Aids to Navigation Vandals Run Rampant in Pacific Northwest

The U.S. Coast Guard is asking for assist in stopping the vandalism of aids to navigation all through the Pacific Northwest after a number of incidents within the area left navigational lights both inoperable or with restricted visibility.

The coast guard says that the majority just lately the batteries had been intentionally and illegally faraway from a lightweight marking a purple and black dayboard on a tower at Reach Range H Rear Light and different aids close to Gray’s Harbor. Previously, graffiti utilized to the Elk Rock Island Light 13 close to Portland, Oregon, obscured the inexperienced dayboards making them more durable to see at a distance and harder to learn usually.

“The loss of this equipment costs taxpayers and the Coast Guard in many ways: first is the obvious financial burden of replacing the damaged or stolen equipment, second is the slowing of commercial and recreational traffic and third, is the possibility of environmental damage that could result from a collision or grounding that occurs because a hazard is not marked,” mentioned Lt. Cmdr. Michele Schallip, chief of Coast Guard thirteenth Waterways Management Branch.

The Coast Guard is reminding the perpetrators that these discovered responsible of vandalism to ATON will be fined as much as $2,500 and imprisoned for as much as 5 years and anyone witnessing vandalism to a navigational support or discovering a broken support to contact their nearest Coast Guard unit.

“The marine highway is the lifeblood of commerce and transportation on the West Coast and it is vitally important that these aids to navigation remain a reliable tool for mariners in the region,” mentioned Schallip.

The Coast Guard thirteenth District, waterways division is accountable for sustaining and allowing aids all through Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington together with greater than 1,800 Coast Guard maintained short-range marine aids to navigation, 25 lighthouses and 1,000 bridges utilizing three buoy tenders and 4 aids to navigation items.