Advancements!

Congratulations YNCS Jones ET2 Sangaleer!

Wasting Away in Panamaville

For some of us it was like that one Jimmy Buffet song, I forget the name… Any way it is my understanding we had a great time in Panama, I hadn’t heard much of anyone having too good of a time. I have heard that people went on some amazing adventures and scenic tours. And most likely everyone has heard all kinds of local history from their cab drivers. Some like me have spent a lot of time in the biggest darn mall some of us have ever seen (I’m sure there are bigger ones, yeah I’m talking to you Minnesotians). Whatever you did there I’m sure you had a good time. Some of you may even want to go back. As for me, I wouldn’t mind going back again.

Oh Boy the Sherman is Different

That’s right I said different, everything seems so weird at first. The way they (we) do things here, the pipes, the layout of different spaces, even the names of spaces are different. Is that so bad? No not really, we make do, it really isn’t that difficult. I just caught myself the other day referring a space on the cutter calling it D-CAT. Most people here from the Chase know it as the area in front of the LE locker. Everyone from the Sherman knows it as the LE staging area. No big deal, we learn, we adapt. The pipes are noticeably different, noon bells comes to mind, “test complete, all alarms back in effect, report all discrepancies to the quarterdeck” who says this? Everyone from the Chase knows it’s “now test complete, regard all further alarms report any discrepancies to the quarterdeck” Duh. Can we (should we) really complain? No, we get used to the changes, and soon the Sherman will be under the command and service of a new crew. That is why we are here (Chase personnel). To learn, to adapt, to see how we can improve ourselves, that is all we need to do. Sure when the Chase crew takes over some things that we were used to will start again, but some things are bound to change, we might just keep the departmental and divisional setup, we may keep the names of the berthing areas ( ask someone from the Chase where Weps Grotto is). Ok so I went on and on about how things are different, I should mention how it is the same too. We are all still in the same Coast Guard, and we all have missions to fulfill. When the Sherman crew disembarks they will all go on to their next units and see how things are different or the same there. They will go and do the things the Coast Guard needs them to do. The Chase crew will come here do the same, they will do the things that the Chase herself couldn’t do toward her end of service to the Coast Guard. Will it be the Chase part 2 or the Sherman’s continued glory. Maybe, and most likely the absolute best of both. -ET3 Timothy Allshouse

Big Bust For the SHERMAN!

So there we were, minding our own business on the 8-12 watch, about an hour before we were supposed to be relieved. We were making our way towards a potential Go-Fast some 60 miles away, making 21 knots through the water. Our helmsman, SN Rebecca Sanchez exclaims, "what the heck is that!?" pointing off the port side of the ship. The object in the water was hardly decipherable without binoculars with it being about 300 yards away from the ship. Excitedly, everyone ran on the watch section ran out on the bridge wing to take a look at the unidentified object in the water. The lookout, SN Kyle Davis, called down to let us know there was a person on top of the object. After maybe 30 seconds, SN Meinte Bruce yells out, "It's an SPSS, it's an SPSS!!!" For those that aren't privy to that term, SPSS is a self propelled semi-submersible. It is what the drug runners are using to smuggle drugs. They are incredibly hard to detect and only a handful have been caught by the Coast Guard. It just so happened that the SHERMAN was at the right place at the right time. We immediately slowed our ship to 5 kts and turned right towards the SPSS. The Operations officer was called to the bridge, alerting him of what we just came upon, and before you knew it, we were launching both small boats to interdict the SPSS. Unfortunately, the smugglers who man the SPSS are told if they are ever caught, they are to scuttle (or sink) the vessel. In a matter of minutes, three more men piled out of the SPSS wearing life jackets, and down sank the SPSS. Our boarding teams collected the four smugglers out of the water, and brought them aboard SHERMAN once we were given permission from District Eleven (they are the ones who grant us authority to carry out all the aspects of boardings down south). Bails of cocaine were popping up to the surface and for the next 40 minutes, our small boats were going around picking up all the objects that came floating to the surface. We did NIC tests that were able to confirm with positive test results that the bails were bails of cocaine. We are able to ascertain that the amount of drugs in the SPSS came to a total of $420-430 million dollars! I believe our Exectutive Officer said it best, "It is better to be lucky than smart!"

The CIWS does work!

