Fall 2014 Cutterman Association Journal_Final

The Cuttermen
Association Journal
Autumn 2014
www.cuttermen.org
Always Ready: Shaken but not Stirred
Thoughts on Logical Adaptability
Ensign Cyrus Unvala and Ensign John Hall, CGC POLAR STAR
The ship was shaking vigorously when I awoke at
0320. While a bit of sway may be normal at sea, it
is less so when your cutter, the indomitable CGC
POLAR STAR, is resting on the blocks in a
graving dry-dock in northern California.
I climbed out of my rack, began scrambling into
ODU’s and processed that the most likely culprit
for my awakening was some of the Bay Area’s
infamous seismic activity. My suspicions were
confirmed by the general emergency alarm when
“POLAR STAR has experienced an earthquake”
was piped over the 1MC.
Within a minute, I was out the door, bound for
the repair locker. As a newly-commissioned
officer standing break-in OOD I was impressed at
how the qualified OOD and EOW took this
unprecedented situation in stride.
The majority of the crew was instructed to muster
on the pier, while the duty section split into pairs
to conduct a thorough investigation of the ship for
signs of damage. Meanwhile, off the ship, Polar
Star’s EO led an elite team of engineers and
contractors beneath the keel to analyze our
resulting stability on the blocks. In the end,
we were fortunate.
Despite the intense shaking caused by the 6.0
earthquake centered 6 miles away, there was
no significant damage or movement on the
blocks. Because of our timely action, we were
able to declare the ship safe within an hour.
Map courtesy of USGS
I was in a unique position: I had no
designated repair party billet so I spent my
time watching and processing the decisions
made during our response efforts.
The
contingency plan for an early morning
earthquake while in dry dock is not one that
had made it into our emergency binder. This
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response effort didn’t require a checklist duly
committed to memory, but rather a state of
mind most akin to logical adaptability.
Such fluid action requires a sense of mindful
presence that can really only be appreciated
fully when observed firsthand. While not all
of the dozens of micro-decisions that we
made throughout the ordeal were perfect,
they were made promptly, driven by careful
thought and all sprang from the intention of
maintaining safety. There was no panic, no
speculation or doubt, only a constant flux of
calm, deliberate action.
In his account of the famous Endurance
Antarctic expedition with Sir Ernest
Shackleton, F.A. Worsley precisely sums up
the mindset that you must have when
dealing with the unexpected, writing “We did
not worry. What was the good? We were
destined to go through unexpected ordeals
before we were finished, and it was as well
for our peace of mind that we did not have
much time to speculate upon the future.”
There will always be situations that we
cannot expect or train for. We are not
machines, capable only of mindlessly
running through standing orders. We must
develop the proficiency to determine the
proper course of action in any situation, and
then have the confidence in our abilities to
see our decisions through.
This mindset may be difficult to teach, but it
is certainly demonstrated regularly through
the actions of our mentors, peers and
shipmates. Polar Star’s small scare in dry
dock is dwarfed by hundreds of examples
throughout our service’s history, but our
immediate response typified the Coast
Guard’s continual pursuit of situational
competence.
Who we are:
“Cuttermen serving Cuttermen since 2010”
What we’ve done:
We’ve established 5 active chapters: New
London, San Francisco Bay Area, Columbia
River, Hampton Roads and the National
Capital Region.
We’ve grown to a national membership of
over 900.
We’ve provided over $10,000 in financial
support for various Cuttermen’s Calls,
cutter round-ups, professional gatherings,
and in support of Lost Cuttermen.
We’ve released our first official publication:
A Coastie’s Companion Guide to the
Mariner Licensing Process, available for
free at www.cuttermen.org
What you can do:
We are an all-volunteer effort. If you’d like
to help your shipmates, we are actively
looking for web managers, content
contributors, and chapter officers. Contact
your local chapter (info provided later in
this issue) to get started.
Check out our updated website!
www.cuttermen.org
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Profile of a
Cutterman
DCC Nicholas Rago
Chief Damage Controlman
Nick Rago was first assigned
afloat in 1996, but the
vastness of the ocean still
impresses him: “I love the
water, the fresh air, standing
on the flight deck or the
buoy deck and having
nothing around but miles of
ocean. It still gets to me.”
The Cuttermen Association
Journal recently interviewed Chief Rago as
part of our Profile of a Cutterman series.
