Multimedia Releases

PHOTO RELEASE: Coast Guard LORAN Station Searchlight holds decommissioning ceremony (copy)

2010-06-16T19:00:00Z

SEARCHLIGHT, Nev. — Coast Guard Long Range Navigation (LORAN) Station Searchlight held a decommissioning ceremony June 11, 2010. The station has been in operation since 1976, transmitting signals used by aviators and mariners to navigate safely. As a result of technological advancements in the last 20 years, LORAN has become an antiquated system no longer required for use by the Armed Forces, the transportation sector nor the Nation's security interests. The Coast Guard honors the many dedicated men and women who have maintained LORAN stations and kept the signal broadcasting for the past 52 years.

SEARCHLIGHT, Nev. -- Capt. Stephen Metruck, Chief of Staff of the Eleventh Coast Guard District, Lt. Barry Boyd, Chain Operations Control Officer for LORAN-C, Chief Petty Officer David Percell, Officer-in-Charge of LORAN Station Searchlight, and Petty Officer First Class Michael Cheslock render honors as the National Anthem plays during the decommissioning ceremony at LORAN Station Searchlight June 11, 2010. LORAN Station Searchlight has been in operation since 1976, transmitting signals vital for aerial and marine navigation. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Cory J. Mendenhall.

SEARCHLIGHT, Nev. -- Capt. Stephen Metruck, Chief of Staff of the Eleventh Coast Guard District, presents Chief Petty Officer David Percell, Officer-in-Charge of LORAN Station Searchlight, with a Coast Guard Commendation Medal June 11, 2010. LORAN Station Searchlight has been in operation since 1976, transmitting signals vital for aerial and marine navigation. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Cory J. Mendenhall.

SEARCHLIGHT, Nev. - The final crew of LORAN Station Searchlight poses with the official party for a group photo, June 11, 2010, following the station's decommissioning ceremony. Pictured top to bottom, left to right are Lt. Cmdr. Drew Steadman, Capt. Stephen Metruck, Chief of Staff of the Eleventh Coast Guard District, Petty Officer 1st Class Stephen Naetzker, Petty Officer 3rd Class Bryan Adams, Petty Officer 3rd Class Joseph Davis, Petty Officer 1st Class Louis Brito, Lt. Barry Boyd, Petty Officer 1st Class Michael Cheslock, and Chief Petty Officer David Percell, Officer-in-Charge of LORAN Station Searchlight. LORAN Station Searchlight has been in operation since 1976, transmitting signals vital for aerial and marine navigation. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Cory J. Mendenhall.

Rear Adm. Castillo visits Channel Islands Harbor (copy)

2010-06-25T19:00:00Z

OXNARD, Calif. — Rear Adm. J.R.Castillo, Commander of the 11^th Coast Guard District, together with Command Master Chief, T.F. Vanderwerf, visited Coast Guard Station Channel Islands Harbor and Coast Guard Cutter Blacktip June 22, 2010.

Station Channel Islands Commanding Officer, LT W.T. McGhee, briefed the Admiral on the station’s Area of Responsibility and recent operational events. He discussed the role and accomplishments of the Coast Guard Auxiliary including: underway operations, communication watch-standers, vessel examinations, station improvements, public outreach, and the Annual Safe Boating Expo. The Admiral was impressed with the relationship between Auxiliary and station personnel.

The Admiral and Command Master Chief concluded their visit with an all-hands session with the Coast Guard Cutter Blacktip and station crews. The Admiral discussed many issues such as Coast Guard policies, safe operations, and his command philosophy. Also discussed by the Admiral was the current response needs for the Gulf Oil Crisis, Operation Deepwater Horizon, and stated we must all be ready to rise to the challenge.

U.S. Coast Guard Story by Auxiliarist Henry A. Goldman

U.S. Coast Guard Photo by Auxiliarist Michael Brodey

Coast Guard responds to fishing vessel taking on water near Morro Bay (copy)

2010-04-14T19:00:00Z

MORRO BAY, Calif. — In this video, the U.S. Coast Guard responded, Wednesday, to a report of a 38-foot fishing vessel taking on water with one person on board approximately 30 miles southwest of Morro Bay.

A 47-foot Motor Life Boat from Coast Guard Station Morro Bay and an MH-65C Dolphin helicopter from Coast Guard Air Station Los Angeles were dispatched to the scene.

CLICK HERE for the video from Coast Guard Air Station Los Angeles.

MULTIMEDIA RELEASE: Coast Guard responds to boat fire near Pt. Vincente

2010-08-08T03:10:44Z

SAN PEDRO, Calif.- The Coast Guard coordinated the rescue of four mariners in distress following a boat fire at 2:15 p.m., Saturday, approximately four miles off the coast of Pt. Vincente.

A 25-foot response boat from Coast Guard Station Los Angeles - Long Beach was on scene with Baywatch Cabrillo, Baywatch Redondo, and Baywatch Isthmus were also on scene to assist with the evacuation of the mariners and to combat the fire. A Good Samaritan in the vicinity of the fire provided initial assistance to the mariners.

VIDEO AVAILABLE HERE: (Coast Guard Air Station Los Angeles video)

http://cgvi.uscg.mil/media/main.php?g2_itemId=965567

PHOTO AVAILABLE HERE: (Coast Guard Air Station Los Angeles photo)

http://cgvi.uscg.mil/media/main.php?g2_itemId=965614

For further information or media inquiries contact Petty Officer Matthew Schofield, a spokesman for the Public Affairs Detachment Los Angeles - Long Beach office at (310) 781-0288.

