The President's Schedule Today

President Barack Obama holds a meeting on hurricane preparedness, in the Situation Room of the White House, May 30, 2013. Seated at the table, clockwise from lower left, are: Chief of Staff Denis McDonough; Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano; Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood; OMB Director Sylvia Mathews Burwell; National Hurricane Center Director Rick Knabb; NOAA Acting Administrator Kathy Sullivan; Interior Deputy Secretary David Hayes; FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate; Lisa Monaco, Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism; Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz; and Alyssa Mastromonaco, Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

In the morning, the President will receive the Presidential Daily Briefing in the Oval Office.

Later, the President, joined by college students, will call on Congress to help keep college affordable for middle-class families and students by preventing student loan interest rates from doubling on July 1st.

Later in the morning, the President will welcome NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen to the White House.  The Secretary General’s visit underscores the vital importance the United States places on the North Atlantic Alliance and our relationship with Europe, and our shared commitment to addressing challenges together.

In the morning, the Vice President will travel to the Presidential Palace.

At 10:00 AM LOCAL TIME/9:00 AM ET, the Vice President will meet with President Dilma Rousseff.

Later in the morning, the Vice President will travel to the Ministry of External Relations.

At 11:15 AM LOCAL TIME/10:15 AM ET, Vice President Biden will meet with Vice President Michel Temer.
At 12:15 PM LOCAL TIME/11:15 AM ET, Vice President Biden and Vice President Temer will deliver statements to the press. These statements will be open press and audio will be streamed live to www.WhiteHouse.gov/Live.

Afterwards, Vice President Biden and Vice President Temer will attend a lunch. This lunch is closed press.

In the afternoon, the Vice President and Dr. Biden will depart Brasília, Brazil, en route Washington, DC.

9:00 AM	The Vice President meets with President Dilma Rousseff Local Event Time:  10:00 AM
9:40 AM	The President receives the Presidential Daily Briefing The Oval Office
10:15 AM	The Vice President meets with Vice President Michel Temer Local Event Time:  11:15 AM
10:20 AM	The President delivers remarks on student loans The Rose Garden
10:50 AM	The President meets with NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen The Oval Office
11:15 AM	The Vice President delivers statements to the press with Vice President Temer Local Event Time:  12:15 PM
12:30 PM	Press Briefing by Principal Deputy Press Secretary Josh Earnest

Coast Guard responds to stranded boater on Catalina Island

LOS ANGELES – A Coast Guard helicopter crew recued a woman stranded on Catalina Island at 1:30pm, May 30, 2013.

Search and rescue watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Los Angeles-Long Beach, located in San Pedro, Calif., received a radio transmission at around 11:00am from a woman stating she needed help.  The Coast Guard watchstanders made radio call-outs to her, but she did not respond.

A 45-foot response boat medium crew from Station Los Angeles-Long Beach and a helicopter from Air Station Los Angeles were dispatched. Search and rescue watchstanders directed the rescue helicopter to the south side of Catalina Island, where she was found at Ben Weston Point, and hoisted into the helicopter.

“The surf was pretty rough and she was on the beach.  It quickly became apparent that hoisting her was the only option.  No one would be able to reach her from land or a surface boat," said Lt. j.g. Darin Coleman, a Coast Guard Air Station Los Angeles pilot.

The woman reported the boat she was on became disabled, so she paddled to shore on a surfboard with a hand held radio in an attempt to get better reception to call for help. The remaining two individuals on the boat were able to affect repairs and made it safely back to a harbor on the island.

Tanker and Bulk Carrier Collide Off Galveston

The Tank Vessel Profit after a collision with the Motor Vessel Imperial Spirit 30 miles off of the coast of Galveston May 30, 2013. The collision caused damage to both vessels, but no injury or pollution occurred during the incident. U.S Coast Guard Photo.

HOUSTON — The Coast Guard is responding to a collision between two deep draft ships approximately 30 miles off the coast of Galveston today.

There has been no report of injury or pollution from either vessel; however, both vessels are reporting damage but are in stable condition.

