US Coast Guard ship visited Vladivostok

16.09.2009
US Coast Guard (USCG) ship Sycamore made a 3-day business visit to main Russian Pacific Fleet base in Vladivostok on Wednesday, says RIA Novosti.

In the course of the visit American mariners will see the sights of Vladivostok, carry on sport competitions with Russian frontiersmen and pay aboard visits to each other.

Among the US guests is USCG Pacific Zone Commander Vice Admiral Jody Breckenridge and Commander of Seventeenth Coast Guard District Rear Admiral Christopher Colvin.

September, 17 was the open day at the Sycamore ship.

Vice Admiral Jody Breckenridge leading USCG Pacific Zone delegation arrived at Khabarovsk with working visit on Monday. Members of delegation discussed cooperation issues with Russian Coast Guard officials at Tuesday's meeting and made arrangements to improve cooperation between the units of the USCG and FSB; in particular, to conduct joint tactical exercise in Seattle in 2010.

The United States Coast Guard is a component of the US Armed Forces; it is subordinated to the Department of Homeland Security (in wartime – to Department of the Navy) and enforces the US law on sea under the motto "Always prepared". The tasks of the USCG are interception of immigrants and drugs, enhancing security of ports and coastline, protecting wildlife resources, search and rescue ant other missions on protection of population, environment, economy and security of the USA. About 42 000 men are in continuous service in the USCG. The history of the USCG began in 18 century; thanks to that the guard unofficially called "First fleet". The USCG has been always used in military conflicts with the US participation, including seaborne assault in Normandy, on Pacific islands during the World War II and Gulf War. Insufficient coverage of heavy traffic areas and obsolescence of ships are among urgent problems of the US Coast Guard. According to Defense Technology International, as for ships ageing factor the USCG took 38th place out of 40 world's largest coast guard forces and services in 2007.

Source: RusNavy.com, photo: the USCG Sycamore ship (www.uscg.mil)