The 

Aids to Navigation Bulletin 

National Aids to Navigation School Spring 2011
National Aids to Navigation School 

US Coast Guard Training Center, Yorktown, Virginia 

ATON systems of the United States and its territories 

are established, operated, and maintained by the Coast 

Guard to assist mariners in locating their position and to 

warn of nearby dangers and obstructions. This is done 

for the benefit of commercial vessels, recreational boaters, and to support the operations of the Armed Forces. 

Title 14 of the US Code makes this a responsibility of 

the Coast Guard. 

The Bulletin is published to support the individuals and 

units involved in providing a reliable ATON system for 

the mariner. The Bulletin seeks to meet the following 

objectives: 

• To provide a means of circulating job skill information among ATON technicians, 

• To increase the professionalism and knowledge of 

all ATON personnel, 

• To act as a channel for information flow amidst the 

ATON servicing units, Sector Office staffs, District 

Office staffs, Headquarters staffs, and units, and 

• To publish articles and photographs about people, 

units, or events which may be of general interest to 

the ATON community. 

To satisfy these objectives, it’s necessary for all who 

read the Bulletin to take an active part in determining its 

contents. If you have found a “better way” or performed 

a unique evolution, share it with other people in the 

ATON field. Submissions are welcome in any form. 

Articles and images may be submitted electronically to 

the editor via email at nicholas.m.monacelli@uscg.mil 

or mailed to: 

ATON Bulletin Editor (tnaton) 

US Coast Guard Training Center Yorktown 

1 USCG Training Center 

Yorktown, VA 23690 

Electronic submissions are preferred. Please keep photographs in original electronic form, and send them as 

separate files; do not imbed or copy them into word 

documents. 

The articles contained herein are non-directive and nonrecord material. They are published for informational 

purposes only. 

Special permission for reproduction, either in whole or 

in part, with the exception of copyrighted articles or 

artwork, is not required as long as credit is given to the 

Bulletin and the article’s author. 

School Telephone Numbers 

(757) 856-XXXX 

General Information...................... 2139

LT M. Crysler, School Chief ........ 2143

LT S. Kingsley, Asst School Chief .. 2509

LTJG N. Monacelli, Operations.....2350 

CWO S. Sawyer, Tech Advisor/ 

Buoy Deck Training Team..........2145

BMC K. Roberts, Minor Aids ....... 2066

EMCS K. Wiehrs, Major Aids ...... 2795 

Fax .............................................. 2326 

After Hours Technical Support Hotline 

(757) 449-3681 

Editor: LTJG Nick Monacelli 

School Home Page: 

www.uscg.mil/tcyorktown/ops/naton/index.shtm 

Deadlines for Articles: 

Summer 2011 - Phonebook 

Fall 2011 - 15 September 

Winter 2012 - 15 December 

Spring 2012 - 15 March 

Volume 38, Number 2 

 

On the Cover: Cut “D” Rear Range 

Light as re-built after severe weather 

tore down many critical ATON structures in Tampa Bay, FL 

photo by BM1 Eric Wieczorek, , 

CGC VISE 

 

 
The ATON Bulletin Volume 38, Number 2 

1 

IN THIS ISSUE . . . 

NATON News...........................2 

News Clips................................8 

Gallery............................28 

Technical Corner....................30 

ATON History.........................33 

Good Times.............................34 

CWO Michael Hoag, CO of CGC BARBARA MABRITY, welcomes King Rex aboard during 

Mardi Gras festivities in New Orleans, LA. 

Photo by PA2 William Colclough, Eighth District Public Affairs 
The ATON Bulletin Volume 38, Number 2 

2 

NATON NEWS 

From the Editor 

by LTJG Nick Monacelli , NATON School 

The great ATON stories and pictures keep streaming across my desk! This issue is packed full 

of great things from the Western Rivers to the crystal clear waters of Midway Atoll, to the 

frigid seas of Alaska. I appreciate all of the comments on the last Bulletin and look forward to 

continue to improve our publication. One new thing for this issue– the online version, posted to 

the inter– and intranet, is available in full color for the first time. If you are reading the version 

of this that came in the mail, don’t forget to check out the excellent photos in their full glory 

online. 

 The internet site is: http://www.uscg.mil/tcyorktown/Ops/NATON/bulletin.asp 

 The intranet site is: http://cgweb.tcyorktown.uscg.mil/Docs/Uploads/natonbulletin.pdf 

You can subscribe through both sites to get a notification in your inbox when I post the new 

issue online, which is normally a few weeks before the print version comes out. 

Since the last issue, we said goodbye to Stacy Thomas, BDTT, and Virginia Thomas, museum 

curator. Before Virginia left, she created and implemented an electronic archive with information on all of our artifacts in the museum; see her article (next page) for more info on that. 

Additionally, we were fortunate to have CWO John Haley, USCG retired, donate 3 new models 

to Training Center Yorktown.. We now have detailed models of both USCGC BUCKTHORN 

(WLI 642) and USCGC KATHERINE WALKER (WLM 552) in our museum collection, in 

addition to a model of USCGC CUYAHOGA (WIX 157) in the command suite. Stop by when 

you get a chance to take a look! 

Thank you again for all of your support – I would not be able to put together such an outstanding Bulletin without your help. 

CWO John Haley, USCG retired, with 

his meticulously crafted model of 

“Katie Walker” (WLM 552) 
The ATON Bulletin Volume 38, Number 2 

3 

NATON NEWS 

NATON Museum Update 

by Virginia Neal Thomas, USCG AUX, Curator ATON Museum 

In September 2009 I was designated as Curator of the ATON Museum located in the atrium of 

Canfield Hall onboard Training Center Yorktown. My main focus was to create a cohesive 

story through artifacts and informational displays on the history of ATON in the United States. 

Many of you may well be familiar with the eleven spectacular Fresnel Lenses on display including one from each order (1st thru 6th). These truly are the center of the collection, and remain 

the driving attraction for visitors. New signs and barriers were erected to protect these items as 

well as link their individual stories to the overall narrative of ATON in America. 

Beyond the lenses, the four display 

cases were updated and four informational panels were added. Items 

in the cases are now safely held in 

museum mounts and have descriptive labels to explain their importance. The informational panels 

cover four broad thematic areas: 

History, Technology, Personnel and 

Other Missions (wartime, alternate 

power, etc). These panels further 

create the broader story of ATON 

in the United States and attract a 

broad range of interest levels. 

Other less known but very interesting 

items include the original 1952 patent 

model of the Mechanical Chain Stopper 

by Capt. Niels P. Thomsen. The collection also holds a unique 4th Order rotating Bivalve Fresnel Lens made by the 

MacBeth-Evans Company of Pittsburgh, 

PA. This company was the only one to 

make such lenses within the United 

States. 

My final work here involved creating a 

comprehensive digital archive of the 

items for preservation and access. The 

archive includes 331 items located in the 

museum and in 26 archival boxes. Each 

The museum’s 1st and 2nd order Fresnel Lenses 

Display case with different types of ATON 

illumination equipment 
The ATON Bulletin Volume 38, Number 2 

4 

NATON NEWS 

item has a corresponding image making it 

easier for researchers to find historical 

ATON information. A copy of this archive 

is also being sent to the USCG Historian’s 

Office to further increase access. 

During my tenure at the ATON Museum, I 

have also completed my Masters of Arts in 

History from Old Dominion University. My 

thesis on female lighthouse keepers before 

the Civil War is available on the USCG Historian’s website: 

http://www.uscg.mil/history/articles/

ThomasVNWomansWork.pdf 

I have thoroughly enjoyed my time at NATON and could not have asked for a better group of 

dedicated individuals to work with! Now on to the next transfer... 

Thomsen’s Chain Stopper Patent Model 

4th Order Macbeth-Evans Lens 
The ATON Bulletin Volume 38, Number 2 

5 

NATON NEWS 

NATON Mythbusters! 

by LTJG Nick Monacelli , NATON School 

Fact or Myth: Aids Positioning is Pre-Arrival (Pipeline) training for those going to designated 

billets on ATON cutters. 

MYTH! 

