USCGC Oliver Henry 2022 New Year’s Eve log entry

Courtesy Photo | Seaman Dylyn Gonzales prepares USCGC Oliver Henry’s (WPC 1140) New Year’s 2022 watch log entry while off Saipan. Oliver Henry currently the cutter on patrol in western Oceania and first in for response should the need arise, adds their contribution to this legacy. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by SNEM Joesph Suttles)  

NORTHERN MARIANA ISLANDS

01.01.2023

Courtesy Story

U.S. Coast Guard Forces Micronesia / Sector Guam

There is an old naval tradition in which New Year’s Eve mid-watch logs on U.S. naval vessels are written in verse. No one is quite sure when this tradition started and participation varies. The oldest mid-watch poem to be located to date is from USS Idaho in 1926. This year our USCGC Oliver Henry (WPC 1140) crew, currently the cutter on patrol in western Oceania and first in for response should the need arise, adds their contribution to this legacy courtesy of Seaman D.J. Gonzales.

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Consider this; a night on the open sea. Humans scratch and claw to get a taste of its glory and bounty. To both brave its harshness and enjoy its splendid serenity. But tonight, some of our crew sleep soundly, cradled in the warm arms of a blue lagoon named Tanapag Harbor, Saipan. Many remain up, staring at the sky as fireworks light up the beautiful island.

Tonight, We ring in the new year with the kind words of our protector, our vessel, our muse, good ol' Cutter Oliver Henry. No one but the man above and the righteous powers that be — USCG Forces Micronesia/Sector Guam — know where. Our hatches battened to the tune of yoke, and our lights, shine true. The cutter sleeps now…as soundly as our small boat, its trusty ward, nestled softly in the notch.

I sit in silent reverence and reflection on the year that passed. A year that saw us travel throughout the vast Pacific bringing the ship to new horizons. A year of building relationships, some old and some new, for which we are stronger. A year that tested the constitution of these weathered warriors, whimsical poets, and staunch leaders who reside aboard. Lesser men and women may have faltered in the face of this, at times, arduous journey, but with apt fortitude, WE still stand.

Tonight, I am proud to hold my post in their stead. Tonight, I am their representative. Some call me Dylyn Jai. Some call me Gonzo, but tonight, I am no more than a humble sentry accompanying our intrepid vessel through the starry dead of night and into the new year.

D. J. Gonzales, SNET

• Date Taken: 01.01.2023
• Date Posted: 12.31.2022 18:21
• Story ID: 436166
• Location: MP
• Hometown: SANTA RITA, GU