A Tight Ship
Charlotte Mundy serves as Diligence’s second in command
For Lieutenant commander CHARLOTTE MUNDY, executive officer of the Wilmington-based U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Diligence, in her work the devil is in the details.
As the ship’s second in command, she knows that small things overlooked on a big boat with a large mission, can cause serious problems later on. So it’s up to her to keep things, well, shipshape.
You see, the Diligence and her crew polices the entire Eastern Seaboard, from New England to Florida, to the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico. Among its missions, Diligence works to stop the flow of illegal drugs and contraband into the United States, eradicate illegal immigration into the country, and protect natural resources. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
“We also perform search and rescue missions, saving mariners in distress, and national security missions, protecting the waterways of the United States,” Mundy explains. “We also do a lot of training onboard the ship, making sure the crew is ready to respond to any kind of situation we may face, from damage control on board our own ship to self-defense and manning our guns.”
On November 11, the ship marks its fiftieth anniversary. Coinciding with Veterans Day, officials will lead a ceremony at 2 p.m. at the Diligence’s waterfront mooring in downtown Wilmington (see events info below.)
Mundy, who reported to the ship this past June from Coast Guard headquarters where she worked on budget formulation for more than two years, has a wide-range of responsibilities. First and foremost, she sees to it that the commander’s orders are executed.
“In short, I make sure what the captain wants done gets done,” Mundy says.
And on an armed forces boat with a crew of almost eighty, which covers four departments – engineering, operations, deck, and support – that can be a tall order.
“Each of the department heads reports to me for administrative, budgetary, and personnel issues, and to the commanding officer for mission-related issues,” she says. “I also monitor the good order and discipline of the crew, making sure that people are held accountable for poor performance or misconduct. If someone gets in trouble, they’ll usually end up talking to me soon after.”
On top of overseeing four departments, there’s also training, mission-related, and administrative responsibilities for Mundy. One of the biggest challenges, she says, “is making sure we’re setting the future Coast Guard up for success, whether that’s through training our junior members effectively and thoroughly or taking the best care of our ships and other assets we possibly can.”
But while the workload can be demanding, it’s not without its rewards.
Mundy says one of her favorite accomplishments is piloting the 210-foot, diesel-powered, helicopter-capable Coast Guard cutter.
“Being able to put a large ship exactly where I want it to go is so much fun,” she says.
What’s more, Mundy says she’s glad to be part of an effective team.
“The biggest reward,” she says, “is definitely working with the fantastic crew we have.”
For more on Mundy, visit her blog chronicling her Coast Guard experiences at justagirlindaworld.blogspot.com.
VETERANS DAY EVENTS
The Coast Guard Cutter Diligence, which is based in Wilmington, has been marking its fiftieth anniversary throughout the past weekend with public tours to show what it’s like living on the ship, a fundraising golf tournament that benefitted the U.S. Coast Guard Scholarship at Cape Fear Community College and Lower Cape Fear Hospice and LifeCareCenter.
On November 11, a ceremony takes place at 2 p.m. at the ship’s mooring on the Riverwalk in downtown Wilmington.
In recognition of Veterans Day on November 11, officials at 3 p.m. will rededicate the city’s WWI memorial. The monument used to be located at New Hanover High School and was relocated to the Riverwalk next to the Diligence’s dock.
