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A Day in the Life of the Coast Guard: Thursday

Published Mar 10, 2017 6:37 PM by U.S. Coast Guard News

This is the fourth installment in our “Week in the Life 2017” series, which provides a brief glimpse into the lives of Coast Guard members and highlights the day to day activities of the service. 

The 56,000 members of the Coast Guard operate a multi-mission fleet of 243 cutters, 201 fixed and rotary-wing aircraft, and over 1,600 boats. Operational control of surface and air assets is vested in two Coast Guard geographical Areas (Pacific and Atlantic), nine Coast Guard Districts and 35 sectors located at strategic ports throughout the country. Six Mission Support Logistics and Service Centers provide services for operational assets and shore facilities. Coast Guard program oversight, policy development and personnel administration are carried out at Coast Guard Headquarters, located on the St. Elizabeths campus in Washington, D.C.

Paw patrol – Alameda, California

Balu, a German short-haired pointer, and his handler, Justin Ross, members of the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) Police Department, hone their explosive-ordinance detection skills at Coast Guard Island in Alameda, Calif., Feb. 2, 2017.

Balu, a German short-haired pointer, and his handler, Justin Ross, members of the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) Police Department, hone their explosive-ordinance detection skills at Coast Guard Island in Alameda, Calif., Feb. 2, 2017. Several local law enforcement K-9 units train with Maritime Safety and Security Team San Francisco on a regular basis. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Cory J. Mendenhall)

Thin ice – Essexville, Michigan

Coast Guard members complete training during the last day of the final 2017 Ice Rescue Training Course at the National Ice Rescue School in Essexville, Mich., Feb. 16, 2017. During the six courses delivered for the 2016-2017 season, instructors certified 96 new people as ice-rescue trainers. (U.S. Coast Guard photo)

Coast Guard members complete training during the last day of the final 2017 Ice Rescue Training Course at the National Ice Rescue School in Essexville, Mich., Feb. 16, 2017. During the six courses delivered for the 2016-2017 season, instructors certified 96 new people as ice-rescue trainers. (U.S. Coast Guard photo)

Making a sweep – Ellington, Texas

Petty Officer 2nd Class Steven Suhey, a K-9 handler at Maritme Safety and Security Team Houston, and his dog, Cappy, do a sweep of the Armed Forces Reserve Center at Joint Reserve Base Ellington, Texas, Feb. 16, 2017. The MSST assists a variety of law enforcement and military agencies in the region by providing their K-9's services. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Dustin R. Williams)

Petty Officer 2nd Class Steven Suhey, a K-9 handler at Maritme Safety and Security Team Houston, and his dog, Cappy, do a sweep of the Armed Forces Reserve Center at Joint Reserve Base Ellington, Texas, Feb. 16, 2017. The MSST assists a variety of law enforcement and military agencies in the region by providing their K-9’s services. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Dustin R. Williams)

Counternarcotics ops – San Diego, California

The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Midgett offloads more than 13 tons of cocaine at Naval Base San Diego on February 16, 2017. The contraband was seized during 21 separate interdictions at sea in the Eastern Pacific Ocean by the cutters, Midgett, Sherman, Tahoma, Diligence and Mellon. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Joel Guzman/released).

The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Midgett offloads more than 13 tons of cocaine at Naval Base San Diego on February 16, 2017. The contraband was seized during 21 separate interdictions at sea in the Eastern Pacific Ocean by the cutters, Midgett, Sherman, Tahoma, Diligence and Mellon. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Joel Guzman/released).

Security escort – Portsmouth, New Hampshire

Petty Officer 2nd Class Robert Richey, a crewmember at Coast Guard Station Portsmouth Harbor, mans an M240B machine gun on the bow of a 47-foot Motor Lifeboat during a security escort into Portsmouth Harbor the morning of, Thursday, Feb. 23, 2017. The Motor Lifeboat crew escorted the Gibraltar-flagged LPG tanker Polar into a terminal in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Andrew Barresi)

Petty Officer 2nd Class Robert Richey, a crewmember at Coast Guard Station Portsmouth Harbor, mans an M240B machine gun on the bow of a 47-foot Motor Lifeboat during a security escort into Portsmouth Harbor the morning of Thursday, Feb. 23, 2017. The Motor Lifeboat crew escorted the Gibraltar-flagged LPG tanker Polar into a terminal in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Andrew Barresi)

Cityscape – San Diego, California

The color guard team from U.S. Coast Guard Sector San Diego prepares to present the colors before a ceremony to officially designate San Diego as a Coast Guard City at Sector San Diego on February 23, 2017. The designation is predicated on San Diego's ability to erect monuments to the Coast Guard, organize civic celebrations and offer special recognition and support U.S. Coast Guard morale, welfare and recreational initiatives. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Fireman Taylor Bacon/released)

The color guard team from U.S. Coast Guard Sector San Diego prepares to present the colors before a ceremony to officially designate San Diego as a Coast Guard City at Sector San Diego on February 23, 2017. The designation is predicated on San Diego’s ability to erect monuments to the Coast Guard, organize civic celebrations and offer special recognition and support U.S. Coast Guard morale, welfare and recreational initiatives. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Fireman Taylor Bacon/released)

Steady hand – Port Angeles, Washington

Petty Officer 3rd Class Amber Brewer, an aviation maintenance technician, completes anti-corrosion maintenance on a newly refurbished MH-65 Dolphin helicopter from Aviation Logistics Center Elizabeth City, N.C., in the hangar at Sector Field Office Port Angeles, Wash., Feb. 23, 2017. Preventive maintenance on the helicopters is a big part of the day-to-day structure at every helicopter unit in the Coast Guard. (U.S. Coast Guard photo courtesy of Sector Field Office Port Angeles)

Petty Officer 3rd Class Amber Brewer, an aviation maintenance technician, completes anti-corrosion maintenance on a newly refurbished MH-65 Dolphin helicopter from Aviation Logistics Center Elizabeth City, N.C., in the hangar at Sector Field Office Port Angeles, Wash., Feb. 23, 2017. Preventive maintenance on the helicopters is a big part of the day-to-day structure at every helicopter unit in the Coast Guard. (U.S. Coast Guard photo courtesy of Sector Field Office Port Angeles)

This article appears courtesy of Coast Guard Compass and has been edited for length. It may be found in its original form here. 

The opinions expressed herein are the author's and not necessarily those of The Maritime Executive.