US Coast Guard Auxiliary Newsletter, South Lake Tahoe, Flotilla 11N -11-04

DIRECTIONDIRECTION FINDER FINDER

Newsletter date: January 2013 Volume XLVII, Issue 1

Inside this Issue: Page

Happy New year 1 FLOT 11 04 Officers 2 IOWA 3 IOWA 4,5 IOWA 6

IOWA 7 Trivia Answer 8 Odds and Ends 9

The DIRECTION FINDER is published by the US Coast Guard Auxiliary, South Lake Tahoe CA. Flotilla 11-04. Submission of articles or sub- jects of interest, including pho- tographs are welcomed and encouraged. The editor reserves the right to make changes without altering the intended content. All sub- missions should be directed to the editor: Victor Beelik Po box 10514 Zephyr Cove, NV 89448 WE WISH YOU A HAPPY Email: [email protected] NEW YEAR! The information contained in this publication is subject to

The provisions of the Privacy Act of 1974, and may be used only for the official business of the Coast Guard or the Coast Guard Auxiliary. Page 2 DIRECTION FINDER

FLOTILLA 11-04 OFFICERS (YEAR 2013)

Flotilla Commander Jim Snell [email protected] Vice Flotilla Commander Stuart Harrington [email protected]

FSO-NS (Navigation Systems) Bruce Cole [email protected]

FSO-CM (Communications) Vic Beelik [email protected]

FSO-FN (Finance) Bruce Cole [email protected]

FSO–CS (Communication Serv.) Jim Snell [email protected]

FSO-MA (Materials) Jim Snell [email protected]

FSO-VE (Vessel Examiner) Vic Beelik [email protected]

FSO-PB (Publications) Vic Beelik [email protected]

FSO-MT (Member Training) Stu Harrington [email protected]

FSO-PE (Public Education) Mort Meier [email protected]

FSO-OP (Operations) Jim Snell [email protected]

FSO-SR (Secretary) Dale Herman [email protected]

FSO-PA (Public Affairs) Brian Williams [email protected]

FSO-IS (Information Services) Jim Snell [email protected]

FSO-MS (Marine Safety) Stu Harrington [email protected]

FSO-HR (Personal Services) Vic Beelik [email protected]

FSO-PV (Program Visitor) Stu Harrington [email protected]

TRIVIA QUESTION: What is a “PILOT CHART”? Answer: Page 8 Volume XLIVII Issue 1 Page 3

BATTLESHIP “USS IOWA” BB61 By: Vic Beelik

The USS Iowa began her last journey to the Port of Los Angeles on 26 May 2012 under tow by tugboats. After being anchored off the Southern California coast to have her hull scrubbed to remove any invasive species or contaminants, she has been permanently anchored in San Pedro, 9 June 2012 at Berth 87, along the Main Channel, directly south of the World Cruise Center, and the museum opened to the public on 7 July. In mid September 2012, I had the pleasure of paying a visit to the USS IOWA, now a museum and open to the public, in San Pedro CA.

Page 4 Direction Finder

Her keel was laid down in the New York Naval Shipyard; Brooklyn NY in 1940.She was launched in 1942 and commissioned in 1943. She carried President Franklin D. Roosevelt across the Atlantic to Casablanca en route to a crucial 1943 meeting in Tehran with British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Soviet leader Josef Stalin. The captains quarters and other amenities, such as a bath- tub, were installed for President Roosevelt, along with an elevator to shuttle him be- tween decks. When transferred to the Pacific Fleet in 1944, Iowa shelled beachheads at Kwajalein and Eniwetok in advance of allied amphibious landings and screened air- craft carriers operating in the Marshall Islands. She also served as the Third Fleet flag- ship, flying Adm. William F. Halsey's flag at the Japanese surrender in Tokyo Bay. During the Korean War, Iowa was involved in raids on the North Korean coast, after which she was decommissioned into the reserve fleets, better known as the "mothball fleet." She was reactivated in 1984 as part of the 600-ship Navy plan, and operated in both the Atlantic and Pacific Fleets to counter the recently expanded Soviet Navy. During a gunnery exercise, at 09:55 on 19 April 1989, an explosion ripped through the Number Two 16-inch (410 mm) gun turret, killing 47 crewmen. A gunner's mate in the powder magazine room quickly flooded the #2 powder magazine, likely pre- venting catastrophic damage to the ship.

