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 1 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. 2 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. 3 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. 4 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. 5 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. 6 Wet Gazette February 2021 Source: WTOP news, USCG photos 7 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. 8 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.