Welcome Aboard
USCGC WAESCHE (WMSL-751)
Welcome aboard CGC WAESCHE! I hope you are excited by the prospect of
sailing in a Maritime Security Cutter – Large (WMSL). The ship was
commissioned on May 7th, 2010 and is now officially the newest major cutter
in the fleet! WAESCHE is the second ship of the Legend Class Cutters and
her motto is Strength, Endurance, and Service.
As a new member of the crew of CGC WAESCHE, you will be carrying on ADM
Waesche's legacy. He was the longest serving Commandant during the years
leading up to and including World War II, during which he oversaw the
unprecedented growth of the Coast Guard during World War II and, at the
conclusion of the war, the expedited return of the Coast Guard to the
Treasury Department. In addition he was responsible for creation of the CG
Reserves, Auxiliary, SPARs, and integrated ship crews.
If you are new to the Bay area, you are coming to one of the premier
areas of the country. With an abundance of government housing, you have many
housing options. The Bay Area is a place of unparalleled natural beauty,
with a sophisticated urban community that includes a phenomenal dedication
to the arts and some of the best universities in the world. For the
sportsman you can enjoy activities like sailing, surfing, snowboarding,
hunting, fishing, hiking, camping, or mountain biking. If you are a fan of
professional sports - you are at the center of the universe with the 49’ers,
Raiders, Giants, A’s, Warriors, and Sharks all within an hour’s drive. If
you are a college sports fan, Cal and Stanford regularly turn out national
level teams. I can think of no better place to be. It’s vital that you
contact your sponsor to help us help you get properly settled here. Please
contact my Command Senior Chief at Douglas.J.Banker@uscg.mil to find out
whom your sponsor is, if you have not heard from us within 2 weeks of
receiving your orders.
For the next year, our primary duty is to achieve a ready for operations
(RFO) designation and therefore fully prepare ourselves for any mission
assigned by VADM Brown, our Pacific Area Commander. We have a few remaining
equipment installations that will bring us to full operational capability.
Then we can work on achieving RFO in earnest. Among the many tasks
required, we have operational testing and evaluation, combat systems
qualification, tailored ships training, and deployment work-ups to complete.
We must successfully complete it all in approximately 12 months time.
Generally, our schedule calls for us to spend the rest of 2010 and the
first couple months of 2011 completing our major Post-Shakedown Availability
(PSA). Then in March, April, and May of 2011 we will get underway to
complete tests and evaluations of our newly installed intelligence and
communications equipment and complete Combat Systems Qualifications and
Testing (CSSQT). After a relatively short maintenance and repair period
back in Alameda, we will sail again the end of July to complete Tailored
Ship’s Training Availability and Pre-deployment workups with ships of the
U.S. Navy’s Third Fleet.
We have an exciting couple of years ahead of us. We look forward to
getting to know you as part of CGC WAESCHE’s crew.
Sincerely,
Kelly Hatfield
Captain, U.S. Coast Guard
INFO FOR MEMBERS REPORTING
ABOARD
