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Coast Guard to Track Ships Using Buoys
nomrniceguy writes "The Coast Guard plans to use dozens of buoys off the U.S. coast to extend the reach of a security system that monitors large vessels heading in and out of ports. The buoys are intended to extend the network's reach -- the Guard now receives the automated data only when a vessel is within about 25 miles of a port. The floating transmitters will relay the information from hundreds of miles off shore, from the middle of Lake Superior and off coastlines from Alaska to Maine."
...train flocks of seagulls to crap all over the transmitters?
I was under the impression that the US had spent billions of dollars seeding the north atlantic ocean with passive buoys and magnetic anomaly detectors (MAD) as a net to detect and triangulate soviet subs. This is cold war stuff that could perfectly be reused to counter new threats from terrorism, since it's been there and working for decades and, presumably, still in operation. So why deploy new ones?
Consider that this telemetry (or the lack of it) will be compared to all sorts of other data: expected traffic, freight schedules, communications from known friendlies... it contributes to larger pattern/abberation detection capacity.
And, as another poster indicates, radar and other surveilance will be looking, too. And ships seen out at those distances without the transponders will stick out like a sore thumb, and invite immediate (and armed) visits from the Coasties.
Don't disappoint your bird dog. Go to the range.
Let's just float CowbuoyNeal and see what he detects...
"A door is what a dog is perpetually on the wrong side of" - Ogden Nash
Shipping (especially "supertankers" is a very attractive target for terrorists. The system is largely designed to protect the ships and their ports of call. It is an expensive proposition to install these bouys but it is far cheaper than what we did to protect shipping before. In WWII we used naval escorts to protect civilian shipping as it approached our ports. In today's money this would be prohibitivly expensive.
All it takes is a single terrorist with a small plane or a small boat laden with explosives. The USS Cole disaster would be a minor inconvenience in comparison to the economic and environmental disaster caused by a supertanker being blown apart in or near a U.S. port.
If the attack were cooridinated and a number of US ports were attacked in this manner at the same time, the consiquences to the American economy would be disasterous. It could make the importation of oil grind to a halt for long enough to cause oil prices to sky-rocket and our economy to suffer.
CowbuoyNeal is a float? Somehow I'd always pictured him as a char...
UNIX? They're not even circumcised! Savages!
Isn't 100 miles out considered 'international waters' ?
If it is the 100mil mark, that would mean its *none* of their damned business where my boat is..
Why keep up this slow encroachment in the name of 'security' and just tag everyone/everything and get it over with? This is getting out of hand.
---- Booth was a patriot ----
That means nothing. Navies and paramilitary forces all over the world patrol well outside thier tradiational 3 and 12 mile limits, and they have for hundreds of years.
The Russians fly Tu-95 and Tu-142 Bears, the Chinese fly thier knock-off of the Badger, we fly the P-3 Orion, the Brits fly Canberra and Nimrod's. Trickles down to to the smallest nations with patrol aircraft.
For decades NATO had a series of active and passive sensor networks across the GIUK (Greenland-Iceland-United Kingdom) gap to monitor Soviet shipping. There were similar arrays from Alaska to northern Japan.
Starting in 2000 all vessels over 300 tons were required to upgrade to Digital Selective Calling (DSC) radio equipment. This allows for better distress monitoring among other uses. At the same time all new marine VHF radio designs were required to be DSC enabled. There was a grandfather clause that allowed old designs to be produced until yesterday (Dec 31, 2004).
This means that when you go boating and (god forbid) something happens, very little knowhow is required to start an emergency response You just push a little button on your radio and your GPS coordinates are transmitted to all vessels around you, including the Coast Guard and all vessels over 300 tons.
You do need to register to obtain an MMSI number which will request your boat and personal information. This information is to be used in case of a Search and RESCUE which will hopefully not turn into a Search and RECOVERY. (the basic difference is if you need a medic or a coroner)
Yes there is a system that is similar using Emergency Position Indicating Radiobeacon or EPIRB
The use of weather monitoring buoys as transmition monitors is a logical step to help coordinate rescue efforts. Yes it is also "Big Brother" watching us. This does not mean that it will restrict the rights of how commerce occurs, and may even expedite trade by making customs less intense. The cargo will already be partially identified, so when the government officials show up they know what to expect.
As a final note, private not-for-hire vessels are not required to carry ANY electronic OR electrical devices by any government. Yes, running lights are required on most vessels at night, but oil lamps have worked for centuries.
Just my $.02
Phil
Laugh, it's good for you!
Lets go through the list of disasters we don't have on the east side of the state, nor have any risk of.
Volcano... See #2
I will admit though... we do live in fear of the day or former governor gets behind the wheel again.
Help Brendan pay off his student loans
Let's not turn this into buoys vs. gulls.
I want to drag this out as long as possible. Bring me my protractor.
1.The UN convention allows 200 miles EEZ. You are allowed to use some measures to enforce your rights within that if you have claimed that you will enforce the EEZ anyway. That is different from territorial waters.
2. Planning an attack on a coastal target by a vessel that is not registered to a country with which you are in a state of war can be easily fit into the definition of piracy without stretching it. That is sufficient grounds for any navy ship to request a stop and search of any civilian vessel regardless of either ship country of registration and the civilian vessel must comply even if outside territorial waters. Basically a suspected pirate (not a suspected terrorist) is a fair game anywhere anytime. The legal basis for this predates the UN (it goes back into the 19th century).
3. If they only follow the traffic they can put it even in international waters. In fact it becomes illegal only if it is in another country EEZ.
4. This is the first sane thing the US has done to do something about its own security. It is infinitely easier to put a Grad (or higher class) launcher on a ship and level a significant portion of Manhattan compared to hijacking a plane, doing a dirty bomb or any other lunatic plot.
Baker's Law: Misery no longer loves company. Nowadays it insists on it
http://www.sigsegv.cx/
(1) The US claims 200 miles as the Economic Exclusion Zone. International Waters off the US Coast begin there. (2) The rules (by the way, there are rules that govern international waters and the High Seas) that govern salvage rights would not apply to a buoy because it is anchored to the sea floor. (3) We're not talking about international waters or something "adrift." (4) The "enterprising young person" that undertakes what you've suggested will have a serious problem dealing with one of these buoys in the first place. They are likely larger than any boat a "young person" could afford. Even if they could deal with the size, anchor, and chain and so on, the authorities would likely releave them of what we call their liberty. (5) Don't forget the USCG and the USN. The Captains know the rules and have the ability to enforce them.
"The US military is infamous for being trigger happy..."
No... The U.S. military is the most famous for being the most maligned by those who would rather appease and surrender. Just because they won't politely step out of the way of those who want to commit mass murder (Bosnia, Africa) like the blue-hats do, doesn't make them trigger happy. It makes them responsible when doing their job.
Nice try at your maligning attempt, though.