NEW ORLEANS — The U.S. Coast Guard participated in the Bicentennial Commemoration of the War of 1812, which began Monday at Bienville Wharf in downtown.

The Coast Guard Cutter Eagle, a 295-foot barque homeported in New London, Conn., arrived Tuesday and participated with other domestic and foreign tall ships. Known as America's Tall Ship, the Eagle hosted military receptions and accommodated a tour for 120 students from Audubon Charter School.

Crewmembers from the Eagle and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration took part in a community service project for the Raintree Children and Family Services Center, which is a home for abused or neglected teenage girls, Thursday.

On Thursday evening, the U.S. Coast Guard Band performed a free concert for the public at the Saint Louis Cathedral in downtown. The band played musical pieces by such composers as Aaron Copland, John Williams, H. Owen Reed and Scott McAllister, to name a few.

The concert was part of a spring tour in conjuction with the NOLA Navy Week Bicentennial Commemoration of the War of 1812. Based at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in New London, Conn., the  Coast Guard Band frequently appears in Washington, D.C. at presidential and cabinet-level functions on formal and informal occasions.

"New Orleans is a such a beautiful city and important in the history of our country," said Cmdr. Kenneth Megan, conductor for the Coast Guard Band. "On the podium, I could the feel the appreciation for the Coast Guard in this community when the Katrina and oil spill incidents were mentioned. It's really important for us to be here for NOLA Navy Week Bicentennial Commemoration of the War of 1812."

The Great Louisiana Seafood Cookoff capped the end of NOLA Navy Week with military chefs from each of the U.S. military sea service branches as well as foreign navies in Woldenberg Park. Eleven well-known Louisiana chefs paired with culinary specialists from each of the visiting ships in port for the cook-off competition.

###

Officer candidate class 02-12 is a diverse group, regardless of how you look at them. Of the 63 trainees, 39 of them are prior enlisted coming from various backgrounds from within the Coast Guard, 18 are civilians that have earned their bachelor’s degree and stepping into the military for the first time, one is a prior officer from another military branch and five are international students coming from the Bahamas, Belize and Liberia. With ages ranging from 23-37, they’ve all come together with a common goal: to make a personal sacrifice to join the ranks of men and women that proudly serve their country and step into the officer career field to lead our service through the next generation.

“When I first started out, the officers over me had a positive impact on me,” said Jon Ardan, an officer candidate in class 02-12. “I had a lot of people help me in my professional growth and I’d like to do the same.”

For Ardan, with 11 years of enlisted Coast Guard experience as a helicopter rescue swimmer, he’s ready to take his career to the next level as an officer heading to flight school to be able to lead and effect change, while remaining within the aviation community that he’s grown to love.

“What better way to become a servant leader than to serve my country,” said Sean Stewart, an officer candidate in class 02-12. “In my prior career, I was a sergeant with the Galveston Police Department on the special weapons and tactics team. That was a great career, but I knew there was something out there bigger for me.”

For Stewart, with eight years of law enforcement experience, he’s looking forward to becoming a Coast Guard officer so he can expand the reach of his leadership skills as he heads back to Galveston to serve aboard the Coast Guard Cutter Dauntless, a 210-foot medium endurance cutter.

Though this class varies in their background, experience and education, they all seem to be here with the common goal of doing more with their lives, whether it’s donning the uniform of their country for the first time or stepping up from the enlisted workforce. It is this common goal that the instructors build upon to turn trainees into the officers of tomorrow.

The officer candidate school consists of 17 weeks of rigorous training encompassing approximately 400 hours of classroom instruction where the trainees learn the foundation of what it is to become a leader in this service. For OCS Class 02-12, sailing aboard the Eagle after completing 14 of their 17 weeks of instruction couldn’t have come at a better time.

“We’ve sat down in the classroom, gone over power points and studied for our tests, but sailing aboard the Eagle here is hands on,” said Stewart.

Many officer candidates look forward to sailing aboard the Eagle as it serves as their practical experience that allows them to test the knowledge and skills that they’ve developed earlier in the course. It’s during these two weeks that prospective officers are really put to the test to see if they have what it takes.

