KODIAK, Alaska — The crew of USCGC Alex Haley (WMEC-39) returned home to Kodiak on Monday following a 45-day winter Bering Sea patrol during which they conducted domestic fisheries enforcement, responded to search and rescue, and conducted several shipboard training exercises.
Prior to departing for the Bering Sea, the crew completed their Tailored Ship Training Assessment in Seattle. This assessment is a comprehensive evaluation on the crew’s capability to respond to a wide range of scenarios, from seamanship drills to battling shipboard fires and flooding. The crew of Alex Haley completed this biennial assessment ahead of schedule and with an overall score of 98% across all warfare areas.
After spending the holidays in the Bering Sea, Alex Haley was recalled from a logistics stop to respond to the motor vessel Genius Star XI on fire west of Dutch Harbor. After arriving on scene and determining the situation was stable, Coast Guard District 17 redirected the cutter to disabled fishing vessel Aleutian No. 1 off the coast of Amchitka, 575 miles southwest of Dutch Harbor. Alex Haley sailed through heavy seas to arrive on scene and safely establish a tow during nighttime gale conditions subsequently towing the 121-foot ship and crew of eight 160 miles to safe harbor in Adak.
In addition to maintaining a search and rescue presence in the Bering Sea, the crew conducted law enforcement and living marine resource protection throughout the Bering Sea and Aleutian Island chain to ensure compliance with applicable federal laws and regulations and support a working relationship with the Alaskan fishing fleet. Alex Haley conducted nine fisheries boardings, issuing three Living Marine Resources violations and two safety violations.
Alex Haley is a 282-foot Medium Endurance Cutter that performs search and rescue, fisheries law enforcement, and maritime security across Alaska. It has been homeported in Kodiak since 1999 and was the recipient of the 2023 Captain Hopley Yeaton Cutter of the Year Award (medium). This award is named for legendary seafarer Capt. Hopley Yeaton, the first officer commissioned into the service, and recognizes the individuals and crews who best exemplify what it means to be a Coast Guard cutterman.
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