NEW ORLEANS — Rear Adm. Roy A. Nash (right), commander of the Eighth Coast Guard District, welcomes King Rex (left) and his krewe aboard the Coast Guard Cutter Harry Claiborne for their transport to Spanish Plaza in downtown, Feb. 20, 2012. The 175-foot coastal construction tender delivered the Mardi Gras monarchs Kings Rex and Zulu to kick off the official start of Lundi Gras 2012. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Bill Colclough.

NEW ORLEANS — The Krewe of King Zulu embarks the Coast Guard Cutter Harry Claiborne for their transport to Spanish Plaza in downtown to kick off the start of Lundi Gras, Feb. 20, 2012. The 175-foot coastal construction tender delivered the Mardi Gras monarchs Kings Rex and Zulu for Lundi Gras 2012. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Bill Colclough.

NEW ORLEANS — The Coast Guard delivered the Mardi Gras monarchs Kings Rex and Zulu to Spanish Plaza in downtown to usher in the start of Lundi Gras, Monday.

The Coast Guard Cutter Harry Claiborne, a 175-foot inland construction tender homeported in Galveston, Texas, provided the safe transportation of the monarchs for the 2012 Mardi Gras celebration.

Distinguished guests in attendance aboard were the Secretary of the Navy, Ray Mabus, U.S. Marine Corps Lt. Gen. Steven Hummer, commander of Marine Forces Reserve and Marine Forces North, and political consultant James Carville and his wife, Mary Matalin.

“The crew performed superbly; because of their preparation and dedication, it was a nice, safe evolution,” said Chief Warrant Officer Paul Zado, commanding officer of the Harry Claiborne. “It was a great honor to be a part of the ceremony for the naming of King Rex.”

The Coast Guard annually participates in Mardi Gras by delivering the monarchs of Mardi Gras as well as manning a float for several parades throughout the carnival the season.

HONOLULU – The Coast Guard rescued a missing diver approximately two miles west of Ka’ena Point at 1:05 a.m. Monday.

An Air Station Barbers Point MH-65 Dolphin helicopter aircrew sighted the 45-year-old man while searching the area. The rescue swimmer aboard the Dolphin sighted the diver, without the use of night vision goggles, as the helicopter was departing the area to refuel. The missing diver used a dive flashlight to signal the aircrew.

The rescue swimmer was deployed from the helicopter and remained in the water with the diver until the Coast Guard Cutter Ahi arrived.

The diver was transported to Barber’s Point Harbor where he was met by emergency medical staff and family. The diver was reported to be in good health.

The man began diving at 12:30 p.m. on Sunday and was reported missing by friends at 3:30 p.m.

The Coast Guard and Honolulu Fire Department searched for a distance extending nine miles from the diver’s last known location.

To assist in the search, the Coast Guard used the Search and Rescue Optimal Planning System to determine the search area with the highest probability for locating the missing diver. SAROPS is a computer program, which calculates environmental factors such as weather, wind speed and direction, current speed and direction and the size of the search object. From that data, a search area is calculated. 

To view the initial news release for this case visit: http://www.d14.uscgnews.com/go/doc/800/1313351/.

For more information contact Lt. Leigh Cotterell, Sector Honolulu’s public affairs officer at 808-292-3692.

SAN FRANCISCO — A massive search effort conducted by the Coast Guard and the Marin, Tiburon, San Rafael Police Departments is underway for a person in the water and boat collision near the Richmond-San Rafael bridge.

After hours of searching, crews are unable to locate any signs of the reported distress.

Coast Guard Sector San Francisco received a mayday call over VHF-FM channel 16, at 10:53 last night. The Coast Guard was radioed again 11:18 p.m. from a source reporting that their boat had been involved in a collision with another boat and that there was a person in the water.

The Coast Guard immediately launched an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter from Air Station San Francisco and a 45-foot utility boat from Station San Francisco, as well as, diverted the Coast Guard Cutter Pike, an 87-foot patrol boat, to the scene. After an extensive search, crews are unable to locate any signs of distress.

The search will continue throughout the night and into the morning. 

HONOLULU – The Coast Guard and Honolulu Fire Department are searching for a missing scuba diver one mile off the coast of Kaena Point, Saturday.

Friends of the missing diver contacted Coast Guard watchstanders at Sector Honolulu and reported him missing at 3:30 p.m.  

A 45-foot Response Boat-Medium crew from Station Honolulu, and an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew from Air Station Barbers Point were launched at 4 p.m. The 14.96 square mile search area is located one mile off the coast of Keana Point. The crew aboard the Coast Guard Cutter Ahi is also en route to the search area. 