“Experiencing the sea is fundamental to developing junior officers,” said Lt. Michael Bell, an officer candidate school instructor. “Weaving this experience, sea-going traditions and seamanship into officer candidate’s training provides an additional base of knowledge of the sea. No matter which career field an officer candidate goes to, upon graduation, they garner valuable knowledge that they can apply to each specific job they go to in the field.”

Though Ardan will be heading to flight school upon graduation and Stewart off to continue accruing sea time, they both have similar takeaways from their sailing experience aboard the Eagle.

“Everything we do here focuses on the team,” said Ardan. “If we need to haul down the sails for example, everybody needs to work together. Here, it’s a great place to learn practical team building skills.”

Teamwork is the foundation that this sailing experience revolves around. The driving force behind the Eagle’s 23 sails and 139 lines is manual labor. Setting the sails can take dozens of people and the duration can extend beyond three hours during training evolutions.

A benefit amidst all the manual labor required to sail the Eagle is the professionalism and enthusiam of the crew, consisting of seven officers and more than 50 enlisted members, for the officer candidates to learn from.

“This experience on the Eagle is perfect for me,” said Stewart. “I’ve learned so much, especially on the bridge, watching the conning officer, the operations officer and the supply officer. Just hanging by their side observing and listening to how they voice the helm commands and how the commands are given.”

Another highlight in the officer candidates’ curriculum is developing leadership, which becomes even more important as these men and women will be leading the service’s enlisted workforce.

“I started observing how the officers carry themselves, their professional appearance, the leadership traits and characteristics that they portray and what it means to become an officer,” said Stewart. “We were taught that leaders are not born, a leader is developed, molded into a professional that carries himself and displays the traits of a leader, which is unselfishness, teamwork, integrity, honor and respect.”

For Ardan, the transition from the enlisted workforce to the officer side has changed his perspective on task accomplishment.

“When I was enlisted, it was, get a job, grab it, make it yours and get it done,” said Ardan. “Now it’s, get a job, make it yours, but use everybody to get it done. That’s the challenge of being an officer or leader is to use teamwork, getting everyone involved, on the same page and in the same direction.”

“What helped me was my shipmates,” said Ardan. “Watching them climb up the cutter's rig and watching them come down was a big deal. I wasn’t the first one to go up, I’ll admit that. Eventually I went up to get the job done. We all got each other through it. Just like we’ve all gotten each other through this program. Everybody pulls a person up when they need it, that’s teamwork.”

“This is going to be my life for the next two years,” said Stewart. “It’s a pleasure and an honor to be able to sail aboard the Eagle.”

Once the ship and crew complete the two-week journey from New London, Conn., to New Orleans, the officer candidates will only be 12 days away from completing what they initially set out to do. On May 2nd the officer candidates will walk across the stage as they graduate from training and earn their commissions an ensigns in the Coast Guard. For this class, their foundations have been laid and it is now up to the soon-to-be junior officers to build a successful career upon using the tools and traits that they’ve learned throughout the past four months.

NEW ORLEANS — Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Bob Papp participated in a dedication ceremony for the Coast Guard’s fast response cutter fleet in Lockport, La., today.

The new 154-foot cutters being built by Bollinger Shipyards are a key aspect of the Coast Guard’s recapitalization program and provide the service with critical mission capabilities to protect America now and well into the future.

“The Sentinel-Class Fast Response Cutter is an exceptional platform for Coast Guard operations,” said Papp. “These cutters are a game changer for our service.”

Important features of FRCs make them more capable of performing Coast Guard missions than the aging 110-foot Island Class patrol boats they will replace. These cutters provide larger and more stable platforms from which to conduct operations, safer small boat launch and recovery in heavy seas via stern ramp, the ability to detect threats at longer range, remotely operated weapons to protect the crew, and the capacity to remain on station at sea for longer periods of time.

The Coast Guard plans to build 58 FRCs, and each will be named for Coast Guard enlisted heroes. Initially, the cutters will be homeported in Miami and Key West, Fla., two busy operational areas for the Coast Guard.

