ALCOAST 360/17 - DEC 2017 WINNER ANNOUNCEMENT - 2017 HOPLEY YEATON CUTTER EXCELLENCE AND SUPERIOR CUTTERMAN AWARDS

R 211106 DEC 17
FM COMDT COGARD WASHINGTON DC//CG-7//
TO ALCOAST
UNCLAS //N01650//
ALCOAST 360/17
COMDTNOTE 1650
SUBJ:  WINNER ANNOUNCEMENT - 2017 HOPLEY YEATON CUTTER EXCELLENCE AND SUPERIOR
CUTTERMAN AWARDS
1. The Douglas Munro Chapter of the Surface Navy Association is honored to
announce and congratulate the recipients of the 2017 Hopley Yeaton Cutter
Excellence and Superior Cutterman Awards. Each of the winners was selected from
amongst a superb group of highly deserving candidates by a diverse panel of
officer and enlisted Cuttermen. The winners selected for this year are:
   A. Cutter Excellence Award (Large Cutter): CGC JAMES (WMSL 754)
   B. Cutter Excellence Award (Small Cutter): CGC JOHN MCCORMICK (WPC 1121)
   C. Superior Cutterman Award (Officer): LTJG Anna Ruth - CGC HAMILTON
   D. Superior Cutterman Award (Enlisted): MK2 Jason Tribeck - CGC DILIGENCE
2. Hopley Yeaton Cutter Excellence Award (Large):
   A. CGC JAMES (WMSL 754) led 22 successful drug interdictions, spearheaded
hurricane relief and recovery efforts as Command Task Unit (CTU) Maria,
aggressively pursued opportunities for community involvement, and exemplified
dedication to their crewmembers’ personal well-being. On their first patrol,
the JAMES made an unprecedented AUF interdiction of three go-fast vessels, over
40 NM apart within a two hour window. When JIATF-S was forced to evacuate ahead
of Hurricane Irma, JAMES assumed Alpha Victor (AV), taking TACON of all assets
in the Eastern Pacific for a week. As AV, JAMES facilitated 61 cases through 11
partner nations, five interagency entities, 12 surface assets, and over 24 flight
missions. This resulted in the interdiction of 10,881 kgs of cocaine and 747 kgs
of marijuana, and set a new benchmark for WMSL capabilities.
   B. Honorable Mentions for the Large Cutter Award were:
      CGC ALEX HALEY
      CGC CYPRESS
      CGC NORTHLAND
3. Hopley Yeaton Cutter Excellence Award (Small):
   A. As the first Fast Response Cutter (FRC) assigned to District 17, CGC JOHN
MCCORMICK (WPC 1121) set lofty standards in crew readiness and training. This
ensured JOHN MCCORMICK’s safe and timely transit of more than 6,000 NM from Key
West to homeport of Ketchikan, and the crew’s rapid response to engineering and
damage control casualties along the way. Upon arrival at homeport, JOHN MCCORMICK
was an immediate asset to D17 where the crew conducted 77 fisheries boardings,
saved 10 lives, and developed close bonds with the community.
   B. Honorable Mentions for the Small Cutter Award were:
      CGC BISCAYNE BAY
      CGC JOSEPH TEZANOS
      CGC WASHINGTON
4. Hopley Yeaton Superior Cutterman Award (Officer):
   A. While serving as Combat Systems Officer aboard CGC HAMILTON, LTJG Anna Ruth
led her cutter’s pursuit and boarding teams on all 19 of HAMILTON’s drug
interdictions, netting over $500 million worth of cocaine in 2017. Shortly after
reporting aboard, LTJG Ruth set about correcting 38 mission critical electronics
casualties, ensuring the cutter’s full suite of sensors was available for its
first patrol. Additionally, LTJG Ruth helped re-establish Naval Weapons Station
Charleston, SC for use in ammunition onloads. LTJG Ruth served as a sought-after
mentor and role-model for junior shipmates, streamlined the onboard qualification
process, and promoted the afloat career path to others.
   B. Honorable Mentions for the Superior Cutterman Award (Officer) were:  
      LCDR Amy Lockwood – CGC WAESCHE
      LT Daniel Halsig – CGC CONFIDENCE
      LT Paul Ledbetter – CGC SHERMAN
5. Hopley Yeaton Superior Cutterman Award (Enlisted):
   A. MK2 Jason Tribeck epitomized dogged perseverance and showcased his ingenuity
on numerous troubleshooting and repair efforts. MK2 Tribeck meticulously prepared
DILIGENCE for AVSTAN, which earned high praise by Aviation Training Center
Ship-Helo Branch throughout the inspection. His attention to detail played a
critical role in his success as a government quality assurance inspector for $545K
in dockside availability work. Additionally, MK2 Tribeck’s dedication and drive
were on full display when he earned his Underway Engineer of the Watch (EOW)
qualification, helping his shipmates through a heavy transfer season by improving
the watch rotation.
   B. Honorable Mentions for the Superior Cutterman Award (Enlisted) were:
      MK1 Michael Hilbert – CGC HAMILTON
      EM1 Shaun Ryan – CGC LIBERTY
      ME1 Daniel Brooks – CGC SHERMAN
6. Awards will be presented in Washington, DC in conjunction with the January
2018 Surface Navy Association National Symposium. If a unit representative is not
available to receive the Cutter Excellence Award at the symposium, the award will
be sent to the winning cutter’s OPCON for presentation. The Surface Navy Association
(SNA) will contact award winners to discuss and coordinate their travel and symposium
arrangements. Please contact SNA at navysna@aol.com with any questions or concerns.
7. We applaud all of the deserving nominees for their phenomenal performance. There
were an especially large number of nominations this year, all of which represented
highly deserving candidates and made the selection of a single winner in any
category especially challenging. We also thank the commanding officers and
supervisors who took the time to submit high quality nominations for their
deserving units and personnel, as well as ADCON units for reviewing and screening
nominations.
8. RDML Michael P. Ryan, Assistant Commandant for Capability, sends.
9. Internet release authorized.