At approximately 5:50 a.m. watchstanders at Coast Guard Marine Safety Unit Texas City received a report of a collision between the 900-foot Tank Vessel Profit loaded with approximately 19 million gallons of crude oil and the 625-foot Motor Vessel Imperial Spirit loaded with grain.

The Coast Guard launched an Air Station Houston helicopter with a pollution incident responder to conduct an initial damage assessment.

GALVESTON, Texas - The US Coast Guard Cutter Skipjack, a 110-foot cutter, sits at its berth in Coast Guard Sector Galveston August 7, 2012. The Skipjack is designed for law enforcement operations along the Texas coastline. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Kevin Metcalf.

Coast Guard Cutter Skipjack was also launched with a team of incident responders, marine inspectors, and marine casualty investigators to conduct a preliminary investigation and mitigate any possible further risk to the environment or the mariners aboard the two vessels.

The cause of the incident is under investigation.

DEPARTMENT OF STATE PUBLIC SCHEDULE FRIDAY, MAY 31, 2013

DEPARTMENT OF STATE
PUBLIC SCHEDULE
FRIDAY, MAY 31, 2013

SECRETARY JOHN KERRY
9:30 a.m. Secretary Kerry holds a bilateral meeting with Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Federal Republic of Germany Guido Westerwelle, at the Department of State.10:50 a.m. Secretary Kerry joins President Obama’s meeting with NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen, at the White House.

DEPUTY SECRETARY BILL BURNS
10:00 a.m. Deputy Secretary Burns accepts the credentials of Ambassador-designate of Iraq to the U.S. Lukman Abdul-Rahim Faily, at the Department of State.12:30 p.m. Deputy Secretary Burns attends a meeting at the White House.
2:30 p.m. Deputy Secretary Burns meets with British Ambassador to the U.S. Sir Peter Westmacott, at the Department of State.3:45 p.m. Deputy Secretary Burns meets with Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Secretary General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, at the Department of State.
4:45 p.m. Deputy Secretary Burns meets with Tunisian Nahda Party Leader Rachid Ghannouchi, at the Department of State.

CHIEF OF PROTOCOL AMBASSADOR CAPRICIA PENAVIC MARSHALL
Ambassador Marshall assists with the working visit of the Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, His Excellency Anders Fogh Rasmussen, at the White House.

ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION AFFAIRS ESTHER BRIMMER

1:30 p.m. Assistant Secretary Brimmer meets with Spanish Ambassador to the U.S. Ramon Gil Casares, at the Department of State.

ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR ECONOMIC AND BUSINESS AFFAIRS JOSE FERNANDEZ
Assistant Secretary Fernandez is on foreign travel from May 19 through 31 to Mexico City, Mexico; Ankara, Turkey; Dhaka, Bangladesh; and Madrid, Spain.

ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR WESTERN HEMISPHERE AFFAIRS ROBERTA JACOBSON
Assistant Secretary Jacobson accompanies Vice President Biden on foreign travel.

SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE TO MUSLIM COMMUNITIES FARAH PANDITH
Special Representative Pandith delivers remarks at The Fletcher School’s Twelfth Annual Talloires Symposium. in Talloires, France.

"First Night Onboard" The Maine Windjammer Project

"First Night Onboard" By Doug Mills

First night onboard the Victory Chimes anchored off Castine. [07-04-2011]

www.mainewindjammerproject.com

The Maine Windjammer Project

The Maine Windjammer Project was created to preserve a photographic record of the golden age of the Maine windjammer for the generations to come.

The golden age of sail is long gone, but, on the coast of Maine the golden age of the Maine windjammer is at its height. Imagine if you could know ahead of time the important moments of history and be there to photograph that moment. So many historic moments have gone by unrecognized by those present and only later realized the significance of that very moment.

There was a time when sail was king on the coast of Maine. The lime trade, granite & marble, lumber from virgin forests, ice and the fishing trades all employed sailing craft to move their products. The lime trade alone employed over 200 two masted schooners in Rockland and the surrounding coastal Maine towns.

