Holiday Parade of Lights Tragedy - San Diego (Correct Link)
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The news report said the CG was speeding toward ... a grounded boat. Not usually the kind of situation that requires a high-speed response. This is very tragic.
RE: High Speed
There may well have been reason to rush. There is a semi-submerged jetty at the harbor entrance which has claimed many a boat and a number of lives over the years. Having almost smacked a large can leaving that harbor at midnight by myself in that same area, I can appreciate how hard it is to pick out lights against Point Loma. Basically, there are lights 360 degrees around that area owing to the curve of the channel, homes on the hillside, Naval ops on one side and Navy/Marine air on the other. A very tragic event for all concerned.
There may well have been reason to rush. There is a semi-submerged jetty at the harbor entrance which has claimed many a boat and a number of lives over the years. Having almost smacked a large can leaving that harbor at midnight by myself in that same area, I can appreciate how hard it is to pick out lights against Point Loma. Basically, there are lights 360 degrees around that area owing to the curve of the channel, homes on the hillside, Naval ops on one side and Navy/Marine air on the other. A very tragic event for all concerned.
civilian boat was welll lighted had christmas lites on it==lighted christmas lights and his nav lites--was seen by a friend of mine nearby.... the uscg boat was allegedly responding to an alleged GROUNDING ....NOT a dire emergency and not requiring 40 kts of speed in the crowded waterways of a boat parade situation. there is no excuse for the horrific and illegal behaviors of the uscg in this instance.
http://www.latitude38.com/lectronic/LectronicLat.lasso
btw--there have been many grounding situations on zuniga jetty whereto the uscg does not respond at all-----why is this particular alleged grounding any different than the ones to which they do not go???/ why did they HAVE to have full speed ahead in a KNOWN busy place---there were many folks on the water---was a christmas parade , for god's sake--there is no excuse for this tragedy....unless the 18 yo BOY at the helm of the uscg boat was having a myocardial infarction as he was driving--or a stroke.....
sorry to be so opinionated--but there is no excuse for this tragedy . friends of mine watched it happen..and, according to the news clipping from dago paper----the uscg boat was returning to station ---turned around where they hit the other boat-----wtf???!!!!!!..
http://www.latitude38.com/lectronic/LectronicLat.lasso
btw--there have been many grounding situations on zuniga jetty whereto the uscg does not respond at all-----why is this particular alleged grounding any different than the ones to which they do not go???/ why did they HAVE to have full speed ahead in a KNOWN busy place---there were many folks on the water---was a christmas parade , for god's sake--there is no excuse for this tragedy....unless the 18 yo BOY at the helm of the uscg boat was having a myocardial infarction as he was driving--or a stroke.....
sorry to be so opinionated--but there is no excuse for this tragedy . friends of mine watched it happen..and, according to the news clipping from dago paper----the uscg boat was returning to station ---turned around where they hit the other boat-----wtf???!!!!!!..
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Here is an update from the San Diego Union:
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2009/dec/22/coast-guard-boat-going-too-fast-witnesses-say/
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2009/dec/22/coast-guard-boat-going-too-fast-witnesses-say/
This could be one of those emerging issues except that it probably won't happen enough to become a significant issue. Volunteer firemen used to go racing to fires at 80 miles on hours on country roads up here in Maine intoxicated by having an "official" flashing red light on the dash. Eventually, there were enough accidents to get it made SOP dictated from the top that they were to observe speed limits. Death and property rates from fires seem to have remained about the same since this change.
There is a similar question working its way through the system about the Portland Fireboat going 18 knots in the dark through a very narrow channel with lots of background lights just before tearing its bottom up.
It's human nature when you're "the man" and used to having everyone stay out of your way to go like hell in an emergency. You have to remember how young many of the USCG boat drivers actually are. It wouldn't surprise you to see a civilian of that age showing poor judgment. They are better trained but, as we know, good judgment does not fully develop until about age 85. This is something that needs to be dealt with from the top down in the form of better training and SOP instruction in the risk / benefit of response time.
this was a case of overreacting by testosterone ridden boys who were responding to an actual soft grounding in front of shelter island....definitely NOT emergent. the crew of number 11 was placed on administrative leave indefinitely as the investigation continues...my popcorn is popping i am waiting ---- we see oif this incident helps in the reduction of over reaction which is rampant in this bay....LOL......
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Somewhere, someone is missing BIG time
in the TRAINING department.