Chief Rago has served aboard the cutters
CAMPBELL, WILLOW, CAMPBELL (again),
as well as temporary duty stints aboard
KATHERINE WALKER and BERTHOLF.
very well – as a leading member of the
Revenue Cutter Service ice hockey team, he
has won the annual Commandant’s Cup
several times. He refused to comment on why
his team was defeated in the most recent
competition.
In his present assignment, at the WMSL
support team in Alameda, CA, Chief Rago gets
to interact with cutters in a new way. “My
favorite job is the one I have now. Dedicated
support staff for the cutters is a step in the
right direction for the Coast Guard. As a
cutterman, you are used to working all day on
the ship underway, and then when you pull
into port, the last thing you want to do is keep
working at the same pace.”
One of Chief Rago’s favorite tours was aboard
the cutter WILLOW, in the First Coast Guard
District. As a damage controlman, he felt
particularly close to the cutter’s mission. “Day
to day, I felt really useful on WILLOW.
Welding sunken buoys, working huge NOAA
buoys, recovering an overturned boat; life on
the black hull was pretty rewarding.”
Chief Rago thinks that by providing better
support to cutter crews when inport, better
support to families left behind, and increasing
assignment priority and sea-pay for arduous
duty, the Coast Guard can encourage more
members to pursue a sea-going career. “It’s a
tough thing. It’s really a small percentage of
people on cutters in the Coast Guard when
you think about it. A lot of the time its the
same people that keep going back to sea.
Unfortunately a lot of people don’t want to go
But the daily grind aboard WILLOW wasn’t
the only thing that struck home for Chief
Rago during his tour: “I think the sense of
camaraderie formed in the Coast Guard, and
particularly aboard a cutter is a unique thing.
You make contacts that you keep forever,
even after people retire. Other jobs don’t have
that same sense of teamwork.”
Teamwork is something Chief Rago knows
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on long patrols. So we have to do what we
can.”
Recently selected as a Coast Guard Academy
Company Chief, DCC Rago is looking forward
to interacting with future engineer-officersin-training and deck watch officers.
“I think I can give the new JOs a realistic
deck-plate feel of what life is like underway.
I’m most looking forward to the back-andforth learning that will go on; they can learn
from me about the DCPQS process or get the
lowdown on being a DCA or EOIT, and I can
learn from them about their interests and how
to help them out.”
When asked what his biggest piece of advice
for the fleet would be, he said “Enjoy it. It’s
the greatest job out there.”
Rating Force Notes Highlights
Mentoring: Motivating the Future of the FS Rate
Master Chief Petty Officer Justin Reed
At FS “A” School we continue to graduate very
motivated FS3s. With the new curriculum in
place students receive 700 hours of
exceptional culinary training. Along with the
training, students also receive mentoring
from the FS instructors in the basics of knife
skills, cooking, baking, nutrition, leadership,
teamwork, and on-the-job production
training.
FS graduates leave Petaluma as “apprentices”
and have high hopes they will continue to be
mentored at their next unit. An apprentice is
defined as a trainee, inexperienced person,
novice, or amateur. This means when an
apprentice FS reports to your galley, they only
have basic food service skills and MUST
receive continued mentoring to grow both
personally and professionally.
Unfortunately, mentoring isn’t happening
throughout the Coast Guard. We have a large
number of FS3s separating because they are
no longer motivated to perform their duties.
FS2 Amanda Harris was recently named a Rednour
Memorial Award Recipient for her outstanding work
aboard CGC HAMMERHEAD.
Force Notes Highlights
Each Issue, we highlight a particularly relevant
article from rating force notes which are
applicable to all cuttermen.
Why are they leaving and why aren’t they
motivated? The primary reason cited for
leaving is the lack of professional
development since graduating from FS “A”
school.
Junior FSs need to be mentored. They need
someone to continue to show them how to
develop their skills and provide feedback in
order to improve their proficiency and build
self-confidence. They need to know that a
fellow FS cares about them and wants them to
succeed in the Coast Guard. Each junior FS
needs a trusted professional relationship and
a meaningful commitment from a more
senior FS. With the current departure of
junior personnel from the CG, it suggests a
severe lack of leadership and mentoring
within the galley which is unacceptable,
especially when a junior FS is surrounded by
senior FSs.
