Past Rotary President and U.S. Army Major General (ret.), Jimmy Collins introduced U.S. Coast Guard Thirteenth District Commander, Rear Admiral Charles ‘Chuck’ Fosse as the day’s featured speaker, in Steelheads Alley’s Victory Hall -- a brewery located across from T-Mobile Park. Following the meeting Rotarians joined an exclusive pre-public tour of pier forty-six, the USCG base and ships’ tour, with special thanks to Seafair.
Under his command, the Thirteenth USCG District includes Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, four thousand sailors and 460,000 miles of shoreline in the PNW. In a brief video he called “crazy rescues” cameras captured daring feats of coast guard rescue swimmers, airborne assets in action and maritime security from drug busts to fishing enforcement.
“Our crews are on duty 24/7/365 conducting search and rescue missions in some of the most adverse conditions imaginable,” he said. “but the video that got 43,000 views was of our crew saving people and a canine.”
He described how the U.S. Navy and Coast Guard work in cooperation with the Canadian Coast Guard on missions along the international border. “We do integration and inter-agency cooperation with our Navy and Canadian partners to ensure the most efficient response possible,” he said.
In addition to smaller security vessels, the District is home to two cutters:
The David Duran is a 154 foot long Fast Response Cutter commissioned in Astoria, Oregon, conducts fisheries law enforcement search and rescue, and environmental protection.
“Search and rescue operations at the mouth of the Columbia River require assets working together to get where they need to get, quickly,” he said. “The David Duran is the fastest boat in the fleet, with support from helicopter and rescue swimmer assets coordinating.”
The Henry Blake is a 175-foot-long Keeper-class buoy tender based at Naval Station Everett. He said the cutter’s primary mission is maintenance of navigational buoys in the Puget Sound area, Washington Coast and Columbia River. “Maintaining a network of floating and shoreline buoys is critical for large ship navigation.”
The USCG jazz trio performed before the meeting. welcome Rotarians. President Jon turned to the jazz trio for their rendition of the National Anthem. Seafair president/CEO Eric Corning described events planned around the 75th Anniversary , showing slides of Seafair highlights from the past. King Neptune and Seafair Royalty then called Seattle 4 president, Jon Bridge and SRSF Chair Gina Hall to the front where they were duly knighted!!
Thanks Pete for another great meeting report!
