Editor's note: For high resolution photos and video, click the thumbnails above.

HONOLULU – Coast Guardsmen from Air Station Barbers Point, working closely with the Make-A-Wish Foundation, helped make a young man’s wish to fly aboard an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter come true, Thursday.

Trey Erwin, a 15-year-old from Memphis, Tennessee, and his family were given a tour of the air station. During the visit, the family met with Coast Guard pilots and rescue swimmers. Trey, his mother and younger brother were given flight suits, boots and pilot’s helmets to wear during their flight.

After getting suited up, they were taken to the airfield where the Dolphin helicopter awaited. The family met with their pilot, Lt. Jason Gross, and their flight mechanic, Petty Officer 2nd Class Ryan Lilkendey, an avionics electrical technician. The Erwin family was given a safety brief before climbing aboard. The family was then taken on a flight around Oahu.

After the flight, crewmembers from the air station presented the family with mementos such as T-shirts and challenge coins. The family concluded their visit by having lunch with the air station’s commanding officer.

“The crew here at the air station was very honored to meet this wonderful young man and his family,” said Capt. Anthony Vogt, commanding officer of Air Station Barbers Point. “Everyone here was pleased to have the opportunity to grant Trey’s wish and provide him and his family an exciting day with the Coast Guard.”

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

Editor’s note: For a video and photo of the LA51 in use click on the images above.

HONOLULU - The Coast Guard is implementing the use of a non-lethal signaling and warning device to support the service’s ports waterways and coastal security mission in Hawaii.

The LA51 signal and warning device is a fired from a 12-gauge military shotgun to produce a visible signal at a range of 100 meters. Training will be conducted in a designated firing range approximately 50 miles north of Oahu.

The LA51 signal and warning device is considered a safer alternative to the current warning devices used by Coast Guard personnel. It is a shorter range round, and the flash and noise produced by the device are more prominent than a splash in the water caused by the M16 tracer round.  Additionally, the Department of Defense’s joint non-lethal weapons program has determined through their testing that the LA51 has a low risk of significant injury. 

The Coast Guard has been using the LA51 as a warning signal during alien migrant interdiction operations and counter-drug operations. The LA51 warning device will now be used during security zone enforcement and the execution of the ports waterways and coastal security mission.

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

Editor's note: click the images above for a high resolution photos and video. 

Lihue, HAWAII – Representatives from the Coast Guard and Kauai City and County signed a memorandum of agreement during a ceremony at the Kauai Fire Department Headquarters to improve search and rescue interoperability on and around Kauai, Monday.

Rear Adm. Charles W. Ray, 14th Coast Guard District commander, and Kauai Mayor Bernard P. Carvalho, Jr. signed the agreement that sets forth terms by which Kauai Fire Department, Ocean Safety, Joint Rescue Coordination Center Honolulu, and Coast Guard Sector Honolulu will coordinate and carry out civil and military search and rescue support.

Mayor Carvalho expressed his appreciation to the Coast Guard, the Kauai Fire Department and the County of Kauai Ocean Safety Bureau for working to formalize an already strong relationship. 

“This is about partnership and working together and how we all can support each other in any situation,” said Carvalho.

The objective of the agreement is to encourage collective communications between each agency during an active search mission. Each organization involved in the agreement offers unique assets and capabilities necessary to conduct SAR missions, such as local knowledge of the community, quick response times and various technological assets.

"We appreciate the continued support of the U.S. Coast Guard," said Kauai Fire Chief Robert Westerman. "Their services have been invaluable during joint search and rescue missions."

The cooperative agreement also focuses on the prevention of death or injury to individuals and loss or damage to property in the mutual geographic areas covered by the signatory agencies.

 “We already have a great relationship with the County of Kauai and we’ve done a lot of great missions over the last few years, we don’t look at this as breaking new ground, we look at this as a confirmation of procedures of what we need to do to talk to you and what you need to do to talk to us,” said Ray. “This is a framework for when we as Coast Guardsmen transfer out and new people come in, we can hand them this and tell them, this is how we work with Kauai”

The memorandum of agreement signed with Kauai marks the final agreement in place to formalize search and rescue procedures across the Hawaiian Islands. Links to previous signings can be found below.

Coast Guard signs a memorandum of agreement with Maui and Hawaii Counties:http://www.d14.uscgnews.com/go/doc/800/1299959/Coast-Guard-signs-memorandum-with-Maui-Hawaii-counties

Coast Guard and Honolulu City and County signed a memorandum of agreement:http://www.d14.uscgnews.com/go/doc/800/1176295/Coast-Guard-local-agencies-sign-agreement-to-improve-search-and-rescue-on-Oahu

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

For high resolution video and photos click the thumbnails above. 

