Message from the Director

Shipmates,

In celebration of the upcoming holiday, below are a couple notable messages from previous CPC Directors. Wishing you all a safe and enjoyable Fourth of July!

Those of us who will have the opportunity to enjoy this Fourth of July weekend with our families should take a moment to thank others who protect this great country and provide such an opportunity. To the officers and crew who will be at sea or in the air this weekend, be safe and we appreciate the honor, respect, and commitment you provide NOAA and the Nation.

Captain Jonathan W. Bailey, NOAA, Director, Commissioned Personnel Center, 1 Jul 2005

Please have a safe and happy 4th of July weekend. Enjoy the independence and personal freedoms for which our Nation's founding fathers and military brethren fought. Appreciate the unalienable rights of "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness".

Captain Raymond C. Slagle, NOAA, Director, Commissioned Personnel Center, 2 Jul 2010

Semper serviens,

CAPT Amilynn E. Adams, NOAA
Director, CPC

On the Horizon

03 July 2017 Change of Command - NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer
23 July 2017 BOTC 130 commences
31 July - 4 Aug 2017 Marine Ops - CO/XO Immersion Week

Approved Resignations, Separations and Retirements

LTJG Brittany Anderson 30 Jun 2017
CDR Brian Parker 01 Aug 2017
CDR Peter Siegel 01 Aug 2017
LTJG Sean Luis 18 Aug 2017
LT Jasmine Cousins 01 Sep 2017
LT Michael Marino 01 Sep 2017
LT Andrea Proie 15 Sep 2017
CDR Matthew Wingate 01 Oct 2017
RADM David Score 01 Nov 2017
LCDR Denise Gruccio 01 Nov 2017
LCDR Brian Prestcott 01 Nov 2017

History: Zorima and the San Francisco Field Office

In early 1939, the San Francisco Field Office of the Coast and Geodetic Survey received a request from one Margaret McCloskey, better known as Zorima, Queen of the Nudists. Margaret was owner and star attraction of a traveling carnival known as Zorima Gardens. Her show had a temporary location on Treasure Island as part of the Golden Gate Exposition, celebrating the opening of the Golden Gate Bridge. As a publicity stunt, Margaret wished to swim from the San Francisco waterfront to Treasure Island, more than halfway across San Francisco Bay. This was not an idle whim as she had swum the Ohio River during flood stage previously. As she wished to determine the currents in San Francisco Bay during the projected time of her swim, she came to the C&GS Field Office to confer with the San Francisco Inspector (as the head of the field office was known).

The swim was held in April 1939. All was going well until she encountered an unexpected current in mid-bay which swept her to the north. Instead of landing on Treasure Island, she ultimately set foot on Alcatraz Island, home of the notorious federal prison. She was among the first to make that swim proving that at least one could swim from San Francisco to Alcatraz, although no prisoner was ever known to have made the reverse swim. Today, hundreds of adventurous swimmers make that swim each year.

In Memoriam: Captain William D. Barbee, NOAA (Ret.) – December 26, 1928 – June 10, 2017

CAPT Barbee began his career as a Deck Officer in 1950. Throughout his over 31 years of service, CAPT Barbee served on eight different ships which culminated with a CO tour of the NOAA Ship Oceanographer. CAPT Barbee was awarded the Department of Commerce Silver Medal, the SAME KARO Award and numerous NOAA Corps commendation and achievement medals.

https://www.harveyfuneral.com/fh/obituaries/obituary.cfm?o_id=4270454&fh_id=13884

In Memoriam: Commander George E. Leigh, NOAA (Ret.) – November 27, 1943 – June 28, 2017

CDR Leigh was commissioned in 1975 as part of BOTC 53. Prior to retiring in 1997 as the Remote Sensing Division Chief for NOS, CDR Leigh served aboard the NOAA Ships Fairweather, Peirce and Rainier. In addition to several NOAA Corps performance and special achievement awards, CDR Leigh was awarded the US Army Meritorious Service Medal. For those in the DC area who knew CDR Leigh, the service will be held on Saturday, July 8, at 11:00 am, Saint Bartholomew's Episcopal Church, Laytonsville, MD.

https://www.barberfhlaytonsville.com/obits/obituary.php?id=646344

PCS Travel Via Commercial Air

PCS is not impacted by the implementation of E2 Solutions. Travelers should continue to call CWTSatoTravel and follow the existing PCS process:

  • All flights for PCS travel must be coordinated through CWTSato Travel: (Phone # 855-813-2844 or 844-355-0383 for Alaska travelers only
  • Once PCS travel is completed, submit endorsed orders via your OPF Online. This process will send your orders to all of the appropriate offices (Payroll/OPF/Assignment coordinator). Be sure to submit through the PCS tab when submitting via OPF Online.
  • Email your PCS Travel Voucher Form (DD 1351-2, May2011) along with any receipts to jerrard.baker@noaa.gov.