With very, very few exceptions, we will not grant quotas for the Aids Positioning course to 

members who do not have any experience with current positioning systems. The pre-requisite 

time onboard with the equipment is 3 months, as outlined in the course description on TQC’s 

website. This time of year, we see many requests for individuals who have not yet reported to 

their new units and are asking for Aids Positioning. Because of the fast-paced and highly technical nature of the class, if an individual does not have any experience with current positioning 

systems, it is significantly harder to be successful in the course. If you believe that there is a 

special circumstance or would like to discuss any ETR regarding the Aids Positioning course, 

feel free to contact LTJG Nick Monacelli at (757) 856-2350. 

Fact or Myth: MOORSEL does not work with the new Microsoft Vista standard image.

FACT! 

The Mooring Selection program, MOORSEL, does not work on a workstation with Image 6 

(Vista). If you would like to continue to use MOORSEL, it is recommended to have a standalone computer with Windows XP installed. 

STAN Team Guidance on Padeye 

Weight Testing and Inspection 

by MKC Jeffrey Roberts, STAN Team, ATON Division 

This article is to clarify guidance to ATON field units addressing weight handling testing requirements for the STAN Team. As we continue with standard assessments of ATON units, we 

have been fielding a lot of questions specifically about pull testing padeyes on the TANB, 

BUSL and ANB. As inspectors, we check to ensure dates on all weight tests are current for 

each of the unit’s platforms. Should a question arise during an assessment about the requirement for frequency and or type of inspection to be completed, the STAN Team inspectors will 

follow the respective platform’s most current ALMIS PMS card, the reference which follows 

the Naval Engineering Manual COMDTINST M9000.6E, under Weight Handling and Fittings, 

Ch. 573 pages 573-9 and 573-10. The manual provides more in-depth information and details 

specific requirements. Units are also encouraged to review their applicable platform’s Opera-
The ATON Bulletin Volume 38, Number 2 

6 

NATON NEWS 

tor’s Handbook (OPHBK) for conducting both unit inspections and for preparation for upcoming STAN visits. However, STAN recognizes that some items in the boat outfit list can be 

somewhat vague. In this case, it is necessary to utilize the other Tech Pubs, TCTO’s, ALMIS 

PMS cards and technical prints. Each of our inspectors are utilizing the same inspection sheets 

from their particular platform’s appendix in the OPHBK. If a question arises on a discrepancy, 

the unit should be referring to the classification appendix in the appropriate platform’s OPHBK 

or in the case requiring further clarification/guidance, units should contact the Offices of Boat 

Forces STAN Team, ATON division. 

Hopefully, we can clarify many of the issues affecting our standard ATON platforms prior to 

the inspection. Again, STAN will work with each unit to ensure they understand what is expected and are set up for a successful inspection. Lastly, STAN Team has updated to a newer 

method of providing a resource for units to get assistance in the form of an online forum. The 

forum can be accessed through the following link: 

http://webapp02.tcyorktown.uscg.mil/bfcforum/default.aspx 

Saving $$$ With Refurbished Foam ATON 

by LTJG Nick Monacelli, NATON School 

With the advent of LED lighting equipment, we find ourselves more often establishing foamconstruction buoys as permanent ATON. After some recent discussion with field units regarding procurement of foam buoys, I contacted the Gilman Corporation in Gilman, CT, to get some 

additional information about their foam buoy refurbishing program. The president of the Gilman Corporation, Liz Gilman, provided me with a wealth of information about their program 

including how you can get involved and reap the benefits. 

Gilman will pick up, at no charge to the unit, a full truckload of retired foam buoys from all 

CONUS locations. After reviewing the hulls, including the metal, foam and daymarks, Gilman 

sends the unit a quote for purchasing back the buoys; however, there is no obligation for the 

unit to purchase the refurbished buoys. If the originating unit does not want them back, they 

will be offered up to Coast Guard District offices throughout the country. The quote will include what parts of the buoy will be refurbished and if anything needs to be replaced (most often the bail). Most of the foam portions are easily refurbished by adding additional foam and 

applying heat to “melt” the foam and mold it back into its familiar shape. After repairing the 

structural parts of the buoy, Gilman will repaint the foam with a 2-part formula back to USCG 

specifications, in addition to installing new retro panels. The finished refurbished product 

comes with a 12 year warranty for both color and net buoyancy, presumably longer than the an-
The ATON Bulletin Volume 38, Number 2 

7 

NATON NEWS 

ticipated life-span of the optic and mooring hardware on the aid. 

The cost of a refurbished buoy is normally half of a new hull, and you’ll have like-new hulls 

ready to go. For additional information, you can contact Liz Gilman at (860) 884-1566. 

 Before After
The ATON Bulletin Volume 38, Number 2 

8 

NEWS CLIPS 

A Beacon of Stewardship 

by CWO2 Christopher Runt, Sector Baltimore

One mild September morning, a convoy of dark-colored vehicles arrives at an otherwise vacant 

parking lot of a boat ramp. Coast Guard members from the Deployable Operations Group along 

with local ANTs begin to suit up for what is now an unusual, albeit important mission. They 

grab their tanks, flippers and goggles to load them into the 26-foot Trailerable Aids to Navigation Boat. Personnel from the ANT prepare laptop computers used for positioning aids to navigation and recording data, and then ease into the murky greenish-brown water. Excitement fills 

the air as Coast Guard members know 

they are about to make a difference for 

their environment. 

Severe ice conditions and vessel allisions are a major cause of lost batteries 

from aids to navigation in the Chesapeake Bay. These batteries are a concern due to the fragile ecosystem of the 

region. Coast Guard members at units in 

the area took note of the problem and 

developed a plan to recover them. 

Crews from Sector Baltimore, Aids to 

Navigation Teams from St. Inigoes, 

Md., and Crisfield, Md., and the Deployable Operations Group Regional 

Dive Locker East based in Portsmouth, 

Va., put their plans into action for a six 

day excursion starting Sept. 8, 2010. 

When a fixed aid to navigation is destroyed, all efforts are made to recover 

the structure: including its lighting 

equipment and batteries. Occasionally, 

when the structure is recovered, the battery is not located. To ensure the integrity of the waterway, the service rebuilds the structure. Since most cutters 

do not have divers stationed aboard , the 

batteries are unable to be recovered. 

A plan was developed to utilize Regional Dive Locker East to provide divers to work from the 

aids to navigation teams’ small boats to search for and recover missing batteries. All the work 

was completed by Coast Guard personnel and assets. During this operation, 13 batteries were 

recovered from nine sites, removing the threat of hazardous materials being released into the 

Members of Regional Dive Locker East prepare to dive on 

Hallowing Point Light to recover four batteries 
The ATON Bulletin Volume 38, Number 2 

9 

water from the batteries. 

"We're trying to be good stewards in keeping the Potomac River clean," said Petty Officer 1st 

Class Jeffrey Smith, the Officer in Charge of ANT Potomac in St. Inigoes, Md. "We recovered 

four batteries, which accounts for all batteries knocked into the water from this aid over the past 

three years," he said referencing efforts at Hallowing Point Light. 

Batteries were also recovered from the Potomac River, Mattox Creek, Patuxent River, Nomini 

Creek, Monroe Creek, Nanticoke River and Mine Creek. All of the batteries recovered were 

intact and recycled through authorized vendors. 

Since 1994, the Coast 

Guard has employed a 

strict method of tracking 

batteries used to power 

aids to navigation by assigning a unique serial 

number to each battery 

and tracking them in a database from the time it is 

purchased until it is recycled. Using this system, 

the Coast Guard is able to 

identify the location of 

batteries that have not 

been recovered when an 

aid is rebuilt. 

In the 1980s, the Coast 

Guard solarized its aids to 

navigation. This effort greatly reduced the number of batteries needed to power each aid and 

eliminated the reliance on batteries containing mercury. With light emitting diode technology, 

the Coast Guard is further reducing its reliance on batteries and moving to smaller, self contained lights that include the battery, light and solar panel in one small package. This transition 

will nearly eliminate the chance of battery loss from aids to navigation using technology. 

 The aids to navigation on the bay and tributaries protect the bay and its users by safely guiding 

mariners in support of commerce, fisheries, tourism and shipping. The Coast Guard will continue to do its part to keep the bay healthy both for the biological and economical wellbeing of 

the region and the 15 million residents that call the Chesapeake Bay area home. 