Fire Control Rocks! That was the statement made by the Fire Control Division Chief after the first successful Close-In Weapons System (CIWS) exercise in many months. The day’s Gunnery exercise success was a consorted effort between both the Gunnery and Fire Control Division members. After many hours of preparation and training, and in some cases many months of maintenance, the fruits of labor paid out with an outstanding display of firepower from the MK75 Gun Mount System and the CIWS system.

LTJG Deneen Goes back to School

OJAI, Ca- On February 14th, USCGC SHERMAN Deck Watch Officer LTJG Peter Deneen returned to his hometown to speak to Nordhoff High School students. The 2005 student-athlete graduate spoke to four Government and US History classes about maritime law, the Coast Guard's role in the executive branch, the Coast Guard Academy, and shared adventures from deployments in the Eastern Pacific and Bering Sea. The Valentine's Day visit was part of a robust Partners in Education program drive this winter by SHERMAN's Human Relations Council.

SHERMAN Hosts Troop's Rain Gutter Regatta

Ensign Cale Cooper (left) and Lt. j.g. Zach Brown, both from the Coast Guard Cutter Sherman, race cub scout created sail boats during the annual cub scout rain gutter regatta held aboard the Sherman Saturday, Feb. 12,2011. The Coast Guard is a proud supporter of youth groups such as Boy Scouts of America, Sea Scouts, Sea Cadets and ROTC programs. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Levi Read.

Advancements for January!

Congratulations to GM1 Robert Taylor, GM3 Luke Milyard, FA Emily Mooney, and SN Garrett Davis who advanced to GMC, GM2, FN, and SN respectively. GM2 Milyard was able to advance the same day as his fiance which was done on the SHERMAN flight deck.

Promotions!

Congratulations on Zach Brown for getting promoted from Ensign to Lieutenant Junior Grade!

Promotions!

Congratulations to all Ensigns who were promoted to LTJG on November 20th!

LTJG Pete Deneen
LTJG KC Gaudette
LTJG Travis Murray
LTJG Patrick Sullivan
LTJG Maggie Ward
LTJG Steph Wood

Goodbye Bering Sea

The time has come and CGC SHERMAN has officially left the Bering Sea! We are making our way back to homeport and will be there before you know it. While up north for an Alaskan patrol, a SAR-ready cutter is required to be in the Bering Sea at all times and the only available port call is Dutch Harbor, AK. With two back-to-back patrols up north, the SHERMAN crew has explored every nook and cranny of the island. While it may offer some scenic views, wild horses, a Mexican/breakfast/grill restaurant, and dumpster diving eagles, the crew is ready to head home. Legend has it that if you look at Priest Rock (which is at the entrance of the bay into Dutch Harbor) as you are leaving, this won’t be the last time you see Dutch Harbor. Let’s hope everyone kept their eyes forward!

SHERMAN Shoots Their Gun!

After a 20-month dry spell, our 76mm gun was fired! After much planning and preparation, the gunnery and fire-control divisions put together a successful shoot. In order to shoot the gun, you have to alert the area through a Securité broadcast. This message is broadcasted every 15 minutes, alerting sailors and aircraft in the area that in our designated position we are firing our gun including the maximum range and when the shoot was occurring. 29 shots were fired, giving the crew quite a spectacle. In order to facilitate the shooting, a large balloon (dubbed the killer tomato), is thrown off the ship and is the target the ship is aiming for when shooting. Overall, it was a very successful shoot!

Advancements for November!

Congratulations to OS2 Elizabeth Wakefield for making Operations Specialist Second Class!

Spirit of Sherman Award

Sherman has its own personal award that is picked by the Sherman crew for people who help out the ship and their shipmates to make the ship a better place for everyone. It is called the “SPIRIT OF SHRMAN AWARD”. The first award was given to OS3 Misty Snyder for helping with sailor of the quarter plaque. She updated the name plates on her own time so the crew can see their name displayed in gold. Just recently another member of Sherman received the award, SN Luis Orozco-Reza for designing two patrol t-shirts and drawing murals on the doors of the berthing areas. Spirit of Sherman award is a pin engraved with the SHERMAN crest which can be worn while underway. The SPIRIT OF SHRMAN is an awesome morale booster and a great way to promote the good deeds crewmembers and shipmates have done for the ship.

