The new Coast Guard Posture Statement (4.6mb file) includes this in relation to inland river tenders:
quote:
Inland River Assets $9.0M The budget requests $4M in critical maintenance and renovation funding to address emergency safety and habitability needs of 25 aging Aids-to-Navigation (ATON) cutters. The budget also requests $5M in AC&I for survey and design funding to chart a suitable course of action, which may include additional sustainment and/or a multimission replacement for these outdated assets. Although originally designed specifi cally for ATON work, many of these vessels serve as a critical Federal presence on the inland waterways.
They seem to be calling the next generation the Heartland Waterway Vessel.
I'm curious as to what you guys would like to see in the next generation of river tenders? The one I've been to could use some more headroom in the tender engine room, thats for sure. Is the tender/barge system the best or would a single vessel be better?
I wouldn't count on new River Tenders or Construction Tenders. The way things are looking ATON may no longer be one of the CG's missions. Local state government or the Army CORPS might be taking that mission over with in the next five to ten years.
I hope that does not happen, I have two black hulls under my belt and it is a great mission. Thats just the word I have heard from a variety of people up at HQ's over the last two years. -
If anything I would look at this as a positive sign for the inland ATON community.
Given all the other demands I have a hard time believing they would set aside any money to start looking at this issue if they had any real worries about this mission going somewhere else. Its not like they don't have other types of ships that need building.
The River Industry is a powerful and unified force that will not allow AtoN to fall by the wayside. I was in CCGD2(oan) 1975-1978, 1984-1986 and have worked with the various river organizations. The CofE has more than enough to do with dikes and dams along the waterways to reclaim Aton on the rivers
More room inside the tenders for office and berthing space... Longer, larger barge for carrying more buoys and sinkers... to cut down on the stock pile visits.
Stronger, more capable spud systems... perhaps controllable from the pilot house. More dump boards.
ap5fan, you are right on about berthing space. I was on the planning board for the Kankakee and we tried. I spent a couple of weeks on the Ouachita and living was in close quarters. The only vessel that I served with worse quarters was a 165' that was built in the early 1930's. The idea of larger barges sounds good except they may not been interchangeable with Tenn/*** River barges.
I have served aboard the Cheyenne and currently serve on the Scioto. Both of which have 100' barges. Why not give all the tenders 130' barges. That extra 30ft makes a big difference. With a 130 we would be able to carry nearly twice as many buoys and sinkers.
I don't want to make anyone mad but I wouldn't mind seeing the Army Corp taking over aton. I would personally jump on the opportunity to work for them. You stay 3 years on one of the tenders and then you transfer, I mean in three years you are just getting good at your job. I would love to be able to stay in one place for 10-20 years doing aton, you would become an expert of the area and be able to train a new crew alot better. Plus I really love doing aton, and it's so hard to get back to after you transfer out of it. But I agree with pretty much everyone we really need bigger barges. I was on the CGC AXE and we only had a 68 footer it got really crowded really fast, you only had about 10 X 20 foot of actual work area on the bow of the barge. But again I don't intend on making anybody mad its my personnel opinion, I had posted something awhile back and it was my opinion but alot of people got mad at me for it. So its just an opinion, I hope I don't offend anyone. I almost forgot the CGC AXE was re-outfitted with new engines and generators and some other cool stuff, it was to be the proto type for all inland tenders but it cost alot of money and I think they scraped the project.
Bigdog- I don't entirely disagree with you... i probably can be quoted saying the same thing... however... now that i am half way to 20yrs and getting an anchor soon, i can't say that i am ready to cash in my USCG career for an ACOE one. If ATON moves to ACOE, i hope it happens after 17 AUG 2018... i will gladly run these rivers for the Corp after i retire from the CG.
I don't see the CofE taking over AtoN. They had it once and I don't think they want it again. I don't know about present day policies, but in the 60's and 70's our OinCs were for the most part river rats that hardly ever left the Western Rivers. They went from one WLR to the next, and they were happy. There was an old saying back then - once you got into the Second District you didn't leave. Because of the back to back to back assignments the cooperation between commercial drivers and our OinCs was perfect - one happily knit family.
That was true of my OIC on the Patoka, Capt Sam. He made Chief before I was born, and at the time had spent only two years out of D2 - in Vietnam. He finally got sent ashore after the district merger and died right before he would have been retired under HYT.
RW, Sam was OIC of the CHENA when I reported aboard straight out of boot camp in 1980. He was the single greatest influence on my career and I was lucky enough to command 2 WLR's, the SCIOTO and GASCONADE during my career as a direct result of his inspiration.
However, he did retire. They wanted to send him to an ANT in North Carolina and he chose to retire instead. He had 37 years of service if I remember correctly. My family and I visted him and his wife in MS in 93 or 94. He passed away right before his wife was due to retire. I kept a picture of him on my desk in my stateroom until I retired to remind me what a WLR skipper was supposed to look like. He was a great man.