NEWS CLIPS 

A closer look at the corrosion taking hold after the batteries have been 

submerged for several years. 
The ATON Bulletin Volume 38, Number 2 

10 

Low-Speed Track Follow for Buoy Fishing 

by ENS Ian Phillips DeZalia, CGC ELM 

It can often be difficult to find a practical way to test a capability that is only designed for use in 

very specific circumstances. However, once in a while such a situation presents itself to great 

effect. Recently ELM was able to employ the low-speed track follow function on the new 

WLB Dynamic Positioning System (DPS) upgrade to retrieve a sunken buoy. Using sonar, the 

grapnel hook and an ECPINS Vector search pattern, ELM was able to retrieve and replace LB 

“B” in the Camp Lejeune Danger Zone offshore from Jacksonville, NC. The functionality of 

hold heading and low-speed track follow in the new DPS system greatly enhanced the safety 

and efficiency of an often tedious operation. 

ELM arrived on scene December 3rd to work 

LB “B” with a contractor onboard to assist 

with an operational test of the most recent 

DPS upgrade. While LB “B” had been reported riding low in October, it appeared to be 

staying afloat. However, when ELM personnel returned from Deepwater Horizon deployment in November and checked on the aid 

with the local small boat station the buoy was 

missing. It seemed likely that the buoy had 

sunk on station and would be recoverable 

within its most probable position (MPP), 

which became “datum” for its search and recovery. 

Searching for and recovering the buoy had the 

potential to be very difficult and time consuming, as it involved deploying the grapnel hook overboard and dragging it on the sea floor to fish 

for the sunken buoy. To assist with this operation, the DPS contractor suggested ELM create a 

small Vector search pattern as a trackline and follow it with the low-speed track follow function. She was particularly excited to use this new feature because the manufacturer had been 

curious about how this application would be used in the field. The command was also eager to 

try it because the automated system had the potential to provide a more precise and systematic 

search function than normally attained using manual controls. 

Arriving at MPP, ELM used sonar to locate what appeared to be the sunken buoy. A Vector 

search with 60 yard legs centered on the anticipated buoy location was automatically generated 

from the SAR patterns available on ECPINS. After setting the ship on the first leg of the Vector trackline and initiating “hold heading” commensurate with the on-scene environmental conNEWS CLIPS 

A screenshot of the search pattern used. 
The ATON Bulletin Volume 38, Number 2 

11 

NEWS CLIPS 

ditions, low-speed track follow was 

initiated in DPS. Employing engines and thrusters the ship remained pointed into the wind while 

it executed the Vector search with 

the grapnel dragging for the buoy 

chain at a consistent 1.5 knot 

speed. 

On the fourth turn of the search the 

chain on the grapnel came under 

strain. ELM was placed in “hold 

position” and the inhaul winch began to pull the grapnel inboard. 

Within minutes the bright yellow 

hull of LB “B” was clearly visible 

under the water’s surface. The 

plan was for the grapnel to catch 

somewhere on the buoy chain, but 

no one expected that it would snag 

the bridle allowing for the buoy to 

be pulled up in an ideal position to hook it and promptly lift it to the deck. It took less than two 

hours to complete the replacement of the 8X26 hull. 

There may be other applications for low-speed track follow, but fishing for sunken buoy hulls 

is definitely one that capitalizes on the ECPINS and DPS autopilot functions available in modern tenders. 

Bringing the sunken hull on deck, leaks and all. 

Engaging Low-Speed Track Follow on DPS 

1) Engage JSTK/DP 

2) Ensure a Position Reference is selected 

3) Ensure the correct trackline is active on ECPINS and is set in the 

proper direction 

4) On the DPS screen under “Mode Function,” “JSTK/DP” select 

“Hold Heading” and “Hold Position” 

5) Let the computer build a model and ensure the vessel is near the 

desired trackline 

6) Select “Follow Track” 

7) Confirm “Low Speed Track Follow” when prompted 

8) Under “Chart Track” select “Chart” to confirm you are on the 

correct leg 

Potential issue: 

When the vessel passes over datum during a Vector search the system may automatically drop out of track follow. This occurs because DPS “thinks” the selected route has been completed. Momentum will carry the vessel past datum to the next leg. At that 

time track follow can be re-selected. 
The ATON Bulletin Volume 38, Number 2 

12 

NEWS CLIPS 

KUKUI Dive Team Battles the Buoys of Midway 

by YN1 Lucas Spencer and LTJG Joan Hunter, CGC KUKUI 

In the pristine waters of Midway there was once a battle of the Pacific. Known as The Battle of 

Midway, it was fought on June 4, 1942 and resulted in the U.S. Navy defeating the Japanese. 

The battle by most accounts was the beginning of the end of Japanese control in the Pacific. 

Although the battle ended over 65 years ago, one can still see the remnants of the war throughout the island, as another war rages with man and sea offshore. The buoys of Midway are essential to the safe navigation of the sailors off Midway, and CGC KUKUI assumes the duty of 

ensuring their up-keep. Along with Aids to Navigation (ATON), KUKUI also completes other 

missions in the vicinity of Midway such as Law Enforcement, Marine Debris Recovery, MultiUnit Law Enforcement Patrol (MULEPAT), and transporting supplies and personnel (scientists) 

from Midway to Kure Atoll. 

 

KUKUI has been working 

ATON off Midway Atoll for 

many years. But in September of 2010 after a casualty 

to her bow thruster, KUKUI 

could not complete the mission with the 225 foot cutter 

and had to rely instead on 

their collateral duty divers. 

KUKUI is one of three seagoing Buoy Tenders that has 

a Dive Team (the other two 

are CGC WALNUT and 

CGC SEQUOIA). Having 

divers available on a Buoy 

Tender increases the cutter’s 

ATON capabilities and enables buoys to be worked 

when located in shoal water 

or when other dangerous 

situations pose a threat to 

both the cutter and crew. All Coast Guard Divers receive their training at the Naval Diving and 

Salvage Training Center (NDSTC) in Panama City, Florida, during an intense four month period, right alongside Army and Navy Divers. 

CG Divers continue their training by applying the concepts learned at NDSTC to the Coast 

Guard ATON world. During an average buoy dive operation, lift bags are used to put slack in 

the chain enabling the heavy steel to be moved, manipulated, and broken at the shackle. Once 

Breaking the buoy free 
The ATON Bulletin Volume 38, Number 2 

13 

the strain on the chain is relieved with the lift bag, the buoy can be broke by hammering the 

split key out of the shackle. In both the chafe portion of the chain and at the bail of the sinker 

there are shackles that make it possible to break and work the buoy as if it was sitting on the 

deck of a ship. Underwater, the chafe can be measured, buoy broke, chain swapped, and the 

hull relieved by utilizing these methods and tools. Although there are many factors that are out 

of the diver’s control that can make this evolution complex and more involved, this past fall 

KUKUI’s Dive Team stepped up and showed 

everyone how efficiently diving ATON can be 

and how important CG Divers are to Coast 

Guard District 14. 

Although the battle-like conditions that KUKUI 

faced in Midway may not be as historic as The 

Battle of Midway, both obstacles were pursued 

in much the same way. Both were accomplished 

with individuals that were willing to push themselves and do whatever it takes to accomplish 

the end goal. KUKUI had a three day transit to 

Midway Atoll from Honolulu, Hawaii, and was 

scheduled to service 19 aids within the work 

week. The original plan was for the cutter to 

work ten aids, the small boat two, and the divers 

to work seven. After KUKUI finished working 

the first buoy of the trip—the Midway Entrance 

Buoy—she experienced a casualty to her bow 

thruster. This prevented her from being able to 

significantly maneuver in shallow depths and 

hold station while positioning a buoy, thus rendering the 18 buoy evolutions unsafe to complete by the ship herself. KUKUI turned to her 

Dive Team. In addition to the time constraint of having to complete all the buoys within the 

scheduled week in Midway, the Dive Team was also limited by having access to only one operational small boat. KUK I, as the small boat is called, had to handle the towing of the buoys 

and chain, as well as serve as the dive platform with all personnel and gear onboard. Outside of 

logistics, the Dive Supervisor and team had to pay particular close attention to each other. Repetitive dives within 18 hours of each other greatly increase the potential risk of incurring dive 

related injuries, therefore maintaining awareness and being meticulously attentive to every 

diver upon exit of the water was crucial to success. The closest hyperbaric chamber facility 

from Midway is in Honolulu, about 1,200 nautical miles away. The Dive Team planned for the 

worst case scenario, notifying both Coast Guard Air Station Barber’s Point and the Navy’s Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit (with hyperbaric capabilities) before they splashed any divers. 

