Coast Guard 17Th District News

An injured mariner was medevaced from a vessel 220 miles south of Dutch Harbor, Alaska, on Wednesday, the U.S. Coast Guard said.Watchstanders at the Coast Guard 17th District command center, in Juneau, received the initial request for the medevac on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. from the crew of the Liberia-registered FPMC 33 after a crewmember on board had reportedly broken his legs.The watchstanders requested the tanker meet a Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak aircrew, forward-deployed to Cold Bay, at a rendezvous point approximately 220 miles south of Dutch Harbor to safely embark the patient.

The U.S. Coast Guard medevaced an injured fisherman Saturday from a boat 170 miles southwest of Kodiak Island, Alaska.A Coast Guard helicopter crew from Air Station Kodiak hoisted the 49-year-old man from the 58-foot fishing vessel Alaskan Dream at approximately 1:15 p.m. He was transported to Air Station Kodiak and placed in the care of awaiting local EMS.Watchstanders in the Coast Guard 17th District command center in Juneau received the initial call from the Alaskan Dream at about 9 a.m.…

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.

A Coast Guard member assigned to the Coast Guard Cutter Hickory (WLB-212) died following an accident at the Coast Guard buoy yard in Homer, Alaska, last Thursday.Deceased is Chief Warrant Officer, Michael Kozloski, 35-year-old male, from Mahopac, New York.According to the Coast Guard, Kozloski was injured while working in the buoy yard when a crane accident occurred. Local emergency medical services personnel performed CPR and transported him to South Peninsula Hospital where he was pronounced deceased.“It’s with great sadness that we announce the passing of a devoted shipmate, husband and father following this tragic accident,” said Rear Adm. Matthew T. Bell Jr., Coast Guard 17th District commander.

U.S. Coast Guard 17th District Alaska medevaced a woman from a cruise ship near Ketchikan, according to an official press release.A 45-foot Response Boat-Medium crew from Coast Guard Station Ketchikan medevaced the 71-year-old passenger displaying stroke symptoms and brought her to awaiting EMS in Bar Harbor, Ketchikan.Coast Guard watchstanders in the Sector Juneau command center received the request for the medevac from the cruise ship Nieuw Amsterdam at about 9 p.m.The Coast Guard boat crew met up with the cruise ship in Revillagigado Channel where the patient, her husband and a medical attendant were brought aboard and transported…

A new batch of response boats have been delivered to U.S. Coast Guard stations in Alaska this summer as part of the service's initiative to replace older vessels that have reached the end of their planned service life.The five new 29-foot Response Boat-Smalls, also known as Response Boat-Small IIs, were constructed by Louisiana boatbuilder Metal Shark Aluminum Boats and delivered to the Coast Guard's 17th District starting in May.Station Ketchikan received two new boats May 17…

A U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew medevaced a 44-year-old man from the fishing vessel Golden Alaska approximately 60 miles northeast of Cold Bay, Tuesday. Watchstanders at the Coast Guard 17th District command center received a medevac request from Health Force Partners for a man suffering from stroke symptoms Tuesday afternoon. Watchstanders notified the Coast Guard duty flight surgeon who recommended the medevac. The helicopter crew hoisted the man and safely transported him to Cold Bay for further transport by commercial services to Anchorage.

An ailing crewmember aboard the fishing vessel Seafreeze Alaska was medevaced approximately 195 miles north of Cold Bay, Alaska, Thursday. A Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew, deployed aboard the Coast Guard Cutter Midgett, hoisted the 21-year-old man, who reportedly lost consciousness for 45 minutes, and transferred him to awaiting Guardian Flight emergency medical personnel in Cold Bay. Coast Guard 17th District watchstanders were notified at approximately 7:45 a.m. by personnel at Health Force Partners of a medical situation aboard the Seafreeze Alaska. Watchstanders consulted the duty flight surgeon who recommended the medevac. Crewmembers from Midgett rendezvoused with the vessel north of Cold Bay and launched the rescue helicopter crew.

The policy regarding chemical dispersant use for oil spill responses in Alaska has been revised. The new policy for the Dispersant Use Plan For Alaska was announced Wednesday in Anchorage by the U.S. Coast Guard in coordination with four other signatory agencies of the Alaska Regional Response Team (ARRT). According to the Coast Guard, the new policy aims to be more inclusive, comprehensive and conservative and includes a preauthorization area with a more protective protocol for use of chemical dispersant during responses to spills of crude oil in certain waters offshore of Alaska. The policy allows for case-by-case decision-making criteria…

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.

Thomas P. Ostebo will join Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) as the organization’s new president and chief executive officer, effective July 6, 2015. Selected by CLIA’s global executive committee following the departure of Christine Duffy on January 31, 2015, former CLIA president and CEO, Ostebo will oversee CLIA domestic and international operations, working directly with CLIA’s senior leadership team. Ostebo brings more than 30 years of leadership experience to his new role, joining CLIA from the United States Coast Guard (USCG) where he served as Rear Admiral.

A Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew, forward deployed in Cold Bay, Alaska, medevaced an ailing mariner off the Turkish-flagged 600-foot freight ship 26 Agustos approximately 230 miles southeast of Dutch Harbor, Alaska, Saturday morning. The Jayhawk crew safely hoisted the 46-year-old man and transported him to awaiting emergency medical services in Dutch Harbor. Watchstanders at Coast Guard Communication Station Kodiak received notification that a mariner aboard the 26 Agustos was suffering from abdominal pain. Watchstanders consulted the duty flight surgeon who recommended the medevac. A Coast Guard Air Station…

An ailing mariner was medevaced from a fishing vessel in Beaver Inlet, approximately 13 miles southeast of Dutch Harbor, Sunday, the U.S. Coast Guard reported. The Coast Guard Air Station MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew, deployed with the Munro on a Bering Sea patrol, departed Dutch Harbor, safely hoisted the man from fishing vessel Northern Victor, and transported him to Iliuliuk Family and Health Services in Dutch Harbor. Coast Guard Cutter Munro crewmembers, moored in Dutch Harbor, received the request for a medevac from the crew of the Northern Victor via radio. The helicopter crew was on deck at the community’s airport in order to maintain search and rescue capability.

