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July 2006 43 By Captain Robert Parsons, USCG (Ret.) Months before the new Coast Guard Cutter Mackinaw was launched at Marinette Marine, and well over a year before the new cutter was to conduct a series of sea and ice trials, the officers and senior enlisted men and women of the "PRECOM" (pre-commissioning) crew were practicing and developing their navigation, seamanship and shiphandling skills using a full mission Bridge Simulator developed specifically for GLIB (Great Lakes Icebreaker Project) by Kongsberg Maritime Simulation, Inc. CDR James Morrison, GLIB Project Office at CG Headquarters, instrumental in the simu- lator procurement, stated, "Bridge simu- lation is the most engaging way to meet instructional objectives. It is not a toy or video game. But to gain full benefit from the system the training exercises must be objective oriented with a specif- ic training purpose". The new Mackinaw (WLBB 30) replaces the aging 62-year-old cutter Mackinaw (WAGB 83), a mainstay in the U.S. icebreaker fleet operating in the Ninth Coast Guard District, which encompasses all of the Great Lakes. This new multi-mission 240 ft. cutter is a combination icebreaker and buoy ten- der. Beyond icebreaking support of com- merce during the winter months, and servicing approximately 55 navigational and weather buoys, WLBB-30 will have a host of additional duties. She will pro- vide On-Scene Commander capability for major Search and Rescue (SAR) operations, and the ability to deploy an oil skimming system to respond to oil spills. Mackinaw will also conduct Law Enforcement tasks in support of Maritime Homeland Security. Onboard navigation systems provided by Kongsberg Maritime include the Integrated Ship's Control System (ISCS) and Simrad Dynamic Positioning System (SDP). The ISCS includes the SEAMAP 10 Electronic Chart Display and Information System (ECDIS), DGPS, LORAN-C, Automatic Radar Plotting Aid (ARPA), Simrad Dynamic Positioning (SDP) System with SDP/SJS Operator Terminals (OT) for remote use. The propulsion plant driving Mackinaw is an azimuthing pod , which is new to the icebreaker fleet in the U.S., but which has been successfully deployed on Baltic icebreakers for the Circle 249 on Reader Service Card Circle 254 on Reader Service Card Training With Simulation Aboard USCGC Mackinaw Captain Robert Parsons, USCG (Ret), past Commanding Officer of the POLAR STAR, holds a Master's Unlimited license. He is presently writing and con- sulting on polar marine issues from Bellevue, Washington. MR JULY2006 #6 (41-48).qxd 7/5/2006 12:00 PM Page 43
