ALCOAST 507/22 - DEC 2022 WINNER ANNOUNCEMENT - 2022 HOPLEY YEATON CUTTER EXCELLENCE AND SUPERIOR CUTTERMAN AWARDS

R 191434Z DEC 22 MID200080601010U
FM COMDT COGARD WASHINGTON DC
TO ALCOAST
BT
UNCLAS
ALCOAST 507/22
SSIC 1650
SUBJ: WINNER ANNOUNCEMENT - 2022 HOPLEY YEATON CUTTER EXCELLENCE
AND SUPERIOR CUTTERMAN AWARDS
1. I am honored to announce and congratulate the recipients of the
2022 Hopley Yeaton Cutter Excellence and Superior Cutterman Awards.
The winners were selected from amongst a highly competitive pool of
nominees. The winners of the 2022 Hopley Yeaton Awards are:
    a. Cutter Excellence Award:
       (1) Large Cutter: USCGC MIDGETT (WMSL 757)
       (2) Medium Cutter: USCGC DAUNTLESS (WMEC 624)
       (3) Small Cutter: USCGC GLEN HARRIS (WPC 1144)
    b. Superior Cutterman Award:
       (1) Officer: LT Michael Overstreet - USCGC KATMAI BAY
(WTGB 101)
       (2) Enlisted: OSC Collin Strange - USCGC CHARLES MOULTHROPE
(WPC 1141)
2. Hopley Yeaton Cutter Excellence Award (Large) - CGC MIDGETT
(WMSL 757):
    a. During RIMPAC 2022, the world's largest international
maritime exercise, USCGC MIDGETT advanced mission excellence and
became the first CG cutter to command two Combined Task Forces,
successfully completing 33 joint and combined at-sea events with
U.S. and foreign warships. In the midst of RIMPAC exercises, USCGC
MIDGETT responded to a real-world engine room fire aboard a Peruvian
naval vessel, enabling the immediate transport of two severely
burned crew members to MIDGETT for stabilizing first aid and
facilitating a MEDEVAC ashore for higher-level medical care.
MIDGETT's courageous rendering of rescue and assistance was key to
the Peruvian crew saving their ship. While deployed under USN 7th
fleet TACON in support of INDOPACOM's strategic priorities, USCGC
MIDGETT skillfully operated in and around some of the world's most
highly trafficked and politically sensitive areas, including the
Malacca Straits and the South China Sea. USCGC MIDGETT worked
extensively with PACAREA and CG-711 to sharpen our competitive
edge by supporting prototype testing of CG MH-60 "blade fold/tail
fold" capability and deploying with a USN MH-60R during RIMPAC.
    b. Honorable Mentions for the Large Cutter Award are:
       (1) USCGC HAMILTON (WMSL 753)
       (2) USCGC KIMBALL (WMSL 756)
3. Hopley Yeaton Cutter Excellence Award (Medium) - USCGC DAUNTLESS
(WMEC 624):
    a. In 2022 during the Operation VIGILANT SENTRY phase elevation,
USCGC DAUNTLESS interdicted 18 unseaworthy migrant vessels and
held, processed, and repatriated 975 Cuban and Haitian migrants
over 67 days in the Florida Straits and Windward Passage. USCGC
DAUNTLESS upheld WMEC migrant holding standards despite operating
short-staffed. USCGC DAUNTLESS was the first post-COVID-19 cutter to
complete the full three-week TSTA, earning a 98% average drill score
across 109 training evolutions and the Atlantic Area Overall
Operational Readiness Award. During Operation UNIFIED RESOLVE, USCGC
DAUNTLESS safely conducted a challenging and heroic rescue of 27
migrants from Monito Island in heavy surf conditions.
    b. Honorable Mentions for the Medium Cutter Award are:
USCGC ALDER (WLB 216)
USCGC DILIGENCE (WMEC 616)
4. Hopley Yeaton Cutter Excellence Award (Small) - USCGC GLEN HARRIS
(WPC 1144):
    a. USCGC GLEN HARRIS executed Operation GRIDIRON, a 99-day
voyage from Key West, FL to Manama, Bahrain covering over 14,500nm.
While transiting off West Africa after completing the first-ever
South Atlantic crossing by an FRC, USCGC GLEN HARRIS and the
accompanying cutter responded to two unseaworthy migrant rafts
transiting from Morocco. Fearing for the safety of life at sea,
GLEN HARRIS closed on the submerged raft with people in the water
and rescued them all, saving 103 lives. During Operation GRIDIRON,
USCGC GLEN HARRIS performed exercises and professional exchanges
with the Armed Forces of Malta, Lebanese Armed Forces-Navy, Royal
Jordanian Defense Forces, and the Israeli Navy, greatly enhancing
foreign maritime partnerships in the region. Additionally, USCGC
GLEN HARRIS conducted the first three drug interdictions by a
USCG vessel in the Middle East. In support of Operation UNIFIED
TAKEDOWN, USCGC GLEN HARRIS seized over 3,600kgs of hashish,
heroin, methamphetamine, and amphetamines from 3 stateless
dhows. USCGC GLEN HARRIS also supported Operation SPARTAN SHIELD
by providing layered defense to coalition assets through 15
transits of the Strait of Hormuz. USCGC GLEN HARRIS' poise and
professionalism during 8 interactions with the Islamic
Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy safeguarded 10 coalition assets
and prevented further escalation with adversarial forces.
