Coast Guard International Ice Patrol -- Relying on Unit Core Values of Partnerships, Improvement and Commitment
"Titanic: How it Really Sank" will be shown at 4pm, 16 Feb on National Geographic Channel. It includes interviews with International Ice Patrol personnel and footage, including a Titanic Memorial Ceremony IIP held in Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The below provides a little insight into the IIP, its missions and its value.
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Guest blog by CDR Scott Rogerson, CO of the International Ice Patrol.
The mission of the International Ice Patrol (IIP) is to monitor the iceberg danger near the Grand Banks of Newfoundland and provide the limit of all known ice to the maritime community. This requires regular aerial reconnaissance of 500,000 square miles of ocean; an in-depth understanding of dynamic weather conditions and complex ocean currents; monitoring and predicting the drift and deterioration of thousands of icebergs; transmission of warnings to mariners in a host of different formats; and nearly daily interactions with over 30 organizations and agencies in the United States, Canada, and Europe.
Because we rely heavily on international and national cooperation, Partnerships is the first of our three Core Values. Some of our many key Coast Guard partners are Air Station Elizabeth City, CAMSLANT, the Coast Guard Academy and the Research & Development Center. We also work very closely with the Canadian Ice Service (CIS) and the U.S. National Ice Center (NIC), among many others. In fact, CIS, IIP & NIC collectively form the North American Ice Service (NAIS) and are part of the International Ice Charting Working Group (IICWG), a consortium of the world?s ice services.
Change is necessary for Improvement, our second Core Value. IIP is managing three major changes in 2009, which is very exciting. Along with the Research & Development Center and the Marine Safety Lab, IIP will move from Avery Point in Groton, CT to new facilities near Fort Trumbull in New London, CT in mid-February. Through 2008, we conducted our aerial iceberg reconnaissance with aging HC-130H aircraft with a dual radar system but are transitioning to HC-130J aircraft with all new sensors for the 2009 iceberg season. And we are an Atlantic Area unit today but will soon transfer to the First District as a leading part of Modernization. In short, from where we do the mission, how we do the mission and for whom within the Coast Guard we work will all change this year. These changes and many smaller ones will ultimately result in an improved IIP.
As a small Coast Guard command with just four officers, three civilians and ten enlisted members, IIP executes a major mission for the international maritime community. Commitment, our third Core Value, is absolutely essential. IIP members are committed to the unit mission and to assertively working towards our vision of eliminating the risk of iceberg collision. We understand how critically important it is to provide mariners with the accurate and timely information necessary to keep them safe from icebergs.
--------------------------
Guest blog by CDR Scott Rogerson, CO of the International Ice Patrol.
The mission of the International Ice Patrol (IIP) is to monitor the iceberg danger near the Grand Banks of Newfoundland and provide the limit of all known ice to the maritime community. This requires regular aerial reconnaissance of 500,000 square miles of ocean; an in-depth understanding of dynamic weather conditions and complex ocean currents; monitoring and predicting the drift and deterioration of thousands of icebergs; transmission of warnings to mariners in a host of different formats; and nearly daily interactions with over 30 organizations and agencies in the United States, Canada, and Europe.
Because we rely heavily on international and national cooperation, Partnerships is the first of our three Core Values. Some of our many key Coast Guard partners are Air Station Elizabeth City, CAMSLANT, the Coast Guard Academy and the Research & Development Center. We also work very closely with the Canadian Ice Service (CIS) and the U.S. National Ice Center (NIC), among many others. In fact, CIS, IIP & NIC collectively form the North American Ice Service (NAIS) and are part of the International Ice Charting Working Group (IICWG), a consortium of the world?s ice services.
Change is necessary for Improvement, our second Core Value. IIP is managing three major changes in 2009, which is very exciting. Along with the Research & Development Center and the Marine Safety Lab, IIP will move from Avery Point in Groton, CT to new facilities near Fort Trumbull in New London, CT in mid-February. Through 2008, we conducted our aerial iceberg reconnaissance with aging HC-130H aircraft with a dual radar system but are transitioning to HC-130J aircraft with all new sensors for the 2009 iceberg season. And we are an Atlantic Area unit today but will soon transfer to the First District as a leading part of Modernization. In short, from where we do the mission, how we do the mission and for whom within the Coast Guard we work will all change this year. These changes and many smaller ones will ultimately result in an improved IIP.