The Honolulu Fire Department is responding with a helicopter, jet-ski and rescue boat.

The missing man, a local resident, began diving at approximately 12:30 p.m. and was last seen wearing a black wetsuit. 

The Coast Guard is scheduled to search throughout the night. 

Mariners in the area are asked to report any sign of the missing diver to the Coast Guard on VHF channel 16 or by calling the Sector Honolulu command center at 808-842-2600.

For more information contact the 14th Coast Guard District public affairs office at 808-535-3230. 

NEW ORLEANS — The tank barge involved in the collision, which resulted in the spill of Louisiana sweet crude into the lower Mississippi River, has been emptied and relocated, Sunday.

The remaining oil in the barge holding tanks was removed and the barge has been relocated to a repair facility in West Wego. 

The barge had been secured to the bank of the Mississippi River since Friday following a collision between the Clarence W. Settoon and the Alydar, which was pushing a construction barge at the time. The collision tore a hole into the double-hulled tanker barge causing the release of an amount of oil estimated to be less than 10,000 gallons. 

The Coast Guard Captain of the Port New Orleans, Capt. Pete Gautier, temporarily closed the river to commercial traffic Friday, but later allowed vessels to transit in a rotation to ensure the safety of contracted cleanup personnel and to minimize economic impact.

A total of 101 response personnel from the Coast Guard, ES & H and OMI Environmental Services are actively engaged in the cleanup.

Since operations began Friday, 100 bags of oiled debris and 40 bags of oiled sorbents have been collected. A total of 4,700 feet of hard containment boom has been deployed in an effort to minimize environmental damage.

The Coast Guard, Louisiana Oil Spill Coordinator’s Office and Settoon Towing have established a unified command to respond to the incident.

The Coast Guard is investigating the cause of the incident.

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – U.S. Coast Guard and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) law enforcement crews, as members of the Caribbean Border Interagency Group, in conjunction with Dominican Republic’s Navy and Air Force authorities recovered a 350-pound- cocaine shipment, 168 bricks, from the water following a maritime pursuit of a drug-smuggling vessel Saturday in the Mona Passage.

The crew of a CBP Caribbean Air and Marine Branch surveillance dash-8 aircraft detected two men aboard a 20-foot yola (boat) Saturday morning transiting towards the Dominican Republic, approximately nine nautical miles north of Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.

“This case showcases the close and effective coordination between U.S. federal law enforcement agencies and Dominican Republic authorities in preventing yet another drug shipment from reaching the streets,” said Capt. Marc Stegman, U.S. Coast Guard Sector San Juan acting commander.

Upon noticing they had been detected by law enforcement authorities, the crew of the suspect vessel immediately proceeded to throw their cargo overboard.

CBP’s Caribbean Air and Marine Branch requested Coast Guard assistance in contacting Dominican Republic authorities to advise them that the suspect vessel was entering Dominican Republic waters.

Coast Guard Sector San Juan Watchstanders proceeded to coordinate with Dominican Republic authorities and divert the Coast Guard Cutter Chincoteague to provide assistance.

The Dominican Republic Air Force responded by launching a Tucano aircraft and taking over the aerial pursuit of the suspect vessel into Dominican Republic territorial waters, while the Dominican Republic Navy vessel Benevola also responded to the scene.

The crew of the Chincoteague arrived on scene and was vectored in by the crew of the CBP aircraft to the position of the jettisoned cargo. The crew of the Chincoteague launched their small boat and recovered 7 bales from the water, each containing 24 bricks of contraband and weighing approximately 50 pounds. Field tests conducted at the scene revealed the contraband to be cocaine.

The crew of the Chincoteague transferred all seven bales of cocaine to the crew of the Benevola.

The Chincoteague is a 110-foot patrol boat home ported in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

In July 2006, CBIG was formally created to unify efforts of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the Office of Border Patrol – Ramey Sector, the United States Attorney‘s Office for the District of Puerto Rico, and Puerto Rico Police Joint Forces of Rapid action (FURA) in their common goal of securing the borders of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands against illegal migrant and drug smuggling.

MOBILE, Ala. — Edward Johnson (left), an instructor with the Dekalb County, Ga., school system, introduces his 150 Navy Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps cadets to Chief Warrant Officer Todd Murphy (center), commanding officer of the Coast Guard Cutter Saginaw, prior to a tour of the cutter at its homeport in Mobile, Feb. 16, 2012. The Atlanta-area cadets toured the Saginaw, the Coast Guard Cutter Stingray and Coast Guard Aids to Navigation Team Mobile. Crewmembers from all of the units shared their experiences and answered questions about their job, the missions and the Coast Guard. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Bill Colclough.

