California’s Keeper: How the Coast Guard Cutter George Cobb Shields Maritime Commerce

SAN PEDRO, Calif. — Every day, billions of dollars in cargo move through California’s ports, carrying everything from food, fuel, vehicles and medical supplies. Most people never think about the buoys that guide ships through crowded waterways, but when one of those guides fails, the consequences could be major, threatening lives at sea, the environment and the uninterrupted flow of maritime commerce.

Operating between San Francisco and San Diego, the crew of Coast Guard Cutter George Cobb (WLM 564) works behind the scenes to prevent those risks and safeguard multiple of the Nation's most critical economic gateways. The 175-foot keeper class coastal buoy tender maintains aids to navigation (ATON) by repairing and replacing buoys that mark safe channels and hazards. The crew helps ensure that massive cargo ships, commercial fishing vessels, and recreational boaters can safely navigate through these busy waterways.

"A lot of people think that the buoys are just kind of there, and they don't get serviced," said Petty Officer 2nd Class Joseph Zimmerman, an electronics technician assigned to Coast Guard George Cobb (WLM 564). "It's nice to know that the Coast Guard's is helping maintain the waterways, keeping shipping coming into and flowing out of this country, and helping keeping boaters safe."

Without these buoys, the marine transportation system that moves billions of dollars in cargo through California’s ports each year would become significantly more at risk.

Maintaining these buoys, which often range from 5- to 8-feet in diameter, requires a combination of heavy machinery, high-tech navigation systems and physical labor.

To keep the ship steady beside a multi-ton floating buoy, George Cobb’s crew relies on a dynamic positioning system (DPS). The automated system continuously adjusts the cutter’s position by factoring in GPS coordinates, wind, current and the cutter’s two 360-degree Z-drive thrusters, allowing the cutter to remain nearly motionless alongside a buoy.

"We have two Z-drive engines that are maneuverable in a 360-degree radius”, Zimmerman explained.” We also have an advanced computer system that's able to work with wind, ocean current, engines, and our GPS position to actually keep us in one specific place."

Once positioned next to a buoy, the crew gets to work on the deck. Before each evolution, crews on the bridge and buoy deck conduct detailed safety briefs, identifying potential hazards, especially worn mooring chains that may have spent years underwater.

"Sometimes these buoys may have been a couple of years since they've last been serviced, and the chain might get worn down really thin," Zimmerman said. "If that is the case, there's a higher chance of the chain parting and potentially things ricocheting or flying."

To execute the evolution safely, the crew utilizes built-in heavy machinery, including four cross-deck winches, an in-hull crane, and an overhead crane to haul in chain and stabilize the swinging weight.

On the deck, boatswain's mates, damage controlmen, machinery technicians, and non-rated crew members work in coordination to achieve the mission efficiently and in a safe manner.

"I think the most satisfying thing about aids to navigation is just sort of like the work-hard, play-hard mentality," Zimmerman said. "We have some days where we work seven or eight buoys in a single day and it's kind of nice knowing, like when we finish everything on our list, then we get to go back into port."

The crew may not routinely conduct search and rescue missions, but their work helps prevent incidents before they happen.

By repairing damaged lights, restoring sounds signals, clearing marine growth and servicing the chains from the buoys, the crew helps keep some of the Nation’s busiest maritime waterways safe for commerce and recreation.

"I joined the Coast Guard because I knew it was a life-saving service," Zimmerman said with a smile. "We're not going out and rescuing boaters, but by keeping the aids maintained, helping people understand that there might be hazards so they can avoid them, knowing that sound signals and light signals are there to alert boaters, it's nice to know that our waterways are safer than they were yesterday."

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