Led by a rear admiral, District 9 includes 6,000 active duty, reserve, and civilian personnel.[2] District 9 predominantly serves duties such as search and rescue, maritime safety and security, environmental protection, maritime law enforcement, aids to navigation, and icebreaking.[3]
Operations
One major role for the Coast Guard in the Great Lakes region is to perform ice-breaking duties to enable shipping to have free mobility throughout the region. One of the major ports to be kept operational is Duluth, Minnesota. [4]
Another major role is maintenance of navigational buoys. As of October 2021, the Coast Guard began implementing plans to replace all existing metal buoys with new high-tech foam buoys, which would not need to be serviced or removed annually. [5]
In October 2021, the National Center of Expertise for the Great Lakes was formally inaugurated as a new operational unit within the US Coast Guard. Amongst its duties are to perform scientific research on oil spills that occur in freshwater. [6] US Senator
Gary Peters of Michigan said that Senate hearings had revealed that the Coast Guard was largely unprepared for handling oil spills in that region, and also that there was little scientific knowledge about how to clean up oil spills in freshwater; this was one major reason for creating this new research center. [6] The Center was set up as a joint project between the Coast Guard and the Lake Superior State University in Sault Ste. Marie, which would also host the Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory in Ann Arbor. The center would also be managed by the NOAA's Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory. [7] The legislation to establish this center was enacted in 2018. [8]
History
The history of Coast Guard operations in the Great Lakes region began with the operational activity by one of the predecessor agencies to the Coast Guard, the
US Revenue Cutter Service. This organization's service in the region began around the 1820s. when its role included stopping smugglers, and assisting boaters in distress. [9] Another predecessor agency, the
U.S. Lighthouse Service is believed to have begun operations in the region around 1816; by the 1860s, the number of lightships active in the region was 72 ships. The
U.S. Life-Saving Service, another predecessor agency, began operations in the region in 1854, after a major storm sparked official efforts to increase the personnel and active units available for lifesaving services.
The fourth of the predecessor agencies was the US
Steamboat Inspection Service. Relatively little historical documentation exists for this agency; however by 1911, it was filling an important role in the region, inspecting steamships for faulty equipment and machinery that might pose any threat to safety of steam vessels. [9]
In 1915, the US Lifesaving Service and the Revenue Cutter Service were merged to form the US Coast Guard In 1920, the enactment of
Prohibition gave the Coast Guard a new role in halting smugglers of alcohol who tried to travel from Canada to the United States with illegal alcoholic beverages. [9]
Sectors
District 9 is further subdivided into several sectors. These include:
Air Facility Muskegon is a detachment of
Air Station Detroit. The air facility operates during the summer months to support the southwest portion of
Lake Michigan. The air facility is staffed by two four-person aircrews operating a
MH-65D Dolphin Helicopter.[63]
Air Facility Waukegan, previously known as Air Station Chicago, now operates in
Waukegan, IL at the Waukegan Regional Airport. The air facility operates from Memorial Day through Labor Day to increase search and rescue capabilities and improve response times in Southern Lake Michigan. The air facility is staffed by two four-person aircrews operating a
MH-65D Dolphin Helicopter.[63]
Cutters
District 9 has ten active
cutters operating in all five
Great Lakes.[66] Cutter is a term used by the U.S. Coast Guard for its commissioned vessels. They are 65 feet (19.8 m) or greater in length and have a permanently assigned crew with accommodations aboard. They carry the ship prefix USCGC.[67]
Due to the requirement of
Rush–Bagot Treaty, the cutters in the Great Lakes are minimally armed, save for a few machine guns. [68]
USCGC Spar (WLB-206)is a 225-foot multi-mission cutter located in
Duluth, MN after switching home ports with her sister ship, USCGC Alder (WLB-216). Its primary missions are to aid in navigation, ice breaking, law enforcement, and search and rescue. In addition, Spar performs missions such as marine environmental protection and port security. Spar operates on all five
Great Lakes, however, most of its operations are in
Lake Superior and
Lake Michigan.[69]
USCGC Bristol Bay (WTGB-102) is a 140-foot icebreaking tug stationed in
Detroit, MI. Its primary responsibility is opening and maintaining icebound shipping lanes in the
Great Lakes. In addition, Bristol Bay performs missions such as search and rescue, marine environmental protection, law enforcement, and port security and safety. U.S. Coast Guard engineers designed Bristol Bay.[71]
USCGC Buckthorn (WLI-642) is a 100-foot Inland Buoy Tender stationed in
Sault Ste. Marie, MI. Its primary missions are Aids to Navigation within the Sault Ste Marie's River System, Homeland Security, and Public Affairs. Buckthorn's area of responsibility expands from
Whitefish Point, MI thru Sault Ste Marie's River. Buckthorn is the oldest cutter in the
