ASTORIA, Ore. — Coast Guard Sector Columbia River and Air Station Astoria will host their annual open house event Saturday.

The open house, to take place at Sector Columbia River, will feature multiple events throughout the day including a search and rescue demonstration, children’s activities, several aircraft displays and multiple interactive exhibits. A small business and craft fair will also take place in the hangar to highlight contributions of local organizations to our community and allow local crafters to showcase their handiwork.

Snacks and drinks will be available throughout the day and, for early risers, a pancake breakfast will be served from 7-10 am.  Lunch will be sold from 11am to 2pm. All food proceeds will fund the Coast Guard Spouses Association’s (CGSAA)annual scholarship, Thanksgiving Basket Food Drive and children’s programs.

WHERE: Coast Guard Sector Columbia River 2185 SE 12th Place, Warrenton, Ore.

WHEN: Pancake Breakfast 7-10am, Open House officially begins at 9am and ends at 4pm.

Donations to the CGSAA for the day’s activities or any of the valuable programs it promotes can be made by contacting Emily Masri at thecgsaa@yahoo.com.

ASTORIA, Ore. – The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Maple, a 225-foot Juniper-Class buoy tender homeported in Sitka, Alaska, have spent the last three weeks along the West Coast repairing and replacing buoys vital to safe navigation and the flow of commerce.

Maple is now near the Oregon coast in the area normally patrolled by the Coast Guard Cutter Fir, homeported in Astoria, Ore.

The Fir is currently in the Gulf of Mexico and scheduled to return home in the next few months. Until then, the Maple’s crew is busy maintaining buoys near many of Oregon’s coastal communities.

“We are more than happy to backup our fellow buoy tenders wherever we are needed," said Lt. Cmdr. Dan Gray, commanding officer of the Maple. “These buoys serve the mariners, their livelihoods and allow the safe movement of goods across the nation. As global commerce grows the largest volume of goods still moves across the sea, which is why we need reliable buoys and beacons.”

In addition, Maple’s crew spent several days more than 600 miles offshore servicing scientific and weather data buoys with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Commissioned Oct. 19, 2001, Cutter Maple is operated by seven officers and a crew of 46 men and women. To find out more information about Coast Guard Cutter Maple visit, http://www.uscg.mil/d17/cgcmaple/.

For more information or to interview a member on the Maple, contact Lt. Colin Bronson at (907) 966-5470.

WHO: Media are invited to attend, photograph and film the ceremony

WHAT: Sector Puget Sound ceremony and Sector Puget Sound change of command ceremony

WHEN: Wednesday, Aug. 25, 2010, at 10:30 a.m., media requested to check in by 10:15 a.m.

WHERE: U.S. Coast Guard Base Seattle, Pier 36, 1519 Alaskan Way S., Seattle, WA 98134

*** Media interested in attending contact Coast Guard Public Affairs (206) 220-7237***

SEATTLE - Sector Puget Sound will hold a ceremony marking the shift from Sector Seattle to Sector Puget Sound, immediately preceding a change of command ceremony here, Wednesday.

The initiative commonly referred to as sectorization is part of a nationwide effort to consolidate the many responsibilities, missions and jurisdictions within the Coast Guard. The move is also aimed at increasing the effectiveness and efficiency of Coast Guard personnel and assets.

Following the sectorization ceremony, Sector Puget Sound will hold a time honored change of command ceremony where Capt. Scott Ferguson will relieve Capt. Scott Bornemann as Commanding Officer, Sector Puget Sound.

Ferguson will take command over the recently restructured Sector Seattle, now known as Sector Puget Sound, which was established on July 30th, 2010 to better serve the Puget Sound's maritime community. 

This restructuring affects several Coast Guard units in Wash., by consolidating the many federal authorities that locally monitor maritime commerce, safety and security and placing them under the commander of Sector Puget Sound.

What: Change of Command ceremony and activation of Marine Safety Unit Portland, Ore.

When: 10 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 24, 2010

Where: Sector Portland 6767 N. Basin Ave. Portland, OR 97217

PORTLAND, Ore. — Capt. Daniel L. LeBlanc will relieve Capt. Leonard R. Tumbarello as Commanding Officer of Marine Safety Unit Portland, Ore., in a ceremony being held at 10 a.m. Tuesday at Marine Safety Unit Portland.

Tumbarello will assume the duties of Deputy Commander of Sector Columbia River in Astoria, Ore., which was formed along with Marine Safety Unit Portland by combining Sector Portland with Group/Air Station Astoria during a ceremony that was held in Astoria, Monday.

Both newly formed units are aimed at increasing the effectiveness and efficiency of Coast Guard personnel and assets.