TSP and Roth Contributions

In early June, the USCG Global Pay System had a problem with TSP and Roth contributions, as well as loan payments, reaching TSP for some USCG and NC officers (NC officers were notified via email). The allotments were deducted from pay correctly but the funds did not make it to TSP. All TSP allotments were manually redone for all affected members. The funds were resent on June 15 and Ron Cunningham confirmed the updated postings and corrections on June 23.

Even if your account wasn't affected, it's important to monitor your TSP account. Please log into your TSP account at https://www.tsp.gov/tsp/login.html and review the Recent Transactions found under My Account. If at any time you are missing a transaction or see a discrepancy, please contact Ronald Cunningham at ronald.a.cunningham@noaa.gov.

New ENS/LTJG OER's - Webinar

The new ENS/LTJG OER has been updated!

Several technical aspects of the ENS/JG OER form have been addressed and the updated form is available for download at the CPC website, https://www.corpscpc.noaa.gov/forms/pdfforms/noaaform%2056-6E.pdf.

To verify you have the most current form, ensure the scores in the 'Communication Skills' section on page 1 match the scores selected on page 6; i.e. scores are not inverted.

Mark your calendars for our OER discussion on 7 Jul 2017 at 1400 EDT. You can submit questions to get them answered during the webinar.

If you have any questions or comments, contact us at oer.cpc@noaa.gov.

Want to add the NOAA Corps Centennial Graphic to your email signature block?

  • Go to https://www.omao.noaa.gov/find/media/images/noaa-corps-centennial-graphic
  • Right-click on image and select "copy" (no need to click on the "Download Image" button)
  • Open Gmail and go to "settings"
  • Under "general" scroll down to "signature"
  • place cursor under name, address and such and right click to "paste" image
  • click on image again and select "medium" to scale
  • scroll to bottom of page and click on "save changes"

Enjoy and congratulations on "celebrating a century of service"!

From the Assignment Desk:

#0591- Nautical Science and Underway Training Officer

NOAA Corps Officer Training Center/Commissioned Personnel Center (NCOTC) is looking for a highly motivated and ambitious officer to take on the responsibilities of Nautical Science and Underway Training Officer at the United States Coast Guard Academy (USCGA), in New London, CT. NCOTC is the single accession point for all NOAA Corps Officers and is tasked with developing individual civilians into productive commissioned officers. The organization is the primary point of instilling core values and organizational understanding as well as establishing a solid base of maritime skills to build upon in the fleet.

The Nautical Science and Underway Training Officer is charged with establishing and maintaining a program that will improve the safety, efficiency, and professionalism of underway operations at NCOTC. The incumbent is the POC for underway training courses, improving current courses, and developing new courses as needed. This officer's primary duty will be to cultivate the newest junior officers of the NOAA Corps into quality bridge watch standers.

The officer selected for the position will also serve as nautical science instructor detailed to the Cadet Division, Professional Maritime Studies Branch as 1 of 12 USCG, US Navy, and NOAA Lieutenants during the academic year. As an instructor they assist with USCGA summer training for 250 Second Class (junior) USCG cadets and also fulfill Academy watchstanding duties throughout the year.

This assignment is expected to be vacant in 2018. If interested please update your preferences and contact the Assignment Coordinator.

#2523 - Right Whale Maritime Liaison

NOAA Fisheries is looking for an officer to further NMFS Southeast Regional Office's efforts to reduce ship strikes of right whales in the Southeast. The incumbent will interact with the shipping community at all levels, particularly shipping agents, port operator groups, and pilot's associations. The will also assume a leading role in coordinating with state and federal partners, for aerial survey and unmanned operations during whale migration season. The officer also serves as small boat Vessel Operations Coordinator, responsible for operational and budget management for two small field vessels. Additional opportunity exists to assist in Endangered Species Act consultation actions and to learn scientific and technical writing.

The incumbent must be a self-starter and have the ability to operate with little supervision. This billet provides an opportunity to develop customer service, budget management and procurement, and maintaining/developing relationships with federal and state agencies. Billet is expected to be open in March 2018.

If interested please update your preferences or contact the Assignment Coordinator.