-10. Participants will receive a packet of safety information from many sources. Although the Auxiliary is not allowed yet to be involved physically with a public event like this due to COVID-19, we have donated 400 Florida Boater's Guide, about 400 Federal Boat regulations, 400 schedules for our virtual Boat Safety courses, and many radio emergency call cards.

The photo by Gordon Thomas shows 11-10’s Teresa Hughes, Flotilla Staff Officer Public Affairs (FSO-PA) with the donated materials and Alicia from the Dunedin Recreation Department who is coordinating this event.

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Wet Gazette February 2021

Coast Guard’s Role in Securing the Inauguration

Ahead of the inauguration, miles of the Potomac and Anacostia rivers in D.C. were off limits to everyone. It is the men and women of the Coast Guard who were making sure those orders are followed.

“This is what they train for; this is one of those things that they actually look forward to participating in,” said Capt. Joseph Loring, sector commander of Maryland- National Capital Region of the Coast Guard.

At Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, dozens of Coast Guard boats were on the water, with many more on trailers ready to be towed into the water. Loring said the Coast Guard supports every inauguration by monitoring the waters around D.C. It enforces a security zone with other agencies that stretches from the John Philip Sousa Bridge on the Anacostia River and Francis Scott Key Bridge on the Potomac River, all the way down to the Woodrow Wilson Bridge.

Planning for the inauguration has been taking place since August, but assets were moved into the area earlier than expected after the riot at the Capitol. “Obviously, the events of Jan. 6 certainly heightened our concern level,” Loring said.

The Coast Guard was prepared to respond to more than just a boat venturing into waters where it should not be. Several specialized teams are also standing by, including the Atlantic Strike Force, which was ready to respond to a weapons of mass destruction incident.

A blue tent was setup near the Potomac River. The tent was set up to decontaminate first responders, dignitaries, and others, in the event of a chemical, biological, or radiological attack. They would be sprayed down with a decontamination solution, and they will go through a hand wash, boot wash and then be sprayed down in a shower. Then outer garments would be removed.

The Coast Guard also had remote-controlled robots on hand, some are small and mounted with a camera, so teams can get a look at a vessel before boarding it. Another has a claw on an arm, as well as a camera. Also, explosives-sniffing K-9 teams were on duty.

Lt. j. G Kyle Walker is a member of the Maritime Safety and Security Team, which is the Coast Guard’s counterterrorism team. He said his teams prepare year-round for events, such as the inauguration, and that includes training in the possible use of force.

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Wet Gazette February 2021

Source: WTOP news, USCG photos

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Wet Gazette February 2021

Coast Guard Rescues Stranded Trio from Island

Two men and a woman had lost track of days as they survived on a diet of coconuts, conchs, and rats for more than a month after they were cast away on a deserted island between Florida and Cuba.

U.S. Coast Guard officials said the trio from Cuba told them their boat had capsized in rough waters and they were able to swim to Anguilla Cay, where they spent 33 days before they were spotted and rescued.

The uninhabited island of rocky ground and palm trees and shrubs is part of an atoll of the Bahamas that is much closer to Cuba and monitored by the U.S. Coast Guard for strandings of refugees trying to reach U.S. soil.

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Wet Gazette February 2021

Lt. Riley Beecher, a Coast Guard pilot, said that while on a routine mission they saw on Monday what looked like flags waving in the usually brown and light green topography.

“I thought ‘let’s take a closer look.' I had never seen anything on that island.” Lt. Beecher said. “Then I saw two people were frantically waving their hands trying to get us to come down.”

The Coast Guard initially dropped some water and a radio to be able to communicate. Later on Monday, another crew flew back to bring more supplies. One of the pilots who flew on the second trip, Lt. Justin Dougherty, said the woman was low on blood sugar and was given packets to get her levels back to normal.

“They definitely seemed very relieved,” he said after they had been discovered and offered supplies. “They had lost track of exactly what day it was."

Dougherty said the stranded travelers said the coconuts kept them hydrated and they also ate the meat of conchs and rats. It could have been worse had they not found palm trees or had it been hotter.

“I was amazed that they could go for that long and sound as coherent,” Dougherty said. “Hydration was the most important aspect."

They were hoisted into a helicopter on Tuesday morning and taken to the Lower Keys Medical Center with no serious injuries.

The U.S. Border Patrol took custody of the three Cubans from the Key West hospital and they were taken to a facility in Pompano Beach, the Coast Guard said. Immigration officials did not immediately say whether they would be deported.

