CG-611 Management Programs and Policy Division
Washington, DC
FOIA Electronic Reading Room
USCGC HEALY Glossary of Terms
| Term | Deffinition |
|---|---|
| Automatic External Defibrillator (AED) | Automatic External Defibrillator - A portable automatic device used to restore normal heart rhythm to patients in cardiac arrest. An AED will recommend an electric shock when the heart rhythm is abnormal but correctable. No shock is advised when the heart rhythm is normal or there is total absence of electrical activity in the heart, i.e. when a person is already dead. |
| AGAT Full-Face | Mask (FFM) Also known as the MK 20 and Divator MK-II, is compatible with surface supplied and SCUBA equipment and is authorized for use in either mode. With surface supplied equipment, it has a working limit of 60 ft. With SCUBA equipment, it has a working limit of 190 ft. |
| Aids to Navigation (ATON) | Aids to Navigation - Divers provide buoy tenders in the Fourteenth District the ability to conduct extensive, independent ATON operations requiring minimal support. Divers can inspect moorings, salvage sunken buoys, and lift buoy sinkers. Most ATON diving is conducted from small boats, allowing the dive team to work ATON in shallow water where the cutter would be at risk. |
| Asphyxia | A condition in which an extreme decrease in the concentration of oxygen in the body accompanied by an increase in the concentration of carbon dioxide leads to loss of consciousness or death. |
| Aviation STAN or Boat Forces STAN, or STAN Team A standardization team. | In the Coast Guard, aviation forces and boat forces have special teams of trained individuals who visit Coast Guard units to evaluate that unit's ability to operate in compliance with Coast Guard directives and doctrine, and to conduct training. |
| Bight (of line) | The center of a slack line. (i.e.: where it sags). The section of line between the point where the tender holds it, and the spool or reel on the ice behind the tender. |
| Brow | The railed platform the ship carries onboard to use between ships, from the ship to a pier, or from the ship to the ice to walk on and off (as in "Take in the brow."). |
| Buoyancy Compensator Device (BCD) | Typically worn by SCUBA divers to control positive and negative buoyancy. A BC generally has numerous pockets to store tools and other equipment. Most have integrated SCUBA tank harnesses and weight pockets. The weight pockets are designed to allow the diver the ability to quickly release the weight in an emergency. Weight pockets are different from other pockets usually found on the BC. |
| COMDTINST | Commandant Instruction: a policy document used to pass internal Coast Guard policy from senior leadership to the entire service. |
| COMPACAREA | Commander Coast Guard Pacific Area. The official title of the Coast Guard Vice Admiral in charge of Coast Guard operations in the Pacific Region. The direct superior of the Commanding Officer of USCGC HEALY. |
| Commanding Officer | The captain of a ship. The responsibility of the commanding officer for that command is absolute, except when, and to the extent, relieved therefrom by competent authority, or as provided by otherwise in Coast Guard Regulations. At the commanding officer's discretion, portions of that authority may be delegated to subordinates for the execution of details, but such delegation of authority shall in no way relieve the commanding officer of continued responsibility for the safety, efficiency, and well-being of the command. |
| Cutter or USCGC A Coast Guard ship. | Typically any Coast Guard ship greater than 65 feet in length. USCGC is an acronym for United States Coast Guard Cutter, not to be confused with USS, the acronym used by the Navy for United States Ship. |
| Direct Access | A personnel data system used by the Coast Guard to track service member employment data. |
| Diver Tender, also Line Tender | The diver tender is a surface member of the diving team who works closely with the diver underwater. At the start of a dive, the tender checks the diver's equipment and topside air supply (for surface-supplied diving) for proper operation and helps dress the diver. Once the diver tender is in the water, the tender constantly adjusts the tending line to eliminate excess slack or tension. The diver tender exchanges line-pull signals with the diver, keeps the Diving Supervisor informed of the line-pull signals, the amount of diving hose/tending line over the side, and remains alert for any signs of an emergency. Completion of Dive Tender Job Qualification Requirement is required for all non-divers to become a qualified diver tender. |
| Dive Officer (DO) or Basic Dive Officer (BDO) | Trained to perform SCUBA and surface-supplied diving to a maximum depth of 190 ft. Training includes diving physics and medicine, underwater tools, diving system certification, SCUBA, and surface-supplied air diving operations. Duties and responsibilities of the Diving Officer include ensuring the safe conduct of all diving operations by providing overall supervision of diving operations and ensuring strict adherence to procedures and precautions. The Diving Officer is further responsible for all diving related administrative duties and record keeping, conducting the diver training and qualification program, overseeing the command diving equipment maintenance program and ensuring that he or she becomes familiar with all command diving techniques and have a detailed knowledge of all applicable regulations. Additionally, the Diving Officer, is responsible for the safety of all diving operations and has the authority to abort diving operations when deemed necessary by risk analysis. |
| Dive Side | The location where a military or commercial dive is performed. |
| Diving Supervisor (DS) | In charge of the actual diving operation for a particular dive or series of dives. Diving operations shall not be conducted without the presence of the diving supervisor. The diving supervisor has the authority and responsibility to discontinue diving operations in the event of unsafe diving conditions. |
| Dry Suit, or Variable Volume Dry Suit | Variable volume dry suits provide superior thermal protection to the surface-supplied or scuba diver in the water and on the surface. They are constructed so the entry zipper or seal and all wrist and neck seals are waterproof, keeping the interior dry. They can be inflated orally or from a low pressure air source via an inlet valve. Air can be exhausted from the suit via a second valve, allowing buoyancy control. The level of thermal protection can be varied through careful selection of the type and thickness of long underwear. |
