Office of External Affairs
U.S. Coast Guard

Date: Dec.17, 2009

Contact:  Public Affairs Detachment Houston

(713) 578-3080 or (832) 293-1293

Coast Guard Cutter Dauntless returns to Galveston

GALVESTON, Texas— The Coast Guard Cutter Dauntless, the largest Coast Guard cutter stationed along the Texas coast, will return to its homeport of Galveston, Monday, Dec. 21, 2009, at approximately 11 a.m.  Aside from a brief period to resupply, this marks the cutter's first true return to its homeport since Hurricane Ike.

The 210-foot cutter and its crew were underway on a maritime law enforcement patrol in September 2008 when Hurricane Ike made landfall.  Upon receiving news of the devastation that had occurred in the storm's path, the crew ended its patrol in St. Petersburg, Fla., leaving the cutter behind under the care of the crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Resolute.  The crew of the Dauntless then returned to Galveston to attend to their families and begin the process of rebuilding. 

In late December 2008, the Dauntless departed St. Petersburg, and sailed to the Coast Guard Yard in Baltimore.  While at the Coast Guard Yard, the Dauntless underwent a modernization and service-life extension program called the Mission Effectiveness Program. 

The entire crew of the Dauntless reported to the Coast Guard Yard in mid-October 2009, and set sail for Portsmouth, Va., where numerous other repairs and upgrades were made such as reinstituting the ship's training and machinery maintenance program, refurbishment of the ship's flight deck and an overhaul of one of the ship's main diesel engines.  In December, the crew of the Dauntless departed from Portsmouth, and set sail for Galveston.  During the 10-day journey home, the crew will complete several days of underway drills and Coast Guard mandated training.  

"The crew is very eager to return to Galveston.  We will be home just in time to spend the holidays with our families, which is a gift unto itself. The crew has been working 12-hour days, seven days per week for the past two months.  We take extreme pride in our work and the cutter. Each of the 78 crewmembers stationed aboard the Dauntless carry a strong sense of pride and professionalism when it comes to supporting the Coast Guard's missions," said Cmdr. James Andrews, commanding officer of the Dauntless. 

The general public is invited to welcome the cutter and crew back to Galveston.  Seawolf Park has volunteered to be a venue to host the general public wishing to view the cutter returning to its homeport.  The admittance fee has been waived for those in attendance for the homecoming ceremony.  The staff asks that upon entering the park, guests mention they are in attendance for the homecoming ceremony.

The Dauntless' missions include counter-drug and alien interdiction, search and rescue, and homeland security and defense.

***The media is invited to attend the homecoming ceremony. Interviews will be provided.  Please contact Public Affairs Detachment Houston to R.S.V.P. for this event.***

***For video and photos of the Dauntless, click on the following links:

Videos of Ike damage at station

http://cgvi.uscg.mil/media/main.php?g2_itemId=385230

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rwybcYPD4tc

Photos of the Dauntless

http://cgvi.uscg.mil/media/main.php?g2_itemId=171412

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Office of External Affairs
U.S. Coast Guard

Date: June 24, 2009

Contact:  Petty Officer 3rd Class Renee C. Aiello
(832) 293-1293

Coast Guard Cutter Dauntless to hold Change of Command ceremony

HOUSTON — The Coast Guard Cutter Dauntless, homeported in Galveston, will be hosting a Change of Command ceremony June 26, 2009, at 2 p.m.  The ceremony will take place in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Building located at 2000 Fort Point Rd., Galveston, Texas, 77550.

During the Change of Command ceremony Cmdr. James E. Andrews will assume the responsibility of commanding officer from Capt. Dwight T. Mathers.  Mathers, who has been commanding officer since June 2007, will depart for the National War College in Washington D.C., where he will work toward a master's degree in national security strategy.

Mathers, who is a 1987 graduate of the Coast Guard Academy, has spent 12 years of his Coast Guard career in hurricane zones.  He was one of numerous Coast Guardsmen who felt the devastating aftermath of Hurricane Ike.  When Hurricane Ike made landfall, he and the crew of the Dauntless were afloat south of Cuba preparing to pull into Guantanamo Bay.  Once word reached Dauntless crewmembers regarding Hurricane Ike, Mathers made a decision for the welfare of the crew.

"We maintained our focus and three days after the hurricane hit we were released to St. Petersburg, Fla., where the crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Resolute relieved us.  It was very difficult being away from our families for that time knowing we were safe and they were in harm's way.  The hardest part was not knowing what was going on," said Mathers.

The crew of the Dauntless returned to Galveston to find wide-spread devastation, but they relied on one another to get through the ordeal.

 "We recovered by helping one another," said Mathers.

Andrews, who is the son of a retired Coast Guard lieutenant commander and a 1991 Coast Guard Academy graduate, is eagerly anticipating a fulfilling career on the Dauntless.  He has weathered five hurricanes throughout his Coast Guard career and is prepared for the challenges ahead of him here in the Gulf Coast region.

 "I think it is going to be a challenge and a lot of fun," Andrews said.

 Media wishing to attend the Change of Command ceremony are asked to contact Petty Officer Renee C. Aiello at (832) 293-1293.  There will be interview opportunities available for interested media. 

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