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Allen: Haiti response revealed cutter problems

The Coast Guard was one of the first agencies to respond after the Jan. 12 earthquake in Haiti, but its efforts were hampered by the poor shape of its cutters, according to the service’s top admiral.

Twelve of the 19 cutters tapped so far to respond to the 7.0-magnitude quake suffered severe casualties to main propulsion, generators, communications and reverse osmosis water makers.

The rickety state of the ships is partially due to age, but mainly because of an operational tempo that has not allowed for downtime, said Cmdr. Martha LaGuardia-Kotite, a spokeswoman for Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Thad Allen. “Many ships have delayed their scheduled maintenance periods because of operational needs,” she said.

The medium endurance cutter Tampa was heading toward Haiti when a thrust bearing failed, causing propulsion problems. The cutter went into dry dock in Jacksonville, Fla., where repairs were completed.

Thetis, another medium endurance cutter, could not even leave its home port of Key West, Fla., because it had generator problems. It is being repaired.

Four other medium endurance cutters that were tapped to respond also had problems:

• The crew of Bear discovered the propeller blades on one of its two propulsion shafts were cracked as it was preparing to get underway. After an emergency dry dock in Norfolk, Va., the crew was able to deploy.

• Alert and Venturous were patrolling Haitian waters when seal failures in the controllable-pitch propeller systems created leaks. Both cutters went into dry dock in Mayport, Fla., for repairs.

• Resolute was finishing a main diesel engine inspection when the crew found significant damage in the engine and clutch. The cutter’s engine must be overhauled and the clutch rebuilt in Mayport.

The 110-foot Island-class patrol crafts, all more than 20 years old, also experienced problems:

• Nantucket sustained a significant crack on the main deck while patrolling Haitian waters. Nearly 200 square feet of aluminum needed to be replaced in St. Petersburg, Fla.

• The main engine bearing failed on Sitkinak while it was deployed to Haiti. Coast Guard personnel were able to fix it when it returned to Miami.

• While on patrol, one of the generators on Drummond failed. It returned to port in San Juan, Puerto Rico, for repairs.

• Despite receiving a recent upgrade, the air conditioning compressor, throttle controls and gyroscopes fizzled on Anacapa while it was deployed to Haiti.

The medium endurance cutter Mohawk and buoy tender Oak, which returned from Haiti on Feb. 18, had problems with their reverse osmosis water-making equipment. Crew members on Mohawk got parts from another ship for repairs, while Oak’s crew borrowed fresh water from other ships so it wouldn’t have to go back.

As of Feb. 18, the Coast Guard had also deployed the high endurance cutter Hamilton; the medium endurance cutters Decisive, Legare, Tahoma and Vigilant; and the coastal patrol boat Shamal. The high endurance cutter Dallas was scheduled to relieve Hamilton in several days.

Allen alluded to the problems with the cutters assigned to Haiti in his fourth and final State of the Coast Guard address Feb. 12 at the National Press Club in Washington to paint a picture of the problems of an aging fleet of ships and aircraft.

The administration’s $10.08 billion fiscal 2011 budget proposal includes nearly $1 billion for acquisitions — a success that outweighs a 3.3 percent budget cut, Allen said. The broken-down medium endurance cutters eventually will be replaced by the offshore patrol cutters. The budget request includes $45 million for their design. Allen said he hopes construction can begin in 2012 or 2013.

“With the condition of our fleet, you almost can’t build them fast enough,” Allen said Feb. 16 at a Defense Department bloggers’ roundtable.

The budget includes $240 million to buy fast response cutters that will replace the patrol boats. The first Sentinel-class patrol boat will be delivered in early fiscal 2011.