Air Station Sitka News

The Coast Guard rescued five fishermen from a life raft Tuesday after they were forced to abandon their fishing vessel taking on water southeast of Sitka.A Coast Guard MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew from Air Station Sitka hoisted all five people and brought them to Sitka, uninjured.Coast Guard Sector Juneau Command Center watchstanders monitoring Channel 16 heard “Mayday, vessel Masonic going down,” at approximately 2:33 a.m. Watchstanders located the vessel’s last position south…

The Coast Guard rescued seven people and a dog stranded on a sandbar after a their boat capsized in the Chilkat River near Haines, Saturday.An MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew from Air Station Sitka landed on the sandbar approximately 7 miles northwest of Haines, picked up the survivors and brought them to the Haines Airport where they were placed in the care of Haines EMS shortly after midnight.Watchstanders in the Coast Guard 17th District command center in Juneau received the request for helicopter support from the Alaska State Troopers at about 10 p.m.

Emergency personnel continue their response to the tug boat Samson Mariner which ran aground and spilled fuel while towing a barge in the vicinity of Rosa Reef in north Tongass Narrows, Alaska, Wednesday evening. Approximately 1,100 gallons of diesel spilled from the tug prior to being patched by Alaska Commercial Divers Wednesday night. The Samson Mariner has been refloated and is anchored in Ward Cove alongside the barge it was towing. A Coast Guard Air Station Sitka MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew conducted an overflight with Coast Guard Marine Safety Detachment Ketchikan personnel aboard to determine the extent of any possible sheen or environmental impacts. A sheen has been reported in the area and SEAPRO has been tasked with fuel containment and recovery using boom and absorbent pads.

The Coast Guard is searching for two men reported overdue from a boating trip near Ketchikan Sunday. Coast Guard Air Station Sitka MH-60 Jayhawk crews and Coast Guard Station Ketchikan 45-foot Response Boat - Medium crews are conducting search patterns on the southern end of Gravina Island. An Air Station Sitka MH-60 Jayhawk crew located a 16-foot skiff belonging to the missing capsized north of the intended route in Blank Inlet on Gravina Island at approximately 9:45 a.m. Sunday. The crew of the good Samaritan fishing vessel Storm Rage righted the skiff and is towing it back to Ketchikan. Alaska State Troopers have activated the Ketchikan Volunteer Rescue Squad to assist with shoreline searches. The Coast Guard Cutter Maple is expected to arrive on scene Monday morning.

A Coast Guard Air Station Sitka MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew medevaced one injured person, and a Coast Guard Station Juneau response boat – medium crew transported five people from a hard-aground pleasure craft near Cube Cove, approximately 65 miles northeast of Sitka, Alaska, Thursday afternoon. The Jayhawk crew hoisted and transported the injured woman to awaiting medical personnel in Juneau. The remaining five mariners were picked up by good Samaritans, transferred to the Station Juneau RB-M and transported to Juneau. Coast Guard Sector Juneau watchstanders received a request for help over VHF channel 16 reporting the vessel was hard aground, taking on water and one passenger sustained an apparent head injury. The Jayhawk and RB-M crews were dispatched to the scene.

The Coast Guard is responding to the sinking of a fishing vessel in Kelp Bay near Sitka Friday. Coast Guard personnel from Sector Juneau, the Coast Guard Cutter Maple and Air Station Sitka examined the scene of the sunken 49-foot fishing vessel Sierra Allene and are working with the vessel's owner to mitigate the situation. Watchstanders from the Sector Juneau command center received a radio call from the crew of the fishing vessel Irish when they discovered a portion of the Sierra Allene jutting out of the water. The vessel's owner reported the Sierra Allene has approximately 600 gallons of diesel fuel on board. “The Coast Guard is working with stakeholders and the owner to resolve the situation and protect nearby sensitive areas,” said Ens.

A Coast Guard MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew medevaced a 47-year-old man near Sitka, Alaska, Sunday. The Air Station Sitka crew safely transported the man from a beach to Sitka Community Hospital. Watchstanders from the Coast Guard 17th District command center received a report from the crew of the Wilderness Adventurer, a 156-foot passenger vessel, that the man was experiencing symptoms of a heart attack while aboard the vessel. Watchstanders briefed the duty flight surgeon who recommended the medevac. The crew of the Wilderness Adventurer transferred the man, via small boat, to a nearby beach where the Jayhawk crew landed to assist. “During the summer months there is increased activity on the water, and our crews stand watch around the clock," said  Lt.