MOBILE, Ala. — U.S. Navy Reserve Officers Training Corps cadets listen to a member of Coast Guard Aids to Navigation Team Mobile describe the lampchangers and chain used in various aids to navigation at Coast Guard Sector Mobile, Feb. 16, 2012. The Atlanta, Ga.-area cadets toured the Saginaw, the Coast Guard Cutter Stingray and Coast Guard Aids to Navigation Team Mobile. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Bill Colclough.

MOBILE, Ala. — A crewmember of the Coast Guard Cutter Stingray helps a U.S. Navy Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps cadet don firefighting gear during a demonstration and tour aboard the cutter at its homeport in Mobile, Feb. 16, 2012. A group of 150 cadets from the Atlanta, Ga., area toured the Saginaw, the Coast Guard Cutter Stingray and Coast Guard Aids to Navigation Team Mobile. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Bill Colclough.

MOBILE, Ala. — Chief Petty Officer James Holston, executive petty officer of the Coast Guard Cutter Saginaw, provides an illustration of how the radar operates on board the 160-foot inland construction tender’s pilot house, Feb. 16, 2012. A group of 150 cadets from the Atlanta, Ga., area toured the Saginaw, the Coast Guard Cutter Stingray and Coast Guard Aids to Navigation Team Mobile. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Bill Colclough.

MOBILE, Ala. — A group of 150 U.S. Navy Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps cadets from the Atlanta, Ga., area toured units from Coast Guard Sector Mobile, Thursday.

The cadets took a tour of the 160-foot Coast Guard Cutter Saginaw, 87-foot Coast Guard Cutter Stingray and a shoreside demonstration from Coast Guard Aids to Navigation Team Mobile.

Crewmembers provided guided tours of the Saginaw and Stingray and demonstrated a diverse array of gear essential to Coast Guard missions. Crewmembers from ANT Mobile demonstrated the operation of lampchangers in lighted aids to navigation and a brief overview of the system of lights, colors and shapes found in the federal aids-to-navigation system.

The cadets donned firefighting equipment and quizzed the crewmembers on their experiences and career opportunities available in the U.S. Coast Guard.

“We’re always proud to show our ship; the crews work very hard,” said Chief Warrant Officer Todd Murphy, commanding officer of the Saginaw. “This was a great opportunity to encourage these young folks to come our way and perhaps become Coast Guardsmen.”

MOBILE, Ala. — Edward Johnson (left), an instructor with the Dekalb County, Ga., school system, introduces his 150 Navy Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps cadets to Chief Warrant Officer Todd Murphy (center), commanding officer of the Coast Guard Cutter Saginaw, prior to a tour of the cutter at its homeport in Mobile, Feb. 16, 2012. The Atlanta-area cadets toured the Saginaw, the Coast Guard Cutter Stingray and Coast Guard Aids to Navigation Team Mobile. Crewmembers from all of the units shared their experiences and answered questions about their job, the missions and the Coast Guard. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Bill Colclough.

MOBILE, Ala. — U.S. Navy Reserve Officers Training Corps cadets listen to a member of Coast Guard Aids to Navigation Team Mobile describe the lampchangers and chain used in various aids to navigation at Coast Guard Sector Mobile, Feb. 16, 2012. The Atlanta, Ga.-area cadets toured the Saginaw, the Coast Guard Cutter Stingray and Coast Guard Aids to Navigation Team Mobile. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Bill Colclough.

MOBILE, Ala. — A crewmember of the Coast Guard Cutter Stingray helps a U.S. Navy Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps cadet don firefighting gear during a demonstration and tour aboard the cutter at its homeport in Mobile, Feb. 16, 2012. A group of 150 cadets from the Atlanta, Ga., area toured the Saginaw, the Coast Guard Cutter Stingray and Coast Guard Aids to Navigation Team Mobile. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Bill Colclough.

MOBILE, Ala. — Chief Petty Officer James Holston, executive petty officer of the Coast Guard Cutter Saginaw, provides an illustration of how the radar operates on board the 160-foot inland construction tender’s pilot house, Feb. 16, 2012. A group of 150 cadets from the Atlanta, Ga., area toured the Saginaw, the Coast Guard Cutter Stingray and Coast Guard Aids to Navigation Team Mobile. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Bill Colclough.

MOBILE, Ala. — A group of 150 U.S. Navy Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps cadets from the Atlanta, Ga., area toured units from Coast Guard Sector Mobile, Thursday.

The cadets took a tour of the 160-foot Coast Guard Cutter Saginaw, 87-foot Coast Guard Cutter Stingray and a shoreside demonstration from Coast Guard Aids to Navigation Team Mobile.

