WHO: U.S. Coast Guard C-130 Hercules pilots Capt. Michael Eagle, commanding officer Air Station Sacramento, Lt. Jeffery Hustace and five other Air Station Sacramento C-130 crewmembers.

WHAT: Coast Guard aviators will be available to speak about the unique mission of transporting the rare Hawaiian monk seal “Hō’ailona” a.k.a. “KP2.” Representatives from the University of California Santa Cruz will also be available to answer questions about KP2, and why the transport is necessary.

For background information on Air Station Sacramento click on link below.
http://www.d11.uscgnews.com/external/content/document/823/987031/1/Air%20Station%20Sacramento%20fact%20sheet.pdf

For background information on KP2 click on link below.
http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/health/kp2.htm

For background information on the monk seal click on link below.
http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/species/mammals/pinnipeds/hawaiianmonkseal.htm

WHEN: Tuesday, Nov. 1, 2011 8:30 a.m.

WHERE: Atlantic Aviation
            1250 Aviation Avenue
            San Jose, Calif. 95110

Media members interested in attending the KP2 send-off are requested to contact Petty Officer Levi Read at (510) 772-8865 to RSVP.

NORFOLK, Va. — Coast Guard officials suspended the license of the operator of a commercial assistance towing vessel Monday who was involved in a fatal boating collision last October.

The collision occurred Oct. 17, 2010, when the operator aboard the commercial Sea Tow vessel passed underneath the James River Bridge and upon exiting, collided with a recreational fishing boat.

Lance Brewer, 13, of Gloucester, Va., a passenger aboard the fishing boat, lost his life as a result of the collision.

The Coast Guard’s investigation into the incident found that neither operator maintained a proper lookout or operated their vessels at a safe speed. As part of a settlement agreement approved by an administrative law judge Monday, Wayne A. Espinoza, of Virginia Beach, Va., the operator of the Sea Tow vessel, has agreed to a 36-month suspension of his license and will attend a Coast Guard approved training course.

“The simple precaution of reducing speed when operating in the vicinity of the James River Bridge could have prevented this tragic accident,” said Cmdr. Jerry Barnes, the chief of the prevention department at Coast Guard Sector Hampton Roads. “Mr. Espinoza failed to exercise the standard of care expected of a licensed operator and the due caution required under the navigational circumstances. It is my hope that this suspension will serve as a reminder to all licensed operators to maintain a safe speed and be ever vigilant.”

Espinoza and Phillip E. Brewer, of Newport News, Va., the operator of the fishing boat, have been charged with involuntary manslaughter by the Newport News Commonwealth’s Attorney’s office and await trial.

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Coast Guard Sector Corpus Christi suspended five searches in October suspected of being hoaxes.

Not every distress call is real, and a false mayday call can unnecessarily put crews in dangerous situations while wasting valuable resource hours. Approximately 80 man-hours were expended during the five cases.  In total, Air Station Corpus Christi completed two searches with an HU-25 Falcon jet and an MH-65 Dolphin rescue helicopter, and a 25-foot Response Boat–Small was also used. 

“We have spent a considerable amount of effort, money, and risk,” said Mario Gonzalez, a watchstander at Sector Corpus Christi. “We are searching for what seems to be someone playing games, taking away from those who might actually be in peril.”

Maritime hoax distress calls place unnecessary risk on the rescuers responding to the calls and interfere with legitimate search and rescue cases, which cost the American taxpayer hundreds of thousands of dollars annually. If a hoax caller is not caught, the taxpayers shoulder the burden of the search. Coast Guard, federal, state, and local search and rescue partners’ aircraft and vessels are costly to operate. For example, a Coast Guard aircraft costs more than $4,000 an hour and Coast Guard small boats cost between $300 and $400 an hour to operate.

Under federal law, knowingly and willfully making a false distress call is a felony. Even if a child makes the distress call, the parents are ultimately responsible. The maximum penalty for making hoax distress calls is five to 10 years in prison, a $5,000 civil fine, a $250,000 criminal fine and reimbursement to the Coast Guard for the costs incurred responding to the false call.

Common hoax call sources:

-  Boaters trying to obtain a radio check are a common source of false distress calls. Mayday calls receive instant action from the Coast Guard, a concerned boater or both responding under the impression that the boater is in distress.