Capt. Timothy Tobiasz assumed the duties and responsibilities as commanding officer of Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod, Massachusetts, from Capt. Stephen H. Torpey during a change of command ceremony at the air station in Bourne, Massachusetts, Saturday. Rear Adm. Linda L. Fagan, commander of the 1st Coast Guard District, presided over the ceremony. The change-of-command ceremony is a time-honored tradition which formally restates the continuity of authority vested in the commanding officer to the officers and crew in attendance. This unique military ritual represents a total transfer of responsibility, authority, and accountability from one leader to the next. Tobiasz reports to Air Station Cape Cod after serving as the senior U.S. Coast Guard advisor to the combatant commander of U.S.

A U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Sitka MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew medevaced an ailing mariner from Deep Bay, 25 miles north of Sitka, Sunday. The Jayhawk crew safely hoisted the 68-year-old man from the Western Profit, a 62-foot charter vessel, and transferred him to Sitka Community Hospital. Coast Guard Sector Juneau command center watchstanders received a report from the crewmembers of the Western Profit that the mariner was suffering from chest pains. “During the summer months there is increased activity on the water, and our crews stand watch around the clock,” said Cmdr.

U.S. Coast Guard Sector Juneau personnel are responded to the sinking of the 80-foot fishing vessel Eyak approximately 13 miles south of Sitka Harbor, Monday. Sector Juneau personnel will monitor the sunken vessel for signs of pollution until the owner can salvage the vessel. Sector Juneau watchstanders received a call on VHF channel 16 from a crewmember aboard the Eyak stating they had run aground by Calligan Island and were taking on water. Watchstanders requested the launch of an Air Station Sitka MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew. Alaska State Trooper and Sitka Search and Rescue crews arrived on scene and assisted with dewatering of the vessel.

The U.S. Coast Guard rescued a man and woman after their 17-foot skiff ran aground near Sitka, Alaska Saturday. Coast Guard command center personnel at Sector Juneau received a 911 call relayed by the Sitka Fire Department concerning the skiff and its occupants after it grounded near Kanga Bay 10 miles south of Sitka Saturday night. It was reported that both passengers were ejected from the skiff when it struck the shore and the male passenger had suffered injuries to his head and face. The skiff then drifted away from the couple before they could secure it.

The Coast Guard medevaced an 87-year-old female reportedly suffering from complications associated with a lower back injury aboard the fishing vessel Annie B in Port Alexander, Sunday evening. An Air Station Sitka MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew hoisted the injured woman and transported her to awaiting emergency medical services in Sitka. Watchstanders at the 17th District command center in Juneau received the report from the master of Annie B that a woman had been injured when the fishing vessel took a roll and requested assistance. The duty flight surgeon recommended medevac and the helicopter crew was dispatched to the scene. Once the rescue crew arrived on scene, the rescue swimmer hoisted the injured women from the anchored fishing vessel and transported her to Sitka.

An Air Station Sitka MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew medevaced an ailing 50-year-old man from a skiff on a beach 27 miles northwest of Sitka, Thursday. The Jayhawk crew landed on the beach where they met the man who was being transported by a skiff deployed off the 83-foot Canadian flagged passenger ship Nautilus Swell, anchored in a nearby cove. He was safely transported via helicopter to commercial emergency medical services in Sitka. Coast Guard Sector Juneau Command Center watchstanders received the request by VHF radio from the Nautilus Swell that the man was reportedly suffering from cardiac arrest symptoms. The Coast Guard duty flight surgeon recommended the need to medevac the man and deliver him to a higher level of medical care.

The U.S. Coast Guard said it rescued two men from a grounded fishing vessel near Sitka Monday. A Coast Guard MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew from Air Station Sitka landed on the beach at Low Island in Sitka Sound near the 50-foot fishing vessel Mirage and the two crewmembers were able to safely disembark their vessel and walk to the waiting helicopter for transport to Sitka. Coast Guard Sector Juneau watchstanders received a report from the Sitka Police Department that the Mirage, with two people aboard, was aground on the island approximately 10 miles west of Sitka. Sector command center personnel requested assistance from a Sitka Mountain Rescue smallboat crew to respond and confirm the situation.

The Coast Guard, National Park Service, and Good Samaritans assisted 76 people from a sightseeing vessel taking on water in Glacier Bay, Sunday. The Coast Guard, the National Park Service, and the Holland America cruise ship Volendam responded to a report from the 79-foot sightseeing vessel Baranof Wind after it reportedly struck a rock and started taking on water in Glacier Bay. The Coast Guard launched an Air Station Sitka MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew with a dewatering pump and diverted the Coast Guard Cutter Anacapa to assist the Baranof Wind crew. The Volendam crew transferred 70 people from the Baranof Wind to their vessel, two people were taken aboard a National Park Service boat and four crewmembers remained aboard the Baranof Wind to maintain pumps and to ensure it stays afloat.