The first FRC, Bernard C. Webber, will be commissioned in Miami on April 14.

The FRCs will be utilized for a variety of Coast Guard missions – primarily search and rescue, counter drug and migrant operations, enforcing fisheries regulations and homeland security – where they provide exceptional value, flexibility, and effective mission execution.

They are needed to perform these duties along the nation’s approximately 95,000 miles of coastline, 50,000 miles of navigable waters and 3.5 million square miles of maritime Exclusive Economic Zones. Their size and design is ideal for operating across these expansive areas.

“FRCs are an essential capability for our service,” said Papp. “I anticipate they will become key workhorses for our service, a role held today by the cutters they will replace.”

There are several significant dates in the birth of a ship, which typically include the keel laying, christening (normally associated with the launch into the water), and commissioning. Today’s dedication ceremony for the fast response cutter fleet replaces individual christening ceremonies as it’s more practical than an individual ceremony for each vessel given the number of cutters in this class.

The names for the 14 cutters have been determined at this time. Many family members of these cutter’s namesakes were on hand to view the event as a commissioning pennant and box was dedicated for each ship. Later, upon commissioning, cutters will receive their individual pennant and box.

“I am honored to be part of this unique ceremony,” said Papp. “In a service of dedicated professionals who perform heroic deeds on a daily basis, it was a privilege for me to officially dedicate cutters for the most exceptional Coast Guard men and women.”

The FRC is the new generation in a long history of Coast Guard patrol boats. It assures the Coast Guard will retain the ability to protect those on the sea, protect America from threats delivered by sea, and protect the sea itself.

Information reposted from Coast Guard Compass

MOBILE, Ala. — A crew of contractors work to clean oil from the hull of a ship in the Mobile Ship Channel, Sept. 6, 2011. The spill occurred at the Gulf Coast Asphalt facility when a tank of #6 fuel oil was overfilled, causing a release of an unknown amount of oil. The Coast Guard is working with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Alabama Department of Environmental Management, the Environmental Protection Agency and contracted Oil Spill Response Organizations to manage the clean-up process. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Stephen Lehmann.

MOBILE, Ala. — A contractor throws a bag of oiled debris from a work boat to a dock in the Mobile Ship Channel, Sept. 6, 2011. The spill occurred at the Gulf Coast Asphalt facility when a tank of #6 fuel oil was overfilled, causing a release of an unknown amount of oil. The Coast Guard is working with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Alabama Department of Environmental Management, the Environmental Protection Agency and contracted Oil Spill Response Organizations to manage the clean-up process. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Stephen Lehmann.

MOBILE, Ala. — Clean-up crews pull oiled debris out of the water in the Mobile Ship Channel, Sept. 6, 2011. The spill occurred at the Gulf Coast Asphalt facility when a tank of #6 fuel oil was overfilled, causing a release of an unknown amount of oil. The Coast Guard is working with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Alabama Department of Environmental Management, the Environmental Protection Agency and contracted Oil Spill Response Organizations to manage the clean-up process. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Stephen Lehmann.

MOBILE, Ala. — A crew of contractors work to clean oil from the hull of a ship in the Mobile Ship Channel, Sept. 6, 2011. The spill occurred at the Gulf Coast Asphalt facility when a tank of #6 fuel oil was overfilled, causing a release of an unknown amount of oil. The Coast Guard is working with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Alabama Department of Environmental Management, the Environmental Protection Agency and contracted Oil Spill Response Organizations to manage the clean-up process. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Stephen Lehmann.

For video of vessel decontamination, click the image above.

MOBILE, Ala. — The unified command for the Mobile Ship Channel oil spill is continuing its joint response, Tuesday, to the release of fuel oil at the Gulf Coast Asphalt, LLC., here, Thursday.

Inclement weather passing through the area caused the temporary suspension of clean-up operations on the Mobile Ship Channel. Today, operations resume as weather conditions became safer and more manageable for crewmembers.

