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Research Vessel Michael J. Greeley

The R/V Michael J. Greeley is the Coast Guard Academy’s 36-foot research vessel, which serves as a unique resource for the Marine and Environmental Sciences (MES) program. Not only is the vessel an essential tool for students learning about scientific concepts in the marine and environmental sciences, but it also provides a platform from which students learn through direct experience about cutting-edge oceanographic sampling techniques.

Expanded Research

The R/V Michael J. Greeley provides wide-ranging capabilities for conducting oceanographic research in the marine science curriculum. The vessel is capable of performing long distance trips, enabling coursework to take place not only in the Thames River but also in Long Island Sound and beyond. Expanded field operations translate into expanded laboratory operations, which enhance hands-on learning opportunities for cadets.

Specifications

The R/V Greeley provides capacity, capability, and versatility for marine research. R/V Greely carries a crew of 19 on the 170-square-foot working deck.

36′ aluminum-hull, equipped with a 1,500-lb lifting capacity A-frame, two 500-lb capacity side davits, dive ladder, flow through sorting tables, deck hydraulics, and two 220 hp Cummings engines. Well-mounted acoustic doppler current profiler.
Echosounder (Biosonics DTX) with 200 kHz split-beam and 120 kHz single-beam transducers and towing sled for fisheries/zooplankton acoustics sampling.
Oceanographic Sensors: Conductivity-temperature-depth (CTD) (YSI) meters. Multiparameter water quality sondes (YSI EXO) for temperature, salinity, depth, pH, chlorophyll, dissolved oxygen, turbidity, and dissolved organic matter. Acoustic doppler profilers (ADP) (SonTek Argonaut-XR) current meter.
Buoy monitoring system (EMM68) with solar-powered, floating platform with cellular communication system for real-time water quality monitoring of temperature, conductivity, dissolved oxygen, and other environmental metrics.
High-resolution side scan sonar (Tritech StarFish 990F) 1MHz, high frequency side scan sonar with 70 m total swath coverage.

The Spirit of '61

Sponsor Family Application

Thank you for submitting your application to be part of the Sponsor Family Program. Your application will be processed in the upcoming week. Coast Guard Academy’s policy on background screening now requires all adults (everyone 18 and older living in the home) who volunteer to mentor, teach, coach or sponsor cadets, whether on or off Coast Guard Academy grounds, to be screened every 5 years. They are required to provide personal information (name, birth date and social security number) for the purpose of conducting a criminal background check.

The Security Officer at the Coast Guard Academy, CWO2 Gina Polkowski, is overseeing this process. Her email is: Gina.M.Polkowski@uscg.mil.

Sponsor Family designations fall into several different categories. Below are the guidelines to help you determine how best to meet the background screening requirement:

If you are Coast Guard active duty you do not need to apply for an additional Background Check. You will be vetted through the Coast Guard system by CWO2 Polkowski.
If you are a Civilian working for the Coast Guard you do not need to apply for an additional Background Check. You will be vetted through the Coast Guard system by CWO2 Polkowski.
If you are non-Coast Guard Active Duty, you are required to provide proof of your current security clearance or National Agency Check that is to be emailed by your Command Security Officer (CSO)/ Security Office to CWO2 Polkowski at Gina.M.Polkowski@uscg.mil.
If you are non-Coast Guard civilian who has a current security clearance or National Agency check, you are required to provide proof of your current security clearance or National Agency Check that is to be emailed by your Command Security Officer (CSO)/ Security Office to CWO2 Polkowski at Gina.M.Polkowski@uscg.mil.
All civilians in the families who are 18 years or older and do not have a security clearance or a National Agency Check are required to be vetted through Mind Your Business, the third party vendor hired by the Coast Guard Academy for the vetting process.

After you complete your application, please e-mail the Sponsor Family Program Coordinator at CadetFamilySponsorProgram@uscga.edu. In your e-mail, you must include the e-mail address and phone number of every adult living in the home. The Sponsor Family Coordinator will then initiate the background check process and you will receive an email with further instructions.

Important things to note:

There is a Sponsor Family Training that is a one-hour training which we ask sponsors to attend once every four years. This training is designed to give you an overview of the program, what is expected of you as a sponsor, and what you can expect from your cadets. This training will also help familiarize you with the cadet regulations onboard CGA. You will be notified via e-mail once the training is scheduled.

The matching process of swabs to families will occur during July and August. Please bear with us and remain flexible through this process. There will be a meet and greet scheduled on Campus, typically in late August. This will give families an opportunity to formally meet their cadet if they have not already done so. Details on this will also be via email.