Non-Profit’s Annual Gala Celebrates the United States Coast Guard Service Across the Nation. The Coast Guard Foundation, a non-profit organization committed to the education, welfare and morale of all Coast Guard members and their families, announced today that its 31st Annual Salute to the United States Coast Guard will take place on Thursday, October 13, 2011 in New York City. The event will honor the bravery and courage of the guardians who enforce maritime law, protect our homeland and preserve the environment.

The Coast Guard Foundation, a non-profit organization committed to the education, welfare and morale of all Coast Guard members and their families, announced that its Biennial Alaska Awards Dinner in tribute to the United States Coast Guard will take place on Wednesday, August 11, 2010 in Anchorage, Alaska. Honoring the heroic efforts of the guardians who enforce maritime law, protect our homeland and preserve the environment, this year’s gala Co-Chairs are Morgen Crow, executive director of the Coast Village Region Fund and Janis Ivanoff, vice president and chief executive officer of Norton Sound Economic Development Association. Alaska Governor Sean Parnell as well as United States Senators…

The Coast Guard Foundation, a non-profit organization committed to the education, welfare and morale of all Coast Guard members and their families, announced a fundraising drive for its emergency Family Disaster Relief Fund in response to the Coast Guard MH-60T Jayhawk helicopter crash off the coast of La Push, Washington this past Wednesday, July 7th, that claimed the lives of three servicemen. The crewmembers of CG-6017 were based at Air Station Sitka, Alaska. The Coast Guard Foundation is seeking financial support for the Family Disaster Relief Fund. This fund provides immediate assistance to the families of the fallen crewmembers as they deal with this tragedy, and will provide comfort for other Coast Guard families who find themselves in similar devastating circumstances.

A Coast Guard MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew safely completed the medevac of a 52-year old Filipino man from the motor vessel Hoegh Transit 250 miles southwest of Sitka about 6 a.m., Jan. Angelito Pelagio, the 2nd officer aboard the vessel, reportedly suffered a stroke after collapsing on watch and was vomiting and experiencing chest pains 400 miles southwest of Sitka. Coast Guard personnel were contacted the evening of Jan. 3 by the captain of the 590-ft vessel requesting the medevac of Pelagio. Due to the distance, Coast Guard Air Station Sitka had to wait until the vessel made its way 250 miles off Sitka prior to sending a rescue crew. An MH-60 Jayhawk rescue helicopter crew from Air Station Sitka was launched at 4:30 a.m.

The Coast Guard was ready to assist a 670-ft.- container ship after the vessel experienced an electrical fire Sunday evening. The CSX Expedition, transiting from Tacoma to Anchorage, experienced a switchboard fire leaving it disabled and adrift. The CSX Expedition is 180 miles southwest of Sitka and 140 miles from nearest land. None of the 27-crewmembers on board suffered any injuries. The ship is carrying general refrigerated cargo. The crew is actively working to repair the ship and sail again. If the crew can’t repair the ship, a commercial vessel will depart port today at 9 a.m. to tow the ship to shore. The Coast Guard cutter Maple, Air Station Sitka and Air Station Kodiak are standing by ready to assist the mariners if needed.

Photo Credit: USCG Coast Guard crews from Air Station Sitka and Marine Safety Detachment Sitka investigate the fishing vessel El Cazador that ran aground Monday afternoon near Dry Bay 30 miles southeast of Yakutat. Local Coast Guard personnel examined the grounded vessel to determine whether it was leaking fuel or presented a danger to navigation. The vessel's Master intends to salvage the fishing boat at the next high tide. photo by AMT1 Merkel

The U.S. Coast Guard is scheduled to open its first Landfill Gas Renewable Energy Center on April 22, at the Coast Guard Yard, 2401 Hawkins Point Road, Baltimore, Md., as part of its Earth Day Celebration. "As America's Maritime Guardians, not only do we protect the environment through our operations, but we strive to protect the environment in the way we carry out our missions as an organization and as individuals," said Rear Adm. Thomas P. Ostebo, the Coast Guard’s Assistant Commandant for Engineering and Logistics and Environmental Executive. The Coast Guard is seeking to improve the environment by reducing its environmental footprint. Ten years ago the Coast Guard's environmental policies were focused on basic compliance and restoration.