"Safety of our responders is a priority," said Capt. Don Rose, Federal on Scene Coordinator. "Now that the foul weather has abated, we are getting our resources back out on the water to continue the clean up and recovery operations."

Gulf Coast Asphalt has been working in conjunction with Oil Spill Response Organizations to contain the spill.

Approximately 21,900 feet of containment boom has been deployed, as well as 13 drum skimmers, one Marco skimmer, 15 vacuum trucks to assist in clean-up efforts and 68 vessels assigned to the response.

A temporary safety zone is in place between Three Mile Creek and the south end of the Mobile Convention Center. This safety zone is needed to protect vessels and persons from potential safety hazards associated with the oil spill. All vessels must use a safe minimum speed and minimal wake when entering or transiting through the zone. Vessels must comply with all orders of the Coast Guard on scene patrol vessels. All concerned traffic may contact the Coast Guard on VHF-FM Ch. 16 or at 251-441-5976.

To report oiled wildlife, contact the unified command wildlife group at 713-705-5897. For information on transiting the safety zone contact Coast Guard Sector Mobile at 251-441-5670. To report oil sightings contact the National Response Center 1-800-424-8802. For up-to-date port and river information go to www.homeport.uscg.mil . For information concerning vessel decontamination call 251-441-5201. For claims due to damages associated with this spill call 1-866-450-9214.

BROOKPORT, Ill. -- In this video provided by the Eighth Coast Guard District External Affairs Office, a Coast Guard Disaster Assistance Response Team from Cincinnati, Ohio helps local residents place sandbags to stem flooding, May 4, 2011. The Coast Guard is working with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and several states and local agencies to minimize damage to property, structures and to help save lives from historic flood levels. CLICK HERE for official Coast Guard video of the sandbagging effort.

_

PHOTO #1

BROOKPORT, Ill.-- Coast Guard Reservists from Marine Security Detachment (MSD) CincinnatiÕs Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) shuttle an elderly Brookport, Ill., man and a nine-year-old girl to the safety of dry land after their town flooded, May 4, 2011. MSD Cincinnati's DART team has been working with local and federal agencies to assist in flood response in rain-soaked communities throughout Southern Illinois. Photo by Isaac D. Pacheco.

_

PHOTO #2

BROOKPORT, Ill.-- A Brookport, woman hugs a Coast Guard Reserve Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) member after he ferried her father to safety through the town's flooded streets, May 4, 2011. Photo by Isaac D. Pacheco.

_

PHOTO #3

BROOKPORT, Ill.-- Coast Guard reservists from Marine Security Detachment Cincinnati ferry an emergency response team across the flooded community of Brookport, Ill., in one of their Disaster Assistance Response Team's (DART) boats, May 4, 2011. Brookport has been turned into an island as rising floodwaters have blocked all land routes into and out of the city. Photo by Isaac D. Pacheco.

_

PHOTO #4

BROOKPORT, Ill.-- Coast Guard Reservists from Marine Security Detachment (MSD) CincinnatiÕs Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) shuttle an elderly Brookport, Ill., man and a nine-year-old girl to the safety of dry land after their town flooded, May 4. MSD Cincinnati's DART team has been working with local and federal agencies to assist in flood response in rain-soaked communities throughout Southern Illinois. Photo by Isaac D. Pacheco.

_

PHOTO #5

BROOKPORT, Ill.-- A Coast Guard Reservists from Marine Security Detachment (MSD) CincinnatiÕs Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) wades through floodwaters as he ferries a Brookport, Ill., man to safety after the town flooded, May 4, 2011. MSD Cincinnati's DART team has been working with local and federal agencies to assist in flood response in rain-soaked communities throughout Southern Illinois. Photo by Isaac D. Pacheco.

NEW ORLEANS -- A fire burns on board the GI 102A oil production platform 50 miles south of Grand Isle, March 6, 2011. The Coast Guard responded with multiple sea and air assests to the reports of the fire -- rescuing the two individuals who were on board the platform at the time. U.S. Coast Guard photo.

For official Coast Guard video of the response to the platform fire, CLICK HERE.