- Reaction score
- 0
- Points
- 360
Alright, since the issue of whether to arm the CCG has already been turned inside-out on this other thread, http://forums.army.ca/forums/threads/32547.0.html, I chose to start this new thread since it deals more with having naval personnel on Coast Guard ships. I request that the moderators to please not move this thread to a related thread just because it was covered before.
I was talking with this person one day who works for the Coast Guard and he said that soon we'll be having at least 2 new 30-knot cutters with joint CCG and RCMP crews with 3-inch guns. I am not sure how much truth there is to this since I couldn't find anything about this on the net. (Colin, if you were wondering who that guy was, I remember his name simply was Brett and claims he works on the base at Victoria and he used to be a crewman before being assigned to a shore installation where he works now)
Still, this idea of joint crews also gave me another idea. Still, being a civvy myself who doesn't yet work in the maritime industry, but who will soon work in it, I DON'T claim to know more than those with more experience on this forum.
Since it was repeatedly emphasized in that other thread that the CCG will be resistant to having a fully-armed fleet and militarized personnel, I therefore make another proposal that perhaps the CCG should allow naval personnel on their ships modified with naval weaponry such as 3-inch guns or helos that can be equipped with ASW torpedoes.
Before branding this idea as yet another WACKY proposal, have in mind that during World War II, American merchant ships travelling in convoys such as the Liberty ships may have had civilian. merchant marine crews, but the 4-inch and AA guns on these merchant ships were manned by US Navy or Coast Guard personnel. This was also true for British and other Commonwealth merchant ships whose defenses were manned by RNR or RNVR or RCNVR or other reserve personnel.
Now we come to the question of WHY we should have Naval personnel on CCG ships:
1.) Since the Coast Guard is the largest fleet WE HAVE at our disposal (around 40+ Marcom ships vs. 105+ CCG ships), instead of building more navy ships for maritime defense such as the Kingstons and the Orcas for maritime defense, why not kill two birds with one stone and have CCG ships do BOTH maritime defense and SAR/Fishery patrol/Icebreaking by having joint Naval and CCG crews.
*The larger warships such as the Halifaxes would be for showing the flag abroad and would be more expeditionary in their role, such as escorting the JSS or other NATO surface groups.
2.) Since it's aparrent from the other thread, that militarizing or arming the CCG crew on a wider scale will face resistance, why not have Navy personnel assigned to CCG ships instead with them performing duties such as:
a.) manning the weaponry that could be installed on these cutters/icebreakers such as 4-inch mounts or 50 cal MG mounts
b.) dedicated NBPs stationed on these ships who could board suspicious vessels such as those smuggling in drugs or illegal immigrants.
3.) The personnel for manning these naval detachments would come from Naval Reserve personnel; the Kingstons could be retired/sold and their weaponry could be transferred to CCG ships.
4.) Since the CCG also operates in the Arctic, this could also be a way of enforcing Canada's Arctic Sovereignty by having Naval personnel on these ships while the CCG personnel do their usual ice-breaking and other duties.
5.) The CCG's large rotary fleet- especially the single Sea King on the West Coast and the BO 105s,- can be modified to carry ASW torpedoes to give the ships more of an offensive punch in addition to the SAR duties the helos now do.
Thoughts anyone?
Or is this thread doomed to be dropped into the realm of the trolls again?
I was talking with this person one day who works for the Coast Guard and he said that soon we'll be having at least 2 new 30-knot cutters with joint CCG and RCMP crews with 3-inch guns. I am not sure how much truth there is to this since I couldn't find anything about this on the net. (Colin, if you were wondering who that guy was, I remember his name simply was Brett and claims he works on the base at Victoria and he used to be a crewman before being assigned to a shore installation where he works now)
Still, this idea of joint crews also gave me another idea. Still, being a civvy myself who doesn't yet work in the maritime industry, but who will soon work in it, I DON'T claim to know more than those with more experience on this forum.
Since it was repeatedly emphasized in that other thread that the CCG will be resistant to having a fully-armed fleet and militarized personnel, I therefore make another proposal that perhaps the CCG should allow naval personnel on their ships modified with naval weaponry such as 3-inch guns or helos that can be equipped with ASW torpedoes.
Before branding this idea as yet another WACKY proposal, have in mind that during World War II, American merchant ships travelling in convoys such as the Liberty ships may have had civilian. merchant marine crews, but the 4-inch and AA guns on these merchant ships were manned by US Navy or Coast Guard personnel. This was also true for British and other Commonwealth merchant ships whose defenses were manned by RNR or RNVR or RCNVR or other reserve personnel.
Now we come to the question of WHY we should have Naval personnel on CCG ships:
1.) Since the Coast Guard is the largest fleet WE HAVE at our disposal (around 40+ Marcom ships vs. 105+ CCG ships), instead of building more navy ships for maritime defense such as the Kingstons and the Orcas for maritime defense, why not kill two birds with one stone and have CCG ships do BOTH maritime defense and SAR/Fishery patrol/Icebreaking by having joint Naval and CCG crews.
*The larger warships such as the Halifaxes would be for showing the flag abroad and would be more expeditionary in their role, such as escorting the JSS or other NATO surface groups.
2.) Since it's aparrent from the other thread, that militarizing or arming the CCG crew on a wider scale will face resistance, why not have Navy personnel assigned to CCG ships instead with them performing duties such as:
a.) manning the weaponry that could be installed on these cutters/icebreakers such as 4-inch mounts or 50 cal MG mounts
b.) dedicated NBPs stationed on these ships who could board suspicious vessels such as those smuggling in drugs or illegal immigrants.
3.) The personnel for manning these naval detachments would come from Naval Reserve personnel; the Kingstons could be retired/sold and their weaponry could be transferred to CCG ships.
4.) Since the CCG also operates in the Arctic, this could also be a way of enforcing Canada's Arctic Sovereignty by having Naval personnel on these ships while the CCG personnel do their usual ice-breaking and other duties.
5.) The CCG's large rotary fleet- especially the single Sea King on the West Coast and the BO 105s,- can be modified to carry ASW torpedoes to give the ships more of an offensive punch in addition to the SAR duties the helos now do.
Thoughts anyone?
Or is this thread doomed to be dropped into the realm of the trolls again?
