Coast Guard hosts JROTC cadet tour

MOBILE, Ala. — Edward Johnson (left), an instructor with the Dekalb County, Ga., school system, introduces his 150 Navy Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps cadets to Chief Warrant Officer Todd Murphy (center), commanding officer of the Coast Guard Cutter Saginaw, prior to a tour of the cutter at its homeport in Mobile, Feb. 16, 2012. The Atlanta-area cadets toured the Saginaw, the Coast Guard Cutter Stingray and Coast Guard Aids to Navigation Team Mobile. Crewmembers from all of the units shared their experiences and answered questions about their job, the missions and the Coast Guard. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Bill Colclough.

MOBILE, Ala. — U.S. Navy Reserve Officers Training Corps cadets listen to a member of Coast Guard Aids to Navigation Team Mobile describe the lampchangers and chain used in various aids to navigation at Coast Guard Sector Mobile, Feb. 16, 2012. The Atlanta, Ga.-area cadets toured the Saginaw, the Coast Guard Cutter Stingray and Coast Guard Aids to Navigation Team Mobile. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Bill Colclough.

MOBILE, Ala. — A crewmember of the Coast Guard Cutter Stingray helps a U.S. Navy Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps cadet don firefighting gear during a demonstration and tour aboard the cutter at its homeport in Mobile, Feb. 16, 2012. A group of 150 cadets from the Atlanta, Ga., area toured the Saginaw, the Coast Guard Cutter Stingray and Coast Guard Aids to Navigation Team Mobile. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Bill Colclough.

MOBILE, Ala. — Chief Petty Officer James Holston, executive petty officer of the Coast Guard Cutter Saginaw, provides an illustration of how the radar operates on board the 160-foot inland construction tender's pilot house, Feb. 16, 2012. A group of 150 cadets from the Atlanta, Ga., area toured the Saginaw, the Coast Guard Cutter Stingray and Coast Guard Aids to Navigation Team Mobile. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Bill Colclough.

MOBILE, Ala. — A group of 150 U.S. Navy Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps cadets from the Atlanta, Ga., area toured units from Coast Guard Sector Mobile, Thursday.

The cadets took a tour of the 160-foot Coast Guard Cutter Saginaw, 87-foot Coast Guard Cutter Stingray and a shoreside demonstration from Coast Guard Aids to Navigation Team Mobile.

Crewmembers provided guided tours of the Saginaw and Stingray and demonstrated a diverse array of gear essential to Coast Guard missions. Crewmembers from ANT Mobile demonstrated the operation of lampchangers in lighted aids to navigation and a brief overview of the system of lights, colors and shapes found in the federal aids-to-navigation system.

The cadets donned firefighting equipment and quizzed the crewmembers on their experiences and career opportunities available in the U.S. Coast Guard.

"We're always proud to show our ship; the crews work very hard," said Chief Warrant Officer Todd Murphy, commanding officer of the Saginaw. "This was a great opportunity to encourage these young folks to come our way and perhaps become Coast Guardsmen."

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