Volume XLIVII Issue 1 Page 5

THE BRIDGE and looking forward from the BIDGE

CAPTAIN’S QUARTERS Page 6 Direction Finder

As part of President Ronald Reagan’s and Secretary of the Navy John F. Lehman’s ef- fort to create an expanded 600-ship Navy, Iowa was reactivated and moved under tow to Avondale Shipyard near , Louisiana, for refitting During the refit, Iowa had all of her remaining Oerlikon 20 mm and Bofors 40 mm anti-aircraft guns re- moved, due to their ineffectiveness against modern fighter jets and anti-ship missiles. Additionally, the two 5 in (130 mm) gun mounts located at mid-ship and in the aft on the port and starboard sides of the battleship were removed.

Iowa was then towed to , Pascagoula, Mississippi,[ where over the next several months the battleship was upgraded with the most advanced weaponry available. Among the new weapons systems installed were four MK 141 quad cell launchers for 16 AGM-84 Harpoon anti-ship missiles, eight Armored Box Launcher (ABL) mounts for 32 BGM-109 Tomahawk missiles, and a quartet of Phalanx Close In Weapon System (CIWS) gatling guns for defense against enemy anti-ship missiles and enemy aircraft. Iowa was the first battleship to receive the RQ-2 Pioneer Unmanned Aerial Vehicle. She could carry up to eight of the remotely controlled drones, which re- placed the helicopters previously used to spot for her nine 16 inch (410 mm)/50 cal Mark 7 guns. Also included in her modernization were upgrades to radar and fire- control systems for her guns and missiles, and improved electronic warfare capabilities. Armed as such, Iowa was formally re-commissioned on 28 April 1984.

MISSLE UPGRADES

Volume XLIVII Issue 1 Page 7

With the collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s and the lack of a perceived threat against the United States came drastic cuts to the defense budget, and the high cost of maintaining as part of the active fleet became uneconomical; as a result, Iowa was decommissioned again on 26 October 1990. She was the first of the reactivated bat- tleships to be decommissioned, and this was done earlier than originally planned as a re- sult of the damaged turret. Iowa was berthed at the Naval Education and Training Cen- ter in Newport from 24 September 1998 to 8 March 2001, when the ship began her jour- ney under tow to California. The ship arrived in Suisun Bay near San Francisco on 21 April 2001 and joined the reserve fleet there, where she remained in reserve until she was struck from the Naval Vessel Register in March 2006.

Specifications:

Length overall: 887 ft, Waterline length: 860 ft, Beam: 108 ft, Draft 38 ft

Speed: 33 knots,

Armament: 9x16 inch guns. 32 Tomahawk cruise missiles, 16 Harpoon missiles.

16 INCH GUN

16 INCH SHELL AND POWDER BAGS

PHOTOS BY: Vic Beelik Page 8 Direction Finder

THE “ANGRY” USS IOWA

Photo from: Archives

TRIVIA ANSWER:

PILOT CHARTS For the sailor or boater headed offshore, advance weather and ocean currents infor- mation is vital. While an accurate forecast is important for day-to-day planning, some- times trips have to be planned months (and even years) ahead, and it can be helpful to know what has happened in the past. Pilot charts are small-scale representations of large portions of the ocean, showing (in blocks of 5-degrees latitude by 5-degrees longitude) the average direction and force of the winds over a century or more of observations. The data is available for each month of the year. They also include the tracks and frequencies of major storms, as well as indi- cations of areas to avoid during periods of the year when bad weather is prevalent. Fi- nally, they show the general position and strength of "permanent" high- and low- pressure systems. Pilot charts work best when kept on the computer, because they do not change frequent- ly and are reduced to an almost unreadable size if printed (imagine the entire Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea on a single 8.5-by-11-inch page). Leaving the pilot charts on the computer and using the zoom function in Adobe Acrobat, however, can bring up the notes and details at a size appropriate for reading. These charts are available on the Na- tional Geospatial-Intelligence Agency website, in the publications section (publications 105 through 109) or try: www.offshoreblue.com/navigation/pilot-charts.php Volume XLIVII Issue 1 Page 9

ODDS AND ENDS:

STATE OF NEVADA NEW BOATING and the bugs should be worked out by the LAW: time we receive it.