HONOLULU – The Coast Guard Cutter Waesche pulls into Honolulu Harbor before the start of an Asia-Pacific patrol March 30, 2012. While patrolling through the Coast Guard District 14 area of responsibility, the Waesche crew will be conducting fisheries and law enforcement patrols with shipriders from several island nations. Through the bilateral agreements with Pacific island nations, partner governments place local law enforcement personnel aboard Coast Guard vessels to cooperatively patrol their exclusive economic zones.

The 418-foot cutter has a top speed of 28 knots, a range of 12,000 miles and a crew of 110. It's equipped with a 4,000 square-foot flight deck that has the capability to recover the MH-65 Dolphin and MH-60 Jayhawk helicopters, and larger Naval aircraft. 

Waesche is also equipped with a Cutter Boat Over the Horizon IV deployed by davit from the side. It also has two Short Range Prosecutor boats deployed and recovered from the stern launch system which increases the ability to launch and recover boats quickly and in heavy seas.

Adm. Russell R. Waesche was the Coast Guard’s longest serving Commandant who presided over the greatest expansion of the service in history. Waesche ensured the integration of the U.S. Lighthouse Service into the Coast Guard and is also credited with the organization of the Coast Guard Reserve. He graduated from the Revenue Cutter School of Instruction and was commissioned as an Ensign in 1906. Waesche retired from active duty Coast Guard service and passed away shortly thereafter in 1946. He is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

For more information on the Cutter Waesche visit the following link:
http://www.uscg.mil/pacarea/CGCWaesche/

For more information about the National Security Cutter and the Coast Guard's acquisition program, visit the following websites:
http://www.uscg.mil/acquisition/nsc/projectdescription.asp
http://www.uscg.mil/acquisition/nsc/features.asp
http://www.uscg.mil/acquisition/nsc/default.asp

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

For high resolution photos and video, please click the thumbnails above. 

HONOLULU – In celebration of Theodor Seuss Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss, volunteers from the Coast Guard, Honolulu Fire Department, Honolulu Police Department, and Oahu community came together to support literacy at Kalihi-Waena Elementary School Friday. 

Kalihi-Waena students started their morning with Green Eggs and Ham for breakfast. Afterward, more than 50 guests from federal, state and local government offices, the University of Hawaii, local businesses and Coast Guard read books to the students and answered questions about their jobs. 

“This program is a community event that we love to participate in,” said Petty Officer 3rd Class Richard Coughlin, event coordinator for the Partnership in Education Program from Coast Guard Personnel Services Support Unit. “There are fire trucks, police cars and our own Coast Guard boat that all help make this a group effort for the children.”

Students toured a 25-foot Response Boat – Small, from the Maritime Safety and Security Team Honolulu, a police car from the Honolulu Police Department, and a fire engine from the Honolulu Fire Department.

“On a day-to-day basis we work with many of these people, from all the agencies, to solve issues that arise on or near the water,” said Capt. James Koermer, Coast Guard Base Honolulu commanding officer. “By working together in an informal basis, it allows us a better opportunity to understand each other better.”

For nearly 20 years, the Coast Guard has supported programs at all levels of education in order to enhance educational opportunities for students while working to enforce traditional values, personal initiative, responsibility and individual self worth.

For more information about this release, please contact the Public Affairs office at 808-535-3230.

Editors note: For a high-resolution image and video click on the images above.

HONOLULU – Crewmembers aboard the Coast Guard Cutter Kukui and members of the District Response Advisory Team conducted an exercise in Honolulu Harbor to test the cutter's Spilled Oil Recovery System, Thursday.

The annual exercise is conducted to test both the equipment and the crewmembers response in the event of an oil spill. The goal of the training is to ensure the crew’s efficiency in using and deploying the equipment in order to minimize response time.

“This equipment that we’re using on the Coast Guard Cutter Kukui is unique to its own platform,” said Lt. Ryan Dickson, a member of the District 14 District Response Advisory Team. “Each Coast Guard cutter has its own system built in, pre-positioned and stored within the vessel. So everywhere it goes it has the opportunity and the capability to respond to an oil spill at a moment’s notice.”

