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Click
here to read the biography
of the JDF Coast Guard’s Acting
Commanding Officer.
Click
here to read the
biography of the JDF Coast Guard’s Regimental Sergeant Major.
Click here to
listen to the Unit
March for the JDF Coast Guard.
Click here to
view the Organizational Chart of the JDF CG
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MOTTO:
Service for the Lives of Others.
Historical
Background
A year after the Jamaica Defence Force was formed in 1962, a naval arm, the ‘Jamaica
Sea Squadron’ was added. The squadron’s initial equipment/vessels were three
63ft wooden World War II torpedo recovery boats provided by the United States Government.
They were commissioned (Her Majesty’s Jamaican Ship) HMJS Yoruba (P1), HMJS Coromante
(P2) and HMJS Mandingo (P3). A training team from the (British) Royal Navy assisted with
the unit’s early development.
The Sea Squadron was renamed the Jamaica Defence Force
Coast Guard (JDF CG) in 1966 and the naval White Ensign, naval rank insignia and Royal
Navy – patterned uniforms were adopted. (All JDF ranks hold substantive army rank but
those in Coast Guard service customarily use naval terminology, titles and uniform.)
That year, the JDF CG also disposed of its
original fleet of patrol boats, which had been found inadequate. It acquired the first of
three 85 ft all aluminium Bay Class Patrol Boats which was commissioned HMJS Discovery Bay
(P4). Two other Bay Class boats, HMJS Holland Bay (P5) and HMJS Manatee Bay (P6), were
commissioned in 1967. (Only the Holland Bay still remains in service.)
The JDF CG acquired two other offshore patrol
vessels, HMJS Fort Charles (P7) and HMJS Paul Bogle (P8), in 1974 and 1985 respectively.
Structure and Organisation
The Jamaica Defence Force Coast Guard is headed by a Commander who reports directly to the
Headquarters of the Jamaica Defence Force. The unit’s manpower is divided between
sea-going crews for the patrol boats and a shore-based support staff and out-station
crews.
The
unit commander has direct command over three naval bases: the Headquarters and main base
at Port Royal (HMJS Cagway) which controls the operations of two out-stations; one in
north central Jamaica at Discovery Bay and the other, off-shore to the southwest of
Jamaica at the Pedro Cays.
The Coast Guard’s complement stands at 27
regular officers and 160 ratings. Officers generally have substantive ship appointments
with secondary shore-based appointments in the area of training, operations, marine safety
and diving.
Missions
The Coast Guard has four primary missions:
Maritime Law
Enforcement
A large percentage of the planning and underway (seagoing) time involve enforcing
Jamaica’s maritime laws, with special emphasis on illicit drug trafficking. Other law
enforcement duties include enforcement of immigration, customs, fisheries and wild life
protection laws.
Maritime Safety
The Coast Guard is Jamaica’s on-scene coordinator for maritime search
and rescue. The maritime area of responsibility is approximately 90,000 square
miles. The JDF CG operates an international radio station on a 24-hour basis, monitoring
all international distress frequencies. The unit is also the national co-ordinator for
containment and recovery of oils and other hazardous spills. Boating Safety and
Marine Inspection are new roles for the Coast Guard, which, among other preparations, in
now training selected personnel as marine inspectors.
Defence Readiness and
Naval Duties
As naval arm of the JDF, the Coast Guard maintains proficiency to support the other arms
in their roles of defence and maintenance of law and order. Joint training and supporting
missions are often undertaken. The Coast Guard also carries out joint training with
visiting foreign naval vessels.
Nation Building
The Coast Guard holds diverse skills for maintaining essential services during periods of
civil industrial actions. These include crane operation at the docks, fire fighting and
other civil-type activities. The JDF CG also supports non-government organisations in
survey and maritime research activities.
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