On Jan. 1, 2013, boaters will be required to pur- Just a heads up that we will need to be flexi- chase an Aquatic Invasive Species decal from ble. As with all new programs you can sug- the Nevada Department of Wildlife. This new gest changes that you feel important, contact program was created in the previous legislative me with your comments and suggestions. session to combat the growing menace of AIS in Remember all coxswains need to have a Di- Nevada waters. The program will ramp up rect Deposit to their bank set up with FIN- slowly over the next year, as boaters purchase CEN. Do it now, if you have not already decals and learn how to help stop the spread of done so as it takes few weeks to complete the AIS. set up with FINCEN and your bank. Decal cost falls into four categories: resident Gail Ramsey motorboats, $10; resident non-motorboats, or DSO-OP District 11N paddle craft and sailboats, $5; nonresident mo- torboats, $20; and nonresident non-motorboats, Coast Guardsman killed when boat $10. rammed by smugglers. (12/2/12) The requirement includes in- and out-of-state Chief Petty Officer Terrell Horne was killed motorboats, as well as most paddleboats. Paddle when the rigid hull inflatable boat he was craft such as stand-up paddleboards and float commanding was intentionally rammed by a tubes (most often used by anglers) are exempt boat being used to smuggle drugs off Santa from the requirement because they have no way Cruz Island, California. to “retain water” according to the regulation. Shortly after midnight a U.S. Coast Guard Paddlers can contact NDOW if they have ques- aerial patrol had observed a suspicious boat tions about a particular craft. in the area believed to be involved in narcot- New AUXDATA ORDER MANAGE- ics trafficking. A boarding team was de- MENT SYSTEM will replace ployed from the USCGC Halibut to interdict and board the vessel. (POMS) The boarding team made contact with the boat, which then accelerated toward them Within the near future the new web-based without changing course. The smuggler's AUXDATA ORDER MANAGEMENT SYS- boat struck the boarding team's boat, knock- TEM (AOM) will be coming on line replacing ing Chief Petty Officer Horne and another POMS. The program is in the “trial test stage”. crewman into the water. Both crewman were immediately recovered. Chief Petty Officer I will keep you up to date as information is re- Horne was transported to a hospital in Port ceived. At least one District is using AOM now Hueneme, California, where he succumbed to his injuries.

THOUGHT OF THE MONTH: “Talk slowly but think quickly”. Page 10

Flotilla 11-04 Officers Year 2013 FLOTILLA 11-04 Meeting Jim Snell FC Stu Harrington VFC Tuesday January 15, 2013 Jim Snell IPFC 19:00

Staff Officers (FSO): At WYC ROOM IN TAHOE KEYS MARINA Vic Beelik CM Bruce Cole FN SPECIAL PROGRAMM Victor Beelik VE “SOUTH PACIFIC CRUISE” Jim Snell MA Victor Beelik PB Narrated by Vic Beelik Stu Harrington MT Mort Meiers PE Jim Snell OP Jim Snell CS Vic Beelik HR SIERRA DIVISION WEBSITES Dale Herman SR SIERRA DIV: www.sierracgaux.org Brian Williams PA Jim Snell IS FLOTILLA 11-01 www.northtahoecgaux.com Stu Harrington PV FLOTILLA 11-03 www.renocgaux.org Bruce Cole NS FLOTILLA 11-04 www.sltcgaux.org Stu Harrington MS

Department of Homeland Security

FSO-PB 11NR 11-04 Post Office Box 10514 Zephyr Cove, NV 89448

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