TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. – U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Traverse City, Mich., opened its seasonal air facility in Waukegan, Ill., Friday, in order to provide increased search and rescue capabilities and faster response times throughout the Lake Michigan area during the summer months.

Like the Air Station Detroit-operated AIRFAC Muskegon, which also opened Friday, AIRFAC Waukegan is a seasonal air facility that operates annually from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend.  It is located at Waukegan Regional Airport.

Forward-deployed to AIRFAC Waukegan, two crews and one MH-65C rescue helicopter from Air Station Traverse City stand ready to provide search and rescue services 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Air Station Traverse City is a year-round Coast Guard facility, established in 1946 and located on the southern end of Grand Traverse Bay in northern Michigan.  Both Air Station Traverse City and AIRFAC Waukegan are maintained under the Ninth Coast Guard District to provide multi-mission capabilities in the Great Lakes region.

For further media inquiries, please contact the Air Station Traverse City public affairs officer at 231-922-8273.

NEW ORLEANS — The Coast Guard closed a portion of Barataria Bayou after a tug allided with a bridge, Tuesday.

At 10:03 a.m., Tuesday, watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector New Orleans received a report that the uninspected towing vessel, Julie Marie, was pushing 2 barges of limestone when it allided with the Leo Kerner Bridge on Barataria Bayou at mile marker 35.5 in Laffite.

The waterway is currently closed at mile marker 35.5.

There are no reports of pollution or injuries.

The Coast Guard is working with the Department of Transportation to investigate the cause of the incident.

Who: The crew of Coast Guard Station Emerald Isle, N.C., has been selected as the recipient of the Coast Guard 5th District Recreational Boating Safety Award. This award is given to the unit that has the highest impact on recreational boating safety within the district’s area of responsibility, which covers New Jersey to South Carolina.

The citation states that from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, 2010 the crew of Emerald Isle demonstrated superior performance and made outstanding contributions to recreational boating safety in the areas of law enforcement, education, outreach, awareness, partnering, search and rescue, boating under the influence prevention and marine events. The station’s efforts also resulted in having no bow rider fatalities within their area of responsibility in 2010.

What: Media availability for the presentation honoring Station Emerald Isle as the recipient of this award.

When: Wednesday, June 1 at 9 a.m.

Where: Coast Guard Station Emerald Isle, 11101 Station St. Emerald Isle, NC 28584.

Note: Media interested in attending are asked to RSVP to 5th District public affairs at 757-398-6272.

DETROIT – U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Detroit, Mich., opened its seasonal air facility in Muskegon, Mich., Friday, in order to provide increased search and rescue capabilities and faster response times throughout the Lake Michigan area.

The seasonal air facility located at Muskegon County Airport operates annually from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend.

Two crews and one MH-65C rescue helicopter from Air Station Detroit stand ready to provide search and rescue services 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

“Air Facility Muskegon’s opening coincided with National Safe Boating Week, and the theme this year is ‘always wear your life jacket,’” said Cmdr. Michael Platt, commanding officer of Air Station Detroit. “This applies to both boaters and weak swimmers.”

Boaters are also encouraged to take a boating safety course and leave a float plan ashore.  Swimmers should always swim near a lifeguard and never swim alone.  A great resource to practice safe water activities is the boating safety resource center at http://www.uscgboating.org.

Air Station Detroit is a year-round Coast Guard facility that has a staff of 115 personnel and five MH-65C Dolphin rescue helicopters.  Both Air Station Detroit and Air Facility Muskegon are maintained under the Ninth Coast Guard District to provide multi-mission capabilities in the Great Lakes region.

For further media inquiries, please contact the Air Station Detroit Public Affairs Officer at 586-239-2321 or Air Station Detroit at 586-239-6702.

SAN DIEGO – Five people were rescued one mile north of Point Loma, Calif., when their boat became disabled and started to take on water Monday evening.

Navy Region Southwest transfered a cell phone call to the Coast Guard from the operator of the 25-foot pleasure craft at 6:30 p.m., stating they were in need of assistance and their boat was drifting toward the rocks at Sunset Cliffs. The call was dropped but not before the Coast Guard could determine where the the boat was.

Coast Guard Sector San Diego diverted the Coast Guard Cutter Haddock, an 87-foot patrol boat homeported in San Diego, as well as a 33-foot response boat from Coast Guard Station San Diego.

The station personnel were able to remove all of the passengers from the disabled boat, take the boat into tow and transport passengers and vessel safely to Shelter Island.

The Coast Guard would like to remind all mariners to make sure they have adequate communication devices with them when they plan to go out on the water. If you take a cell phone out with you, make sure the phone is able to stay dry and the battery has a full charge. It is also a good idea to have some sort of back up such as a VHF marine radio in case of an emergency. If an emergency happens, help can be called for on Channel 16, the universal distress channel.

EDITOR’S NOTE: There is no imagery available for this rescue.

SAN DIEGO – The search for a possible missing swimmer in Oceanside, Calif., was suspended at 8:03 Monday evening after saturating the search area and exhausting all possible efforts to locate a man who was reported to be in distress Sunday evening.

The Coast Guard and local agencies spent the past 24 hours searching for the possible swimmer in distress near the Oceanside Pier, and covered 16 miles of shoreline and up to nine miles out to sea.

The Oceanside Harbor Police were first notified by an eye-witness on the beach who said she saw a man in a wet suit who seemed to be in need of help while in the water near the Oceanside Pier. The Harbor Police then contacted the Coast Guard to who joined in the search.

Assets used in the search include:

• A Coast Guard MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter from Coast Guard Sector San Diego,

• Coast Guard Cutter Blackfin, an 87-foot patrol boat homeported in Santa Barbara,

• A Customs and Border Protection helicopter

• Oceanside Harbor Police patrol boats

• Oceanside Lifeguards

• Oceanside Fire Department

If anyone knows of a friend or family member who was planning on taking a swim in the vicinity of the Oceanside Pier this evening and he has not returned, please call the U.S. Coast Guard at 619.278.7031.

JUNEAU, Alaska — Rear Adm. Thomas Ostebo, Commander, Seventeenth Coast Guard District and Capt. Melissa Bert, Commander, Coast Guard Sector Juneau, temporarily relieved Lt. Matthias Wholley Monday from his duties as Commanding Officer of the Cutter Anacapa for loss of confidence in the ability to command.

Final determination regarding a permanent removal or resumption of command is made by the Commandant of the Coast Guard in Washington, D.C.

Lt. j.g. James Toomey, executive officer of the Anacapa, has assumed temporary command of the cutter.

Lt. Wholley will been temporarily reassigned to Coast Guard Sector Juneau in Juneau.

The Cutter Anacapa is a 110-foot patrol boat homeported in Petersburg, Alaska. 

For more information contact Chief Petty Officer Dana Warr at 907-209-9960.