National Security Levels
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New Member Deck
Let's begin our orientation with a look at where the Coast Guard stations in USCG Auxiliary District 11 Northern Region (D11NR) are located, some of the missions they perform, and what types of boats, cutters, helos, and airplanes are used by the Coast Guard. Depending on what you're doing, you might or might not regularly visit a Coast Guard station. However, it does help to know where the stations are and the various Coast Guard vessels you will see. Note that there are some areas in the district where there are no USCG stations and the local USCG Auxiliary provides the Coast Guard presence.US Coast Guard District 11...link includes California, Arizona, Nevada, and Utah, the coastal and offshore waters out over a thousand miles and the offshore waters of Mexico and Central America down to South America. USCG Auxiliary District 11 Northern Region (D11NR) serves the Northern part of this area and includes Northern California, Nevada and Utah. Within USCG District 11 there are three Sectors and one Group...link spanning California. Within the district you will find Air Stations, Small Boat Stations, and Aids to Navigation Teams (ATON). Each Coast Guard station has a defined geographical Area of Responsibility (AOR). There is also a training facility, several types of radio stations, and the San Francisco Bay Vessel Traffic Service.
Station Golden GateLike most U.S. Coast Guard stations, Station Golden Gate's...link mission includes Search and Rescue, Homeland Security, Maritime Law Enforcement, Marine Environmental Protection, and Boating Safety. Station Golden Gate is one of the Coast Guard's nineteen designated surf stations and the busiest search and rescue station on the West Coast, averaging over 600 search and rescue cases and more than 300 law enforcement boardings each fiscal year. The station is one of several San Francisco Bay Area units responsible for offshore or open ocean response and is the Bay Area's primary responder for heavy weather and surf emergencies. Station Golden Gate's area of responsibility covers fifty nautical miles offshore from Point Reyes to Point Ano Nuevo, including the Farallon Islands, and within San Francisco Bay from Bluff Point in Marin County to Pier 39 on the San Francisco waterfront.Station San FranciscoStation San Francisco's..link mission also includes Search and Rescue, Homeland Security, Maritime Law Enforcement, Marine Environmental Protection, and Boating Safety. Station San Francisco is also deeply involved in community and public relations, and thousands of people benefit from Station San Francisco's boating safety demonstrations at schools and public relations events.Station San Francisco is co-located with USCG Sector San Francisco on Yerba Buena Island in San Francisco Bay. The area of responsibility for Search and Rescue covers San Francisco Bay south to San Jose and west to a line drawn northward from Pier 45 to Alcatraz and then to Point Blunt on Angel Island. The boundary then continues from Point Blunt along the east side of Angel Island and then on to Bluff Point in Marin County. During Homeland Security patrols, Station San Francisco's AOR extends west to the Golden Gate Bridge. Sector San Francisco is the home for the command center for Search and Rescue operations.At the top of Yerba Buena Island you can see radio masts and rotating radar antennas. These are part of the Coast Guard Vessel Traffic Service (VTS) which is somewhat like air traffic control for ships. San Francisco Bay is one of the busiest shipping ports in the country, and VTS makes sure vessels travel safely to and from their berths.
Air Station San Francisco Air Station San Francisco...link is located on the grounds of San Francisco International Airport. The air station's primary missions include operations supporting Ports, Waterways, and Coastal Security; Search and Rescue; Living Marine Resources; Counter Drug; Alien Migrant Interdiction; and Logistics. The station personnel operate the HH-65C Dolphin helicopter.Coast Guard Island Alameda Coast Guard Island is home to the Eleventh Coast Guard District...link. The island has a variety of commands providing support and services to USCG units on the West Coast and the Pacific. It is also the home port for four High Endurance Coast Guard Cutters: CGC SHERMAN...link, CGC MORGENTHAU...link, CGC MUNRO...link, and CGC BOUTWELL...link. The Sherman recently made one of the biggest cocaine seizures in history off the coast of Panama.
Station Vallejo and Station Rio Vista There are also two Coast Guard stations located on the Sacramento River. Station Vallejo is at Vallejo and handles San Pablo Bay, Suisuin Bay and part of the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers. Station Rio Vista handles Sacramento, East Delta, and some of West Delta and San Joaquin.Air Station SacramentoAir Station Sacramento..link is located on the grounds McClellan Park near Sacramento. They fly the Hercules HC-130 aircraft on search and rescue (SAR), law enforcement, and Logistics missions. Their area of responsibility (AOR) reaches south to the equator, west to Hawaii, and north to Alaska.Station Lake TahoeStation Lake Tahoe is located in Tahoe City, CA. about 30 miles southwest of Reno, Nevada and about 100 miles east of Sacramento, California. They have a unique situation since they patrol an Alpine lake environment at over 6000 feet elevation.
Station Monterey Station Monterey has an AOR that includes all of Monterey Bay and extends North to the boundary line between Santa Cruz and San Mateo County, and South to the boundary line between Monterey and San Luis Obispo County.Station Bodega Bay Station Bodega Bay...video link is on the coast North of San Francisco near Point Reyes. It is a surf station and they operate both 25 foot RBS and 47 foot MLB boats. The station is also home to the 87 foot cutter USCGC Sockeye.Station Noyo River Station Noyo River...link is also a surf station and is located further North along the coast near Fort Bragg. Station Humboldt Bay Station Humboldt Bay is located on the ocean side of Humboldt Bay West of
Eureka. They operate 47 and 25 foot boats and support search and rescue,
law enforcement, and boating safety.
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Boats from Group Humboldt Bay face challenging weather and 40-50
degree water. (photo USCG) |
Loran Stations
Long Range Radio Navigation (LORAN) is a navigational radio broadcast that
can be used by ships and aircraft to determine their position. Three LORAN
transmitters are located in District 11 at Loran Station Searchlight, at
Searchlight Nevada, south of Las Vegas, Loran Station Fallon at Fallon, Nevada,
east of Reno, and Loran Station Middleton, at Middletown, California, northeast
of Santa Rosa.
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transmitter tower at Loran Station Searchlight. This Coast
Guard station is located hundreds of miles inland in the Nevada desert. (photo USCG) |
Aids to Navigation (ATON) Stations
Aids to Navigation Teams service and maintain all Aids such as sea coast lights, sea buoys, historic lighthouses, primary lights, range lights, and private lights. There are two ATON teams, one at Humboldt Bay and the other at San Francisco.
CAMSPAC
Communications Area Master Station Pacific (CAMSPAC)...link is located at Point Reyes, California and handles all long-distance radio communications for the Coast Guard in the Pacific hemisphere. They deliver record message traffic and voice communications from Alaska to the Middle East to the South Pacific. CAMSPAC also provides weather warnings and safety information and acts as a distress notification center when mariners encounter difficulty.
Training Center Petaluma
