Alaska

Published on: February 12, 2018

Head Injury Aboard the Bering Hunter

A 25-year-old man was airlifted by the U.S. Coast Guard from the 107-foot fishing vessel Bering Hunter after he fell and suffered a head injury.

Watchstanders at the 17th Coast Guard District command center received a call from the captain of the vessel, stating that a crewmember had fallen and sustained a head injury. The Coast Guard duty flight surgeon recommended the medevac, and a Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew was dispatched to the Bering Hunter location.

“Having assets forward deployed to Cold Bay during the winter fishing season allows our crews to respond quickly,” said Lt. J.G. Rian Ellis, a 17th district watchstander. “We are able to eliminate hours of flight time in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands, ensuring the safety of mariners.”

Published on: January 30, 2018

U.S. Coast Guard Rescues 4 Maritime Workers This Week

by Joseph Stacey

In an effort to reduce response times during the winter commercial fishing season, the U.S Coast Guard is making good use of a “forward operating location” in Cold Bay. It was a busy week for the U.S. Coast Guard, 17th District Alaska, as they rescued a total of 4 maritime workers from various fishing vessels in the Cold Bay area this week.

On January 23rd, a Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew (forward deployed to Cold Bay) medevaced two men from two different fishing vessels in one heroic trip.

A 21-year-old man aboard F/V Ocean Peace was suffering from sea sickness and loss of consciousness when watchstanders at the 17th Coast Guard District command received the call. Seasickness is a common issue for seamen and fishermen, and the dehydration that accompanies it can be very serious. The Jayhawk helicopter crew hoisted the 21-year-old man at approximately 5 p.m., then picked up a 37-year-old man with a hip injury from the F/V Northern Patriot. Both men were safely transported and received medical treatment.

Published on: July 28, 2017

Search Continues for Bristol Bay Crewman Who Went Overboard in Ugashik

by Joseph Stacey

The U.S. Coast Guard is still searching for a fisherman who went missing after going overboard in Ugashik Bay.

Petty Officer Bill Colclough says the vessel Lady Colleen reported just after 12:00 a.m. Thursday that a crewman had gone overboard.

“The person was observed falling into the water wearing dark green rain bibs, with no personal flotation device, and could not swim,” he said. “The crew reported they were unable to get the person before being observed going underneath the water and not resurfacing.”

Published on: July 21, 2017

Wreckage of Seattle-Based Crab Boat F/V DESTINATION Discovered in the Bering Sea

by Joseph Stacey

A National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Research Vessel has just located the wreck of the missing F/V DESTINATION that sank in the Bering Sea this past February. The vessel and its six crew members were tragically lost in the capsize.

On the cold morning of Saturday, February 11, 2017, crew aboard the F/V DESTINATION was traveling to the fishing grounds and was just off St. George Island in the Pribilofs of the Bering Sea. Events that followed before the vessel ultimately sank are being investigated by the U.S. Coast Guard.

The crew did not have time to send a May Day—only an Emergency Position-Indicating Radio Beacon signal was set off by F/V DESTINATION crew. This allowed immediate responders to reach the destination, but only buoys, a life ring and other debris were found at the site.

Published on: July 11, 2017

Coast Guard Grants Child’s Wish To Serve

by Joseph Stacey

An 8-year-old boy from Woodland, Washington became an honorary rescue swimmer today when the Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak and Make-A-Wish foundation granted Andrew Bishop’s wish to be a rescue swimmer in Alaska.

After completing training in a modified rescue pool and basic air crewman training, Andrew donned a flight suit and reported for duty. During his flight aboard an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter, he assisted in responding to a simulated search and rescue training drill, assisting in hoisting and performing CPR on an injured hiker then transporting him to the local air station.

Upon completion of the mission, Andrew was presented with an Air Medal for his work during the rescue. Coast Guard personnel and family members were at the presentation to congratulate Andrew on a job well done.

Published on: June 20, 2017

Coast Guard Sector Anchorage Medevacs Injured Crew Member

by Joseph Stacey

A Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew medevaced a 58-year-old male after he suffered an ankle injury while aboard the F/V NEW DAWN. The 50-foot commercial vessel was near Shelikof Strait when the incident occurred on Sunday, June 18th.

“Due to the crewman’s possible need for an orthopedic surgeon, we determined the best course of action was to get him off the New Dawn and place him aboard the Jayhawk helicopter for transfer to advanced medical care” said Mr. Cory Cichoracki, watchstander at Sector Anchorage command center. “Despite the weather, the aircrew alongside the crew of the New Dawn, was able to complete a successful hoist.”

