USCGC Joseph Gerczak

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Joseph Gerczak during her sea trials.

USCGC Joseph Gerczak (WPC-1126) is the 26th Sentinel class cutter built for the United States Coast Guard.[1] She will be the second member of the three members of her class to be homeported in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Design

Like her sister ships, Joseph Gerczak is designed to perform search and rescue missions, port security, and the interception of smugglers.[2] She is armed with a remotely controlled, gyrostabilized 25 mm autocannon, four crew-served M2 Browning machine guns, and light arms. She is equipped with a stern launching ramp, that allows her to launch or retrieve a water-jet propelled high-speed auxiliary boat, without first coming to a stop. Her high-speed boat has over-the-horizon capability, and is useful for inspecting other vessels, and deploying boarding parties. She is designed to support her crew of 24 for missions of up to five days, over distances of almost 3,000 nautical miles.

Operational history

Although, like her sister ships, the Joseph Gerczak is designed for missions of five days, in July 2019, while accompanied by the larger USCGC Walnut, she undertook the nine day voyage from Hawaii to American Samoa.[3][4][5] The Coast Guard vessels met with the HMNZS Otago, a Protector class off-shore patrol vessel from New Zealand, to prepare for actual joint missions.[6]

On February 19, 2020, the Coast Guard's Honolulu station described an incident where a scuba-diver's report of the loss of his dive-float helped their life-saving efforts.[7] Divers use standardized highly visible dive-floats to indicate to boaters where they are diving, so they can take steps to avoid those areas, which helps keep divers safe from being run over, when they come to the surface, and are hard to see. Coast Guard personnel who encounter an unattended dive-float normally treat it as an emergency, indicating that a diver is in distress, or has drowned. However, since this diver self-reported the loss of his float, when the Joseph Gerczak encountered his float, they were aware the owner was safe, and this was not an emergency.

In September, 2019, the crew of the Joseph Gerczak responded to a distress call from the fishing vessel Miss Emma, when it was swept by a fire.[8] A smaller Coast Guard boat, from Oahu, rescued the six crew members from a life raft, while the Joseph Gerczak stood by while the vessel burned, and sank, to make sure it wasn't a threat to other vessels.

In December, 2021, the Joseph Gerczak participated in two unsuccessful searches for swimmers swept out to sea. On December 14 a scuba diver was last seen off Changs Beach, in Maui County.[9] On December 20 a freediver, collecting Opihi, was last seen being swept out to sea, from Honokōhau Harbor.[10]

In February and March of 2022 the Joseph Gerczak and the USCGC Juniper proceeded to Samoa, American Samoa and French Polynesia, as part of Operation Aiga.[3] The mission took 42 days and the vessels covered 14,000 miles. They participated in fishery patrols off Samoa and American Samoa, and joined elements of the French military in a joint training exercise. Samoa's sole patrol vessel, the Nafanua II had been damaged on a reef, on August 21, 2021, so the US Coast Guard has been helping to compensate for the missing ship.[11]

In April 2022 the Joseph Gerczak played a role in the rescue of four distressed individuals 180 miles off Hawaii.[12] The Jospeh Gerczak responded when the sailing vessel Shyska lost her rudder, and towed her back to port.

  • A crew member observes the fire aboard the fishing vessel Miss Emma

    A crew member observes the fire aboard the fishing vessel Miss Emma

  • The Jospeh Gerczak assisted when the sailing vessel Shyska lost her rudder.

    The Jospeh Gerczak assisted when the sailing vessel Shyska lost her rudder.

  • The Joseph Gerczak joined the USCGC Juniper for a 42 day patrol of Oceania, as part of Operation Aiga

    The Joseph Gerczak joined the USCGC Juniper for a 42 day patrol of Oceania, as part of Operation Aiga

Namesake

In 2010, Charles "Skip" W. Bowen, who was then the United States Coast Guard's most senior non-commissioned officer, proposed that all 58 cutters in the Sentinel class should be named after enlisted sailors in the Coast Guard, or one of its precursor services, who were recognized for their heroism.[13][14] In 2015 the Coast Guard announced that Joseph Gerczak, who coolly shot down two Japanese planes, during World War II, before he himself was shot, would be the namesake of the 26th cutter.[15]

rough work

[16] [17]

