09 January 2008: Three training opportunities have been listed for spring break. The information is as follows:
2.
SURGICAL TECHNICIAN TRAINING AT BALBOA NAVAL HOSPITAL, SAN DIEGO, CA S-MD-CA
Dates are check in Sunday 22 March through Graduation Sunday 29 March, 2008.
3.
SEAMANSHIP TRAINING - LAKE MEAD NATIONAL RECREATION AREA, S-NH-NV
Dates: 14 - 22 March 2008 Website: http://www.seacadet
Deposit:
$300 Numbers: 10 male cadets and 3 escorts
01 January 2008! HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ONE AND ALL!
DEC 2007: Congratulations to Petty Officer Second Class Tcvetkov and Petty Officer Third Class Reimer for passing their advancement exams! WELL DONE!!
18 NOV 2007: Congratulations to the many Cadets who successfully completed the Coast Guard Boating Safety course. The course has spanned three drill days, but the Cadets have earned their degrees! Bravo Zulu!
Our next evolution is sending Cadets to Winter Training; so far, four cadets have orders to go.
Allow me to wish a happy Thanksgiving to all of our Cadets, our Staff and their families. May it be safe and joyous!
30 October 2007: Welcome aboard to our new cadets and staff! The winter training schedule is now out and may be viewed by clicking here! Reminder: Veteran's Day Parade in Vancouver on November 10th! Details will be promulgated at drill Saturday, November 3rd.
24 September 2007: The first drill of the 07-08 year went splendidly. New Cadets and new staff. And, a very productive meeting with CMDR Jami Mason, the new Commanding Officer of the Naval Operational Support Center. We are getting everything we could have wished for, and more! A new office space, our very own classroom, a supply and uniform locker that is twice the size of the existing one, Internet computer access to support cadet advancement testing, closer cooperation between the cadets and regular Navy personnel, new storage lockers, etc. Plus, our new parade rifles have arrived and we will start training with them on the October 20th drill (the 6th we are at Clark Rifles). We will be doing a color guard event at PANG for the Navy Birthday (October 13th), and marching in the Vancouver Veteran's Day parade on November 10th. Uniform shift from Whites to Blues is October 1st - check and see if your's still fit!
18 June 2007: Due to a family emergency, I was forced to cancel the second drill in August at far too short of notice. I sincerely apologize to those prospective cadets and their families who failed to get the word about the change. At that time, I also decided to cancel the first drill in September for similar reasons, but also at the request of parents in order to avoid schedule and vacation conflicts with their cadets. Our next drill will be September 15th at NOSC.
15 June 2007: With the loss of the Alert, the goal is now to obtain one (and possibly two) of the soon-to-be-retired 110' Island Class Coast Guard cutters. These cutters are slightly smaller than the Alert, but much more modern and would be handed over in an operation condition. So far, things are looking good, but this may be a while off for now. Time will tell.
SITREP #5: 0700 200707
STATUS: The Alert has been towed away to an undisclosed location. We have heard both Troutdale and Rainier mentioned, but are unsure. At any rate, until the legal issues surrounding the ship are cleared up, we are staying clear of the mess. We have now fixed our sites on obtaining one or two of the Island class 110' Coast Guard cutters, which are due to be decommissioned soon. Although smaller than the Alert, they are very modern in comparison and would make ideal training vessels for Sea Cadet use. Keep your fingers crossed!
SITREP #4: 1600 040807
Location: Thunderbird Motel
Condition: Same as before
Status: More or less "permanent" concrete patches will be applied to the hull on Wednesday, after which a naval architect will certify that the patches are holding, after which time those under 18 (cadets) will be allowed back on board. We will also then be authorized by the Captain of the Port to move the Alert into dry dock, which is scheduled for the end of the month. Donations have been coming in to help the ship, including all of the steel needed to replace the damaged hull plates and rusted deck plates. Much cosmetic work has been accomplished by the "watch sections" that have been aboard the ship around the clock to man the pumps. There is still a possibility that the Alert will make the Rose Festival.
SITREP #3: 1700 040107
Location: Thunderbird Motel
Condition: New patches have been applied to the hull.
Status: Engineers from Christensen Yachts surveyed our hull and determined that the configuration would not be compatible with their dry dock apparatus. Our next opportunity lies with shipyards on Swan Island.
The Portland Division Sea Cadets would like to extend a grateful and heartfelt "thank you" to the Coast Guard in general, and the crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Bluebell in particular, for their valiant efforts in saving the Alert from almost certainly sinking on Monday evening! YOU SAVED OUR SHIP!
Alert photos: Damage control shoring in place to secure flooding.
Location: Thunderbird Motel, outboard the LCI-713
Condition: Taking on approximately 4,000 gallons of water an hour. This is being removed hourly by two 250 GPM gasoline pumps. Patches are holding for now.
Significant events: All fuel (approx 400 gallons) was removed by a recycling company, and is a loss to us. All paint, varnish. thinner and other painting consumables have been removed and stored for future use.
Status: Awaiting availability of a dry dock. When and if one is located, ship must be moved by tug to the dry dock location. Dry dock number 5 at Swan Island has been mentioned, but was not confirmed as of 2200 last night. Coast Guard requires a movement request to be submitted and approved before they will allow us to move. They want to ensure that we will not sink en route to the dry dock, and become a hazard to navigation.
Future events: Assessment of the damage to the hull, as well as the overall condition of the hull to be made when in dry dock. We will not be allowed to leave dry dock by the Coast Guard until they certify that we are once again sea worthy. Depending on the results of the hull survey, this could be a "make or break" decision for the Alert.
ITEM: Our next drill will be Saturday, 7 April at NOSC, Swan Island
ITEM: PRT test will be conducted on the 7 April drill. Passing this test is
a requirement prior to attending Recruit Training.
ITEM: Congratulations to Cadet Reimer on winning the DVD player! He was the
first Cadet to correctly state the 11 General Orders, the Navy Creed and
the Sea Cadet Oath! WELL DONE!
ITEM: Commander's Cup will be held in Wilsonville the weekend of 27-29 April
(BDU's authorized) Click HERE for further details.
ITEM: Region 13 Campout 18-20 May at Camp Cispus in Randall, Washington
(BDU's or Utilities). Click HERE for further details.
ITEM: Dress White uniforms will be issued 7 April. Please return any uniforms
that no longer fit - they will fit someone else!
ITEM: Awards and Advancement Ceremony and Buffet Dinner - Friday, 20 April,
at the VFW Hall in Salmon Creek.
The Cadet of the Year and the Cadet of the Quarter will be announced!