Being a Food Service Specialist MENTOR
means being someone who imparts wisdom
and shares knowledge. If you are not
challenging or training FS3s that you work
with or supervise, then you are doing a
disservice to our great rating and to each
junior member. The FS3s are looking for
leadership and experience from you and
yearn for your knowledge. Just assigning
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them as duty cook or Jack of the Dust without
providing mentoring is how we fail our
members and that’s why many are leaving as
soon as they can. The FS rating cannot survive
this type of exodus of once motivated and
inspired apprentices.
I encourage everyone to take the time and use
the knowledge they currently have to teach
our junior FSs how to become culinarians and
leaders. Let them experiment and be part of
the team that runs a galley. If they make
mistakes while cooking, tell them the correct
way and don’t chastise; ensure they learn
from those mistakes and continue to
encourage development of their skills and
love for being an FS. It is important to
remember they are apprentices. Do not make
them regret the decision of becoming a Food
Service Specialist. Give them words of
encouragement each day. Spend a couple
hours daily in the galley with them. Don’t just
sign off their RPQs; ensure they are truly
proficient in each one. YOU are responsible
for the future of the Food Service Specialist
rating which hopefully they will be running
one day if they don’t leave. The future of our
great rating depends upon you---give each FS
what they need to be successful!
This article is reprinted with the author’s permission
from the FS Rating Force Notes, Spring 2014.
Taking the Show on the Road
ALEX HALEY Band Plays in Adak, AK
Ensign Kristen Euchler
Considering how much of a success a recent
talent show onboard was, we thought it would
be a great idea to share our talented
musicians with the people of Adak as well.
Days prior to pulling in for a portcall, flyers
were sent to the community advertising “The
Adak Bulldog Bash” and by the time we
arrived, they were all over the town.
The event was held in Adak’s community
center and ended up having a packed
audience. Attendees included the mayor, city
manager, harbormaster, United States Fish &
Wildlife Service of Adak Branch Manager, and
several more.
All were entertained by the musical
performances of ENS Cameron King and ENS
Chris Varrichio on electric keyboard, ET2
Andrew Montgomery and SN Joseph
Gallagher on acoustic guitar, GM1 Brandon
Hayward and IT2 Patrick Godfrey on electric
bass, and SN Sam Brown on violin.
Everyone had a great time and it was the
perfect opportunity for ALEX HALEY crew to
immerse themselves within the Adak
Community.
This article is reprinted from ALEX HALEY’s excellent
newsletter “The Bulldog.”
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360 Degree Leadership Challenge
Asking the Right Questions Can Yield “Truth”
Senior Chief Petty Officer Marcus Evans, CGC HAMMER
360° leadership is not a new concept, but the
question is: are you comfortable enough in
your position and do you have a deep enough
understanding of yourself as a leader and
person to try it? Being leaders in a military
organization, we have the ability, and
privilege, to pick and choose the leadership
techniques that we want to employ.
Further, we have the inherent autonomy to
include our subordinates desires and opinions
into our decision making process as much, or
as little, as we wish. Often, it is not a leader’s
lack of desire to hear what their crew has to
say that leads to breaks in communication
or frustration; it is merely that the leaders
are not actively or effectively pursuing
enlightenment.
truths up and down the chain do not align,
but at least now you can use what you know
about their perspective to relay your
decisions, incessantly achieving greater buyin and camaraderie.
Below is the model of a 360° tool that I have
used in the past. You can adjust it to suit your
situation or particular concerns. If you decide
to try this (or something like it), I promise
that you will be surprised with what you learn
about yourself, your crew, and your command
as a whole.
“Truth” is relative to position, experience,
and insight. I for one have found it very
helpful to learn what my subordinates see
as truth before making a decision. Often,
Unit Development Questionnaire
How do you describe the direction of this unit?
Is the cutter’s leadership responding effectively to important internal and external issues?
What can the leadership do to respond more effectively?
What are you doing to that is contributing to the success of the unit?
What is the best part of your day?
What is the most challenging, frustrating part of your day?
What are your shipmate’s concerns that you sometimes have to deal with as well?
What are some areas that we could be working on as a unit to help eliminate hurdles when
taking care of each other?
What can we do as a unit to help you with your work/life balance?
What is the one thing that you would do that would improve our unit’s performance if you
found yourself as the Commanding Officer / Officer in Charge?