    b. Honorable Mentions for the Small Cutter Award are:
USCGC EMLEN TUNNELL (WPC 1145)
USCGC JOSEPH DOYLE (WPC 1133)
5. Hopley Yeaton Superior Cutterman Award (Officer) - LT Michael
Overstreet - USCGC KATMAI BAY (WTGB 101):
    a. LT Overstreet led USCGC KATMAI BAY through sub-zero blizzard
conditions while conducting domestic icebreaking mission alongside
multiple 1000ft vessels in need of assistance when KATMAI BAY was
diverted to a search and rescue mission for passenger vessel (PV)
HURON. PV HURON had lost steering and had no operational anchor
onboard. While closely monitoring and battling crew fatigue,
complete darkness, freezing temperatures, and gale force winds, he
expertly led a team to take the stricken vessel in side tow and
returned it safely to the pier; avoiding a major environmental
disaster due to the close proximity of jagged underwater rocks. LT
Overstreet also organized multiple events and training opportunities
to support and enable the growth of his and other cutters' crews
including the first-ever training at the Regional Fire Training
Center for multiple WTGBs, an 8 Bells ceremony on the USS NIAGARA,
and a Master Cutterman ceremony for his Engineer Officer. After
USCGC KATMAI BAY suffered dual boiler casualties in January 2022,
severely limiting the cutter’s heating system, the crew completed
the MEDEVAC of a patient needing immediate medical care in
conditions unsuitable for aviation assets. This lifesaving effort
was done while wearing the heaviest winter gear available due to
the failed heating system, a testament to the resilience of the
crew under LT Overstreet's adept leadership.
    b. Honorable Mentions for the Superior Cutterman Award (Officer)
are:
LT Jonathan Upton - USCGC RESOLUTE (WMEC 620)
CWO Sean Campbell - USCGC KIMBALL (WMSL 756)
6. Hopley Yeaton Superior Cutterman Award (Enlisted) - OSC Collin
Strange - USCGC CHARLES MOULTHROPE (WMEC 1133):
    a. While acting as the Operations Officer for 5+ months, OSC
Strange spearheaded the planning for two large scale joint
international naval exercises. This bolstered partnerships between
the U.S., U.K., Oman, Pakistan, and the U.A.E. while promoting the
U.S. as a top regional security partner. OSC Strange also planned
three layered defense escorts through the highly contested Strait
of Hormuz that protected strategic coalition assets and countered
malign Iranian activity. He led the visual imagery collection
team that captured video and photos of unsafe maneuvers by Iranian
Naval Forces in a near-collision with coalition assets, providing
compelling evidence of disregard for international norms and
standards. While underway in the Arabian Sea during Operation
UNIFIED TAKEDOWN, hundreds of nautical miles away from the nearest
medical facility, OSC Strange noticed a shiprider from the
Intelligence Exploitation Team exhibiting signs of choking during
the noon meal. Displaying quick initiative without hesitation, he
effectively identified the distress and cleared the object from
the member's airway. OSC Strange further demonstrated exceptional
technical prowess when serving as a liaison aboard an Iraqi naval
vessel during a trilateral exercise with the CG, USN, and Kuwait
Navy. His professionalism engaging with foreign officers from O-1
to O-6 and expertise in coordinating formation maneuvering,
tactical signals, and communications enabled the Iraqi Navy's
first successful participation since 2008, enhancing international
relations and interoperability between the three countries.
    b. Honorable Mentions for the Superior Cutterman Award (Enlisted)
are:
MK1 Christian Jankuhn - USCGC RAYMOND EVANS (WPB 1110)
BMC Roberto LLamas - USCGC DAUNTLESS (WMEC 624)
7. The winners will be recognized at the 2023 Surface Navy
Association (SNA) National Symposium, which will be held in
Washington, DC from 10-12 January, 2023.
8. Bravo Zulu and many congratulations to this year's Hopley Yeaton
Award recipients and nominees. This year's nominees were selected by
panels consisting of 56 Active Duty and Retired Permanent Cuttermen
from the ranks of E6 to O8 who collectively amassed 553 years of sea
time. The sheer volume of praiseworthy nominees, as well as the high
quality of the award submissions continued to impress. Thank you to
all commands for submitting and reviewing nominations.
9. POCs: LT Luke Trautwein (John.L.Trautwein@uscg.mil) and
LT Stephen Taylor (Stephen.W.Taylor3@uscg.mil).
10. RADM Todd C. Wiemers, Assistant Commandant for Capability
(CG-7), sends.
11. Internet release is authorized.