These actions ensured that all key players were ready to spring into action for any emergency 

situation. Despite all the limitations and hurdles, the Dive Team was eager to face the chalNEWS CLIPS 

The view from below 
The ATON Bulletin Volume 38, Number 2 

14 

NEWS CLIPS 

lenges and conquer the ATON in the waters of 

Midway Atoll. 

All six qualified divers were optimally utilized 

during the 18 buoy operations, ensuring no divers 

went into decompression. With the help of the 

three-man small boat and ATON positioning 

crew, the KUKUI finished its mission in four 

long days. The biggest highlight was the accomplishment of turning over an 8500-pound sinker 

in order to get the bail in the upright position. 

The buoy needed a hull relief and chain replacement, so the challenge lay in using lift bags to 

turn over the heavy, upside-down sinker in a controlled manner while finding the right balance of 

inflation to prevent the sinker from shooting to 

the surface. It took a good amount of time, but in 

the end the Dive Team successfully won their 

battle of Midway. As the sun was setting and falling behind the vast ocean, the small boat towed 

the final, dirty hull back at a grandma-low speed. 

The sunburned torn and tired personnel in KUKUI chugged along and one could feel the electricity in the air, as the crew exchanged glances 

they laughed as a new energy set in... HOO-YAH!! 

Filling the lift bags 

Working to bring the rock off of the bottom 
The ATON Bulletin Volume 38, Number 2 

15 

NEWS CLIPS 

Life Aboard the Coast Guard Cutter CHIPPEWA 

(WLR 75404) 

by Jeff Yates, reprinted from December 20, 2010 Waterways Journal 

If one spends any time along the river or makes a “full hitch” aboard a towboat, chances are that 

he or she will pass one of the Coast Guard’s several inland waterway buoy tenders either setting 

a buoy or shoved into the bank while a crew services a shore aid. 

I’ve encountered many of 

the unpretentious service 

vessels along various rivers over the past thirtyfive years or more and 

had not given any serious 

thought to their never 

ending routine or to the 

dedication of their crews. 

I had not been aboard a 

Coast Guard buoy tender 

since touring the former 

Cutter SUMAC and her 

buoy barge as an impressionable teenager, early 

into my love affair with 

the river in 1959 while she was tied up at the Henderson, KY city front along the Ohio River. 

Fifty-one years later, I happened to strike up a conversation with Master Chief Boatswains Mate 

(BMCM) Scott W. Ehrich when the Cutter CHIPPEWA was offering tours during the Paducah 

Marine Industry Day celebration held in conjunction with the city’s annual Barbecue on the 

River celebration in September. Hearing of my five decade love affair with the river and my 

interest in how the Coast Guard goes about its mission of maintaining all the buoys, lights and 

day marks necessary to assure safe passage along the rivers, Ehrich invited me to ride along on 

a typical ATON (Aids to Navigation) run. 

Based at a facility across a small bay from Paris Landing State Park, near Buchanan , TN, the 

CHIPPEWA and her crew typically maintain floating and shore-based aids along the Ohio 

River from Smithland Locks and Dam at Mile 918 to Mile 981 at Cairo and along the Upper 

Mississippi River to Chester, IL at Mile 109. Because of the differences in the flow and characteristics of the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers, his area of responsibility is one of the most challenging areas along the Western Rivers, Ehrich said. 

He said that along the Ohio River portion of its service area, the CHIPPEWA maintains approximately 132 buoys and fourteen shore side aids and along the Upper Mississippi River porUSCGC CHIPPEWA (WLR 75404) 
The ATON Bulletin Volume 38, Number 2 

16 

NEWS CLIPS 

tion, they service approximately 450 buoys and sixty-seven shore side aids. The buoy barge can 

carry up to 104 buoys and 122 sinkers. During an average year the CHIPPEWA crew will replace more than a thousand missing buoys. 

The CHIPPEWA is a seventy-five foot towboat 

which fits into a notch on 

the stern of a 130 foot 

barge equipped with a selfpowered service shop, storage above and below deck, 

a capstan for pulling errant 

or damaged buoys aboard 

and a 3,000 lb. capacity 

Appleton Marine crane for 

buoy retrieval or other applications as necessary. 

Stored in racks on either 

side of the service barge 

are two heavily-reinforced, 

twenty-foot john boats 

equipped with twin fifty 

hp. outboards for use in retrieving buoys stranded on shore or for getting crew members closer 

to service aids where the barge cannot reach the shore in spite of its four and a half foot draft. 

The compact towboat draws only four feet two inches and after seeing first hand some of the 

maneuvering tricks displayed by Ehrich, I was surprised to learn it has only 750 hp. The CHIPPEWA and sister ship CHEYENNE, both with steel hulls and aluminum superstructures, were 

built at Tell City, IN by the former Maxon Construction Company in 1966. 

 

The CHIPPEWA changed its home to Paris Landing in 2000 after operating out of Owensboro, 

KY for thirty five years. The Paris Landing facility also serves the cutter CIMMARON which 

tends to aids along the Tennessee and Cumberland Rivers. Ehrich said seventeen crewmen are 

assigned to the CHIPPEWA and it normally sails with thirteen crewmen aboard, leaving four 

behind at the Paris Landing facility to handle maintenance chores and support for the underway 

cutters. “We can’t safely sail with less than ten people,” he added. 

On this trip, the CHIPPEWA was sailing with one open berth and I was fortunate to share a 

room on the upper deck with BMC Toby Vanwormer, the vessel’s second in command. BMCM 

Ehrich had his own stateroom forward on the second deck while the rest of the enlisted crew 

members shared a ten-person bunkroom on the lower deck. 

I boarded the CHIPPEWA at Paducah, KY November 9th shortly before the arrival of ten students from the NROTC program from Tilghman High School at Paducah, KY. They were the 

first of several groups of students to be given an opportunity to ride from Paducah to Cairo, IL 

to see first-hand how the Coast Guard fulfills its mission along the Inland Waterways. Senior 

Naval Science instructor, LCDR Donald Taylor (USN-Retired) said each year the students parWorking river aids in tow 
The ATON Bulletin Volume 38, Number 2 

17 

ticipate in an orientation trip with a tour of a ship but this was their first year to board a Coast 

Guard cutter and be underway to witness its activities underway. “Kids love hands-on experience like this,” he said watching one of the students being assisted into a flame retardant firefighting suit by one of the CHIPPEWA’s crew members. “They can’t get that through a recruiting office!” 

The students were able to see routine operations while the CHIPPEWA transited Lock and Dam 

52 and as the tender checked several buoys or re-set some that had been knocked off station. 

They also saw a typical buoy retrieval operation where a very old buoy (pre-radar reflector) was 

discovered laying on the bank below the lock. In clockwork type unison Ehrich nosed the barge 

onto the shore where his crew scrambled up an embankment and attached a cable to the rusty 

buoy for the barge crane operator to pull it across the beach and lift it aboard for eventual disposal, all within only ten minutes. 

Proceeding down the river, Ehrich zig-zagged from one side of the channel to the other, running 

within ten feet of each buoy to confirm it was still on station and marking a safe depth for navigation. He quickly scanned the digital depth-sounder and looked at the GPS coordinates and 

digital chart overlay to confirm each buoy was in the proper spot. Rising or falling river stages 

often require that a buoy be moved in or out from its previous position to better mark the channel’s edge or the end of a dike, he explained. The chart program has several custom features, 

one of which shows contours super-imposed from data gathered by ACOE survey vessels. 

By 2:00 PM, we arrived at Cairo, IL for a quick stop where the students departed at the city’s 

cobblestone wharf and boarded a van for the return trip to Paducah. Within ten minutes, we 

rounded Cairo Point and continued up the Upper Mississippi River, stopping to check and/or 

reset each buoy along the way before finally stopping for the night. The rapidly-approaching 

nightfall did not curtail the CHIPPEWA’s crew from its mission as they continued to pick up 

and reset buoys as darkness enveloped their synchronized retrieval and dropping routine before 

Ehrich guided the barge into the right descending bank near Mile 12 between Hurricane Day 

mark and Antelope Light. Ehrich ordered the spuds on the buoy barge and the cutter to be 

dropped into the river bottom then the deck crew scurried ashore with bow and stern lines to 

shackle around sturdy trees to ensure a safe overnight mooring. 

