Message from the Director

Shipmates,

My message is short this week. Having recently finished burning 10 days of leave, I'm working diligently to re-engage. In light of my recent return, a quick reminder; with a little over one month left in the fiscal year check your leave balance and make an effort to burn some leave if you're in a use or lose status.

If you've taken leave and have yet to see it deducted from your leave balance, please contact Carol Holley or Ron Cunningham via noaacorps.payrollunit@noaa.gov to alert them to any outstanding executed leave.

Leave is critical for maintaining your performance and well-being especially as we enter the 7th inning stretch of the field season. Keep your head in the game and your eye on the ball. Fly and sail safe. Taking leave helps you accomplish our mission safely.

Semper serviens,

CAPT Amilynn E. Adams, NOAA
Director, CPC

On the Horizon

4 - 7 Sep 2017 USCGC EAGLE Public Outreach Events, Alexandria, VA
5 Sep 2017 USCGC EAGLE Guadalcanal Remembrance Event, Alexandria, VA
13 Oct 2017 BOTC 130 Billet Night
21 Nov 2017 BOTC 130 Graduation

Approved Resignations, Separations and Retirements

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
ENS Timothy Brown 12 Dec 2017
ENS Kaitlyn Seberger 15 Dec 2017

History: Rounding Cape Horn

This from the February 1982 ACO Newsletter:

In the early years of the Coast Survey, shipboard work was confined to the East Coast and Gulf Coast of the United States. However, this all changed with the need to survey waters of the California and Oregon Territories in the late 1840's. In 1849 the Coast Survey Schooner EWING was sent from the East Coast to survey the waters of our West Coast. EWING left New York on January 9 and didn't arrive in San Francisco until August 1. This voyage gave the vessel's command, Lieutenant Commander Washington Bartlett, ample opportunity "to meet difficulty with a bold heart." The little vessel reached farthest south of 55°S on April 24, well into the austral fall with accompanying terrible weather. It took 51 days total to sail from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil to Valparaiso, Chili. In 1855, a second Coast Survey vessel, the schooner HUMBOLT, managed to round Cape Horn, destined for work on the California coast. It had a 60 day transit from Rio de Janeiro to Valparaiso and arrived "in want of wood, water, provisions, and rigging."

Following these two voyages, it was 134 years before another Coast Survey vessel saw Cape Horn. Between those years, the Coast and Geodetic Survey ships HASSLER, PATTERSON, and PATHFINDER traversed the Straits of Magellan while in transit to the West Coast. With the opening of the Panama Canal in 1914 there was no further need to round Cape Horn.

The next time it was seen by a descendant of the Coast Survey was when the NOAA Ship SURVEYOR spent a number of years from 1989 through 1995 operating with the Southwest Fisheries Science Center Antarctic Marine Living Resources Program. During this program, the SURVEYOR crossed the Antarctic Circle, earning crew members a certificate noting their passage into the Royal Domain of the Penguin. The SURVEYOR also passed through the Straits of Magellan on numerous occasions, Beagle Channel, and other storied waterways. Besides the SURVEYOR, the DISCOVERER and (more recently) the RONALD H. BROWN have also passed over the Antarctic Circle. The BROWN has also transited the Straits of Magellan and rounded Cape Horn. (Thanks to Captain Fred Jones, NOAA Corps (ret.) and Dr. Roger Hewitt, Commander, NOAA Corps (ret.) of SWFSC AMLR Program for information concerning the SURVEYOR.)

New UAB Membership

The current Uniform and Awards board has aggressively served in the best interest of the NOAA Corps for 18 months. Thank you! CPC is grateful to have received so many volunteers to take over the reins as the new UAB. The following officers have been selected as new UAB members:

Commander Stephanie A. Koes, Chair
Commander John J. Lomnicky
Lieutenant Commander Sarah K. Duncan
Lieutenant Commander Ryan C. Wattam
Lieutenant Commander Ronald L. Moyers, Jr
Lieutenant David B. Cowan
Lieutenant Kevin G. Doremus
Lieutenant Ricardo Rodriguez Perez
Lieutenant (junior grade) Kristin M. Raja
Lieutenant (junior grade) Philip J. Manougian

Thank you in advance for your service! UAB can be contacted with any of your uniform or award questions and concerns, noaacorps.uab@noaa.gov. Link to the UAB Memorandum.