The Coast Guard medevaced a 36-year-old man from the 252-foot fishing vessel American Triumph approximately 92 miles north of Cold Bay, Alaska, Thursday. A Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew forward deployed in Cold Bay safely hoisted the man and transported him to awaiting emergency medical services in Cold Bay. Watchstanders at the Coast Guard 17th District command center in Juneau were notified of the man’s injury by the crew of the American Triumph. It was reported two of the man's fingers were severed by a steel door. Watchstanders consulted the duty flight surgeon who recommended the medevac. "This case illustrates the importance of forward deploying our hoist capable helicopters in Alaska," said Lt. Cmdr.

A U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew medevaced an ailing fisherman from the fishing vessel Irene H in the Shelikof Strait near Kodiak Island Tuesday. The Jayhawk crew rendezvoused with the Irene H, safely hoisted the man aboard the helicopter and transported him to awaiting emergency medical services in Kodiak for further care. Coast Guard 17th District command center watchstanders received a request for assistance from the crew of Irene H when the…

Coast Guard search and rescue crews were relieved by Republic of Korea assets on Saturday in their search for 26 crewmembers from the fishing vessel 501 Oryong that capsized Nov. 30, 2014, near Chukotka, Russia, in the Bering Sea. The Coast Guard completed more than 24 searches covering more than 4,576 square miles utilizing two cutters, two helicopters, and multiple airplanes. Coast Guard crews will continue to partner with the Republic of Korea to provide search and rescue planning support. "The sympathies of the Coast Guard go out to those impacted by this tragic maritime loss," said Rear Adm. Dan Abel, commander, Coast Guard 17th District. "To the families of those known to have perished, we grieve with you.

A U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) helicopter crew medevaced a mariner from a 623-foot bulk carrier located approximately 75 miles southeast of Cold Bay, Alaska, Sunday. Coast Guard 17th District Command Center watchstanders received a call from the crew of ALLSEAS MARINE S.A.’s bulk carrier Mykonos Seas requesting medical assistance for an injured crewmember. The duty flight surgeon recommended the medevac, and the USCG Air Station Kodiak MH-60 Jayhawk crew was launched out of Cold Bay to conduct the rescue. The helicopter crew hoisted the mariner and transferred him to commercial medical services in Cold Bay for further transport to Anchorage and additional medical care. "This case illustrates the importance of forward deploying our hoist capable helicopters in Alaska," said Lt. Cmdr.

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.

A U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter medevaced a crewmember suffering from a head injury from the South Korean research icebreaker Araon 250 miles north of Barrow, Wednesday. Watch a video of the rescue here. The helicopter crew, forward deployed to Barrow in anticipation of the forward operating location opening on Thursday, safely hoisted the 43-year-old male from the Araon and transported him to emergency medical personnel in Barrow. Coast Guard 17th District command center watchstanders received the medevac request from the crew of the Araon Tuesday afternoon.

The Coast Guard 17th District informs that it has taken off a 56-year-old male patient from the cruise ship 'Carnival Miracle' in Stephens Passage near Juneau, Alaska. A 45-foot response boat-medium crew from Coast Guard Station Juneau safely transported the man to awaiting medical personnel in Juneau after it was reported he was suffering from a diabetes-related episode. Coast Guard Sector Juneau command center personnel received the report from the crew of the Carnival Miracle and launched the response boat crew with Juneau Emergency Medical Associates personnel aboard to rendezvous with the vessel. “A case like this highlights the training and proficiency of our boat crewmembers and interoperability with our local partners,” said Lt. Stacey Tate, Command Duty Officer, Sector Juneau.

U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) Air Station Kodiak deployed an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew and support personnel to their seasonal forward operating location in Cordova, Alaska, to safeguard mariners in Prince William Sound and South Central Alaska, Thursday. With an increased number of vessels operating in the region during the spring and summer, the deployed Coast Guard aircrew will be able to rapidly respond to mariners in need of assistance. “Our strategically placed forward deployed assets and crews allow us to significantly decrease our response time during a distress call,” said Lt. Cmdr. Douglas Watson, the Coast Guard 17th District Command Center chief.

A U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) Air Station Kodiak MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew, forward deployed in Cold Bay, medevaced a mariner from the 680-foot fish processing vessel Ocean Phoenix 85 miles northwest of Cold Bay, Tuesday, the USCG reported. The helicopter crew transported the man to the Cold Bay where they were met by commercial medevac services for further transport to Providence Medical Center in Anchorage. Watchstanders at the Coast Guard 17th District command center in Juneau received the request for medevac from the master of the Ocean Phoenix when a crewman suffered a severe injury to his left hand. The Coast Guard duty flight surgeon was contacted and concurred with the need for the medevac.

A U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew medevaced an ailing mariner from a vessel in the Bering Sea near Cold Bay today. The helicopter crew safely transported the man to emergency medical services in Cold Bay for a commercial flight to Anchorage. Coast Guard 17th District command center watchstanders received the medevac request from the crew of the 158-foot fishing vessel Arica and immediately directed the launch of the helicopter and aircrew from forward operating location Cold Bay. The aircrew rendezvoused with the fishing vessel and safely hoisted the mariner, who was reportedly suffering from abdominal pain. “Our forward operating locations allow us to minimize response times during particular fishing seasons throughout Alaska,” said Lt.