Depoe Bay CG (full-status)
Recent article in the Newport paper
By Steve Card
Of the News-Times
The United States Coast Guard plans to restore its Station Depoe Bay to independent, "stand alone" status during the coming year.
In 1996, as a result of a streamlining program mandated by the United States Congress, Station Depoe Bay was made a substation of Station Yaquina Bay. The Depoe Bay crew was scaled back, and the commander at Yaquina Bay was given oversight of both stations.
Chief Warrant Officer Richard Glasgow, the current commander of Coast Guard Station Yaquina Bay, said official word came from the Coast Guard's Washington, D.C., headquarters about six weeks ago that Depoe Bay is to be upgraded in terms of budget, equipment, and personnel.
"We got permission from headquarters to stand them back up to their own, independent, search and rescue unit - a regular station," Glasgow said. "We have to get the personnel allowance back up to where it should be, which is about 28 or 31. Right now they have 22 people there."
With Coast Guard operations now falling under the nation's Department of Homeland Security, funding has become available to do some of these enhancements.
Restoring the budget "is a little bit easier than the people," said Glasgow. "The Coast Guard is currently trying to bring on a couple thousand extra people each year. But you can bring in all the new people you want...it's the experienced people that we need."
That is because Station Depoe Bay, like Station Yaquina Bay, is a surf station, and must perform operations in some of the most extreme weather conditions in the country. "A regular search and rescue unit doesn't do that, so we have to train to a higher standard," said Glasgow.
Because of this need to find people with the necessary qualifications, Glasgow said it will likely be July or August before the station is completely restored to independent status.
"We don't want to make it an unnecessary burden on them...because right now, we do all their administrative duties and supply duties at this station (Yaquina Bay)," he said. "To cut them off right now and say `you're on you own' would be the wrong thing."
The current chief at Station Depoe Bay, BMC Chris Sparkman, will continue to oversee operations there, said Glasgow, adding, "Chief Sparkman is doing a remarkable job. The intent of the Coast Guard is to allow him to remain in there."
Station Depoe Bay is unique among Coast Guard stations, due to the narrow channel through the rocks - commonly referred to as "the hole" - that provides the entrance into the bay.
"Everybody in the Coast Guard knows about Depoe Bay," said Glasgow. "It's pretty infamous...because of the hole and the dynamics of getting a boat in and out of there. So if we get somebody there that's well qualified to go in and out of the hole, my feeling is that we should keep him there for as long as we can."
Restoring Station Depoe Bay to stand-alone status will also mean adding equipment. The station currently has a 47-foot motor lifeboat, a 30-foot surf rescue boat, and a utility boat. Glasgow said he hopes to get a second 47-foot boat there.
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