| Emergency Evacuation Hyperbaric Stretcher (EEHS) | Emergency Evacuation Hyperbaric Stretcher - This is a portable hyperbaric chamber. It is designed for the transportation of conscious, stable divers suffering from diving related illnesses. It can be pressurized to maximum equivalent depth of 60 ft. |
| Executive Officer | Second in command of a ship. The executive officer is directly responsible to the commanding officer. All orders issued by the executive officer shall have the same force and effect as though issued by the commanding officer and shall be obeyed by all persons onboard. The executive officer shall generally supervise the administration and business of the ship, supervise and coordinate the work, exercises and training of the personnel of the command, function as the safety officer of the command and administer the safety program by coordinating the safety indoctrination and planning of the various departments, and perform other duties as described in Coast Guard Regulations. |
| Expendable Bathythermograph | The Expendable Bathythermograph (XBT) has been used by oceanographers for many years to obtain information on the temperature structure of the ocean to depths of up to 2,000 meters. |
| Ice Checks | The practice of inspecting ice prior to beginning a science station or ice liberty to ensure the area is safe to conduct operations or support personnel. |
| Ice Liberty | Command authorized free time wherein the crew and embarked scientists may depart the ship onto the arctic ice - a break from regularly scheduled operations. |
| JQR or Job Qualification Requirements | Generally, JQR is similar to Personal Qualification Standards (PQS) in that they provide a step by step task list that must be completed for a crewmember to become qualified in a new skill, or watch station. JQR is usually a local version of PQS, which is typically a service wide qualification standard. Dive Tender JQR is contained in the Coast Guard Diving Manual and is the Coast Guard standard. |
| Message or Message Traffic | A manner of formal written communication between Coast Guard or other government and military units sent electronically; similar to a telegram or teletype. |
| Morale Locker | Secure/locked area of ship used to store ship's equipment, such as sports equipment, games, rental movies, food and beverages which may be checked out to the crew, as authorized by appropriate authority. |
| Naval Diving & Salvage Training Center | (NDSTC) Naval Diving and Salvage Training Center - Located in Panama City, FL. With the exception of Navy SEALs, every military service conducts diving training here. |
| Navy Experimental Diving Unit (NEDU) | Navy Experimental Diving Unit - Located in Panama City, FL. Investigates equipment involved in all military diving accidents and may investigate equipment from civilian diving accidents when requested. Tests and evaluates all equipment to be considered for use by the USN. Develops the diving equipment Authorized for Navy Use (ANU) List. |
| Nitrogen Narcosis | State of euphoria and exhilaration that occurs when a diver breathes a gas mixture containing nitrogen. For a dive using standard compressed air (not a man-made mixture of breathing gas), narcosis usually appears at a depth of approximately 130 ft., is very prominent at a depth of 200 ft., and becomes disabling at deeper depth. There is a wide range of individual susceptibility to narcosis. The symptoms of nitrogen narcosis include loss of judgment, false feeling of well-being, lack of concern for safety, impaired problem solving ability, inappropriate laughter, and tingling and vague numbness of the lips, gums, and legs. Disregard for personal safety is the greatest hazard. The effects of nitrogen narcosis become more pronounced and develop more rapidly the quicker the descent. |
| Octo+T | A component made by Zeagle Systems used to inflate or vent a buoyancy compensator device while also functioning as a back-up (or octopus) regulator. |
| Officer of the Deck | The officer directly responsible to the commanding officer for overseeing the safe navigation, and operation of the ship. The "OOD" typically stands a four-hour watch on the ship's bridge. |
| Operations Officer | The head of the Operations Department of the ship. The operations officer is responsible for the collection, evaluation, and dissemination of operational and combat information required for the assigned missions and tasks of the vessel. The operations officer has responsibility for all matters related to the operations of the vessel. |
| Polar Bear Plunge, or Polar Bear Swim | A morale activity. The practice of jumping into cold water with minimal dress, e.g., a bathing suit. |
| Polar Bear Watch | Crew member(s) designated and appropriately armed to watch for and, if necessary, ward off a polar bear. |
| Pulmonary barotrauma | Pulmonary barotrauma is a condition that usually happens as a diver is ascending. The term refers to the rupture of lung air sacs, which generally occurs during ascent. Gas that leaks from a ruptured lung can enter one of three places:
|
| Sea Suction or Sea Chest | Small underwater compartment within the shell plating through which sea water is drawn in or discharged; the sea water may be used for cooling the machinery systems |
| Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus (SCUBA) | Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus - An apparatus utilizing a portable supply of compressed gas (such as air) supplied at a regulated pressure and used for breathing while swimming underwater. |
| Standby Diver | A standby diver with a diver tender is required for all diving operations. The standby diver need not be equipped with the same equipment as the primary diver (except as otherwise specified), but shall have equivalent depth and operational capabilities. |
| Surface-Supplied Diving | Surface-supplied air diving includes those forms of diving where air is supplied from the surface to the diver by a flexible hose. The Navy Surface Supplied Diving Systems (SSDS) are used primarily for operations to 190 feet of seawater (fsw). In Surface-supplied diving a diver's air supply, movements and communications are heavily controlled from the surface. From the standpoint of the diver, Surface-supplied diving is heavily surface controlled, as opposed to SCUBA which is typically diver controlled. |
| Tag-outs | The procedure employed to prevent improper operation of systems or equipment. |
| WAGB | Coast Guard Cutter Icebreaker - This is the hull designation for Coast Guard icebreaking vessels. |
Download Plug-Ins
Download Plug-Ins: Some of the links on this page require a plug-in to view them. Links to the plug-ins are available below.
Adobe Acrobat Reader (PDF)
Adobe Acrobat Reader (PDF)
Last Modified 1/26/2012