They MUST teach them how to identify lights and how difficult it is to see anything with background lights.
You don't have to be 85 years old to figure that one out.
And speeding around in the dark in a boat for SUPPOSEDLY TRAINED CG personnel is just plain stupid.
There is no parallel between volunteer firemen in 1906 and CG kids with boats in 2009.
These "kids" and their OFFICERS should know better. Didn't they even take the CG Auxiliary training class? :cry:
Accident? Nope. Manslaughter, just by uniformed people who should know MUCH MUCH MUCH better.
Bismark Dinius is NOT laughing over this one. If they follow the "logic" of the Lake County District Atty's office, they'll charge the poor dead kid for the accident.
in the TRAINING department.
They MUST teach them how to identify lights and how difficult it is to see anything with background lights.
You don't have to be 85 years old to figure that one out.
And speeding around in the dark in a boat for SUPPOSEDLY TRAINED CG personnel is just plain stupid.
There is no parallel between volunteer firemen in 1906 and CG kids with boats in 2009.
These "kids" and their OFFICERS should know better. Didn't they even take the CG Auxiliary training class? :cry:
Accident? Nope. Manslaughter, just by uniformed people who should know MUCH MUCH MUCH better.
Bismark Dinius is NOT laughing over this one. If they follow the "logic" of the Lake County District Atty's office, they'll charge the poor dead kid for the accident.
OMG--stu we almost see eye to eye--LOL---
--is time this kind of activity is stopped--happens every day in multiple incidents--this time they got caught ...OOPS!!!! -- administrative leave--but the uscg is investigating it---we wil see...popcorn is popping....
OMG is right! 
With 2009 almost gone, it's about time I finally get it right and agree with you!
I think it may be appropriate to copy some of the articles about this event and the overall cluelessness of these gun-totin' kids, put it on your boat, and haul it up when they needlessly stop you after they speed around leaving wakes all over the place, cutting other people off, and then tromping all over your clean white decks with their bloody stupid black soled boots!
Can't someone in this fair land of ours find boat shoes for these guys?
Hey, zeehag, let's start a search for CG unobtrusive boat shoe soles!!!
With 2009 almost gone, it's about time I finally get it right and agree with you!
I think it may be appropriate to copy some of the articles about this event and the overall cluelessness of these gun-totin' kids, put it on your boat, and haul it up when they needlessly stop you after they speed around leaving wakes all over the place, cutting other people off, and then tromping all over your clean white decks with their bloody stupid black soled boots!
Can't someone in this fair land of ours find boat shoes for these guys?
Hey, zeehag, let's start a search for CG unobtrusive boat shoe soles!!!
Stu a little harsh but you are correct on their over reaction . I trace their problem to the 9/11 repositioning of the USCG role . They no longer know how to respond to this type of problem ,and they know it .Look it up in Proceedings . It is so bad in the N.E. that people will not call the USCG for assistance ,but instead call sea tow or the local harbormaster .In one case a grounding was being handled by the harbormaster ,all was ok but the USCG was hindering the efforts with their inane radio coms. Finally the harbormaster demanded they stop all coms and he would call when the effort was done . And whats with the hand on the hip next to the gun when the board !? I have been boarded several times on several boats ,to the point I have the routine down pat .
what you are saying is the uscg doesnt know how to respond to a soft grounding in a crowded and sheltered waterway during a christmas boat parade of lights despite the fact they have done the same thing year after year forever??? dont give me the 9-11 bs--the uscg knows how to respond--they have done the responding for many years and have not changed this or their job description. no. sorry. this was a show of testosterone overflow exhibited by a rogue who is now on admin leave. as deserved. a crowded bay--with more boats on it than einstein can count out for a nice pleasant evening. at least there are many witnesses to this than there were in clear lake for the thornton killing by deputy purduck....this was purely and simply a case of testosterone overload and overreaction to a call regarding a soft grounding. uscg in san diego responds to everything at full throttle whether it is a runny nose or a boat fire--here, boat fires are not called to uscg--the harbor police respond to those calls. there was no excuse for the irresponsible behaviour of the uscg helmsman. by the way, it isnot the uscg job to unground you when you ground yourself. there is no reason to call uscg for stuff the harbor police normally do, like fire fighting and response to bay oriented incidents. the uscg is for outside the bay and for open waters. they had no business speeding in a crowded bay for no reason. ..
ho0ooyah stu---they could use some lol for sure...
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Rogue? Perhaps not...
