KODIAK, Alaska – The Coast Guard Cutter Alex Haley (WMEC 39) and its crew returned to its homeport of Kodiak following a successful 57-day patrol in the Arctic Ocean and Bering Sea, Monday.
Nicknamed the “Bulldog of the Bering,” the Alex Haley and crew supported multiple strategic-level objectives for the Seventeenth Coast Guard District and the U.S. Northern Command, including providing presence along the U.S. Maritime Boundary Line and supporting U.S. Navy assets during a transit through the Bering Sea.
The Alex Haley crew also navigated the Bering Strait into the Arctic Ocean, patrolling in support of the White House’s National Strategy for the Arctic Region and the Coast Guard’s Arctic Strategy.
Crewmembers aboard the Alex Haley fulfilled several of their primary missions as a steward of Alaska’s natural resources. Boarding teams conducted 14 fisheries boardings to ensure compliance with applicable federal laws and regulations and support a working relationship with the Alaskan fishing fleet.
The Alex Haley’s embarked aviation detachment from Air Station Kodiak also completed three medevacs. Upon notification by watchstanders from Sector Southeast Alaska, the aircrew navigated over 120 miles near Unimak to embark a patient in distress. While en route, the aircrew was redirected to a separate medevac request from King Cove which was an additional 40 miles further. While the Alex Haley was moored in Dutch Harbor, the aircrew was dispatched again to conduct a medevac which required the patient to be hoisted from the deck of a tanker ship 50 miles south of Unalaska.
All three patients were embarked and safely transported to Cold Bay for a wing-to-wing transfer to receive a higher level of care in Anchorage.
In support of local Alaskan communities, Alex Haley crewmembers volunteered for the Unalaska City School District to assist with maintenance of district facilities in preparation for the upcoming school year.
Alex Haley is a 282-foot Medium Endurance Cutter that performs search and rescue, fisheries law enforcement and vessel safety inspections across Alaska and has been homeported in Kodiak since 1999.
-USCG-