"As Commanding Officer of the newly commissioned Marine Safety Unit Portland, my primary focus will be to maintain, and in many cases exceed, the traditional high level of customer service provided to the maritime industry stakeholders in the Portland area," said LeBlanc.

The change of command ceremony is a time-honored event preserved by the rich heritage of naval tradition. It is a formal custom that is designed to strengthen the respect of authority, which is vital to any military organization.

Media is invited to attend and are requested to arrive at Sector Portland, 6767 N. Basin Ave. Portland, OR 97217, by 9:30 a.m. Media should contact Lt. j.g. Charlie Taylor at (503) 240-9374 to gain access to the base.

U.S. Coast Guardsmen from the Coast Guard Cutter Mellon (WHEC 717), Sailors from USS Vandegrift (FFG 48) and Indonesian sailors conduct combined operations aboard rigid-hulled inflatable boats in the Java Sea May 30, 2010. The service members are participating in Naval Engagement Activity (NEA) Indonesia 2010. In its 16th year, NEA is part of the Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training series of bilateral exercises held annually in Southeast Asia to strengthen relationships and enhance force readiness. Department of Defense photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class David A. Brandenburg, U.S. Navy.

SINGAPORE - Singaporean sailors, immigration and checkpoint authority personnel, and members of a U.S. Coast Guard Force Protection Training Team debrief a boarding exercise on the U.S. Coast Guard cutter Mellon during Southeast Asia Cooperation Against Terrorism (SEACAT) 2010 June 24, 2010, in Singapore. SEACAT is a weeklong at-sea exercise designed to highlight the value of information-sharing and multinational coordination within a scenario that gives participating navies practical maritime interception training opportunities. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class David A. Brandenburg.

SEATTLE – The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Mellon is scheduled to return to homeport here, Monday, concluding a five-month deployment to Southeast Asia in support of the international Cooperation Afloat for Readiness and Training (CARAT) exercises. 

Since departing March 31, 2010 Mellon has been an active partner throughout the success of the exercises.  Under the command of Navy Destroyer Squadron 31, Mellon engaged in five training phases focused on strengthening relations and interoperability with the maritime services of Southeast Asia.  The bilateral exercises, consisted of training scenarios both on land and at sea, which took place in Brunei, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore. 

Throughout the CARAT deployment, Mellon partnered with maritime law enforcement counterparts in law enforcement procedures and simulated boardings, small-boat operations, air-defenses exercises and tactical ship maneuvering.

The crew of the Mellon also participated in community service projects to improve local conditions and establish a personal connection with residents.  Combined service projects included mentoring children, rebuilding schools, and planting trees.  

Mellon is commanded by Capt. David S. Klipp and has a crew of 170 officers and enlisted personnel.  A 378-foot, high-endurance cutter, Mellon typically performs lengthy patrols enforcing fishery laws in Alaskan waters and counter-narcotics operations off the coast of Central America.

Media are invited to attend the cutter’s homecoming and to interview the crew and their families at Pier 36, Coast Guard Base Support Unit, 1519 Alaskan Way South. The cutter is scheduled to arrive at 11:00 am, Monday. 

Media interested in attending should contact Coast Guard District 13 Public Affairs at (206) 220-7237.

SEATTLE – The Thirteenth Coast Guard District will conduct a memorial service on Monday, July 19, 2010, at 1 p.m., for the fallen members of the CG-6017 Jayhawk helicopter crew that crashed off the coast of La Push, Wash., on July 7, 2010.

The service will be held at U.S. Coast Guard Station Quillayute River, in La Push.

U.S. Coast Guard officials will participate, and local politicians and members of the Quileute tribe are invited to participate in the ceremony which will pay respects to the deceased crew members: Lt. Sean Kruger, Petty Officer 1^st Class Adam Hoke, and Petty Officer 2^nd Class Brett Banks.

On July 7, 2010, an MH-60 Jayhawk transiting from U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Astoria, Ore., to U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Sitka, Alaska, crashed off the coast of La Push.  Three of the four crew members did not survive the crash.  The fourth crew member, Lt. Lance Leone, was recovered by Quileute tribal members and transported to a Seattle hospital where he is being treated for non-life threatening injuries.

Media is invited to attend the memorial.  Any media wishing to attend the event is requested to contact the Thirteenth Coast Guard District Public Affairs Office at (206) 220-7237.

SEATTLE - U.S. Coast Guard officials will conduct a media briefing in response to the MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crash that occurred, Wednesday, in the waters near James Island, Wash.

The media briefing will be held, Wednesday, at the U.S. Coast Guard base in Seattle, 1519 Alaskan Way S, at 2:30 p.m.

Media should bring credentials identifying them and their organization.