Great Lakes.[72]
USCGC Hollyhock(WLB-214) is a 225-foot Seagoing Buoy Tender stationed in
Port Huron, MI. It is responsible for approximately 150 aids-to-navigation on mainly
Lake Huron,
Lake Michigan, and
Lake Erie. Hollyhock other primary missions include search and rescue, environmental protection, and domestic ice-breaking. Hollyhock was built in 2003 to replace WWII-era
USCGC Bramble(WLB-392).[73]
USCGC Katmai Bay(WTGB-101) is a 140-foot Bay-class Icebreaking Tug stationed in
Sault Sainte Marie, MI. Its primary missions include icebreaking, Homeland Security Patrols, Light House Projects, Law Enforcement, and Public Affairs. Katmai Bay operates within all
Great Lakes.[74]
USCGC Mackinaw(WLBB-30) is a 240-foot vessel stationed in
Cheboygan, MI. It is the only U.S. Coast Guard cutter in the
Great Lakes designed for heavy icebreaking and specifically used for multi-mission capabilities, such as environmental response, Homeland Security, and search and rescue. Mackinaw contains state of the art technology such as its ability to deploy an oil skimming system to respond to oil spill incidents.[75]
USCGC Mobile Bay(WTGB-103) is a 140-foot vessel designed for icebreaking and is stationed in
Sturgeon Bay, WI. Mobile Bay conducts icebreaking missions near
Green Bay, WI,
Straits of Mackinac, and the
St. Mary's River from mid-December through mid-April. Its other missions include Maritime Law Enforcement, Search and Rescue, Environmental Pollution Response, and Homeland Security.[76]
USCGC Morro Bay (WTGB-106) is a 140-foot Bay-class Icebreaking Tug stationed in
Cleveland, OH. Its primary missions include Icebreaking, Homeland Security Patrols, Light House Projects, Law Enforcement, and Public Affairs. Morro Bay operates within all
Great Lakes and has coined the nickname, "Jack of all trades".[77]
USCG Neah Bay (WTGB-105) is a 140-foot Bay-class Icebreaking Tug stationed in
Cleveland, OH. Its primary missions include Icebreaking, Homeland Security Patrols, Light House Projects, Law Enforcement, and Public Affairs. Neah Bay operates broadly within all
Great Lakes.[78]
Marine Safety Units
District 9 comprises four Marine Safety Units (MSU) and two Marine Safety Detachments (MSD).
MSU Chicago is in Willowbrook, IL; 40 minutes from Downtown Chicago, its primary responsibilities are Port Safety and Security, Marine Environmental Protection, and Commercial Vessel Safety. These missions serve to ensure safe, secure, and environment safety within Southern
Lake Michigan, Chicago Area Waterway System and the
Illinois River Watershed. Specifically, MSU Chicago's area of operation is
Lake Michigan shorelines of
Illinois and
Indiana, as well as 186 miles of the
Illinois River System comprised 7 locks and approximately 250 bridges. In addition, MSU Chicago's responsibilities include a fleet of 166 vessels and 118 regulated waterfront facilities.[79]
MSU Cleveland is located along
Lake Erie in downtown
Cleveland, OH. MSU Cleveland's primary missions include Maritime Safety and Security, Environmental Response, Commercial Vessel and Facility Inspections and Marine Casualty Investigations. Its area of responsibility extends from the
Ohio-
Pennsylvania border to
Vermilion, OH.[80]
MSU Toledo is located along
Lake Erie in downtown
Toledo, OH. MSU Toledo's primary responsibilities are Port Safety and Security, Marine Environmental Protection, and Commercial Vessel Safety. These missions serve to ensure safe, secure, and environmental safety in its area of responsibility that is contained in the
Lake Erie waters from
Monroe, MI to
Huron, OH.[82]
Marine Safety Detachments
MSD Massena's strategic location in
Massena, New York allows for the detachment to effectively enforce U.S. laws, regulations, and treaties intended to limit non-indigenous species to the
Great Lakes from vessels entering the
Great Lakes. In addition, MSD Massena's operations include ensuring that vessels entering the
Great Lakes do not pose any security, safety, or environmental hazards. The detachment is strategically located in the
Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation, both the Snell and
Eisenhower Locks are in close proximity. MSD Massena is a detachment of Sector Buffalo and works directly with the Prevention Department.[83]
MSD Sturgeon Bay is located in
Sturgeon Bay, WI on
Lake Michigan. The detachment is a multi-mission unit responsible for Port Safety and Security, Marine Environmental Protection, and Commercial Vessel Safety. MSD Sturgeon Bay is a detachment of Sector Lake Michigan working directly with the Prevention Department.[84]
Aids to Navigation Teams
District 9 comprises seven Aids to Navigation Teams (ANT).
ANT Buffalo is located in
Buffalo, NY and services the buoys, lighthouses, and markers in Sector Buffalo area of responsibility.[85]
ANT Detroit is located in
Detroit, MI and operates on the South Western end of
Lake Erie through the
Detroit River, to include
Lake St. Clair. It is responsible for approximately 30 Aids to Navigation and secondary for 310 Aids to Navigation.[86]
ANT Saginaw River is located in
Essexville, MI and services the buoys, lighthouses, and markers in the northern part of Sector Detroit's area.[87]
^Coast Guard ready for ice breaking on Lake Superior. Duluth's Alder will join the operation next week, when ice is expected to thicken and spread as overnight lows are predicted to get frigid.
Written By: Brady Slater | 3:00 pm, Dec. 23, 2020.