Photo By 2nd Lt. Christopher Garibay | Chief Petty Officer Jay Leatz, chief boatswain mate; Petty Officer 3rd Class Collin...... read more read more
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GUANTANAMO BAY, Cuba - The Coast Guard Cutter Cypress, based in Pensacola Naval Air Station, Florida, visited U.S. Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, on Dec. 16, to conduct Aid to Navigation maintenance on two buoys, ensuring local mariners can continue to safely navigate the waters in the bay. The ATON mission is part of scheduled maintenance conducted to buoys within the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean, the area where the Cypress operates.
The cutter crew invited about a dozen members of the Joint Task Force Guantanamo to tour the ship and see another capability of the Coast Guard. They boarded the ship through a watercraft ride by the Port Security Unit 313 Maritime Security Detachment and had an opportunity ask questions about the distinctive missions the Coast Guard undertakes.
Additionally, JTF troopers were able to see the crew load and unload buoys onto GTMO waters, which is not part of the MARSECDET mission.
“This is a great opportunity for members of the PSU community. They never get the chance to see the other side of the Coast Guard,” said Coast Guard Lt. Cmdr. Paul Pukis, deputy commander of the MARSECDET. “It’s neat to see how our members observe and relate what happens here to what they do in their PSU job. Anytime we can showcase the good work the Coast Guard does to anyone is a great opportunity.”
Pukis said the goal was to allow other JTF personnel who have never spent any time with the Coast Guard to see some of the work that gets done and gain an appreciation for what the Coast Guard is all about.
Members of the JTF jumped at the opportunity to board a ship and see firsthand what the cutter crew did in the waterways.
“When the offer was presented to me I did not know what to expect but I was glad to say yes for the experience,” said Army Sgt Steven Waite, awards noncommissioned officer with the J1 Directorate, Personnel and Manpower. “The operation of the Coast Guard, prior to today, went unnoticed in my eyes. (Their mission) was a great example of teamwork and
leadership.”
The cutter is tasked with maintaining navigation markers around the Gulf of Mexico and even along areas in the Caribbean to include Haiti. While at GTMO, the Cypress crew also marked wreckage debris along the ferry lane to warn boaters of potential hazards in the water.
“Each navigation work is full of challenges because you never know what you’re going to find on scene,” said Coast Guard Cmdr. Amy Florentino, captain of the cutter Cypress. “Our job is to ensure the waterways are marked in the best way possible for safe navigation. Normally we’ll go into a port every couple years to do servicing on aids, but you’re always going to find out something discrepant or isn’t working.”
Florentino said they were able to use the NAVSTA dive team to help guide the marker and avoid obstructions. She said they regularly use divers to reach areas of the GTMO that are too shallow for the cutter to navigate through.
Coast Guard Lt. j.g. Paul Dellisola, executive officer of the Cypress cutter, said the cutter takes part in 10-15 trips a year, traveling all across the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean.
“Every buoy has to be visited once a year to ensure it is still in place,” said Dellisola. “Standard buoy trips are one to two weeks, but the longer trips, like those out here, are 21 days.”
Dellisola said, in addition to ATON missions, it also conducts search and rescue missions, law enforcement missions to include drug and alien deterrence, and pollution response.
| Date Taken: | 12.31.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 03.01.2016 10:08 |
| Story ID: | 190601 |
| Location: | GUANTANAMO BAY, CU |
| Web Views: | 68 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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