 

Then it was time for a wholesome supper prepared by FS1 Chris Vick, the CHIPPEWA’s amiable and talented cook and medical officer, who moments earlier was also stationed on the vessel’s stern with a sounding pole and a hand-held radio to confirm and relay the water depth to 

Ehrich as he landed the boat and barge for the night. At age 36, Vick has already spent half his 

life in the military with stints in three branches; seven years in the navy, five years in the Army 

and almost seven so far in the Coast Guard. With the exception of his Army tour, where he 

served as an ordinance specialist in Iraq, Vick has been a cook feeding small crews such as the 

CHIPPEWA all the way up to the ABE LINCOLN, the Navy’s largest aircraft carrier where he 

was one of twenty-eight cooks preparing meals for six thousand people. “I’ve always loved to 

cook and my parents encouraged it,” he remarked while preparing breakfast the next morning. 

Most of us who have worked on line haul towboats or those familiar with the normal work routine are accustomed to twelve hour work days but I never gave any thought previously to the 

NEWS CLIPS 
The ATON Bulletin Volume 38, Number 2 

18 

long days put in by the crews aboard a typical inland waterway buoy tender. My second day 

aboard quickly illustrated the differences between the standard six hour watches aboard a towboat and the straight twelve-fourteen hour work shifts aboard an inland Coast Guard cutter. By 

6:00 AM, the crew was quickly eating breakfast before heading to their assigned positions to 

prepare the vessel to get underway as others went through their checklists in the engine room 

and started the main engines. By 6:50 AM we had backed away from shore and within minutes 

were already easing up to reposition the first of more than thirty buoys that would be checked, 

moved, or replaced within the first few hours. There was no watch change as the deck crew hustled back to the boat to woof down a quick lunch before heading back out to the next assignment as others came back aboard after clearing overgrown tree branches from a navigation light 

or retrieving a stray buoy from the river bank with one of the twenty-foot work boats. 

Every situation is a learning opportunity aboard the 

CHIPPEWA as more experienced crew members 

train and assist newer or younger crew members 

with fresh challenges. From the Officer in Charge 

to the Executive Petty Officer on down the line to 

deck and engineering Petty Officers, they all were 

engaged in teaching their skills and proficiencies 

along to the new crewmembers, eager to qualify for 

their assigned position onboard. Each position on 

board from handling the cutter or small boat to 

working on the deck requires certain tasks to be 

signed off, demonstrated and then the member must 

sit in front of a board to answer questions regarding 

his knowledge in order to get his final qualification 

for the position. 

The Officer in Charge, BMCM Ehrich has been 

aboard the CHIPPEWA for more than three years 

but will be heading to a new teaching assignment in 

Virginia in June. However, he was already in full 

teaching mode as he helped BMC Toby Vanwormer learn the tricks of safely handling the cutter and the proper placement of the buoys, 

which both veteran “Coasties” will agree is completely different from anything they had experienced previously. Ehrich joined the Coast Guard following high school graduation in 1988 and 

following his advancement through the ranks of various deck operations and navigation aid 

training, was soon on his way to command the helm of many different class and size buoy tenders. 

“This seems like organized chaos,” he said as he described the obvious coordination and team 

work required to safely handle the various challenges of navigating the CHIPPEWA in extremely tight quarters through constantly-changing river conditions in all kinds of weather. Not 

only is he responsible for safely handling the boat and barge, he must also coordinate the deck 

crew during the placement or retrieval of possibly hundreds of buoys during a trip; he must also 

oversee the training and encourage the advancement of his junior crew members. He has a defiNEWS CLIPS 

Coming alongside 
The ATON Bulletin Volume 38, Number 2 

19 

NEWS CLIPS 

nite fondness for the inland sector where he had never thought of being assigned earlier in his 

career. “At the end of the day this is the most satisfying feeling,” he said. “We can look back 

and say, ‘Here’s what we accomplished’”. 

Executive Petty Officer 

Toby Vanwormer is a 

nineteen year Coast Guard 

veteran with a long list of 

assignments within the 

aids to navigation segment 

and he has had experience 

on many different size and 

types of Coast Guard vessels. “ATON (Aids to 

Navigation) is ATON he 

remarked, “and the principals are the same,” he said 

referring to the basic understanding of International regulations relating 

to placement of aids and 

how they direct traffic in 

and out of ports or around navigation hazards. “However, how we go about accomplishing our 

mission along the Inland Waterways is completely different to anything I ever done before,” he 

added. 

In his previous assignments, buoys and aids were set in previously determined positions of a 

particular area based upon charted information and they were generally not repositioned, Vanwormer noted. However, along the Inland Waterways, conditions are constantly changing and 

the Officer in Charge has full discretion on where to place the buoys. We must also work 

closely with the Corps of Engineers and the river industry, which has much input on placement 

of critical aids, he explained. 

Retrieving errant buoys from their hiding places behind waist high piles of drift and debris 

seemed like child’s play to thirty-five year old, BM2 Robert Fortier who has served aboard the 

CHIPPEWA for a little over three years. When we arrived on shore to fetch the first buoy, he 

sent one of the others to snap a line to the mooring pin and the crewman climbed back aboard 

the twenty-footer. Fortier slammed both 50 HP outboards into reverse and the line sprang taught 

like a guitar string as water sprayed along both sides of the boat which shook and rattled until 

the reluctant buoy released its grip from the sand and mud and slid over and through the driftwood and flotsam on its way back to the water. 

He then let off the throttles, moved alongside the now floating buoy where a crew man tethered 

it to a reinforced deck fitting for transport back to the CHIPPEWA. Many times, he would 

speed off to another buoy and repeat the process, hanging another buoy on the other side of the 

Picking an aid washed ashore 
The ATON Bulletin Volume 38, Number 2 

20 

NEWS CLIPS 

super-tough work boat and zip back to the CHIPPEWA at more than twenty mile per hour with 

water cascading from both buoys bouncing alongside. Fortier and his crew repeated this all day 

long. 

A real master at boat handling, Fortier grew up in Massachusetts and has always been oriented 

to community service, he said. “I originally wanted to be a fireman but ended up joining the 

Coast Guard,” he remarked. Previous to his assignment to the CHIPPEWA he had served as a 

coxswain on a 110 foot patrol boat in Puerto Rico and has also served as officer of the deck, 

boarding officer and has experience in countering narcotics along with search and rescue operations. “Everything here is different,” he remarked, recalling his first assignment to the inland 

waterways where he had to learn how to read the water and the effects of the current and how to 

handle the smaller boat in conditions ranging from shallow water, raging currents, extreme drift 

accumulations, body wrenching slams in rough water, breath-grabbing heat and humidity and 

freezing water spray that coats the boat and crew during winter recovery operations. “I learned 

how to handle the boat in about three months but it took longer to get comfortable, he said, 

while instructing SN Joshua Leon as he experienced more “wheel time” to prepare for his qualification as boat coxswain. “Where else can you drive a boat through the trees?” he exclaimed as 

we ferried two more buoys back to the CHIPPEWA. 

 

The second day ended after dark when we were spudded down and tied off at the Cape 

Girardeau city front. After grabbing supper in the combination galley and mess room, some of 

the crew went ashore to a favorite river front watering hole while others remained on board to 

catch up on their emails or to hit the rack in preparation for another non-stop day of zig-zagging 

up the river, checking and repositioning buoys and servicing shore aids. 

The third day began as the one previous with the same pre-departure check list procedure and 

we were underway before 7:00 AM en route to Chester, IL as Ehrich and his crew checked and 

relocated more buoys and retrieved more strays from both shores along the river. Around 1:00 

PM the CHIPPEWA turned around at Mile 109 and headed back down the river at a much 

faster pace. This day ended a little earlier than the others when we shoved into the left descending bank, spudded down and tied off again at approximately Mile 91 shortly before dark. After 

a more leisurely supper, several of the crew members went ashore and gathered around a campfire for some much needed rest and relaxation before returning to the boat before 9:00 PM. 