Steam powered vessels were making some of the longer trans-Atlantic runs and the passenger trade up and down the coast. However, for coastal trade and the hundreds of islands located just off the coast of Maine sail is still king.

On any given day, the coastal waters would be filled with these two masted schooners delivering cargo to and from all the coastal towns. They are the lifeline for those living on the islands, delivering everything from lumber to butter and even your grandfather’s new Sunday suit.
Today only a handful of the sailing vessels remain. Many of them were simply used until they were worn out and replaced by a new one. During the Great Depression, thousands of these boats were just abandoned where they stood and left to rot.

There is, however a place where during the summer and fall you can still see these historic vessels sailing the clear blue waters the Atlantic much the way they have for the past 200 years. Penobscot Bay is located on the coast of Maine and on any given day in the summer you may be able to see as many as 15 or more of these proud sailing vessels, known as windjammers. Many of these boats have been sailing for over 100 years! They are truly living history.

The Maine Windjammer Project started in 2007. It is an ongoing project to document the modern history of the historic windjammers on the coast of Maine. Many of these boats are over 100 years old two are over 142 years, launched in 1871. This unique photographic history covers from 2007 to the present, sailing, haul out and the special events, such as The Great Schooner Race 2010 to present.

This extensive archive is available to maritime and American history museums and those doing research on these last surviving boats.

The Maine Windjammer Project: www.mainewindjammerproject.com

For additional information contact Doug Mills at: dougmills@shootmainestudios.com

Lake Erie Coast Guard Has Busy Thursday Morning With Rescues

CLEVELAND — Coast Guard crews from Lake Erie units rescued and assisted several boaters during three search-and-rescue cases Thursday morning.

The names and hometowns of the rescued are not being released, and there is no Coast Guard imagery available.

At 12:20 a.m. Thursday, a search-and-rescue controller at Coast Guard Sector Buffalo, N.Y., received a mayday call over VH-FM marine radio but did not receive any responses to calls for more information. The controller also received notification of two flares seen near Cleveland Harbor.  The SAR controller began issuing urgent marine information broadcasts over marine radio, asking all boaters in the area to keep a lookout for anyone in distress.

A rescue boatcrew launched from Coast Guard Cleveland Harbor, in Cleveland, aboard a 45-foot Response Boat-Medium.  The SAR controller was contacted by a member of Cleveland Marine Towing, Inc., who stated they were en route to assist a disabled vessel with six people aboard in Cleveland Harbor. It was determined they were the same boaters who made the mayday call and launched the flares. The vessel was disabled but not in distress and was towed to safety by the Cleveland Marine Towing crew.

“The Coast Guard determined the boaters did not respond to their callbacks on marine radio channel 16, the international hailing and distress frequency, because the boaters were switching channels and making further distress calls,” said Capt. Andrew Sugimoto, 9^th Coast Guard District chief of response. “It is important that mariners take advantage of boating safety training and learn how to use their equipment.”

During outreach in support of National Safe Boating Week, held May 18-24, the Coast Guard promoted boater education and required and recommended safety equipment. Click here to search public education classes in your area, put on by the Coast Guard Auxiliary.

At 12:30 a.m., Thursday morning, a search-and-rescue controller at Coast Guard Sector Buffalo received a report of an overdue vessel from the parents of a 15-year-old girl who was boating with a 56-year-old man in Lake Erie near Sheffield, Ohio. The girl’s parents reported that she called them and said the man was disoriented, did not know their location, and was under the influence of alcohol.

A rescue boatcrew launched from Coast Guard Station Lorain, Ohio, aboard a 25-foot Response Boat-Small. The RB-S crew located the vessel outside of Lorain Harbor and towed it to the Hot Waters Marina in Lorain, where the girl was turned over to her parents. The Coast Guard boarding officer issued the boater a citation for gross negligence and boating under the influence after he was administered a breath analysis test and had a blood alcohol content of .153. The legal limit for boating in Ohio waters is .08.

During National Safe Boating Week, the Coast Guard warned the public of the dangers of drinking and boating and also asked boaters to be vigilant and report any behavior that could impact public safety or security on our nation's waterways.

