National Cuttermen Awards
Each year the National Cuttermen Chapter honors active duty cuttermen and units by recognizing outstanding achievement. Awards include the The Captain Hopley Yeaton Superior Cutterman Award and The Captain Hopley Yeaton Cutter Excellence Award. See below for award descriptions along with present and past recipients.
The 2018 Captain Hopley Yeaton Superior Cutterman Award
CWO Jared Crotwell, CGC BRISTOL BAY
SK2 Mathew Wilson, CGC JAMES
Nomination Summary
Enlisted
SK2 Wilson, a six year cutterman, serves as a Pursuit Crewman and Gunner on CGC JAMES’ law enforcement team. In 2018, SK2 Wilson participated in 3 interdictions resulting in the seizure of 1,957 kilograms and detention of 11 suspected narco-traffickers. Additionally, he served as a boat crewman during Airborne Use of Force recertification and coordinated internal “Boat Colleges” to train and qualify aspiring coxswains and crewmen. Tirelessly working 12 hour shifts, SK2 Wilson supported Hurricane MARIA response operations for nearly two weeks to reconstitute Sector San Juan and assist with transporting parts, critical food supplies, and passengers critical to relief efforts. When not directly involved in reconstitution efforts, SK2 Wilson led and participated in work parties to clear storm debris at Sector San Juan and Coast Guard housing in Puerto Rico. SK2 Wilson leaps at every challenge and opportunity presented to him. SK2 Wilson stands qualified engineering machinery watches, serves as a small boat engineer and crewman, chairs the LDAC, serves on the unit’s boarding and pursuit teams, and fills flight quarters billets, all while delivering exceptional performance in his role as an SK2 and pursuing a college degree. SK2 Wilson processed $126K in backlog funding in less than three days overcoming latent underway internet connectivity and a hectic pace of operations to ensure all funds were properly obligated.
Officer
CWO2 Crotwell, a 13 year cutterman assigned as Engineer Officer aboard CGC BRISTOL BAY, compressed maintenance efforts into port calls achieving a maintenance currency rating of 89.1%. As a result, CGC BRISTOL BAY did not log a single day of unscheduled Charlie amidst 1,174 operational hours of icebreaking. CWO2 Crotwell also led CGC BRISTOL BAY through a 60 day, $512,000 dockside availability. While many of the crew experienced some measure of rest and recuperation after a grueling year of 2,010 underway hours and 143 days away from homeport, CWO2 Crotwell carefully managed completion of 19 contracted work items while leading preparations for Tailored Ship’s Training Availability. Routinely arriving to the cutter before dawn and departing with merely enough time to say goodnight to his family, he worked an exhaustive pace to repair the unit’s weight handling gear. Displaying innovation and skill, he designed a trouble-shooting process to isolate the source of hydraulic power loss on the buoy handling crane.
The 2018 Captain Hopley Yeaton Cutter Excellence Award
CGC HAMILTON (WMSL 753)
CGC BRISTOL BAY (WTGB 102)
Nomination Summary
The Captain Hopley Yeaton Cutter Excellence Award annually recognizes one major cutter (210 feet for greater) and one small cutter (175-feet and smaller), that have demonstrated mission excellence while maintaining a strong commitment to work-life and crew morale.
Major
Masterfully balancing law enforcement operations in the Caribbean Sea, Eastern Pacific, and natural disaster response, the crew of CGC HAMILTON seized 4,983 kilograms of cocaine, detained 19-suspected narco-traffickers, and directed post-hurricane response operations in 2018. The crew conducted two separate and simultaneous multi-vessel (go-fast) interdictions employing airborne use of force and multiple synchronized long-range cutter boat intercepts. In the middle of a major dockside availability, CGC HAMILTON executed a storm-evasion sortie ahead of Hurricane FLORENCE after restoring severely degraded systems and equipment. The cutter went on to lead a Surface Action Group of seven cutters, executing vital command control on behalf of Sector North Carolina, conducting damage assessments of Wilmington and the Cape Fear River, and assisting Stations Oak Island, Wrightsville Beach, and Ft. Macon by removing debris and repairing station response infrastructure.
Small
The crew of CGC BRISTOL BAY capably balanced critical maintenance periods and operational commitments, and sailed 143 days away from homeport, amassing 2,010 underway hours, 112% of their programmed employment standard, with less than 24 hours of unscheduled maintenance on a 39 year old cutter. CGC BRISTOL BAY performed 80 direct assists of commercial vessels during 1,174 hours of icebreaking, which facilitated domestic and international trade on the Great Lakes. The crew played a pivotal role in completing 2018 OPERATION SPRING RESTORE, servicing 129 floating aids in 12 days following a casualty to another buoy tender and providing a reliable aids to navigation constellation to mariners. Servicing 207 floating aids in total, CGC BRISTOL BAY achieved an annual Aid Availability Rating of 99.7%, exceeding targeted standards.