Crewmembers provided guided tours of the Saginaw and Stingray and demonstrated a diverse array of gear essential to Coast Guard missions. Crewmembers from ANT Mobile demonstrated the operation of lampchangers in lighted aids to navigation and a brief overview of the system of lights, colors and shapes found in the federal aids-to-navigation system.

The cadets donned firefighting equipment and quizzed the crewmembers on their experiences and career opportunities available in the U.S. Coast Guard.

“We’re always proud to show our ship; the crews work very hard,” said Chief Warrant Officer Todd Murphy, commanding officer of the Saginaw. “This was a great opportunity to encourage these young folks to come our way and perhaps become Coast Guardsmen.”

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — The Armed Services YMCA at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson recognized the 12 Enlisted Service Personnel of the Year during the 35th Annual Salute to the Military at the Egan Civic and Convention Center Friday.

Two service members from each branch of the military, one active duty and one reservist, as well as two National Guardsmen, were named the Outstanding Junior Enlisted Service Personnel of the Year by the Armed Services YMCA in Anchorage.

“It’s an opportunity for the community to get together and recognize military members,” said Anita Porter, the special projects manager for the YMCA.

The Coast Guardsmen who were recognized are Petty Officer 2nd Class Scott Peters, a boatswain’s mate at Station Valdez, and Petty Officer 2nd Class Jeremy Frank, a reservist marine science technician with Sector Juneau.

“I’m proud that we are able to recognize Petty Officers Scott Peters and Jeremy Frank as the Coast Guard Alaska service members of the year,” said Rear Adm. Thomas Ostebo, the Coast Guard District 17 commander. “They are exceptional representatives for the active duty and reserve Coast Guard men and women serving throughout Alaska and their leadership, professionalism and devotion to duty serve as examples for others to follow.”

Peters, a tactical coxswain on Station Valdez’s 45-foot and 25-foot response boats, goes beyond his required duty to promote a healthy lifestyle at his unit, and is known for the intense workout sessions he offers to the station’s members. He is also involved in various volunteer events, including assisting in the construction of a community ski slope.

Frank, who was deployed for the Coast Guard response to the Deepwater Horizon spill, is being recognized for his role in the $14 million lightering operation associated with the removal of more than 130,000 gallons of bunker oil and 220,000 gallons of oily waste from the motor vessel Princess Kathleen, a 369 foot passenger vessel that sank near Juneau in 1952.

For more information about the 35th Annual Salute to the Military, contact Anita Porter at 907-552-9622.

For more information about the Coast Guard members being recognized, contact Petty Officer 3rd Class Grant DeVuyst at 907-321-1866.

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — The Armed Services YMCA at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson recognized the 12 Enlisted Service Personnel of the Year during the 35th Annual Salute to the Military at the Egan Civic and Convention Center Friday.

Two service members from each branch of the military, one active duty and one reservist, as well as two National Guardsmen, were named the Outstanding Junior Enlisted Service Personnel of the Year by the Armed Services YMCA in Anchorage.

“It’s an opportunity for the community to get together and recognize military members,” said Anita Porter, the special projects manager for the YMCA.

The Coast Guardsmen who were recognized are Petty Officer 2nd Class Scott Peters, a boatswain’s mate at Station Valdez, and Petty Officer 2nd Class Jeremy Frank, a reservist marine science technician with Sector Juneau.

“I’m proud that we are able to recognize Petty Officers Scott Peters and Jeremy Frank as the Coast Guard Alaska service members of the year,” said Rear Adm. Thomas Ostebo, the Coast Guard District 17 commander. “They are exceptional representatives for the active duty and reserve Coast Guard men and women serving throughout Alaska and their leadership, professionalism and devotion to duty serve as examples for others to follow.”

Peters, a tactical coxswain on Station Valdez’s 45-foot and 25-foot response boats, goes beyond his required duty to promote a healthy lifestyle at his unit, and is known for the intense workout sessions he offers to the station’s members. He is also involved in various volunteer events, including assisting in the construction of a community ski slope.

Frank, who was deployed for the Coast Guard response to the Deepwater Horizon spill, is being recognized for his role in the $14 million lightering operation associated with the removal of more than 130,000 gallons of bunker oil and 220,000 gallons of oily waste from the motor vessel Princess Kathleen, a 369 foot passenger vessel that sank near Juneau in 1952.

For more information about the 35th Annual Salute to the Military, contact Anita Porter at 907-552-9622.

For more information about the Coast Guard members being recognized, contact Petty Officer 3rd Class Grant DeVuyst at 907-321-1866.