USPHS Promotions

Congratulations to the U. S. Public Health Service officers that were recently promoted:

Captain Les Cruise
Captain Michelle Pelkey
Commander Randy Collins
Commander James McEntee
Lieutenant Commander Sharon Downey
Lieutenant Commander Gary Montgomery

Bravo Zulu on your well-deserved advancement!

Guidelines for Commanding Officers

We are pleased to announce that the document, "Guidelines for Commanding Officers" has been updated. This new version is the first major update since 1985 and Marine Operations thanks all the subject matter experts from OMAO, CPC, and MO who contributed to this update, and specifically Captain Anne Lynch, the original motivating force of this revision.

These guidelines are not policy, nor do they replace any policies or procedures, rather they provide an additional resource to help individuals prepare for command, and guidance during the command tour. These guidelines will be maintained by Director, Marine Operations and will be reviewed every two years.

The updated version has been distributed to the fleet and NCOTC and is available in the Document Management System

BZ CDR Scott Price, Chief, AOC Safety

Congratulations to CDR Scott Price, Chief, Safety, Standardization, and Training Branch at AOC. CDR Price was selected as a recipient of the prestigious Federal Aviation Award as an Aviaiton Professional in an Aviation Safety Position. These awards bestowed by the General Services Administration Interagency Committee for Aviation Policy (ICAP) go to individuals in agencies that have demonstrated how their outstanding flight programs supported the success of the agency's mission. An independent panel of aviation experts judge agencies based on the agencies' outstanding achievements in aircraft administration, operations, maintenance, training, and safety. In addition, ICAP honors individual star performers in both management and operational support roles.

CDR Price received this honor for numerous achievements, including attaining Level 3 certification of AOC's Safety Management System by the International Standards for Business Aviation Operations, his robust operational risk management practices, improved timeliness in assessing and addressing any recognized hazard submitted by any AOC employee, and initiation of Human Factors Boards and Human Factors Councils, to name just a few accomplishments from his nomination.

Well done Shipmate!

USCG Cutter Eagle and BOTC-130, Arriving!

The USCG Cutter EAGLE, also known as "America's Tall Ship," will be arriving in Old Town Alexandria, VA over the Labor Day weekend. NOAA Corps BOTC-130 will be aboard as part of their initial training. EAGLE is the largest tall ship flying the U.S. flag and the only active commissioned sailing vessel in American military service. Built in Hamburg, Germany, in 1936, Eagle was taken as a war reparation by the U.S. and re-commissioned by the U.S. Coast Guard. The ship then sailed to New London, Conn., its permanent homeport ever since. As a training vessel and goodwill ambassador, Eagle has offered generations of Coast Guard Academy cadets and officer candidates a unique experience at sea.

EAGLE will visit Alexandria September 4-8, as part of a tour of the East Coast. The ship will pass through the Woodrow Wilson Bridge on Monday, September 4, at approximately 8:30 a.m., and will dock at Robinson Landing (1 Duke St.) at approximately 9:30 a.m. Those who wish to witness the arrival may visit Jones Point Park, Fords Landing City Park or Point Lumley Park in historic Old Town.

Free public tours will be available on Monday, September 4, from 1 to 8 p.m., and Wednesday, September 6, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m, and tickets are not required. The ship is scheduled to depart Alexandria on Friday, September 8, at approximately 4:15 a.m., passing through the Woodrow Wilson Bridge on the way to Baltimore.

If you haven't made your Labor Day Weekend plans yet, come out and visit the Eagle and our newest NOAA Corps officers!

What is BRS? Video and Training Reminder

BRS Training - Eligible officers must complete Opt-In training assigned to them via CLC by October 31, 2017.

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"!