“The Coast Guard depends on boaters to report any potential threats to public safety or property,” said Sugimoto. “Anyone who witnesses any safety or security concerns should reach out to the Coast Guard or call 911.”

At 8 a.m., Thursday morning, a search-and-rescue controller at Coast Guard Sector Buffalo received a report of a man in the water in Cleveland Harbor. A rescue boatcrew launched from Station Cleveland Harbor, aboard a 25-foot Response Boat-Small and rescued the man. He reported he fell off of a ladder attached to a pier in the East 55^th Street Marina in Cleveland Harbor. The man was taken by emergency medical services to Metro Hospital in Cleveland.

The Coast Guard reminds people to practice caution when recreating near the water, something else we stressed during National Safe Boating Week.

The President's Schedule Today

President Barack Obama watches as graduates toss their hats at the conclusion of the U.S. Naval Academy commencement at the Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Md., May 24, 2013. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

In the morning, the President will depart Chicago, Illinois en route Washington, DC.

In the afternoon, the President will attend meetings at the White House.

In the morning, the Vice President will visit a local Brazilian community.

Later, the Vice President and Dr. Biden will meet with U.S. Consulate staff and families in Rio de Janeiro.

In the afternoon, the Vice President and Dr. Biden will depart Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, en route Brasília, Brazil.

The Vice President and Dr. Biden’s arrival in Brasília at Brasília International Airport at 5:15 PM LOCAL TIME/4:15 PM ET

In the evening, the Vice President and Dr. Biden will meet with U.S. Embassy staff and families in Brasília.

12:55 PM	The President departs Chicago, Illinois Local Event Time:  11:55 AM Chicago O’Hare International Airport
2:40 PM	The President arrives Joint Base Andrews
2:55 PM	The President arrives The White House South Lawn
4:15 PM	The Vice President and Dr. Biden arrive in Brasília Local Event Time:  5:15 PM Brasília International Airport

DEPARTMENT OF STATE PUBLIC SCHEDULE THURSDAY, MAY 30, 2013

DEPARTMENT OF STATE
PUBLIC SCHEDULE
THURSDAY, MAY 30, 2013

SECRETARY JOHN KERRY
9:30 a.m. Secretary Kerry holds a town hall meeting with Department of State personnel, at the Department of State.
DEPUTY SECRETARY BILL BURNS
9:30 a.m. Deputy Secretary Burns attends Secretary Kerry’s town hall meeting with Department of State personnel, at the Department of State.10:30 a.m. Deputy Secretary Burns meets with Ambassador Ivo Daalder, United States Permanent Representative to NATO, at the Department of State.
11:30 a.m. Deputy Secretary Burns accepts the credentials of Ambassador-Designate of Cyprus George Chacalli, at the Department of State.
2:00 p.m. Deputy Secretary Burns attends a meeting at the White House.

UNDER SECRETARY FOR POLITICAL AFFAIRS WENDY SHERMAN11:30 a.m. Under Secretary Sherman meets with Minister of Defense of Tunisia Rachid Sabbagh, at the Department of State.

UNDER SECRETARY FOR ECONOMIC GROWTH, ENERGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT ROBERT HORMATS
Under Secretary Hormats is on foreign travel to Paris, France to participate in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Ministerial Forum from May 26 through May 30.
8:00 a.m. LOCAL Under Secretary Hormats attends the OECD Ministerial Working Breakfast, in Paris, France,
9:30 a.m. LOCAL Under Secretary Hormats attends the OECD Ministerial – Partners for Development, in Paris, France.
11:30 a.m. LOCAL Under Secretary Hormats attends a meeting with Indonesian Minister of Trade Gita Wirjawan, in Paris, France.

ACTING UNDER SECRETARY FOR ARMS CONTROL AND INTERNATIONAL SECURITY ROSE GOTTEMOELLER
Acting Under Secretary Gottemoeller hosts the US-Pakistan strategic security and nonproliferation dialogue in Washington, DC.

ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR CONFLICT AND STABILIZATION OPERATIONS RICK BARTON
Assistant Secretary Barton is on travel to California from May 28 to 30. On Thursday, Assistant Secretary Barton and Congressman Sam Farr meet with students and professors at the Defense Languages Institute and the Naval Post Graduate School. 

ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR SOUTH AND CENTRAL ASIAN AFFAIRS ROBERT BLAKE
9:30 a.m. Assistant Secretary Blake attends Secretary Kerry’s town hall meeting with Department of State personnel, at the Department of State.
1:00 p.m. Assistant Secretary Blake meets with The Commonwealth Acting Deputy Secretary General Amitav Banerji, at the Department of State.

ACTING COORDINATOR FOR INTERNATIONAL INFORMATION PROGRAMS MAUREEN CORMACK
9:30 a.m. Acting Coordinator Cormack attends Secretary Kerry’s town hall meeting with Department of State personnel, at the Department of State.

ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR ECONOMIC AND BUSINESS AFFAIRS JOSE FERNANDEZ
Assistant Secretary Fernandez is on foreign travel from May 19 through 31 to Mexico City, Mexico; Ankara, Turkey; Dhaka, Bangladesh; and Madrid, Spain. 

ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR WESTERN HEMISPHERE AFFAIRS ROBERTA JACOBSON
Assistant Secretary Jacobson accompanies Vice President Biden on foreign travel.

ACTING ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR DEMOCRACY, HUMAN RIGHTS AND LABOR UZRA ZEYA
9:30 a.m. Acting Assistant Secretary Zeya meets with Gherardo Pontrandolfi, Head of Delegation for Afghanistan of the International Committee of the Red Cross, at the Department of State.
4:00 p.m. Acting Assistant Secretary Zeya meets with representatives of human rights NGOs, at the Department of State.
4:30 p.m. Acting Assistant Secretary Zeya meets with Ambassador of Georgia to the U.S. Archil Gegeshidze, at the Department of State.

AMBASSADOR-AT-LARGE TO MONITOR AND COMBAT TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS LUIS CDEBACA4:00 p.m. Ambassador CdeBaca meets with Acting U. S. Executive Director of World Bank Sara Aviel, at the Department of State.

AMBASSADOR-AT-LARGE AND U.S. GLOBAL AIDS COORDINATOR ERIC GOOSBY
5:15 p.m. LOCAL Ambassador Goosby participates in a conversation on global health at Stanford University’s Center for Innovation in Global Health, in Palo Alto, CA.

"Red Sails In The Sunset" The Maine Windjammer Project

"Red Sails In The Sunset" By Doug Mills
Angelique's red sails in the sunset near North Haven. [04-04-2011]

www.mainewindjammerproject.com

This Week in Naval History

30 May 1904: “Perdicaris Alive or Raisuli Dead”

On 30 May 1904, the Marine Detachment from USS Brooklyn (ACR-3) landed at Tangiers, Morocco to protect the American Consulate during the dispute between Raisuli and the Sultan Abdelaziz of Morocco. Ion Perdicaris, a Greek-American, and his son were kidnapped by Raisuli, and he asked for a ransom. President Theodore Roosevelt eventually forced Abdelaziz to pay the ransom with his statement, “Perdicaris Alive or Raisuli Dead!”

31 May 1919: Completion of the Transatlantic Flight NC-4 On 31 May 1919, NC-4 landed at Plymouth, England, concluding the first Trans-Atlantic flight. The NC-4 crew were greeted by the Lord Mayor and citizens upon their arrival.

1 June 1944: Blimp Squadron Fourteen crossed the Atlantic On 1 June 1944, Blimp Squadron Fourteen (ZP-14) Airships, K-123 and K-130, completed the first crossing of the Atlantic by non-rigid-lighter-than-air aircraft. The blimps left Naval Air Station, South Weymouth, MA and arrived at Gibraltar. The journey took 50 hours.