Watchstanders requested the Jayhawk launch after the duty flight surgeon recommended medevac of the injured crewmember. You can watch the heroic video here.

Published on: June 13, 2017

Seattle Jury Awards Deadliest Catch Crabber $1.35 Million

by Joseph Stacey

A crabber working in the Alaska Bering Sea aboard the TIME BANDIT (the vessel made famous by the popular Discovery Channel reality series “Deadliest Catch”), was awarded $1.35 million by a Seattle jury for injuries sustained in a fireworks related explosion aboard the vessel.

According to court documents, David Zielinski suffered a shattered right hand and forearm when the explosive he was attempting to launch detonated prematurely. According to his attorney, Zielinski had been instructed by his employer to launch the custom-made explosive. Following the incident, Zielinski had to be airlifted from the ship to a medical clinic in Alaska, then flown to Seattle for surgery on his hand and arm. Since the accident, he has undergone several reconstructive surgeries, however the injury has put an end to his career as a commercial crabber.

Johnathan Hillstrand, one of the owners of the TIME BANDIT, admitted that he had suggested Zielinski claim the injuries were sustained while crabbing rather than from an explosive device. In a declaration, Johnathan Hillstrand stated that his brother Andy Hillstrand talked him out of the tactic.

Published on: June 6, 2017

Named for Heroes: New and Improved Coast Guard Cutters Coming to Astoria and Ketchikan

by Joseph Stacey

Astoria is set to receive two new lifesaving Sentinel-class cutters. One has already been deployed in Ketchikan, the USCGC John McCormick. These are part of a Coast Guard plan to commission 58 new Sentinel-class Fast Response Cutters, replacing aging Island-class cutters.

The new cutters are 154 ft. long (compared to the 110 ft. Island-class) and feature technology updates, such as weapons systems upgrades, small boat stern launch capabilities (to achieve safer and more efficient operations), and a five knot speed increase over the Island-class vessel. Command, control, communications, and intelligence systems have been updated with state of the art technology. The Sentinel-class cutter can reach speeds in excess of 28 knots, and the new small boats can reach speeds of 40 knots.

The new Sentinel-class vessels are to be named after enlisted Coast Guard servicemen and women who distinguished themselves in the line of duty. The first deployed cutter of its class, the USCGC Bernard C. Webber, is named for the Coxswain of the 36-foot wooden Coast Guard Motor Lifeboat CG 36500, which pulled one of the most daring rescues in Coast Guard history. Webber and his crew faced 60-foot seas to rescue 32 crewmen from the SS Pendleton in February, 1952.

Published on: April 24, 2017

Powhatan Tug Sinks Near Sitka

by Joseph Stacey

The U.S. Coast Guard responded to the sinking of an out-of-service tugboat on Wednesday April 19th at approximately 10:15 p.m. The 81-foot tug, POWHATAN, had been docked at the Samson Tug and Barge pier.

The vessel initially sunk to a depth of about 15 meters but then shifted. The downward sloping shelf carried the sunken vessel about 330 meters out in Starrigavan Bay to its current depth of approximately 60 meters (approximately 7 miles north of Sitka). The tug had been out of service for more than 10 years.

According to a situation report issued by the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, the Powhatan was carrying 325 gallons of lube oil, 12 gallons of diesel, and possible sludge in the bottom of the main tanks.

Published on: April 11, 2017

Alaska company fined $10 million for Jones Act violation

by Joseph Stacey

Furie Operating Alaska, LLC (“Furie”) has agreed to pay a $10 million civil penalty handed down by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency for violation of the Jones Act. The settlement is the largest Jones Act penalty in the history of the Act. The company focuses on the exploration and production of natural gas and oil in the Cook Inlet region of Alaska.

Attorney Bryan Schroder, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Alaska, announced that the company was assessed the penalty after it was found to have transported the Spartan 151 jack-up drill rig to Alaska from the Gulf of Mexico using a vessel sailing under a foreign flag.

Under the Merchant Marine Act of 1920, also known as the Jones Act, cargo moved from one U.S port to another U.S port must be transported by a vessel that is U.S. built, U.S. owned and U.S. crewed. Violation of this law may result in the assessment of a civil penalty equal to the value of the merchandise transported. In special circumstances, a waiver may be requested from the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security. A waiver may be granted if there is no U.S. vessel available or it is believed to be in the best interest of national defense.