The system was widely used  during the Deepwater Horizon response in 2010. The Spilled Oil Recovery System was designed for use with 225-foot Juniper class cutters, like the Kukui. The Kukui's Spilled Oil Recovery System is just one of the tools the Coast Guard has to protect the sensitive marine ecosystems of the Hawaiian Islands. Marine environmental protection is one of the Coast Guards key missions. For more information on the Coast Guard’s environmental mission, visit: http://www.gocoastguard.com/discovering-our-roles/maritime-stewardship.

For more information on today’s exercise, contact the 14th Coast Guard District public affairs office at 808-535-3230.

Editor's note: For high resolution pictures and video, click the thumbnails above.

HONOLULU – A Canadian family rescued after their sailboat sunk during a voyage from Mexico to Hawaii, met with Coast Guardsmen to discuss lessons learned from the recent rescue in an effort to improve the search and rescue process Wednesday.

The three survivors and other members of their family met with Coast Guard watchstanders from the Joint Rescue Coordination Center Honolulu at the Prince Jonah Kuhio Kalanianaole Federal Building. Watcstanders briefed the survivors and family on the Coast Guard process of conducting a search and rescue. Watchstanders explained how they were able to coordinate the rescue by diverting the Horizon Reliance, an 800-foot container ship that is part of the Automated Mutual-Assistance Vessel Rescue System.

The Coast Guard asked the survivors and family to explain any aspects of the Coast Guard rescue they felt could be improved.   

“It is important for us to review the details of each search and rescue case to identify areas of improvement, which could be of benefit for conducting future rescues,” said Lt. Max Seda, a search and rescue coordinator in JRCC Honolulu. “These types of interactions give us a unique opportunity to examine our process from the survivor’s perspective, which can improve our ability to save lives at sea.”

Each of the family members was wearing a lifejacket. The Coast Guard contributes their wearing of lifejackets as a major factor to their survival. The Coast Guard recommends all mariners wear a properly fitted, Coast Guard approved lifejacket.   

The Coast Guard also recommends mariners register, maintain and carry an Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon aboard their vessels.

A map of the transit can be found at the following link:

http://cgvi.uscg.mil/media/main.php?g2_itemId=1533789

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

WHAT:  The three mariners have made it safely to Oahu aboard a container ship after their sailboat sank 280 miles northeast of Hilo, Hawaii, Thursday visit the Coast Guard members who coordinated their rescue with the AMVER ship Horizon Reliance.

WHERE: Prince Jonah Kuhio Kalanianaole Federal Building

WHEN: Wednesday, February 15, 2012 at 9:45 a.m.

WHO: Brad, Mitchell and West James and Joint Rescue Coordinator Center watchstanders.

The James family will be meeting with JRCC personnel who helped in the coordination of their rescue with the Horizon Reliance.

For information regarding the case visit http://www.d14.uscgnews.com/go/doc/800/1306363/UPDATE-3-survive-after-sail-boat-sinks-in-the-Pacific

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

HONOLULU -- Coast Guard personnel from District 14, Base Support Unit Honolulu, Sector Honolulu, Maritime Safety and Security Team (91107), and Air Station Barbers Point participated in the Partnership in Education Program at the Prince Jonah Kuhio Elementary School’s holiday party, Dec. 14, 2011. Coast Guard members delivered approximately 350 gifts to the elementary school students in kindergarten through fifth grade.

Coast Guard members in Honolulu have supported the Prince Jonah Kuhio Elementary School by reading to the children, passing out school supplies and holiday gifts for the past three years. U.S. Coast Guard video by Petty Officer 3rd Class Angela Henderson.

For photos from this event, click thumbnails below:

For video from this event, click thumbnail below:

For hi-resolution video click the thumbnail above.

HONOLULU -- An HC-130 Hercules airplane aircrew from Air Station Barbers Point drops supplies to seven mariners who are stranded on a deserted Pacific island in the Republic of the Marshall Islands Nov. 6, 2011. Seven males between the ages of 19 and 30 left the southwestern part of Maloelap Atoll en route north to Kaven Island, Nov. 3, 2011. The Royal Australian Navy liaison to the Republic of the Marshall Islands contacted Coast Guard Joint Rescue Coordination Center Honolulu watchstanders and reported the vessel as 24 hours overdue.

JRCC personnel worked closely with Royal Australian Navy liaison in developing joint search patterns that would be used by assets of both governments. On the second day the Hercules aircrew spotted the missing men on the beach of a small island waving palm fronds near a blue vessel matching the description of the overdue 20-foot skiff.

The Republic of the Marshall Islands 107-foot patrol boat Lomor was diverted and picked up the survivors. The survivors were taken back to their home atolls via the Royal Australian Navy motor vessel Miss Telitha.