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 The United States has more than 25,000 miles of inland navigable
waterways, almost all of which are in the eastern half of the
country. 10,300 miles of those navigable waterways are in the
Eighth Coast Guard
District. The most navigated of these is the Mississippi River,
which is the fourth longest and the tenth largest among the world's
rivers. The upkeep of the Mississippi River's many
Aids-To-Navigation falls within the districts responsibility to
ensure the safe flow of commerce; the life blood of America.
The Mississippi rises in Minnesota and flows southward for 2,230
miles until it reaches the Gulf of Mexico. Along the way it drains
into tributaries in all or part of 31 states between the Rocky and
Appalachian Mountains. With all this navigable water, rules of the
road have to be set and followed.
ATON was first established in 1716 with the
Boston Lighthouse located in Little Brewster Harbor in Boston.
Before this light, navigation aids consisted of burning fires on
raised platforms, or on shore. Today those fires have been replaced
by a variety of signals to alert mariners. Some of these signals
include green and red day boards with large numbers on them, as well
as green and red buoys. Some either float while others are secured
to a beam sticking out of the water. They may blink brightly, rotate
around in a circle or make a loud sound. These signals are paramount
to marine safety.
“ATON is important because it shows mariners where dangers lie,
and can include shallow water, obstructions or mishaps on the
waterways,” said Petty Officer 1st Class John Sadler, a boatswains
mate assigned to Coast Guard Marine Safety Unit Pittsburgh. “ATON
facilitates the smooth flow of commerce by promoting a safe
route-of-navigation for mariners to follow.”
In order to navigate the water or to help plan a trip, it is
helpful to have a chart. Charts show the nature and shape of the
coast, buoys and beacons, water depths, land features and much, much
more.
“It is imperative to know the difference between different types
of aids-to-navigation,” said Sadler. “Taking the time to learn about
different aids-to-navigation and their meaning could easily prevent
you from damaging your vessel, or far worse, you and your crew.”
The Coast Guard operates and administers the United States ATON
System, which is intended for use with nautical charts and has the
goal of promoting safe navigation on the waterways. Safety signals
are maintained by different types of ATON teams that are positioned
on waterways across the U.S.
Some of these units include tenders, such as the Coast Guard
Cutter Mackinaw, a 240-foot ice-breaking cutter that navigates
through some of the coldest waters. Cutter Mackinaw and its crew are
responsible for keeping channels and harbors open to navigation to
meet the winter shipping needs of commerce. In addition, the
Mackinaw has state of the art mission capabilities that include
search and rescue, servicing buoys, law enforcement and the ability
to deploy an oil skimming system for use during pollution response.
The Cutter Mackinaw is homeported in Cheboygen, Mich.
Another type of ATON unit's are the
Juniper Class buoy tenders. These 225-foot long tenders have a
Dynamic Positioning System that can hold the vessel within a
ten-meter circle using a Global Positioning System that allows the
crew to service and accurately position floating ATON. The cutter is
also equipped with a single controllable pitch propeller as well as
bow and stern thrusters, which give the cutter the maneuverability
it needs to tend buoys offshore and in restricted waters.
Coastal Buoy Tenders, also known as the Keeper Class, are
175-feet long and are designed to rotate 360 degrees. The
maneuverability is unmatched because of the thruster in its bow.
These buoy tenders also have a DPS, which allows it to maneuver and
position aids accurately and effectively.
The Inland Construction Tender is probably the most unknown and
unrecognized in the fleet. At 75-feet long, the cutter pushes a
barge equipped with cranes and other ATON equipment. These tenders
drive piles and work smaller buoys along rivers and lakes throughout
the country. Other missions include search and rescue, law
enforcement, ice breaking and environmental operations. The fleet
also has Inland Construction Tenders that are 160-feet long without
barges.
There are two 65-foot Inland Buoy Tenders; the Coast Guard Cutter
Bayberry, homeported in Portsmouth, Va., and the Coast Guard Cutter
Elderberry, homeported in Petersburg, Alaska.
The smallest of the fleet are the River Tenders. Ranging from 65
to 75-feet in length, they push barges varying from 90-feet to
130-feet. These barges are equipped with cranes to work ATON and
some are equipped with jetting devices that are used to set and
anchor buoys in rivers with sandy or muddy bottoms.
From muddy bottom rivers to seas of ice-filled waters, the Coast
Guard has a tender that can handle any day board, buoy or beacon
light to keep America's waterways safe and moving.
By USCG Petty Officer 3rd Class Casey J. Ranel
Copyright 2011
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