 

Before 7:00 AM on the fourth day, we were underway again, making 12 to 13 knots, twice the 

speed of the up bound trip with few interruptions for checking buoys or aids that had been serviced less than twenty-four hours previously. Having no navigation aids to service did not excuse the crew from other work details however, as they resumed maintenance and equipment 

service activities that were set aside during the up bound trip. FN Raymond Wert, an apprentice 

engineer switched from wrestling buoys to more comfortable quarters in the engineers’ booth 

where he took time from his rounds to monitor and record various engine and equipment gauges 

and readings in the logbook and on the computer. Fresh from boot camp only a year previously, 

the nineteen year old Coast Guardsman was on his first tour of duty aboard ship. The son of a 

Cost Guard lieutenant Wert knew he was destined for a military career. “It was either the Coast 
The ATON Bulletin Volume 38, Number 2 

21 

NEWS CLIPS 

Guard or the Marines,” he remarked. “I didn’t even take the SAT’s” he added, recalling his 

early decision while still in high school at Lake Worth, FL. He didn’t expect an inland assignment however, adding, “I’m more a coast kind of person.” 

This was an exceptionally long day for BMCM Ehrich who was at the helm for almost fifteen 

hours before we rounded Cairo Point and stopped along the right descending shore above the 

Illinois Central Railroad Bridge. He had considered stopping between Cape Girardeau and 

Cairo but took advantage of the clear night to make as many miles as possible before the 

weather changed to fog and rain before the next morning. 

The final day began in a heavy mist and fog as we departed Cairo to continue up the Ohio 

where before long, Ehrich spotted a buoy near the Olmstead Lock and Dam project that needed 

re-setting to meet his standards. Throughout the return to Paducah, in spite of the rain and fog, 

the CHIPPEWA crew spotted buoys that required a closer inspection to assure they were on station as Ehrich made notes to check a couple shore aids for proper illumination on the next south 

bound trip. We arrived back at Paducah around 1:00 PM where Ehrich nosed the buoy barge 

into the public landing long enough for me to step off with my duffle bag and camera case. In 

only minutes, the CHIPPEWA was fading into the mist and fog as her crew continued up the 

Ohio to check the buoys and lights below Smithland Lock before turning around to head up the 

Tennessee River in hopes of making it back to Paris Landing so the crew could be home with 

their families for the remainder of the weekend. 

After a week in port for maintenance and restocking, followed by the Thanksgiving holiday, the 

routine began all over again. 
The ATON Bulletin Volume 38, Number 2 

22 

NEWS CLIPS 

Storm on the Range(s): Replacing Tampa Bay Structures 

After Bout of Severe Weather 

by BM1 Eric Wieczorek, CGC VISE 

On 28 March 2011, a severe weather front swept across the entire eastern seaboard bringing 

strong winds, damaging hail, and even tornados in some areas of Tampa Bay, Florida. Over the 

next three days, heavy rains and winds buffeted the bay area. Nearly seven inches of rain fell 

with top wind gusts of 60 knots being reported 

at the St. Petersburg airport. Cutter VISE was 

actually on her way back to homeport as the 

front approached, in anticipation of the weather. 

Waterspouts across the Tampa Bay were reported to have a damaging effect on several 

range structures. The Hillsborough Cut “D” 

ranges (both front and rear) were disabled by the 

high winds; both of the structures were multipile wood construction, and had seen many 

years of service in the mostly protected northern 

reaches of the bay. The front range had its entire 

header with all lighting gear blown away while 

the rear range sustained much more extensive 

damage. The 12” x 12” timber mud sills had been 

snapped and the entire tower (approximately 30ft height) had toppled into the water. Another 

range across the bay in the Cut “J” channel had also suffered a header and tower topple. VISE 

responded to the call from ANT St. Petersburg and the Tampa 

Pilots regarding the discrepancies. After re-loading all required 

gear, VISE headed across the bay to get to work. Once on 

scene, ANT St. Pete took the lead on the front range due to the 

extremely shallow water. They waded out to the structure and 

hand-carried all the gear to fabricate a new header. Meanwhile, 

VISE was on scene at the rear structure managing to rig the 

tower and broken timbers as a single pick. Upon inspection of 

the tower, the steel foundation was found to be well worn and 

deteriorated, requiring replacement. The crew had to fabricate 

an entirely new foundation from scratch as the tower was outdated and not a standard modular system. After less than half a 

day onscene, all worn timber was replaced, a new deck was 

installed and the tower was standing vertical once again. All 

traffic coming out of Port Sutton and the downtown portion of 

Tampa could once again navigate the channel safely. VISE 

found herself underway once more heading a short distance 

away to repair another range in the Cut “J” channel finding 

only a multi pile steel jig onscene. After several grapnel hook 

Cut “D” as it looked upon arrival 

The finished Cut “D” 
The ATON Bulletin Volume 38, Number 2 

23 

NEWS CLIPS 

tosses, the tower was snagged and craned aboard. Once again the crew’s ingenuity came into 

play as yet another tower had a weathered base that needed replacement. In less than six hours a 

new header was installed and the recovered tower completed with 4KRW dayboards and RL-14 

lantern were watching over Tampa Bay. 

A few valuable insights were gained as a result of this operation, the first of which was the discovery of potential 

weak links in the ATON network around the bay. The 

storm system had weeded out the aids that could have 

been weak links during this year’s upcoming hurricane 

season, which ultimately helps in the long run. Another 

lesson learned is that VISE and ANT St. Pete were ready 

to answer the call on short order and ensure safe navigation of commerce across Tampa Bay and the rest of the 

region. 

Post-storm Cut “J” wreckage 

Cut “J” LWP 

Carefully lowering the new foundation 
The ATON Bulletin Volume 38, Number 2 

24 

NEWS CLIPS 

CGC SMILAX Crowned Queen of the Fleet 

by LTJG Lisa De Pace, Fifth District Waterways Management 

Photos by PA3 David Marin, Fifth District External Affairs 

Tradition courses through the veins of the 

Coast Guard and is at the heart of the Aids to 

Navigation mission, which dates back to the 

U.S. Lighthouse Service founded in 1789. In 

Atlantic Beach, North Carolina, history and 

heritage were celebrated as Coast Guard Cutter SMILAX (WLIC-315) became the 

“Queen of the Fleet” on April 14, 2011. 

 

Cutter SMILAX is a unique 100-foot bay 

and sound construction tender. It was designed by the Coast Guard and built by Dubuque Boat & Boiler works in Dubuque, 

Iowa. The SMILAX’s keel was laid November 26, 1943, launched August 18, 1944 and 

commissioned November 1, 1944. At the 

time, she was the most expensive ship in her 

class, coming in at a cost of $194,238 and is 

the only remaining cutter of her class. Like 

many construction tenders, SMILAX is responsible for fixed and floating aids to navigation and is one of three construction tenders serving the Fifth Coast Guard District. 

The title of “Queen of the Fleet,” or oldest 

commissioned cutter recognizes SMILAX’s 

sixty-seven years of service and counting. 

While the SMILAX is the first construction 

tender to receive this honor, she is not the 

first queen in the aids to navigation fleet. 

The Coast Guard Cutter FIR (WLM 212) served as the oldest commissioned cutter from 1988 

until she was decommissioned in 1991. 

 

As the Commanding Officer of the SMILAX, Chief Warrant Officer Scott McAloon, relieved 

the “watch,” the hull emblazoned with gold hull numbers was revealed. As he addressed the 

four hundred guests, he honed in on tradition and heritage. Featured in the program was a picture of a very young Petty Officer 2nd Class putting the hull numbers on SMILAX years ago. At 

the time, the Petty Officer 2nd class did not know that SMILAX would become the “Queen of 

Presiding over the ceremony (left to right): 

ADM Papp, Commandant and Gold Ancient Mariner, 

RDML Lee, Fifth District Commander, and 

BMCM Hearn, OIC KANKAKEE and Silver Ancient Mariner 
The ATON Bulletin Volume 38, Number 2 

25 

NEWS CLIPS 

the Fleet” and that his son would be the Commanding Officer to accept the honor. Like Chief 

Warrant Officer McAloon, more than 30 percent of his crew, are second generation Coast 

Guardsmen. With the proud families of the nineteen crewmembers looking on, it was clear that 

the blue line would continue in some of those children. 