The issue isn't just the Homeland Stupidity connection, it's the insensitivity of just about everything they (DHS & CG) do now. If that because of DHS, then this country's got a lot bigger problem than just the CG. There is the distinct possibility that this is true. Remember, they're citizens just like you and me, but they "think they got the power."
And if you're getting so accustomed to being boarded, there is something seriously wrong with the "system" that doesn't allow for a reaction to this nonsense, and demands they stop harassing citizens, a system that encourages and permits repeated and unnecessary recreational boardings.
We should never "get used it it," we should fight it for what it is: a bureaucratic overreaction that unless checked could well get worse.
I don't think my statement was harsh, I think the clowns they let run these little ships, with 50 caliber machine guns, for goodness sake, on 'em, should behave one heck of a lot better.
A LOT.
People call Sea Tow because the Sea Tow business started because the CG stopped responding to their more traditional roles of helping sailors, and some dumb sailors started to think of Sea Tow as roadside assistance. I shoulda invested in ST earlier!:naughty:
The issue isn't just the Homeland Stupidity connection, it's the insensitivity of just about everything they (DHS & CG) do now. If that because of DHS, then this country's got a lot bigger problem than just the CG. There is the distinct possibility that this is true. Remember, they're citizens just like you and me, but they "think they got the power."
And if you're getting so accustomed to being boarded, there is something seriously wrong with the "system" that doesn't allow for a reaction to this nonsense, and demands they stop harassing citizens, a system that encourages and permits repeated and unnecessary recreational boardings.
We should never "get used it it," we should fight it for what it is: a bureaucratic overreaction that unless checked could well get worse.
I don't think my statement was harsh, I think the clowns they let run these little ships, with 50 caliber machine guns, for goodness sake, on 'em, should behave one heck of a lot better.
A LOT.
People call Sea Tow because the Sea Tow business started because the CG stopped responding to their more traditional roles of helping sailors, and some dumb sailors started to think of Sea Tow as roadside assistance. I shoulda invested in ST earlier!:naughty:
Why Wait for the Investigation?
Let's take the whole crew aboard the Coast Guard vessel and hang them from the yardarm. Obviously they had to be the only ones with any culpability in this terrible accident. In fact let's hang the entire stations crew that will fix everything.
Or perhaps we should sit on our fingers and not lay blame on anyone until all the facts are in and we know what the hell we are talking about. Nah, it is more fun to shoot our mouths off about anything and everything then tell others how wrong or ignorant they are. That’s why we all come to this site.
Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night.
Let's take the whole crew aboard the Coast Guard vessel and hang them from the yardarm. Obviously they had to be the only ones with any culpability in this terrible accident. In fact let's hang the entire stations crew that will fix everything.
Or perhaps we should sit on our fingers and not lay blame on anyone until all the facts are in and we know what the hell we are talking about. Nah, it is more fun to shoot our mouths off about anything and everything then tell others how wrong or ignorant they are. That’s why we all come to this site.
Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night.
the crew has been placed on administrative leave pending the investigation of the incident---i love your point of view-is soo mellow.....there are many witnesses to the incident and it was presented as reported to me...have a realllly goooood christmas or whatever you celebrate----
Zeehag yes , they know they have a poor recreational boater pr problem as stated in their journal Proceedings. They rightfully have assigned the role of rescue /responce ,for inshore ,to the harbormasters . They have also funded this effort very well . Our harbor has recived lots of new assets in the form of new patrol and fire boats ,as well as a pollution response unit . The problem is they interfere with the harbormasters efforts with their inane coms . As for boardings ,they have eased off in my area due to adverse public resopnse . And by the way they now arm the helos.
i hope they wake uo a bit as of this incident --there are waaay too many boats out and about here year round for there to be any safety in testosterone displays----happens waaay too often here in the sunny kalifornikatorium LOL----so i hope they are going to watch that part of it somewhat------prevention of acidents on the watre is important.....have a goood christmas----
i did notice the uscg auxiliary, who normally runs fastrer than 5 kts as a general rule and does so inside mooring fields and everywhere on this bay---has slowed to a more respectable speed this morning------is a gooood thing......is too bad a child had to die in this--should not have happened---
i did notice the uscg auxiliary, who normally runs fastrer than 5 kts as a general rule and does so inside mooring fields and everywhere on this bay---has slowed to a more respectable speed this morning------is a gooood thing......is too bad a child had to die in this--should not have happened---
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