Training

Article and photo by Valerie Fernandes

Many boat crew members’ favorite mission is assisting the Coast Guard with practicing drops from the mighty C-130 Hercules aircraft, better known as “C-130 drop training.”

On Feb. 22, 2023, at approximately 4:30 p.m., the Auxiliary vessel Sue-Sea-Q, owned by Tony Novellino, departed our dock at Harborside in South Pasadena. The evening’s crew consisted of Tony Novellino, Charles Lambeth, Valerie Fernandes (the author), all from Flotilla 78, St. Pete Beach,and two active-duty Coast Guard members from Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater. We were en route to pre-determined coordinates in the Gulf of Mexico to assist the Coast Guard with C-130 drop training.

The drop zone for safety equipment and rescue supplies was approximately 5 miles offshore west of the North Channel, also known as Pass-a-Grille Channel. The active duty members were on board to assist in the retrieval of the rescue supplies dropped by the C-130 crew.

Our safety boat, Duty Calls, with Dean Hoskin as coxswain, accompanied the Sue-Sea-Q. In addition to Dean Hoskin, the crew aboard included Tony Hooper, both from Flotilla 72, St. Petersburg; Samy Hanna, from Flotilla 78, St. Pete Beach; and Bill Ackerman, from Flotilla 7-16, Gulfport.

This was my first nighttime C-130 drop training. Drop training is my favorite type of patrol, except for actually rescuing or assisting boaters in distress. Our experienced crew has participated in many daytime drops, in many kinds of sea states, over the years.

Our vessel simulated a vessel in distress that the C-130 would respond to assist. Our mission was to recover all the rescue supplies that were

Breeze

dropped with the assistance of our active-duty Coast Guard crew members. The supplies were in bags connected by a fairly thin line, then attached to a parachute. Before deploying the bags, the C-130 crew dropped several flares to use as a target before dropping the equipment. At night it was much more challenging to locate the thin lines that connected the dropped equipment, so our crew utilized several spotlights to find the lines. We had to ensure we did not drive over any lines that would entangle our props.

Even though the bags had small glow sticks attached, it wasn’t easy to see them in the rough seas that night, 2.5 to 3 feet at close intervals. After bringing them aboard, the Coast Guard active duty members detached the bags from the lines and rolled the lines on three spools they had brought from the Air Station. The C-130 executed two drops that night, the first containing five bags, the second containing four bags and a drum containing a dewatering device.

Although the seas were rough and the night was long, C-130 drops are still my favorite type of patrol. Ω