What is your greatest challenge at work?
What can we do as a unit to continue to move forward?
More Leadership Development resources:
http://msaf.army.mil/LeadOn.aspx - a DOD sponsored 360° feedback tool.
http://www.reactive360.com/quick360.html - an online assessment tool for 360° feedback.
The LDC has a Leadership Development Resources (LDR) site to assist units in leadership growth.
LDR materials include facilitation guides with suggestions to engage in meaningful, "round table"
group discussions. Guides provide examples of discussion questions that unit-led facilitators should
customize to foster growth.
https://cgportal2.uscg.mil/communities/leadership-development/ldr/SitePages/Home.aspx
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Junior Officer Afloat Mentality
A Liking for the Sea…
Lt. Tyler Kelley, USCG Academy
As I think back to spring of 2008, sitting in
the Coast Guard Academy Officer’s Club on
Billet Night, the night we finally got our
orders, there are only a couple things that I
really remember well. The first is that most of
the new ensigns heading to flight school and
sectors cried tears of joy while the deck watch
officers and engineer officers in training just
simply cried.
The second thing I remember was that those
who had already succumbed to the reality that
their GPA was too low to merit a land job
were only excited about the people they were
going to be with and the location, not the
cutter itself. Why is it that so many new junior
officers tend to have this negative mentality
towards going afloat?
I have a few theories, but ultimately I think it
boils down to a few pretty simple reasons.
How many pilots have you seen getting
chewed out on the bridge wing of their
helicopter? Have you ever witnessed anyone
at sector drive his or her desk into a pier,
buoy, or another 270? And finally, if you
already spent time apart from your friends
and family becoming an officer…why would
you want to continue doing that for months at
a time?
In the afloat world, the glory is far from
instant. The days can be extremely long and
the missions exceptionally challenging. You
are routinely forced to push yourself to the
limit. To top it all off, failure in front of a large
audience is almost guaranteed. So maybe the
real question isn’t why the mentality exists,
but how did we get past it?
The Coast Guard Academy, OCS and other
accession sources provide future JO’s with
pieces of the puzzle during officer
development, but it is pretty clear that there is
gap between the actions of new officers and
the expectations of their first commands. The
new junior officer reports to their first unit
wondering why no one is telling them what to
do anymore. Meanwhile, the command is
waiting for them to figure it out. The days of
babysitting are over; the only problem is that
no one informed the new guy.
Eventually the equilibrium is met and general
progression ensues. The new JO begins to
learn their role as a division officer, inport
watchstander, and finally OOD or EOW when the JO truly becomes relied upon by the
command. The crew begins to take the new
JO seriously, making sure they don’t fail and
knowing the same is offered in return.
It is that relationship, a bond cultivated at sea
under close quarters and challenging
situations
where
everything
changes.
Standing your own watch with your bridge
team…steaming through the middle of the
night with the lives of the crew in your
hands…waking up at 0230 to dress out as the
boarding officer for a late night go-fast
chase…sweating through a generator overhaul
with your division…conning the ship to a
perfect mooring with your family watching on
the pier: these are the things that make the
job special, things that once you earn, are
tough to give up.
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By remaining in the afloat community we
have all experienced a feeling like that in one
way or another: finding something in the job
that makes us want to stay at sea despite the
known sacrifices. It is now our job to instill
that sense of pride and excitement in our own
crew. Teaching them to push on through the
tough times and getting our junior people in
those leadership positions so they can
continue the trend we followed. With ensigns
going to patrol boats now, there is a huge
opportunity to spread that excitement back to
the Academy and OCS. The qualifications
come faster and with that, the sense of
accomplishment that comes from serving at
sea.
Who knows if the mentality will ever change
or if it should? We all joined the Coast Guard
for our own reasons, but what I do know to be
true is that while the glory isn’t instant, it is
definitely there and pretty hard to beat.
Professional Knowledge – Fuel Consumption
Using a little math, you can easily use fuel consumption and vessel speed to help you make better decisions
about the efficiency of your patrols. The units don’t matter: it could be barrels, gallons, liters – anything.
Question: While steaming 17.5 knots, your vessel consumed 378 barrels of fuel oil per day. In order to
reduce consumption to 194 barrels per day, what is the maximum speed the vessel should turn for?
