Cleveland Slovenian Business and Professional Association visit the U.S. Coast Guard

The U.S. Coast Guard hosted the Cleveland Slovenian Business and Professional Association at their Cleveland Moorings on June 29th. Greg Fondran, Lt. Cmdr. with the Coast Guard, hosted the visit with a presentation of the Coast Guard and a walking tour.

Members learned about the Marine Safety Unit, whose personnel conduct safety and security inspections on commercial foreign and domestic ships as well as commercial facilities which line the waterfront in the Cleveland area. In the MSU's training room, Fondran's presentation discussed the many mission areas of the Coast Guard, which essentially fall under the basic headings of maritime safety, security and stewardship .

The group toured the Coast Guard Cutter Neah Bay, a 140-foot icebreaking tug which calls Cleveland its homeport. The ship was commissioned in 1980 and is approaching its 30th birthday. The ship's crew is led by commanding officer Lt. William Woityra. The CBSPA group was escorted around its decks, the pilothouse with its modern navigation equipment and the engine control room with its recently upgraded main propulsion and auxiliary equipment monitoring system.

A peek inside the communications center at the Coast Guard boat station allowed the members to meet the folks at the other end of the radio when the "mayday" call comes in.  From there the group was escorted by a coxswain (or boat driver) to the 41-foot utility boat and 25-foot response boat to learn more about the vessels which conduct search and rescue, law enforcement and homeland security patrols within the station's area of responsibility.  Station Cleveland Harbor's AOR stretches from Avon Point on the west side to Moss Point on the east side, as well as the navigable portions of the Cuyahoga and Rocky Rivers.

The night concluded with a drink at the Harbor Inn on the west bank of the Flats.  CBSPA members came away from the experience at the Coast Guard with a better appreciation of this unique maritime federal agency charged with saving lives, protecting property and the environment while serving as one of the five armed services in our nation's defense and homeland security.  This visit proudly showcased the Coast Guard’s dedicated people, resources and organization which serves our country, both domestically and abroad, with distinction every day.

Submitted by: Denise Klemencic denise.klemencic@yahoo.com

Photo by: Ed Pershey