As a small Coast Guard command with just four officers, three civilians and ten enlisted members, IIP executes a major mission for the international maritime community. Commitment, our third Core Value, is absolutely essential. IIP members are committed to the unit mission and to assertively working towards our vision of eliminating the risk of iceberg collision. We understand how critically important it is to provide mariners with the accurate and timely information necessary to keep them safe from icebergs.
HALIFAX, Nova Scotia - Coast Guard Petty Officers David Luke and Kevin Deininger, stationed at Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City, N.C., hold wreaths at the 96th Annual Titanic Memorial Service at the Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Tuesday, April 15, 2008. The International Ice Patrol dedicated the wreaths to the sea on Friday, April 18 at the location of the Titanic's sinking. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Charly Hengen)
Did You Know?
· We trace our roots to the tragic loss of RMS Titanic on 15 April 1912 (which we memorialize with great reverence every year) and our mission pre-dates the United States Coast Guard, as two Revenue Cutters patrolled the Grand Banks in 1913.
· Formally established by the first Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) convention in 1914, IIP continues to operate today under the regulations set forth in SOLAS by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and U.S. federal statutes codified in Title 46, Section 738a.
· Icebergs still pose a significant threat to mariners in the North Atlantic Ocean, especially when seas are high and/or visibility is low, which is frequently the case. Three different large merchant ships that were not heeding IIP warnings collided with icebergs in 1993; as did a large fishing vessel in 2004.
· Nearly 1,000 icebergs passed south of 48°N and into the transatlantic shipping lanes last year, making 2008 our most active season in the last decade and 14th most active year since 1912.
· The percentage of icebergs that survive the 2-3 year journey from Greenland?s glaciers to the Grand Banks is quite small and highly dependent on environmental factors, and as such, is highly variable from year to year.
· IIP has been featured on The Weather Channel and in numerous other national & international broadcasts (e.g., BBC, CBC, CNN, and WNPR).
· We are working with several partners to evaluate the feasibility of iceberg detection by satellite. While great strides have been made, the imagery presently available is not sufficient to replace aerial reconnaissance. However, this is expected to improve dramatically through the next decade with the launches of the RADARSAT Constellation Mission and Sentinel satellites, which may reduce our reliance on USCG aircraft for iceberg reconnaissance.
· An ice-diminished Arctic could result in increased maritime traffic through and especially to the north of our current OPAREA. Indeed, climate change may require an expansion of the current IIP mission as more vessels begin to transit the sea-ice free but iceberg laden waters of Baffin Bay, the Labrador Sea, and the Northwest Passage.
· You can click here for many Frequently Asked Questions and their answers.
International Ice Patrol -- A Small Unit with a BIG Job!
Did You Know?
· We trace our roots to the tragic loss of RMS Titanic on 15 April 1912 (which we memorialize with great reverence every year) and our mission pre-dates the United States Coast Guard, as two Revenue Cutters patrolled the Grand Banks in 1913.
· Formally established by the first Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) convention in 1914, IIP continues to operate today under the regulations set forth in SOLAS by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and U.S. federal statutes codified in Title 46, Section 738a.
· Icebergs still pose a significant threat to mariners in the North Atlantic Ocean, especially when seas are high and/or visibility is low, which is frequently the case. Three different large merchant ships that were not heeding IIP warnings collided with icebergs in 1993; as did a large fishing vessel in 2004.
· Nearly 1,000 icebergs passed south of 48°N and into the transatlantic shipping lanes last year, making 2008 our most active season in the last decade and 14th most active year since 1912.
· The percentage of icebergs that survive the 2-3 year journey from Greenland?s glaciers to the Grand Banks is quite small and highly dependent on environmental factors, and as such, is highly variable from year to year.
· IIP has been featured on The Weather Channel and in numerous other national & international broadcasts (e.g., BBC, CBC, CNN, and WNPR).
· We are working with several partners to evaluate the feasibility of iceberg detection by satellite. While great strides have been made, the imagery presently available is not sufficient to replace aerial reconnaissance. However, this is expected to improve dramatically through the next decade with the launches of the RADARSAT Constellation Mission and Sentinel satellites, which may reduce our reliance on USCG aircraft for iceberg reconnaissance.
· An ice-diminished Arctic could result in increased maritime traffic through and especially to the north of our current OPAREA. Indeed, climate change may require an expansion of the current IIP mission as more vessels begin to transit the sea-ice free but iceberg laden waters of Baffin Bay, the Labrador Sea, and the Northwest Passage.
· You can click here for many Frequently Asked Questions and their answers.
International Ice Patrol -- A Small Unit with a BIG Job!
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