References

  1. ↑ US Coast Guard receives 26th fast response cutter ‘Joseph Gerczak’, Naval Today, 2017-11-10. Retrieved on 2017-12-29.
  2. ↑ FRC Plan B: The Sentinel Class, Defense Industry Daily, 2014-05-02. Retrieved on 2014-04-03. “All of these boats will be named after enlisted Coast Guard heroes, who distinguished themselves in USCG or military service. The first 25 have been named, but only 8 have been commissioned...”
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Coast Guard Cutter Patrols EEZ in Partnership with Samoa, Seapower magazine, 2021-09-27. Retrieved on 2022-04-16. “The U.S. Coast Guard and the government of Samoa have a history of partnership. In 2019, the Coast Guard Cutters Walnut and Joseph Gerczak visited Apia Harbor and conducted patrol operations with officials from Samoa’s Ministry of Police and Ministry of Fisheries aboard.” Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "seapowermagazine2022-03-14" defined multiple times with different content
  4. ↑ Sara Muir. USCGC Joseph Gerczak (WPC 1126) arrives in American Samoa on patrol, Dvidshub, 2019-08-03. Retrieved on 2019-08-05. “'It was a good transit, the longest we’ve conducted yet, nine days at sea and we’re proving the capabilities of these new cutters to operate over the horizon throughout the remote Pacific,' said Lt. James Provost, commanding officer of Joseph Gerczak.”
  5. ↑ Sara Muir. USCGC Walnut (WLB 205) conducts community engagements in Samoa, Dvidshub.net, 2019-08-09. Retrieved on 2019-08-11. “The crew of the USCGC Joseph Gerczak (WPC 1126) is also operating in the region to conduct fisheries and enforce federal law in the American Samoa EEZ. Both cutter crews will also respond to any emergent search and rescue needs in the area and seek out opportunities to work with partner nation assets. The U.S. Coast Guard and partners combat illegal fishing and other maritime threats across the Pacific, including providing support to Pacific Island Forum nations to protect their resource security and maritime sovereignty.”
  6. ↑ U.S. Coast Guard, Royal New Zealand Navy Conduct Professional Exchanges in Oceania, Homeland Security Today, 2019-08-15. Retrieved on 2019-08-17. “The commands from USCGC Walnut (WLB 205) and USCGC Joseph Gerczak (WPC 1126) spent time with peers from HMNZ Otago (P148) discussing the mission, challenges and comparing shipboard life in the region.”
  7. ↑ Help the US Coast Guard help you, Saipan Tribune, 2020-02-19. Retrieved on 2020-02-18. “Three hours later, the U.S. Coast Guard cutter Joseph Gerczak crew came across a dive float while underway, which is usually regarded as an indication of potential distress. The commanding officer of the ship reported the discovery to the command center, who was able to match the description of the dive float to the one reported missing. Because of the diver’s self-reporting actions, the Coast Guard was able to save valuable resources, unneeded search efforts, and return the dive float to its original owner.”
  8. ↑ Kirk Moore. Hawaii longliner burns, crew rescued, National fisherman, 2019-09-19. Retrieved on 2022-04-15.
  9. ↑ Coast Guard, Partners Searching For Missing Snorkeler Off Maui, KWXX, 2021-12-16. Retrieved on 2022-04-16. “The Coast Guard and Maui County first responders are searching for a missing 62-year-old man who was last seen snorkeling off Chang’s Beach on Tuesday, December 14.”
  10. ↑ Search Suspended for Missing ‘Opihi Fisherman, Big Island Now, 2021-12-20. Retrieved on 2022-04-16.
  11. ↑ U.S. Coast Guard Patrols EEZ in Partnership with Samoa, Homeland Security Today, 2022-03-03. Retrieved on 2022-04-16. “The cutters have been underway in Oceania supporting Operation Aiga, designed to integrate Coast Guard capabilities and operations with the United States’ Pacific Island Country partners in order to effectively and efficiently protect shared national interests, combat IUU fishing and strengthen maritime governance on the high seas.”
  12. ↑ Coast Guard Assists 4 Mariners Aboard Disabled Vessel 180 Miles Off Hawaiʻi Island, Big Island Now, 2022-04-13. Retrieved on 2022-04-15.
  13. ↑ Susan Schept. Enlisted heroes honored, United States Coast Guard, 2010-03-22. Retrieved on 2013-02-01. “After the passing of several well-known Coast Guard heroes last year, Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard Charles "Skip" Bowen mentioned in his blog that the Coast Guard does not do enough to honor its fallen heroes.”
  14. ↑ U.S. Coast Guard announces name for first Sentinel-class cutter, 2010-03-22. Retrieved on 2013-02-01. “Previously designated to be named the Coast Guard Cutter Sentinel, the cutter Bernard C. Webber will be the first of the service's new 153-foot patrol cutters. Coast Guard Commandant Admiral Thad Allen approved the change of the cutter's name to allow this class of vessels to be named after outstanding enlisted members who demonstrated exceptional heroism in the line of duty. This will be the first class of cutters to be named exclusively for enlisted members of the Coast Guard and its predecessor services.”
  15. ↑ Acquisition Update: Coast Guard Reveals Names of FRCs 26-35, United States Coast Guard, 2015-02-27. Retrieved on 2017-03-25. “The Coast Guard recently announced the names of the 26th through 35th Sentinel-class fast response cutters through a series of posts on its official blog, the Coast Guard Compass.”
  16. ↑ Coast Guard commissions Hawaii’s second Sentinel-class cutter, Coast Guard News, 2018-03-09. Retrieved on 2018-03-10.
  17. ↑ Coast Guard Accepts 26th Fast Response Cutter. United States Coast Guard (2017-11-09). Retrieved on 2017-11-11.
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