Bahamas Chatter: “Bahamas Update after Irma” plus 1 more

P 110737 SEP 17
FM COMDT COGARD WASHINGTON DC//NCC//
TO ALCOAST
UNCLAS //N05060//
ALCOAST 268/17
COMDTNOTE 5060
SUBJ:  HALF MASTING OF NATIONAL ENSIGN
A. U.S. COAST GUARD REGULATIONS 1992, COMDTINST M5000.3 (SERIES)
1. As directed by the President of the United States, the national ensign 
shall be flown at half mast from sunrise to sunset on Monday, 11 September 2017, 
in remembrance of the victims of the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks. 
2. To commemorate Patriot Day, the national ensign shall be flown at half
mast on all Coast Guard buildings, grounds, and vessels not underway.
3. Internet release authorized.

Cruisers’ Net salutes the brave young men and women of the United States Coast Guard!

R 110500Z SEPT17
FM COMDT COGARD WASHINGTON DC//CG-092//
TO ALCOAST
UNCLAS//N05700
ALCOAST 267/17
COMDTNOTE 5700
SUBJ: 9/11 — A SECOND “DATE WHICH WILL LIVE IN INFAMY”
1. President Franklin Roosevelt referred to December 7th, 1941, the day of the attack on Pearl Harbor, as “a date which will live in infamy.” Tragically, the nation would face a similar date nearly 60 years later on September 11, 2001. On this date, sixteen years ago, terrorists hijacked four airliners, crashing two into the World Trade Center, one into the Pentagon, and one intended for the Capitol into a field in Pennsylvania, killing nearly 3,000 individuals, over 500 more than Pearl Harbor.
2. Our Coast Guard units and personnel were some of the first military responders, providing communications and security, evacuating civilians by water and assisting those in need, and addressing environmental hazards. Days later, Operation Noble Eagle deployed more Coast Guard men and women for port security, search and rescue and
clean-up operations. Thousands of Coast Guard Auxiliarists and Reservists were mobilized in the largest homeland defense and port security operation since World War II.
3. Eleven days after 9/11, President George W. Bush set up the Office of Homeland Security and, in November 2002, he created the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). By March 2003, the Coast Guard had left the Department of Transportation, becoming the largest agency within DHS.
4. Under President Bush, Coast Guard Intelligence became part of the nation’s intelligence community and the Service commissioned Maritime Information Fusion Centers (MIFC) to provide intelligence to Coast Guard Area units.
5. President Bush also signed the Maritime Transportation Security Act (MTSA) to protect the nation’s ports and waterways from terrorist attacks. The MTSA led to the formation of our International Port Security Program to monitor security standards in foreign ports. Under the MTSA, the Coast Guard also formed 13 Maritime Safety and
Security Teams (MSST), supporting the Ports, Waterways, and Coastal Security (PWCS) mission and providing non-compliant vessel boarding capability. The Service began to form the Maritime Security Response Team (MSRT) on the East Coast in 2004 and, in 2013, began forming a second MSRT on the West Coast. In 2007, the Service stood-up
the Deployable Operations Group (DOG) to oversee Deployable Specialized Forces (DSF), such as MSSTs, MSRTs, Port Security Units, National Strike Force teams, Regional Dive Locker personnel and Tactical Law Enforcement Teams (TACLETs). Later, the Area commands re-assumed tactical control of DSFs.
6. After 9/11, the Coast Guard focused on unity of effort and responsiveness by setting up Joint Harbor Operations Centers in its port commands in early 2002. In 2005, it established “Sector” commands that combined Marine Safety Offices, Vessel Traffic Services, and Group activities under one command.
7. Beginning in October 2001, the Coast Guard supported Operation Enduring Freedom with port security, force protection and military outload security. Early 2003 saw deployment of cutters and DSFs in Operation Iraqi Freedom. The Coast Guard stood-up new units like the Redeployment Assistance and Inspection Detachment (RAID) and
Patrol Forces Southwest Asia (PATFORSWA), which continues to support cutters and DSFs in the Northern Arabian Gulf.
8. 9/11 changed the Coast Guard. We changed focus, formed new units, altered existing units and transitioned to a new federal agency demonstrating its flexibility and relevance in the Service’s greatest transformation since World War II. For more on the Coast Guard response to 9/11, visit the Historian’s Office website at:
http://www.uscg.mil/history/Noble_Eagle_Index.asp
9. RDML P. Gautier, Director of Governmental and Public Affairs, sends.
10. Internet release authorized.

Our thanks to friend Becky at dockwa.com for this excellent damage report and photos. Marinas’ damage status are listed by area under View Hurricane Damage Report.

EXPLORE SEARCH READ GET THE APP Last year many of you contributed to crowd-sourcing’s finest hour within the boating community by sharing your reports on marinas and waterways, which we compiled for the boaters navigating impacted areas. We’ve updated our Hurricane Marina & Waterway Status Report for the current season, in hopes we’ll be using it as little as possible going forward. For now, we appreciate any chance you have to add or share out the report.  Get more context around the Marina Status Report here. ICYMI in our last newsletter, click here for ways you can contribute to those impacted by Hurricane Harvey.  We’re always working on improvements to the Dockwa app and site, as well as to our sister site Marinas.com. Two quick updates: chart-view on Marinas.com now allows for a NOAA weather overlay, so you can more easily find safe harbors outside of the storm’s path. And new on Facebook: the Dockwa Boaters group. Share which Dockwa marinas you’re visiting, boating news, events, Dockwa app/website questions and comments, and of course updates on marinas and harbors affected by Harvey, Irma, and storms to follow. Our thoughts are with everyone impacted by Harvey and Irma, and we’ll continue to help however we can. Stay safe out there.  – Becky & the team at Dockwa DOCKWA, INC.   1 COMMERCIAL WHARF   NEWPORT, RI