-  Some VHF marine band radios have a distress button feature that when activated emits a digital Morse code SOS signal. Improper operation of an automatic SOS feature, either by accident or on purpose, is a violation of law and endanger boaters’ lives.

-  Unsupervised children are also a source of false distress calls.

-  Adults intentionally transmitting false information for the purpose of entertainment or to launch a search.

The Coast Guard has taken steps to improve its capabilities to track radio distress signals by developing the Rescue 21 program.  Sector Corpus Christi uses Rescue 21’s direction finding technology to minimize the search area for each distress call.  The Coast Guard is then able to determine when a call is a probable hoax and reduce unnecessary search efforts.

The Coast Guard needs the assistance of the public to reduce hoax calls. This can be done by:

- Removing radios or locking them up when not in use.

- Teach children that unauthorized use puts people in danger.

- Report suspect hoaxes to the U.S. Coast Guard Tip line: 1-800-264-5980

All calls are confidential and tipsters can remain anonymous if they choose.

For official Coast Guard video and radio Public Service Announcements, click on the links below:

Hoax call video PSA

30 sec. radio PSA

60 sec. radio PSA

In October, Coast Guard Sector Corpus Christi responded to a total of 40 search and rescue cases, resulting in 54 lives saved or assisted.  

HOUSTON  — The Coast Guard is responding to a collision between a container ship and chemical tanker at the Bayport Ship Channel and Houston Ship Channel intersection near light 75, Saturday.

Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Houston-Galveston received a report at approximately 9:47 a.m., that the motor vessel Nederland, a 782-foot containership, collided with the motor vessel Elka Apollon, a 799-foot chemical tanker.

Due to the collision, three containers fell from the Nederland onto the deck of the Elka Apollon. One of the containers, containing tractor equipment, is currently leaking a small amount of hydraulic fluid onto the deck.

The ship channels are still open to traffic at this time.

There are no reported injuries and the Coast Guard is investigating the cause of the incident.  

The Coast Guard and the vessel operator/owners are currently working on a salvage plan.

“Coast Guard efforts are presently focused on returning these vessels to safe operations as soon as possible and maintaining safe and efficient operations on the Houston Ship Channel,” said Capt. Hal Pitts, deputy commander at Sector Houston-Galveston. 

HOUSTON  — The Coast Guard is responding to a collision between a container ship and chemical tanker at the Bayport Ship Channel and Houston Ship Channel intersection near light 75, Saturday.

Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Houston-Galveston received a report at approximately 9:47 a.m., that the motor vessel Nederland, a 782-foot containership, collided with the motor vessel Elka Apollon, a 799-foot chemical tanker.

Due to the collision, three containers fell from the Nederland onto the deck of the Elka Apollon. One of the containers, containing tractor equipment, is currently leaking a small amount of hydraulic fluid onto the deck.

The ship channels are still open to traffic at this time.

There are no reported injuries and the Coast Guard is investigating the cause of the incident.  

The Coast Guard and the vessel operator/owners are currently working on a salvage plan.

“Coast Guard efforts are presently focused on returning these vessels to safe operations as soon as possible and maintaining safe and efficient operations on the Houston Ship Channel,” said Capt. Hal Pitts, deputy commander at Sector Houston-Galveston. 

HOUSTON  — The Coast Guard is responding to a collision between a container ship and chemical tanker at the Bayport Ship Channel and Houston Ship Channel intersection near light 75, Saturday.

Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Houston-Galveston received a report at approximately 9:47 a.m., that the motor vessel Nederland, a 782-foot containership, collided with the motor vessel Elka Apollon, a 799-foot chemical tanker.

Due to the collision, three containers fell from the Nederland onto the deck of the Elka Apollon. One of the containers, containing tractor equipment, is currently leaking a small amount of hydraulic fluid onto the deck.

The ship channels are still open to traffic at this time.

There are no reported injuries and the Coast Guard is investigating the cause of the incident.  

The Coast Guard and the vessel operator/owners are currently working on a salvage plan.

“Coast Guard efforts are presently focused on returning these vessels to safe operations as soon as possible and maintaining safe and efficient operations on the Houston Ship Channel,” said Capt. Hal Pitts, deputy commander at Sector Houston-Galveston.