Charleston-based cutter arrives for duty in UkraineBy Prentiss Findlay (Contact)
The Post and Courier
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
The Black Sea is the new temporary home for the Charleston-based Coast Guard cutter Dallas, which arrived Monday at the port of Sevastopol, Ukraine. The Dallas and the U.S. Navy are conducting exercises with the Ukranian Navy intended to increase regional security, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. "This is going to be a very long deployment," said Coast Guard Lt. Rob Wyman of the Atlantic Area Public Affairs Office. On Aug. 27, the Dallas delivered 34 tons of humanitarian aid to the Black Sea port of Batumi, Georgia. The goods included hygiene items, food, milk and juices. They were loaded at a U.S. Navy facility in Crete. The Dallas left Charleston in late May to join the Navy to conduct training with navies and coast guards of west and central Africa, according to Homeland Security. The 378-foot cutter has a 160-member crew. It is expected to return to the Coast Guard base on the Ashley River later this month, though its tour might be extended. In summer 1999, the Dallas became the first Coast Guard cutter to enter the ports of Haifa, Israel, and Antalya, Turkey. It conducted exercises with the Ukrainian navy, Turkish coast guard, Georgian navy and armed forces of Malta. The Dallas mission includes homeland security, maritime law enforcement, search and rescue, defense operations and migrant interdiction. It was commissioned in 1967 in New Orleans. The ship relocated to Charleston on Sept. 14, 1996. Its history includes seven combat patrols off Vietnam. In 1986, Dallas served as the on-scene command for the search and rescue operation after the space shuttle Challenger disaster. |
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Comments
This article has 2 comment(s)
Posted by berthelot on September 3, 2008 at 7:34 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Maybe I'm wrong here, but isn't the point of the Coast Guard to "guard" our own coast? I thought the Navy was handling the overseas security. Kind of like how the National Guard is supposed to "guard" our nation yet they are being deployed overseas.
I think this says a lot about how thin our military has been stretched. If they keep trying to stir up more wars then we are going to be left all alone here at home to defend ourselves.
Posted by im4usc on September 3, 2008 at 4:56 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Early, as the wife of a retired Coastie who served on both the Dallas and her sister ship, the Gallatin, and did more than 1 tour on both, I speak from personal experience.
Whiners? Who in the story is whining?
A three month deployment? Granted, it's not 8 or 15 months, but they only stay in homeport 3 months.
And, if I'm not mistaken, the Dallas is actually not expected back until December, not later this month as is noted in the story.
It's all relative.
One of the most used nicknames of the USCG---"Big Job, Small Service".
It's so small, in fact, that there are more NY CITY POLICE OFFICERS than there are active duty Coast Guard members.
Since this isn't a negative post, it won't be popular. Just had to put in my 2 cents.