The distinction as “Queen of the Fleet” is as much an honor for the crew as it is for the ship. 

SMILAX’s gold hull numbers are worn on both the ball caps and name tags of each crew member. Pride was evident in each crew member as the Commandant, the Fifth District Commander, 

and Silver Ancient Mariner designated SMILAX as “Queen of the Fleet.” 

 

With 67 years of service completed SMILAX has seen many crews and will continue to see 

many more. All of her shipmates past, present, and future work to keep the ship running and the 

aids to navigation mission completed. The back of the program featured SMILAX, pictured 

sailing to sea and a quote from a former Commanding Officer, Chief Warrant Officer Michael 

Davis that truly represents SMILAX’s unique legacy. 

 

“ The shoals and shifting sands, the uncharted inlets and shallow rivers, the hot summer days 

and cold winter nights, the aging equipment and rusting steel. These are but a few of the constants each SMILAX crew has faced, and throughout the decades each has learned from the former and persevered. SMILAX is unique, one-of-a-kind, and no other cutter can duplicate her 

abilities. And for each of us that have served her, preserving the past and changing for the future, the constant remains. And now she is Queen and all who have served can be proud to be a 

part of her legacy.” 

SMILAX showing off her new gold numbering 
The ATON Bulletin Volume 38, Number 2 

26 

True Volunteers 

by PA2 Renee Aiello, AIRSTA Houston Public Affiars 

and SN Lauren Laughlin, ANT South Padre Island

Aids to Navigation Team South Padre Island, located deep in southeastern Texas, proudly honors three of its own who selflessly dedicate their time as volunteer firefighters: Petty Officer 3rd 

Class Fabian Gonzalez, Fireman Lance Strand and Seaman Benjamin Dennard. All three are 

volunteer firefighters with the Laguna Vista Fire Department. Not only do they work for the 

Coast Guard, but on their off time they are on call for the fire department. 

Gonzalez, Strand and Dennard are qualified crewmen on all ANT South Padre Island platforms. 

Strand is a qualified engineer and Gonzalez is a qualified coxswain. Dennard is taking classes 

to become an Emergency Medical Technician for the fire department which also contributes to 

the Coast Guard. 

Every Tuesday night they have training with the Laguna Vista Fire Department where they will 

become Texas state certified firefighters. Although they are not yet state certified, they have 

enough training to work under a state certified firefighter. Strand has been to approximately 40 

emergency calls, Gonzalez has been to over 70 and Dennard has been to more than 100 emergency calls to assist residents of Laguna Vista, Laguna Heights and Port Isabel. 

“I joined the Laguna Vista Fire Department because I wanted to help in the community plus I 

get to put red and blue lights on my car,” said Gonzalez. Gonzalez has been stationed with ANT 

South Padre Island for almost two years and has been a volunteer with the fire department for 

almost one year. Both Strand and Dennard have been with ANT South Padre Island and fire department for one year. “I always knew I wanted to help save lives. The Coast Guard has provided me the opportunity to do both; be a Guardian and a firefighter and now I will have my 

EMT certification too,” said Dennard. 

On any given day, the call may come alerting volunteer firefighters that their assistance is 

needed. Just as with the Coast Guard, response time is of the essence: the quicker the response 

time, the better chance of successfully mitigating the situation. On the evening of Nov. 29, 

2010, Gonzalez, Strand and Dennard responded to a raging house fire that put their expert firefighting training to the ultimate test. 

It was approximately 7 p.m., Nov. 29, and a two-story home quickly caught fire becoming fully 

engulfed in flames within minutes. Coast Guardsmen Gonzalez, Strand and Dennard were notified and responded to the fire, which lasted for three hours. Gonzalez and Lance were the first 

to arrive on scene and took control of a fire hose. They entered the house via the front door and 

proceeded to combat the fire in the living room and kitchen. They were only in the house for 20 

minutes when the roof started to collapse. The pair evacuated the house and continued continue 

fighting the fire from outside. Dennard, along with another firefighter, worked to extinguish the 

NEWS CLIPS 
The ATON Bulletin Volume 38, Number 2 

27 

fire from the back of the house. 

“I have been to many calls, but it was not until this last fire that I truly understood what it meant 

to be a firefighter. This fire was huge and the whole house became engulfed in flames so fast,” 

said Gonzalez. “That house fire was the biggest structure fire I have been to. I was really worried about the houses next to it catching fire. They didn’t and I am glad no one was hurt,” said 

Strand. 

Volunteering comes second nature to many Coast Guardsmen. Some men and women who 

chose the Coast Guard as a career are giving by nature; others develop the trait after experiencing the fulfillment volunteering brings to one’s life. Senior Chief Petty Officer Robert Gonzales, officer-in-charge of ANT South Padre Island supports unit members who want to go out 

into the community and volunteer their time and energy toward a given cause. “Their volunteer 

services provide the community a greater ability to respond to emergency situation while facing 

the potential dangers of placing themselves in harm’s way to provide assistance to others,” said 

Gonzales. “Their off-duty contributions allow Coast Guard members the opportunity to be 

highly visible within their community, thus creating a great relationship between the local community and the Coast Guard,” he said.Additionally, Gonzalez, Strand and Dennard are involved 

with the Boys and Girls Club of Laguna Madre, where they coach basketball and other community activities. 

The “True Volunteers” of ANT South Padre. (left to right) : 

SN Dennard, FN Strand, and BM3 Gonzalez 

NEWS CLIPS 
The ATON Bulletin Volume 38, Number 2 

28 

GALLERY 
The ATON Bulletin Volume 38, Number 2 

29 

GALLERY 

From opposite top-left (clockwise): 

Working ATON in Sitka, 

BMC Michael Bagley 

WILLOW Breaking Ice 

ENS Rachel Douglas 

SYCAMORE setting Valdez security buoy 

ENS Carla Geyer 

ANT Ft. Lauderdale finds a surprise 

BM1 John Bagley 

VISE as backdrop for 

BLACKTHORN memorial 

BOSN Mike Popelars 
The ATON Bulletin Volume 38, Number 2 

30 

TECHNICAL CORNER 

Coming Soon: I-ATONIS Query Repository 

by Marie Sudik, NAVCEN 

Calling all I-ATONIS queries! Do you have any I-ATONIS queries that 

you run on a regular basis? Do you think another ATON unit or dpw could 

use the same query? 

We want to establish a resource on the IATONIS website to make available generic queries for use by anyone in the ATON community. This repository will leverage expertise across district dpws and ATON units by 

sharing best practices for managing aid information. 

Sometime this summer, we will add the following screen to the I-ATONIS website accessible 

via the SUPPORT menu option. The <Read Me First> link will direct the user to a tutorial 

demonstrating how to use the query repository. 

In the meantime, we need your favorite queries to populate this webpage. Please send your 

queries, in either .xls or .dqy format, to Marie Sudik at NAVCEN, Marie.P.Sudik@uscg.mil. 
The ATON Bulletin Volume 38, Number 2 

31 

CG LED Lantern Instructions 

by Jon Grasson, CG-432 

Light Emitting Diode (LED) lanterns purchased from Carmanah, Sealite, Tideland and Vega 

contain instructions from the manufacturer that are geared towards an international audience 

and may detail features that we do not use or allow our personnel to access. In addition, there 

are specific settings for some Carmanah and Vega lanterns that must be activated during programming to ensure proper operation. The Ocean Engineering Division at CGHQ has specific 

instructions for the above lanterns posted on our website: 

http://www.uscg.mil/hq/cg4/cg432/ 

You will find the specific documents under Products/Services, LED Lantern Instructions. Be 

sure to download and print a copy of the applicable instructions before selecting, programming, 

installing, maintaining and troubleshooting any LED lantern. CIM M16500.3A Aids to Navigation Manual-Technical has been updated to include the latest LED lantern offerings but directs users to the above website for specific details. In addition, CIM 16500.19C Short Range 

Aids to Navigation Servicing Guide was recently updated with the latest LED lanterns and includes programming information (as requested), but directs the user to the website for more 

specific instructions. 