Answer: Use the basic fuel consumption formula to determine the vessel’s new maximum speed.
Step 1:
Step 2:
𝑁𝑒𝑤 𝐹𝑢𝑒𝑙 𝐶𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑢𝑚𝑝𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛
𝑂𝑙𝑑 𝐹𝑢𝑒𝑙 𝐶𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑢𝑚𝑝𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛
194 𝐵𝑎𝑟𝑟𝑒𝑙𝑠 𝑝𝑒𝑟 𝐷𝑎𝑦
378 𝐵𝑎𝑟𝑟𝑒𝑙𝑠 𝑝𝑒𝑟 𝐷𝑎𝑦
=
=
𝑁𝑒𝑤 𝑆𝑝𝑒𝑒𝑑 3
𝑂𝑙𝑑 𝑆𝑝𝑒𝑒𝑑 3
𝑁𝑒𝑤 𝑆𝑝𝑒𝑒𝑑 3
(17.5 𝑘𝑛𝑜𝑡𝑠 )3
Step 3: 2750.4 = 𝑁𝑒𝑤 𝑆𝑝𝑒𝑒𝑑3
𝑁𝑒𝑤 𝑆𝑝𝑒𝑒𝑑 = 𝟏𝟒 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒕𝒔
To learn more about fuel consumption calculations, and other navigational mathematics useful to
cuttermen, refer to The Cutterman’s Guide to Navigation Problems, available for free at
www.practicalnavigator.org/written-publications
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Chapter Updates
Submittals to [email protected]
Columbia River Chapter ([email protected])
Hampton Roads Chapter ([email protected])
National Capitol Region Chapter ([email protected])
A “no host” Cuttermen’s Call is being held Wednesday September 10th at the Nationals Stadium, just steps from the
Navy Yard Metro. All permanent and temporary Cuttermen, family members and friends of Cuttermen are welcome. We
will try to sit in Section 106 or gather at the Red Porch Table (Standing only Bar in Center Field).
Tickets on www.stubhub.com start at $15 for section 106 and the MLB site has tickets for $26 in that section. (Or you
can buy the $10 nose bleed tickets and stand at the Red Porch Table looking over center field).
Other Upcoming Events:
23SEP-Chicken Sandwich Fundraiser at CGHQ
08OCT- Cuttermen’s Call Rock Bottom at Ballston Mall
NOV/DEC-TBD- Women at Sea Event
**Cutterman’s Calls in DC are held the second Wednesday of the month.
**NCR Cuttermen Association Meetings are the first
Thursday of the month.
New London Chapter ([email protected])
San Francisco Bay Area Chapter ([email protected])
The SF Bay Area Chapter held a cuttermen’s call on Wednesday, 3 September at the Brotzeit Biergarten in Alameda to
welcome new arrivals after summer transfer season and to salute CGC BERTHOLF, which recently returned from a
highly successful deployment. Coast Guard Island also recently hosted visits from CGCs ALERT and STEADFAST.
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Do you want to put something like
this in your EER or OER?
“Adept at communicating to a wideranging audience: published
informative article in fleet-wide
professional journal; greatly
enhanced the discourse in the cutter
fleet.”
If so, consider contributing to this
journal, or suggesting that your
subordinates or peers contribute. You
don’t even need to be on a cutter!
We are actively looking for all types
of articles, tidbits, suggestions, and
criticism related to the cutter fleet.
Send submissions to
[email protected]
Odds and Ends
Merchant Mariner Licensing for BM and MK:
In a letter signed 28 May, the CG National Maritime
Center authorized new BM “A” School graduates
equivalency in most requirements for certification as Able
Seaman and Lifeboatman.
MK “A” School approval for Rating Forming part of an
Engineering Watch (RFPEW) was granted in March 2014.
This makes it much easier for BMs and MKs to achieve
professional certification. Check out your respective Force
Notes for more!
The “Good” News: The Master Chief Petty Officer of
the Coast Guard shares a "good news" story about an
individual Coast Guard member each week during the all
flags briefing.
This is an excellent opportunity to
highlight the great things our people do every day. You
are encouraged to send submissions to your Command
Master Chief (CMC). Let’s promote the cutter fleet! Text
should include member's name, rank, unit, and brief
summary of individual's actions warranting submission.
Become a member! Join our crew at:
www.cuttermen.org
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