It was not clear whether this group was attempting to come to the U.S. or just lost at sea, as U.S. Coast Guard officials said they were focused on just rescuing them. A larger group of Cubans was stranded for 10 days in a beach of Cay Sal Bank, not far from Anguilla Cay, last October.

“It’s not every day you come across three individuals stranded for 33 days in an island,” Lt. Beecher said. “To see the relief in their face when you have given them some hope is pretty awesome and fulfilling.”

Source: Associated Press and Air Station Clearwater Facebook Page

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Wet Gazette February 2021

AUXAIR Update

John Landon and Ann Bennett are continuing to fly AUXAIR missions in AUXAIR 8830.

Photos are from a wrecked boat in Hurricane Pass.

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Wet Gazette February 2021

Shark Population Alarming Decline

A study published in the journal Nature documents an alarming worldwide decline of oceanic shark and ray populations over the past 50 years, primarily due to overfishing. The study, ‘Half a century of global decline in oceanic sharks and rays’ assessed 31 species of sharks and rays and reported a 71% decline in global abundance since 1970. Global fishing pressure doubled, and a tripling of shark and ray catches occurred during the same period. 77% of oceanic shark and ray species are now considered threatened with extinction under the Red List criteria of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

“We demonstrate that — despite ranging farther from land than most species — oceanic sharks and rays are at exceptionally high risk of extinction, much more so than the average bird, mammal or frog,” said Dr. Nicholas Dulvy, Professor at Simon Fraser University and one of the study authors. “Overfishing of oceanic sharks and rays jeopardizes the health of entire ocean ecosystems as well as food security for some of the world’s poorest countries.”

Formerly abundant, wide-ranging oceanic sharks have declined so dramatically that they are disappearing from their range, and now fall into the two highest threat categories on the IUCN Red List. The commercially targeted Shortfin Mako Shark was recently classified as Endangered while the iconic Oceanic Whitetip Shark is now considered Critically Endangered. Manta rays have joined the group as among the most in rapid decline.

“Each new study demonstrates the urgency of extinction. We are losing biodiversity that keeps the oceans rich and healthy. This is directly related to overfishing, which

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Wet Gazette February 2021 includes large species of tuna which are also suffering declines. Open ocean sharks and rays are critical to the health of our marine ecosystems, and now more than ever, humans need to act for global health that includes protecting wildlife,” said David McGuire, Director of Shark Stewards and the Earth Island Institute

The study also concludes that regional tuna fisheries management organization’s fishing limits for commercially important sharks are largely inadequate with respect to heeding scientific advice and using ecosystem-based fisheries management. Sharks and rays are highly vulnerable to overfishing because they tend to grow slowly, have late onset of reproduction and produce fewer young. Sharks and rays are targeted for meat, fins, liver oil, gill plates, and for recreational fishing.

“This is an alarm bell calling for urgent protection of endangered sharks and rays,” adds McGuire. “Hammerhead sharks and manta rays could disappear in our lifetime.

We are calling for an immediate end to the trade of fins and gills from all threatened and endangered sharks and rays. It is time for the world to wake up and save sharks and rays from extinction.”

Article and photo source: sharkstewards.org 12

Wet Gazette February 2021

Flotilla Staff Officers

ELECTED OFFICERS FC Flotilla Commander Rob Bonnem VFC Flotilla Vice Commander Gordon Thomas

IPFC Immediate Past Flotilla Commander Kristi Mackey

FLOTILLA STAFF OFFICERS FSO-CM Communications Scott Birdwell FSO-CS Communications Services Walter P. Murray FSO-DV Diversity Rafael Caridad FSO-FN Finance Jimmy R. Ryder FSO-HR Human Resources Kristi Mackey FSO-IS Information Services Rafael Caridad FSO-MA Materials Charles Whitener FSO-MS Marine Safety and Environmental Protection Daniel Paolillo FSO-MT Member Training Harvey Prior FSO-NS Navigation Systems Doug Simpson FSO-OP Operations Keith Betzing FSO-PV Partner Visitor Rob Bonnem FSO-PA Public Affairs Teresa Hughes FSO-PB Publications Ron Shebanek FSO-PE Public Education Cono F. Casale FSO-SR Secretary/Records Allen Leimbach FSO-VE Vessel Examination Gordon Thomas

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Wet Gazette February 2021

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