Mainbrace June 2025 | Page 14

Navigating Safely: Tips for Commercial and Recreational Vessels Operating near Military Craft( continued from page 12)
generally choose a course and speed to maintain for up to a few hours. Commercial and recreational vessels operating in the vicinity of an UNREP should anticipate an early radio call as maneuvering and speed changes are restricted during UNREP and can only be done in small iterations( one degree course change, one RPM speed change, etc.) There may also be air operations simultaneous with an UNREP.
USCG-Specific U. S. Coast Guard surface vessel operations are similar to those of U. S. Navy surface vessels, but their multi-mission capabilities introduce additional considerations for commercial or recreational vessels operating nearby.
Coast Guard vessels are designed to transition seamlessly between various mission sets. For instance, a Sentinelclass cutter in certain Areas of Responsibility might start the day with recreational vessel safety boardings, shift to a search and rescue mission in the afternoon, and conclude with immigration enforcement operations in the evening. These diverse operations often require the rapid launching and recovery of small boats, sometimes with little notice. Therefore, commercial and recreational vessels should be prepared for Coast Guard vessels to change course and speed suddenly and should maintain a wide berth around such operations.
Additionally, the Coast Guard’ s law enforcement activities can result in unique lighting configurations. While Coast Guard vessels are generally required to display navigation lights between sunset and sunrise or during periods of restricted visibility, there are exceptions. When conducting specific law enforcement or public safety operations, Coast Guard vessels may operate without certain navigation lights. Commercial vessels or recreational vessels that encounter a Coast Guard vessel without normal navigational lights between sunset and sunrise should keep a wide berth and avoid hailing them on the radio about their lighting configuration, as this could compromise their operations.
Subsurface Vessels U. S. submarines operate globally but, except for entering and leaving port and in certain limited circumstances, they do so while submerged.
Operating Areas: Submarines are most often found operating on the surface in the vicinity of U. S. Navy homeports in Groton, Connecticut; Norfolk, Virginia; Kings Bay, Georgia; Bangor, Washington; San Diego, California; Pearl Harbor, Hawaii; and Apra Harbor, Guam.
The United States operates three types of submarines, all nuclear powered: attack submarines, ballistic missile submarines, and cruise missile submarines. Although each
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