Los Angeles-based High-End Security Team Gets New Leader

2010-07-28T21:08:50Z

SAN PEDRO, Calif. - Coast Guard Maritime Safety and Security Team Los Angeles-Long Beach is a maritime anti-terrorism team that provides water and shore-based protection for strategic shipping, high-interest vessels, and critical infrastructure. Highly-trained team members are capable of deploying via air, land or sea to support any homeland security or defense missions.

The unit will be holding a change-of-command ceremony, Friday, July 30, to welcome new commanding officer, Lt. Cmdr. Timothy Margita.

Margita brings a wealth of tactical and leadership experience to the unit. He has conducted Homeland Security and counter-narcotic deployments in both the U.S. and Caribbean, as well as led two deployments to the Persian Gulf. Margita has served at the former Tactical Law Enforcement Team North and the Maritime Security Response Team, leading both a Law Enforcement Detachment and Direct Action Team.

Margita will be replacing Cmdr. Charlene Downey, who oversaw the completion of many important security missions. During her command, MSST LA-LB completed over 37 critical maritime homeland security missions, deployed to Hawaii in support of Operation Super Ferry, and recently completed a six-month deployment to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. While deployed to Cuba, the unit provided vital security to Joint Task Force Guantanamo's detention facilities, including the five co-conspirators of the 9/11 attacks. They provided direct support during Operation Unified Response in the aftermath of the earthquake in Haiti assisting survivors and responders in the area. Small boat crew members also deployed to Louisiana to help establish safety zones in the wake of the Deepwater Horizon explosion, which killed 11 rig crewmembers. Recently, the unit pioneered vertical insertion operational and training capabilities with the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department, the first such agreement with a local partner for the Coast Guard.

Media wishing to highlight the unit's missions may do so by contacting Coast Guard Public Affairs Detachment Los Angeles-Long Beach at (310) 521-4260.

Videos of missions and capabilities of Maritime Safety and Security Teams can be seen at the following links:

http://cgvi.uscg.mil/media/main.php?g2_itemId=940220

http://cgvi.uscg.mil/media/main.php?g2_itemId=680417

http://cgvi.uscg.mil/media/main.php?g2_itemId=448046

http://cgvi.uscg.mil/media/main.php?g2_itemId=939857

Photographs of Maritime Safety and Security Teams in action can be seen at the following links:

http://cgvi.uscg.mil/media/main.php?g2_itemId=939515

http://cgvi.uscg.mil/media/main.php?g2_itemId=681801

http://cgvi.uscg.mil/media/main.php?g2_itemId=497120

http://cgvi.uscg.mil/media/main.php?g2_itemId=143649

Coast Guard, Los Angeles Sheriff's Conduct Joint Training

2010-07-14T21:59:46Z

SAN PEDRO, Calif. - The Coast Guard and Los Angeles Sheriff's Department conducted a joint exercise today, to test the agencies ability to respond together during possible security threats.

Members of Coast Guard Maritime Safety and Security Team Los Angeles-Long Beach vertically inserted onto a target vessel from a LASD helicopter, simulating responding to threat onboard a ship.

"This is a great opportunity for us to work with our port partners and leverage the impressive resources that are available in this area to improve our response capabilities and provide greater security to this nationally strategic port," said Cmdr. Charlene Downey, commanding officer of MSST LA-LB.

Vertical Insertion, or fast-roping, is a rapid deployment technique sometimes used by Coast Guard security teams to quickly get onboard a vessel to verify or subdue hostile threats. This training event was the first time a Coast Guard team has practiced deploying from a non-military aircraft.

MSST LA-LB is a maritime anti-terrorism team that provides water and shore-based protection for strategic shipping, high-interest vessels, and critical infrastructure. Highly-trained team members are capable of deploying via air, land or sea to support any homeland security or defense missions.

To view video of the joint-training exercise, select the link below:

http://cgvi.uscg.mil/media/main.php?g2_itemId=940220

To view photographs of the exercise, select the links below:

http://cgvi.uscg.mil/media/main.php?g2_itemId=940512

http://cgvi.uscg.mil/media/main.php?g2_itemId=940509

http://cgvi.uscg.mil/media/main.php?g2_itemId=940518

Alaska-based cutter departs California for the Gulf

2010-06-29T23:45:19Z

SAN PEDRO, Calif. — The Coast Guard Cutter Sycamore, a 225-foot sea-going buoy tender homeported in Cordova,Alaska, stopped at Sector Los Angeles-Long Beach for fuel and supplies on their way to the Gulf of Mexico, June 29.

The Alaska-based cutter was deployed to support cleanup efforts in the gulf immediately following their completion of a training mission in Everett, Wash., June 18.

"We'll basically be skimming oil in the places where oil is skimmable and responding to whatever we're tasked with," said Lt. Charter Tschirgi, Executive Officer of the Sycamore. "Once we get down there they'll be adding some storage tanks onboard our buoy deck. They've had pretty good success with the systems that are in place, but as we go we are learning and making vast improvements to what we have."

The Sycamore is a versatile platform that can be used for pollution response, command and control, logistics, or other roles in addition to the primary missions of maintaining aids to navigation, search and rescue, and law enforcement. The cutter crew has the capability to deploy skimming and oil containment equipment known as the Spilled Oil Recovery System.

Link to the video is below:

Video

Links to the photos are below:

Photo 1

Photo 2

Photo 3