This month the NLUS, Monterey Peninsula Council, will host two vessels from the United States Coast Guard for a reception and a bowling tournament. The vessels, USCGC Aspen (WLB-208) and USCGC George Cobb (WLM-564), will be in Monterey March 19^th and 20^th.

The vessels will be available for tours on March 20, starting at noon, at the municipal wharf in Monterey. If you have students on Easter break, or are just interested in touring a couple of very hardworking vessels and their crews, stop by and let them know that you support them and their work.

The reception will begin at 5PM to 7PM and is open to the public. For more information about the reception, click HERE.

USCGC Aspen, a Juniper Class Seagoing Buoy Tender, was recently featured on the Discovery Channel series “Dirty Jobs”. She’s a 225-footer with latest in computers, navigation, environmental protection, and remote monitoring systems. She is also equipped with an advanced oil-skimming system known as the Spilled Oil Recovery System (SORS).

USCGC George Cobb was named for a former assistant light keeper of the Point Bonita light at the entrance to the San Francisco bay. On Dec 26, 1896, he launched the station’s small boat during a terrible gale to save three passengers of a capsized sailboat. For his extreme heroism and valor, Keeper George Cobb was awarded the Silver Lifesaving Medal and became the namesake for this “Keeper” Class coastal buoy tender.

USCGC George Cobb is 175 feet long and performs Coast Guard missions including search and rescue, homeland defense, maritime law enforcement, marine environmental protection, and ice breaking. This cutter services over two hundred floating aids to navigation along the California coast, including San Diego harbor, San Francisco Bay, and her homeport of San Pedro with the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.

Be sure to send in your reservation for these events. If you can’t come, consider making a donation to our council, to help us pay for this visit. Let’s give a strong show of support for this hardworking and vital branch of our United States sea services!