Thread: Coast Guard tests new warning system in Fla.

Coast Guard tests new warning system in Fla.





Associated Press - December 26, 2010 3:14 AM ET
MELBOURNE, Fla. (AP) - Boaters straying into restricted areas at Port Canaveral can soon expect to get a warning blast from the U.S. Coast Guard.
The port is a test site for a new warning system to keep vessels out of security zones.
Officials would first try to radio an encroaching boat and give other signals to stop. If that doesn't work, 12-gauge shotgun ammunition can be fired into the path of a boat. The plastic and aluminum projectile ignites after about 100 yards to create a burst of light and a loud sound.
This is an attempt to avoid more aggressive tactics in enforcing off-limits zones. Boaters could unintentionally enter the areas because of fog or carelessness. Those who see or hear warnings should immediately slow down and contact the Coast Guard patrol.

Some of those little boats with "happy" passengers DO stray into the restricted zone in a lot of ports. In Florida they are usually the ones with bikini clad females waving and guys holding beer cans aloft to salute our passage. Those patrol boats with the front mounted cannons (or machine guns, whatever you want to call them) look really menacing and they don't hesitate to intercept the strays.

Whatever it takes to keep our ports safe. You never know when one of those "harmless" little boats might be filled with explosives intent on ramming a cruise ship.