“LEDBullets” for Range Lanterns 

by Jon Grasson, CG-432 

The Ocean Engineering Division purchased a Light Emitting Diode (LED) insert for the RL14 

range lantern that eliminates the CG flasher, lampchanger, lamps and mirror. The device is 

called the LEDBullet and it was developed under contract by Tideland Signal Corporation. 

They offer a substantial power savings in red and green, and have a long life (10-20 years). A 

clear glass or the existing spread lens is used to provide the necessary horizontal divergence, 

however the LEDBullet has sufficient divergence such that it can be used without a spread lens. 

Intensities are adjustable from approximately 2000 candela to 100,000 candela (76,000 for yellow) using a 3 degree spread lens. Higher intensities in white are anticipated. While this kit is 

specifically designed for the RL14, Tideland has developed a FA-240 kit for the Canadian CG 

that will be offered later this year. This kit replaces the same components and will never require focusing. For low intensity applications, this is an economical solution if the ANT has 

FA-240 housings on-hand. The LEDs used in the LEDBullet determines the signal color. A 

white LEDBullet cannot be used with a yellow, red or green spread lenses. However, a clear 

glass or clear spread lens can be used with white, yellow, red or green LEDBullet. 

TECHNICAL CORNER 
The ATON Bulletin Volume 38, Number 2 

32 

TECHNICAL CORNER 

The 250mm with condensing panel (w/cp) does not have an elegant solution. For now, use a 

RL14 or FA-240 and sync an additional light to the LEDBullet if an all-around signal is required. The LEDBullet can be synced with existing CG slave flashers, the new CG-504 flasher, 

Tideland's MLED-120 lantern and Vega's VLB-67-SA standalone LED lantern. 

Additional details are on our website under Products/Services, LED Lantern Instructions, and 

under Pubs/Software, Solar Sizing Programs and Tables, Ranges Solar Sizing Program compares legacy equipment with the LEDBullet. 

http://www.uscg.mil/hq/cg4/cg432/ 

Use this program to compare the capabilities of the existing RL14 installations and select a 

LEDBullet that is a close match to the existing intensity. Because these LEDs are much more 

efficient than the existing incandescent lamps, now is a good time to reevaluate the range using 

the range design spreadsheet and optimize the brightness balance and recommended intensities. 

We have 30-40 white, red & green kits (a few yellow) at SFLC Baltimore that will be free-issue 

for conversions CG-wide. Contact your district (DPW) staff if you are interested in converting 

your range lanterns to LEDs.  

The front of the new LEDBullet assembly 

A rear-facing view of the component card for the 

conversion 
The ATON Bulletin Volume 38, Number 2 

33 

DECADES AGO IN ATON HISTORY 

New 55-foot ANBs Aid ANT Mission 

originally submitted by CGHQ(oan) Staff 

reprinted from Winter 1976 Bulletin 

New aids to navigation servicing boats have been slowly making their appearance at selected 

units around the Coast Guard during the last four months. The 55-foot, V-bottom, all aluminum 

aids to navigation boats, are designed to be the primary servicing tool of Aids to Navigation 

Teams (ANTs), and to operate in inland waterways, bays, sounds and harbors for normal and 

emergency servicing of aids to navigation. 

The builder, Robert E. Derecktor, Inc., of Mamaroneck, New York, contracted to build the first 

12 boats of a 19 boat fleet. The contract for this construction was awarded on June 30, 1975, 

and the keel for the first hull was 

layed on October 18, 1975. The 

first boat was delivered to CG 

Yard for acceptance and sea trials in December 1976 and the 

twelfth boat will be accepted 

some time in April 1977. 

The power plant chosen for the 

ANBs is the General Motors 12-

V-71-T1 turbo-charged engines 

which develops 540 HP at 2300 

RPMs. This produces a speed of 

about 21 knots. The designed 

draft with a full deck load of 

4000 lbs is 5.29 feet and 5.0 feet 

while unloaded. Another feature is the twin-disc “Omega” MC-514M 2.5-1 reduction gear. This 

“Omega” reduction gear allows shaft RPM to be varied independently of engine RPM which 

allows for greater maneuverability at slow speeds. 

The fuel oil capacity of 1000 gallons gives the ANB a range of 340 miles at maximum speed. 

This range is increased to over 1000 miles if the engines are fun at a more economical speed of 

1000 RPMs for 9.6 knots. 

The boat represents a new direction for aid servicing although the concept has been used for 

many years. Essentially, it is cheaper to operate and crew a boat of four than it is to operate and 

crew a ship of forty. Rather than recalling an entire crew of a buoy tender to respond to a discrepancy, it is better to send four people in a small boat to response to the emergency. Facilities 

located onboard include a galley and dinette which are located in the pilot house, a shower and 

55-foot ANB underway during trial runs 
The ATON Bulletin Volume 38, Number 2 

34 

head, and bunks and lockers for four crew members. These facilities allow the ANT to extend 

their range of operation s to include remaining 

away from home port for longer periods of time. 

Air conditioning and electric heating are provided 

in the pilot house, crew quarters, and the work 

shop. 

Preparation for construction of the last seven 55’ 

aids to navigation boats (ANBs) has recently begun in Florence, Alabama. On March 14, 1977, 

after competitive bidding, the contract was 

awarded to Kings Craft boat builders who will 

build the boat for $328,550 each. The first ANB 

to be produced by this contract should be ready in 

February 1978 and one per month thereafter. 

White Replaces Gray as Battery Box Color 

originally submitted by Stan Walker 

reprinted from Summer 1976 Bulletin 

All Aids to Navigation units were advised by the August 10, 1976 COMDTNOTE 10540 of the 

availability and use of the new white battery boxes. White was adopted as the new color for battery boxes because it reflects hear, whereas gray tends to absorb heat. Joint analysis by the Research and Development Center and G-EOE revealed a correlation between battery failure and 

high temperatures within the battery box 

The transition to white boxes will be gradual because many gray boxes now in use have a significant lifespan remaining. If you have gray boxes which are still in good shape, but consider 

that excessive heat is a potential cause of reduced battery reliability, white battery box tops c an 

be procured for installation on existing gray boxes. Periodically, we receive complaints or see 

reference to additional problems associated with battery boxes. Some of these complaints include: 

1) There is no good way to keep the top and bottom together. 

2) A retainer is needed so that the top isn’t blown off. 

3) Excessive force is required to snap the two pieces together causing the breaking of the box. 

We would like to have some feedback on the pros and cons, or any suggestions that you might 

have with the design of the new white battery boxes. 

DECADES AGO IN ATON HISTORY 

Stern view of 55-foot ANB 
The ATON Bulletin Volume 38, Number 2 

35 

DECADES AGO IN ATON HISTORY 

Submarine Buoy:

Submerges whenever a large vessel approaches on a 

collision course. For increased reliability it is manned 

by a midget ex-U-boat captain. 

Iceberg Buoy:

From the surface it appears to be a menacing iceberg 

which mariners carefully avoid. Not practical in the 

Gulf area (Cajuns attack them for ice cubes). 

Cutter Buoy:

A mock Coast Guard patrol boat frightens away wouldbe wrong-doers. Unfortunately, it also attracts large 

numbers of fisherman requesting tows. 

Decoy Buoy:

It has no mooring. Instead, it slowly cruises in a random 

pattern that leads vessels away from other buoys. 

Turncoat Buoy:

It flips over changing color, number, and shape according 

to a random time schedule. Mariners avoid channel 

whenever possible 

THE ULTIMATE WEAPON.

A Buoy for All Occasions 

originally submitted by LTJG W. D. Peterson, CCGD8(oan) 

reprinted from Spring 1974 Bulletin 

The following new buoy types have been proposed to reduce the number of aids to navigation 

destroyed by collision. 
The ATON Bulletin Volume 38, Number 2 

36 

The Chronicles of NATONIA: The Final Chapter 

by BMC Jennifer Zercher, NATON School 

GOOD TIMES 
National Aids to Navigation School 

AFTER HOURS 

Technical Support Hotline 

(757) 449-3681 

Call for after hours and weekend technical support questions! 

Underway on Friday night? Sunday? Have a Question? 

WE CAN HELP!!
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Commanding Officer 

US Coast Guard Training Center 

Yorktown, VA 23690-5000 

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