WHO: Rear Adm. Gary Blore, Commander of the Thirteenth Coast Guard District; and Capt. Salvatore Palmeri, Thirteenth Coast Guard District, Chief of the Incident Management Division.

WHAT: Conducting media briefing to discuss the MH 60 Jayhawk helicopter crash off of James Island, Wash.

WHEN: Wednesday, July 7, at 2:30 p.m.

WHERE: U.S. Coast Guard base Seattle, 1519 Alaskan Way S., Seattle, Wash. 98134.

CLICK HERE for the initial press release reporting the crash; and CLICK HERE for the updated release.  

For additional information, updates and/or media inquiries, contact the Thirteenth Coast Guard District Public Affairs Office at (206) 220-7237.

ASTORIA, Ore. — The Coast Guard, along with local law enforcement and other state agencies including the Clatsop County Sherriff's Department and Washington Fish & Wildlife will patrol the waters of the Oregon and Washington coasts and rivers for intoxicated boaters Friday, June 25 thru Sunday, June 27.

The effort is part of Operation Dry Water, an initiative to inform boaters of the dangers of boating under the influence (BUI) of alcohol and to enforce laws concerning BUI and safe boating.

"Our aim is to allow people to enjoy the waterways as safely as possible," said Lt. j.g. Joe Miller, Recreational Boating Safety Officer at Coast Guard Air Station Astoria. 

During 2009's operation, 2,442 marine law enforcement officers across 46 states and five territories made contact with 17,454 recreational vessels and issued 5,320 boating safety warnings, 283 BUI citations and 1,127 citations for other violations. Fourteen arrests were made in the state of Oregon.  This year, all 56 states, trusts and territories are expected to participate, searching for boat operators whose blood alcohol concentration exceeds the national limit of .08 percent.

Alcohol can impair a boater’s judgment, balance, vision and reaction time.  It can increase fatigue and susceptibility to the effects of cold-water immersion.  Sun, wind, noise, vibration and motion – “stressors” common to the boating environment – intensify the side effects of alcohol, drugs, and some prescription medications. Authorities contend that this BUI crackdown is just as important to public safety as the enforcement of drunk driving laws.

PORTLAND, Ore. — The Coast Guard has issued a proposal to establish a safety zone at the Barview Jetty in Tillamook, Ore., from June 15 through Sept. 30.

The jetty has deteriorated to the point that the Army Corps of Engineers has contracted Kiewit Corporation to repair the jetty.  The repairs will involve the use of a track-mounted 18,000 lb. crane with as much as 200-feet of boom.  The crane will be used to move large granite boulders weighing approximately 20 to 50 tons each by lifting them up, circling them out over the waterway on either side of the north jetty, and placing them into the jetty.

Due to the inherent dangers associated with such operations, the Coast Guard is proposing the establishment of a safety zone covering all waters within 250-feet in every direction of the north jetty, named the Barview Jetty.  The safety zone will help ensure the safety of work crews and the maritime public while the jetty is being repaired by prohibiting all persons and vessels from entering or remaining in the zone unless specifically authorized by the Captain of the Port or his designated representative.

The proposal can be viewed at http://www.regulations.gov by searching for Docket No. USCG-2010-0214.  The Coast Guard is asking for all persons and entities this safety zone could effect to submit comments and concerns.  Comments can be submitted four ways:

1. Visit the Federal eRulemaking Portal at http://www.regulations.gov and submit a comment online.

2. Fax: (202) 493-2251

3. Mail:  Docket Management Facility (M-30), U.S. Department of Transportation, West Building Ground Floor, Room W12-140, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590-0001

4. Hand Delivery to the address above between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday except federal holidays. Phone: (202) 366-9329.

PORTLAND, Ore. — Coast Guard Station Portland will conduct response boat training April 26 thru April 30 on the Columbia and Willamette Rivers in Portland. 

Media are invited to ride along, observe and interview crew members Thursday, April 29, and Friday, April 30 between  4 p.m. and 8 p.m.

Boaters are advised that this training will include high-speed maneuvers by multiple Coast Guard boats.   Vessels not involved in the training should navigate with caution through the area and comply with any safety instructions provided by the Coast Guard.

Coast Guard boat crew members will practice techniques used during typical operational situations.  Station Portland's boats will conduct stationary and underway drills utilizing law enforcement blue lights, loud hailers, and crews dressed in tactical gear.

WHO:  CG Station Portland and CG Auxiliary

WHAT:  Response boat training.

WHEN: Monday, April 26th thru Friday, April 30th, MEDIA AVAILABILITY Thursday and Friday 4-8p.m. 

WHERE: In vicinity of Cascade General Shipyard and between BNR Bridge and Kelly Point on the Columbia and Willamette Rivers

CONTACT: Chief Justin Eaton 503-240-9358