-OS3 Misty Snyder

Rough Seas Beware

CGC SHERMAN has been hit by some VERY rough seas as of late! Multiple low pressure systems have passed through the Bering and unfortunately we have been right in the thick of things every time. Up to 30ft seas and 40 knot winds were measured by quartermaster of the watch during the worst of it! Unluckily, we felt the blunt of it as the seas were coming off our beam (hitting us directly from the side of the ship), causing major rolls up to 25 degrees during the night. Needless to say, we were very happy to have a port call this past weekend to get some much needed rest and good nights sleep. Hopefully we can run and hide when the next predicted storm hits!

Advancements for October!

Congratulations to all who advanced this October!

DCCS Richard Freeland
BM3 Daniel Smith
FN Hayden Webb

Advancements for September!

Congratulations to all who advanced this September!

EM2 Harry Kichta
SK2 Chelsea Carr
SN Charley Burnett
FN Steven Pateman

Semper Paratus for change

We were so close, yet so far when it came to our potential port call in Providenya, Russia. The SHERMAN departed the fishing fleet to make our way across the Bering Sea, cross the International Date Line, and set foot onto Russian territory on the 25th of October. Unfortunately, Russia denied our clearance and we don’t have any rubles (the currency of Russia) onboard to pay for our stop. Luckily, we will still cross the International Date Line, giving the crewmembers who haven’t partaken in the line crossing ceremony a special opportunity! More to come with the line crossing ceremony in upcoming blogs!

The Deadliest Roll

As the small boat disembarked the SHERMAN, the boarding team had high hopes that the Deadliest Catch crew would be on the fishing vessel they were about to board. The Red King Crab season had just begun, and the SHERMAN was well into conducting multiple boardings of the crab boats in the Bering Sea. The small boat came alongside the fishing vessel wishing for a better course to embark the boarding team, but there was no such luck; they were the best conditions you could hope for a day like that. The only way to get onto fishing boats is by way of jacob’s ladder and this boat was no different. As SN Timberlake was making his way up the jacob’s ladder, he was about to crawl over the ledge onto the deck of the fishing vessel when the boat hit a large wave, causing him to launch into the air. Mid-air, SN Timberlake did a tuck and roll, and somehow landed on his feet, only to realize the entire thing was caught on tape! The Deadliest Catch crew was onboard and had the boarding team sign wavers to be featured on the show. The camera crew requested some of the boarding team members fake-arrest some of the camera men for outtakes, but the Coast Guard is not allowed to put handcuffs on a civilian just for play, so that was out of the question. Needless to say, that was a big morale booster for the crew and gave some much needed excitement for the fisheries boardings. So everyone keep your eyes peeled on the upcoming season for the SHERMAN and their boarding team to make their television debut!

The Life of a Boarding Officer

So far this patrol, I have done or have attempted to do eight boarding’s met by bad weather, and on two occasions I decided that the seas and swells combined with a sketchy boarding ladder were too dangerous to overcome. My most memorable boarding this patrol was also my first. Getting to the fishing boat was not very difficult, the seas and swells were welcoming and the cutter had closed to a comfortable distance. Once we were on board, I made my way to the bridge, followed closely by my fellow boarding officer, ME1 Kastrati, and my two boarding team members: ET1 Springsteen and ME3 Delosreyes. After I introduced myself, I had my boarding team members go below the decks and check to be sure the boat was safe for us to be on. After verifying there were no safety issues, we began our standard fishing vessel boarding. The boarding team members went about checking the vessel's safety equipment while ME1 and I began working on the administrative portion of the checklist. Between ME1 and I, we went through almost ten months of logbooks, examined permits and documentation, and questioned the captain. As I looked through the logbooks, I noticed that most of the fishing trips were completed without observers. Observers are contractors that are sanctioned by NOAA who ensure that fishing vessels are targeting the correct species of fish and that the vessels are operating safely. The vessel we were on was required to have 30% of their time monitored by an observer. When I did the math I figured out that this particular vessel had only 20% coverage. About the time that we figured that out, our team members reported that they had found expired distress signals and expired water-activated releases on the emergency beacons. With all of these three violations, I requested to the cutter to terminate the vessel's voyage. When a voyage is terminated, a vessel loses out on all of the money that could be made until the violations are corrected. The cutter radioed me back and informed me that District 17 declined to terminate and that I was to issue a ticket for the three violations. I issued the ticket (possibly a $10,000 fine) and left the boat. Overall, we had been on board for about 2 hours and had just given the most violations in one boarding in as long as I have been on the SHERMAN. Our first boarding brought our team together and proved our commitment to enforcing federal fishing laws on our seas.

-ENS Patrick Sullivan