Posted on May 11, 2021May 11, 2021Haze Gray and Underway: A view from the bridge of US Army LCU 2020 (USAV Matamoros) underway in the Old Bahama Channel en route to Ponce PR from Port Canaveral FL. Morning 0400-0800 watch. I was enjoying a cup of coffee as we steamed along.
Posted on May 11, 2021Pacing & Running Alongside: Coast Guard Response Boat 33101 comes alongside a dive boat entering Lake Worth Inlet in FL. Note how the CG boat approaches the dive boat from astern, taking station off the dive boat’s port quarter, adjusts speed to match dive boat speed, and then expeditiously makes contact, pushing the CG boat’s starboard bow into the dive boat to make hard physical contact. Well executed maneuver.
Posted on May 11, 2021Combat Rubber Raiding Craft (CRRC) transfers: keep the boat’s bow UP when transferring personnel. In this video, the CRRC was too far aft on the transfer point, and the added weight forward caused the CRRC bow to submerge. Keep the bow up and ensure your transfer point is aft on the CRRC.
Posted on May 11, 2021May 11, 2021Donning an Immersion Suit: There is more to donning an immersion suit than just getting the suit out of the bag. Here we show how ziplock bags help to insert your legs, and how you can use the suit’s storage bag to bring along extra lifesaving gear. Don’t miss the scene running down the beach! Mario Vittone (Lifesaving Systems Corporation) arranged to shoot this video at Little Creek VA, a few miles from where the SS Marine Electric sank in February 1983…the tragic event which led to Coast Guard requiring immersion suits on all commercial vessels. I was a Coast Guard diver at the time assigned to the Atlantic Strike Force Dive Team and dove on the Marine Electric a day after she sank. Make sure to view to the end to see Rescue Swimmer Mario Vittone swim out and tow me to safety.
Posted on May 10, 2021Wreck Penetration Dive: M/V Ana Celcia in 95 FSW off West Palm Beach FL. Used this wreck to teach Air Force Pararescue Divers how to locate and recover people and objects.
Posted on May 10, 2021May 10, 2021DIVE: Nitrox (28%) SCUBA dive on US Coast Guard Cutter DUANE (WHEC 33) off Key Largo FL on 05 May 2018. Max depth 130 FSW. I sailed on the Duane in 1975 as a cadet on a summer cruise across the Atlantic and into the Mediterrean Sea.
Posted on May 4, 2021Conducting a gear check prior to diving operations. You can use this process and checks for any maritime operation: launching Fast Rescue Boats, Helicopter Operations, Amphibious Operations, and all shipboard evolutions. Task-Purpose-End State.
Posted on May 3, 2021Here is the proper method to come alongside a vessel underway and use a sea painter and fid to first hook up and then to depart. Note how the fid is inserted into the rope loop enabling the fid to pulled “away” from the larger vessel when departing.
Posted on May 3, 2021Proper use of a water knot or hitch to retrieve a person from the water and into a Fast Rescue Boat.