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Log Book Only open for 5 or 10 seconds, the valve had allowed nearly a foot of water to flow into the hull. With the crew and vessel under control, the boarding team didn’t have to look far in the 59-foot long, 13-foot wide craft to find the payload—237 bales of cocaine, weighing in at 7 tons and worth an estimated $187 million. “It was pretty big,” said the OIC adding that it was the first time the LEDET had seized a non-compliant semi- submersible. Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Thad Allen congratulated the team and their partners for their courage, citing the growing threat these vessels represent and noting that semi-submersibles could easily be converted to smuggle terrorists or weapons of mass destruction. Constructed primarily by the terrorist group FARC in the jungles of Colombia, these vessels now account for nearly 32 percent of all maritime cocaine flow according to the Coast Guard Office of Law Enforcement. To counter the threat, legislation was passed to make it illegal to operate a stateless semi-submersible. This helps boarding teams because they no longer need to preserve evidence of drug smuggling in order to prosecute the smugglers. Though it’s likely the smugglers won’t be deterred, they took another hit when intel from the bust led the CGC Midgett to another sub and another 7 tons of cocaine only three days later. Editor‘s note: the names of the boarding team were removed for security purposes. Blow Below LEDET 404 found 237 bales of cocaine beneath the decks of a semi-submersible Sept. 13. Bass Master CWO Doug Luper, avid fisherman and proponent of boating safety, proudly displays a large mouth bass he caught on the Potomac River June 26, 2007. As a bosun with 28 years in the Coast Guard, CWO Doug Luper understood the importance of boating safety better than most. He has spent many years at the helm and seen many people in bad situations because they didn’t take basic precautions on the water: wearing a lifejacket, filing a float plan or staying sober. Luper had seen enough. He decided he was going to take the message of safety directly to boaters even though some of them want him to lose. You see, Luper also happens to be a professional bass fisherman. “I love to fish, I love to fish, I love to fish,” he said. While his competition may try to keep him out of the winner’s circle, they do seem to respond to his message. Teaming up with the Coast Guard Office of Boating Safety, their “boat responsibly” message is emblazoned in large yellow letters across a waving flag that covers his sleek boat. He‘s thrilled whenever a fellow boater reads it and then takes out a life jacket and puts it on. “I am on the water to set an example for other fishermen,” he said, “encouraging them to do the right thing, possibly saving a life.” While his time in the Coast Guard has shown him the importance of responsible boating, there were other factors that made him the ambassador of safety he is today. Luper has been competing in fishing tournaments for more than 15-years, and has been an avid fisherman most of his life. It was a passion instilled in him by his mother, a defining personality who left a strong impression on him. “She was always the one pushing me and my dad out the door and onto the water,” said Luper. His own personal struggles with cancer over the last 5 years have also refocused his life on what’s important. “Things that used to bother me, don’t bother me any more,” he said. His passion for fishing and lessons from the Coast Guard were a perfect fit to give new purpose to a new lease on life. Fishing for Boating Safety Story and photo by PA1 David Mosley, CG Magazine 44 Coast Guard — Issue 4, 2008 45 uscg.mil/mag Coast Guard photo