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.