2 Jun 1941: USS Long Island (ACG-1) was commissionedOn 2 June 1941, the first aircraft escort vessel, USS Long Island (ACG-1), was commissioned. In August 1942, she was reclassified as an auxiliary aircraft carrier (AVC 1) and was reclassified as an escort carrier (CVE 1) in July 1943. Following WWII, she participated in Operation "Magic Carpet". Decommissioned in March 1946, she was sold for scrapping in April 1947. However, Long Island was subsequently resurrected to become the civilian passenger ship Nelly. In 1953, she was renamed Seven Seas and later served as a student’s hostel at Rotterdam University until scrapped in 1977 at Belgium.

3 Jun 1949: 1st African-American graduate of the US Naval Academy On 3 June 1949, Midshipman Wesley A. Brown became the first African-American to graduate from the U.S. Naval Academy. He became a Civil Engineering Officer, serving in both the Korean and Vietnam Wars. After twenty years of service, Brown retired as a Lieutenant Commander. In honor of Wesley A. Brown, the Field House at the US Naval Academy was named in honor in 2006.

4 Jun 1942: Battle of Midway – Part IOn 4 June 1942, the Battle of Midway began. During that morning, after sending planes to attack the U.S. base at Midway, the Japanese carriers Akagi, Kaga and Soryu were fatally damaged by dive bombers from USS Enterprise (CV-6) and USS Yorktown (CV-5). Later in the day, Yorktown was abandoned after bomb and torpedo hits by planes from Hiryu. The latter was, in turn, knocked out by U.S. carrier planes. Compelled by their losses to abandon their plans to capture Midway, the Japanese retired westward. The battle was a decisive win for the U.S, bringing an end to Japanese naval superiority in the Pacific.

4 Jun 1942: Battle of Midway - Part 2Battle of Midway. After searching in vain for the Japanese fleet and on the point of returning to their carriers, the United States dive-bomber pilots saw the whole Japanese carrier strike force below. The combat air patrol which should have been above the carriers to protect them were at sea level destroying the American torpedo-bombers. The SBD Dauntless dive bombers attacked from 15,000 feet just at the moment when the carriers Akagi, Kaga, and Soryu were enveloped in flames and destroyed.

5 Jun 1794 - 1st U.S. Navy officers appointed under Constitution On 5 June 1794, the first officers of the U.S. Navy under the Constitution were appointed. The first six captains appointed to superintend the construction of new ships were: John Barry, Samuel Nicholson, Silas Talbot, Joshua Barney, Richard Dale, and Thomas Truxtun.

The President's Schedule Today

President Barack Obama congratulates New Jersey Governor Chris Christie while playing the "TouchDown Fever" arcade game along the Point Pleasant boardwalk in Point Pleasant Beach, N.J., May 28, 2013. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

In the morning, the President will receive the Presidential Daily Briefing in the Oval Office.

At noon, the President will meet with senior advisors in the Oval Office.

In the afternoon, the President will travel to Chicago.

While in Chicago, the President will attend two events for the DCCC. The first event at the Chicago Hilton will have pool coverage of the President’s remarks.

The President will remain overnight in Chicago.

At 12:00 PM LOCAL TIME/11:00 AM ET, the Vice President will deliver a speech on the U.S.-Brazil partnership at Pier Maua. Audio of the Vice President’s speech will be streamed live to www.WhiteHouse.gov/Live.

In the afternoon, the Vice President will visit the Petrobras Centro de Pesquisas (CENPES) facility in Rio to discuss energy cooperation between Brazil and the United States. Portions of this visit will be pooled press. Afterwards, the Vice President will meet with Brazilian business, trade, and investment leaders at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro Technology Park.

11:00 AM	The President receives the Presidential Daily Briefing Oval Office The Vice President delivers a speech on the U.S.-Brazil partnership Local Event Time:  12:00 PM Pier Maua
12:00 PM	The President meets with senior advisors Oval Office
3:55 PM	The President departs the White House South Lawn
4:10 PM	The President departs Joint Base Andrews
6:00 PM	The President arrives Chicago Local Event Time:  5:00 PM O’Hare International Airport
7:30 PM	The President attends a DCCC event Local Event Time:  6:30 PM Chicago Hilton
8:45 PM	The President attends a DCCC event Local Event Time:  7:45 PM Private Residence